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We've played up through November 4, but I've been pretty short on time to write it up...Here is a start. For posterity!

October 11
KB is sent to Rabaul to rest. No other orders.

Only action today is a lot of subs sighted in/around the Slot. I'll have to reroute my landing TF.

October 12
Sturgeon misses one of my ASW TFs, and I-15 misses when firing at 5 DDs.

The I-16 sinks AD Dobbin outside of Noumea.

A bunch of midget subs arrive at Shortlands.

October 13
KB is outside of Munda, undetected. Kates are set to ASW with arcs, and a new ASW TF sets out from Rabaul.

I-16 sinks AM Direct (as in hit [:D]) outside of Noumea.

I-11 sinks AK Lynx west of Renell Island with casualties on board. This is part of a big Amphib TF.

KB launches on said TF, but the strike is small. An APD is sunk, a DD is damaged, and 2 AKs suffer deck penetrations from 250kg bombs. Only 23 Vals and 22 Kates flew. I still had the Kates on partial ASW...

October 14
My CS at Shortlands is now covering ASW/Search duties in the Slot. KB a/c to full Nav Strike, as well as Bettys and Zeroes from Rabaul. Junyo will merge with KB today.

Yamato, Chikuma, Chokai, Furutaka and 3 DDs to Shortlands to await orders to go in.

I-16 launches a midget sub outside of Noumea and it does some minesweeping the old fashioned way...

37 Bettys strike the Amphib TF at Lunga, but no escorts are present. Still, 2 APs, 2 AKs, and a DD are sunk while CL Helena also takes 2 torpedoes. I guess she didn't sink to a mine earlier. 34 more Bettys strike throughout the day, sinking AK Lyra and damaging another AK.

KB strikes in morning and afternoon. The first strike gets 2 deck penetrations on Helena with Vals, heavily damaging an AKA, DD and damage to a DD, AKA, and AK. The afternoon strike causes heavy damage to an AKA, AK, APD, and damage to an AK.

Junyo strikes on her own before merging, sinking AKA Stevens and heavy fires/damage on an AK and AKA.

This is all of the action, but sunk sound is heard at dusk. I hope it was multiple ships...

October 15
Aircraft losses from yesterday are light - 2 Bettys to flak, 1 Val, 1 Kate, 1 Rufe as well. 1 Zero to ops. I basically got off scot-free.

10 B-17s strike at my own Amphibious TF unloading at Tassafaronga, getting 2 bomb hits but only causing 56 casualties. Most of my troops must be ashore already.

KB sinks an APD, AK, and damages another APD and AK in the morning. In the afternoon, they sink another AK.

Very successful couple of days.

Nice run of results. Your opponent has a high threshold for shipping losses!

Yeah, I'm impressed with his endurance/tolerance for losses. We're pretty much stalemated at this point. My naval power is superior, but with the forces on hand I can't dislodge the USMC. There have been a couple of times when I've felt close, but if he gets even a trickle of supply in I can't get the upper hand.

October 16
Junyo and Suzuya will actually merge with "KB" this turn, bringing it up to 15 ships. The 2 Kitakami-class and 5 DDs that made up the rest of Junyo's temporary escort will go to Tassafaronga to help screen landing operations.

KB aircraft are stood down to NavS/ASW while the Zeroes are to 70/30 CAP/rest and range 2. Good thing, as B-17s and the Lunga air force strike at my ships. The leaky CAP destroys one of the 4Es, 2 TBFs, 3 SBDs, and 2 F4Fs for 1 destroyed Zero. No damage to ships.

October 17
KB moves one hex, in case he saw me. I end up losing an xAK to bombs anyway.

I-169 fires 8 torpedoes at an xAK and misses. I never understand when skippers do this. I realize firing 8 is an artifact of the code, but realistically how do you miss with a salvo of 8?

An artillery-only bombardment at Tass reveals 900 AV vs. his 540 AV, for no results.

October 18
My Kitakamis and DDs bombard Lunga on their way out of the area, destroying 3 F4Fs and 1 SBD on the ground as well as some supply. Hagikaze sinks a PT boat first.

B-17s bomb my TF again but miss. This is the last day of unloading, with KB still 3 hexes away.

I begin loading fuel at Truk for Rabaul, I need more forward...

October 19
KB is sent NE of the slot to await a second landing TF's arrival, and to rest the pilots for 1-2 days.

No action.

October 20
Gudgeon is hit twice by my retiring xAKs and APDs, which is the only action today.

October 21
No orders on my side today. KB is safe. A 2-ship TF is spotted at Milne, as well as lots of Allied subs in the Slot area.

RO-33 runs some SCs out of depth charges near Noumea.

October 22
Re-route my incoming landing TF to avoid the subs...and get hit by 17 SBDs instead. They are met by 11 Zeroes on leaky CAP, and 15 are destroyed. 12 B-17s bomb it inconsequentially.

I-169 shoots at a DD, misses, and takes 2 penetrating hits in return. She is later caught on the surface, unable to dive, and sunk. A sad end.

October 23
My 3 Arty units are delivered to Tass. I'll bombard to probe. I now have 914 AV and 933 in the bombardment, but no results. He has 567 effective AV.

2 SBDs bomb an xAKL and both are destroyed by leaky CAP afterwards. The xAKL will live, but she's burning.

B-17s from Luganville hit an xAK with a bomb, but it will live also.

9 ships are spotted SW of Rennell, showing as CA/3 CLAA/DD. Is this Hornet, or is it a SCTF?

October 24
Amph TF just has supply left to unload and Tass has more than enough for the time being, so I'll retire them to Truk. KB is also headed to Truk - I need torps, and I'm not itching for a 4v1 CV battle right now.

Shortlands AF builds to 87% this turn.

My TFs are undetected during the day, though Snapper fires at a DD escorting KB and misses. She only sights the DD.

October 25
I-9 sinks AVD Mackinac.

The Allied "KB" is spotted WNW of Rennell. 10 ships - 3 CV, 2 CA, BB, CLAA. 40 fighters, 51 bombers, 3 auxiliary. This has to be Hornet on her own, as Long Island is 99% sunk.

I tried a Deliberate this turn at Tass. It did not go well, despite plenty of supply and low disruption levels on my side. Fatigue was normal, at average 22-24, for a combat hex. 935 to 568 AV gets 1:4 odds, with one of my Naval Guard being destroyed. 4885 casualties vs. 615. I guess I'm stuck here; maybe I'll evacuate and try to backdoor him at Lunga? I have designs on Tulagi in either case.