2/17 - 2/18/42
4 more Japanese destroyers have become diving attractions. [:)]
Cent Pac
Hornet's two days out from Pearl. Once she arrives she, Yorktown, New Mexico, Mississippi & escorts head to So Pac. Enterprise will remain in Pearl so her crew can scrape off barnacles that accumulated in her earlier running around. I'll probably leave her here until the April upgrade, then rotate the Yorktown class carriers through.
Arizona is down to 5 sys damage at San Francisco & will join the South Pac BB division once she's fully repaired.
DD Mochizuki hits a sub-laid mine at Kwaj.
South Pac
Tulagi falls. The Japanese also land at Lunga. Most of the 2nd Marine Div has now arrived at Noumea and NZ troops are also on their way to Efate.
DEI
This is where the fun was. I spotted a Jap reinforcement convoy heading to Amboina in time to do something about it. First, a Dutch cruiser TF attacked in the night:
Night Time Surface Combat, near Amboina at 40,74
Japanese Ships
DD Minekaze
DD Asagao
DD Fuyo, Shell hits 73, on fire, heavy damage
Sinks
DD Karukaya, Shell hits 1, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
AP Arabia Maru
AP Argentina Maru
AP Atuta Maru
AP Baikal Maru
AP Denmark Maru
AP Horaisan Maru
AP Ryotaku Maru, on fire
AK Sinsei Maru
AP Victoria Maru
Allied Ships
CL Java
CL De Ruyter
CL Tromp
DD Pillsbury
DD Pope
DD Evertsen
DD Piet Hein, Shell hits 1, on fire
35/0/8 - will go to Sydney for repairs
Carrier-based planes from Sara, Lex & Indomitable then strike in the morning:
Allied aircraft
Sea Hurricane Ib x 4
Albacore x 22
F2A Buffalo x 27
F4F-3 Wildcat x 8
SBD Dauntless x 32
TBD Devastator x 18
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
Albacore: 1 destroyed, 1 damaged
F2A Buffalo: 4 destroyed, 7 damaged
F4F-3 Wildcat: 1 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 3 damaged
TBD Devastator: 4 damaged
Japanese Ships
DD Karukaya, Bomb hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
DD Minekaze, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Horaisan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire
AP Baikal Maru
AP Denmark Maru, Bomb hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Atuta Maru, Torpedo hits 2, on fire
DD Asagao
AP Arabia Maru, Torpedo hits 1
AP Ryotaku Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Follow-up strike:
Day Air attack on TF at 39,75
Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 2
Allied aircraft
F4F-3 Wildcat x 6
SBD Dauntless x 15
TBD Devastator x 18
Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 damaged
Allied aircraft losses
F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 destroyed, 2 damaged
SBD Dauntless: 1 destroyed, 3 damaged
Japanese Ships
AP Victoria Maru
AP Atuta Maru, Bomb hits 4, on fire, heavy damage
AP Horaisan Maru, Torpedo hits 1, on fire, heavy damage
Sinks
DD Asagao
DD Karukaya, on fire, heavy damage
Sinks after this combat
Altogether the Zeros on LRCAP shot down 4 Buffalos, 2 Wildcats & 1 Dauntless for the loss of 2 Zeros. Interestingly Buffalo pilots from VF-2 are claiming both kills.
Finally, the Dutch cruiser TF runs into the Japanese again, 60 miles SW of Amboina:
Day Time Surface Combat at 39,75
Japanese Ships
DD Minekaze, Shell hits 12, and is
sunk
DD Asagao, Shell hits 15, and is
sunk
AP Arabia Maru, Shell hits 11, on fire, heavy damage
AP Argentina Maru, Shell hits 13, on fire, heavy damage
AP Atuta Maru, Shell hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
AP Baikal Maru, Shell hits 5, on fire, heavy damage
AP Denmark Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AP Ryotaku Maru, on fire, heavy damage
AK Sinsei Maru
AP Victoria Maru
Allied Ships
CL Java, Shell hits 2
CL De Ruyter
CL Tromp, Shell hits 1
DD Pillsbury, Shell hits 1
DD Pope, Shell hits 1
11/4/7 Damage to all other ships is negligible
DD Evertsen, Shell hits 1
I think (hope?) KB's near the Solomons covering the landings there. I know that Baby KB is nearby but if Pat commits it I'll outnumber it & the fatigue of my pilots is still low. With that in mind I decided to stick around one more day. The Dutch will try for a mid-ocean intercept during the night then retreat towards Darwin. The CVs will move 60 miles east to be in position to finish off the convoy whether it moves back towards Amboina or NE towards safety. Regardless of outcome the CVs will bolt after tomorrow.
If I'm wrong about KB it could get exciting! React setting is at 5, to avoid a Japanese strike without a possibility of a counter-strike.
Elsewhere in the DEI Jap reinforcements are also approaching Balikpapan. Subs & LBA will try to stop them.
Burma
I've decided to abandon Rangoon & Moulmein without a fight. [:(] Of 4 brigades there the two in Rangoon will march to Mandalay and the Royal Navy will pick up the two in Moulmein and bring them to India.
