Mine Operations

pad152 · Post by **pad152** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:07 am

I would like to hear about mining operations, can you lay mines from subs, aircraft?

Thanks

Joel Billings · Post by **Joel Billings** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:50 am

Sub and minelayer ships.

Crocky · Post by **Crocky** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:11 am

and we have minesweepers to clear the mines

David Heath · Post by **David Heath** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:36 am

Yes you do...... mines are a lot fun in this game.

panda124c · Post by **panda124c** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 8:17 pm

Originally posted by David Heath
Yes you do...... mines are a lot fun in this game.

Sorry, mines are never fun. Your's always work badly and their's always work to good.

pad152 · Post by **pad152** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 11:27 pm

No aircraft launched mines?, no shure about the US but, didn't the Brits and Japs use aircraft dropped sea mines?

tanjman · Post by **tanjman** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 11:58 pm

If I remember correctly B-29s where used to mine Japanese home waters starting in mid 1945. I know this doesn't apply to this game, but I hope it will be implemented in WitP.

siRkid · Post by **siRkid** » Wed Mar 27, 2002 12:37 am

Mines can be laid by ships or subs. The friendly mine fields show up on your map and you have to find the enemy ones. The effectiveness of the mine field depends on the number and type of mines in the field. You can keep adding mines to currently deployed fields. I have seen the follow messages (not exact words) - Mine Sweepers have detected a mine field - Mine Sweepers are clearing a path through a mine field - Mine Sweepers are widening a path through a mine field - Ship has been sunk by a mine. Some friendly ports start the game with a mine field in place.

Rick

stubby331 · Post by **stubby331** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 10:48 am

Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but….
The Japanese only ever built 4 minelaying subs and as far as I can see in anything I have ever read their fleet subs didn’t take part in any minelaying ops, or were even capable of it (unclear on this last ).

This brings me to my question.

Are sub minelaying capabilities in UV exaggerated to what they were historically?

Hanging out to get my very own copy of UV...

Interested in any other opinions…

siRkid · Post by **siRkid** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 9:52 pm

Originally posted by stubby331
Don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but….
The Japanese only ever built 4 minelaying subs and as far as I can see in anything I have ever read their fleet subs didn’t take part in any minelaying ops, or were even capable of it (unclear on this last ).

This brings me to my question.

Are sub minelaying capabilities in UV exaggerated to what they were historically?

Hanging out to get my very own copy of UV...

Interested in any other opinions…

I have only used the US subs to mine. The ability is historical as far as I can tell. The early subs can only load a few mines but later versions show up that can load more. I can't remember the name but I got one US sub that must have been built for mine laying because it could load a lot of mines. The mines get upgraded as time go on by the way.

Rick

madflava13 · Post by **madflava13** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 10:47 pm

FYI - the sub you mentioned was most likely the Argonaut... I don't have details, but she was fitted out for spec ops missions (along with sistership Nautilus). I know she was operational in the area for most of this time period. Argonaut was believed lost in a gun duel with a Japanese destroyer...

juliet7bravo · Post by **juliet7bravo** » Thu Mar 28, 2002 11:26 pm

This was the Argonaut class of minelaying submarine built prewar, single ship class...rated to carry 60 mines I think. The very similiar Narwhal/Nautilus weren't really built as minelayers, but as "submarine cruisers". Brits had several classes of minelaying subs as well, and used them extensively I think. Japanese had the KRS class subs (4 total) designed specifically as minelayers but were unsuccessful and converted to refueling/cargo subs in 1940. However, all subs were capable of laying mines via the torpedo tubes...non-purpose built subs just couldn't carry as many mines, or deploy them as quickly as special purpose built subs. All navies involved used subs to deploy mines throughout the war, and had the capability (and used it, though not extensively) during the timeframe/area covered by UV. In the US/Jp. Navy's, the special purpose built subs were quickly relegated to "support" roles. They were invariably obsolete, large, slow, slow divers, and prone to mechanical casualties...definitely unsuited to the role of laying mines in the confined/shallow/contested waters where mines are most effectively deployed. They were however, ideally suited to carry cargo and or raiders due to their large size, internal storage space, and heavy surface armament.