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are they worth anything what if any is the best way to use them?

Originally posted by Hades
are they worth anything what if any is the best way to use them?

I find them fairly useless. I send them back to pearl.

Subs do sink them.

Originally posted by Hades
are they worth anything what if any is the best way to use them?

HI!

I put them in transport TF. Adds some flak and they often lure air attacks to themselves. Spare AP´s, AK´s and loose AV.

Maybe our more experienced members have something to say?

Arto

I often send one to bases with a port size 3+ and no base force, so I can send seaplanes for naval/ASW there if need arises.

Efate is a favorite of mine for that.

Agaisnt AI, I use them far more, sending them with invasion fleets against dots, so being able to send PBY just after the invasion. But in PBEM subs are just too much deadly for that, at least in 1942.

Of the 5-7 AV that I received in the first month of scen 17, I keep only 3, sending the others back to Pearl.

Hi, They can carry troops in fast transport TF (slow fast transport TF's)

at Tulagi and operate the Cats out of there, and they also keep the PT's fueled up until I can get tankers to the Canal without getting them creamed. Also, one of the small ones at Gili Gili will service a squadron of Cats without attracting a lot of attention as well. Other than that, they're about as useless as another udder on a boar in this game.

As Mogami said. Many people miss the fact that they make excellent fast transports. Some are too slow but the bulk of them can steam at 24 knts. That is plenty good for FT.

Historically it did not happen for the Allies, but the Japanese used their CS ships as fast transports.

The slower ones have a use as well. Keep them as reserve to move to a base for added air support. When you need a little more support but do not want to waste a base unit. They might get sunk but are not too expensive and are very useful. Some say that they can only support seaplane units but I have yet to see that. It seems to me that they support any air units, but I won't swear to that. No matter, as usually every major base has some catalinas flying out of them and the AVs can support the cats leaving base support to cover other planes.

I don't send them back to Pearl. The are valuable assets if they are used correctly.

I use them for forward recon.

Sometimes with an accompanying DD, will send them forward to Santa Cruz islands or the Eastern Solomons to base PBYs.

I rotate them around the islands every day or two when playing PBEM opponents, as they sometimes will come after them. I also use a fast transport TF with a DMS to preposition supplies and check for mines before relocating.

It can be a little work, but the PBYs give good intel on ship movement around Shortlands, not to mention it makes it harder to sneak up on Luganville.

The U.S. Seaplane tenders make excellent seaplane tenders - especially the AVDs (Ballard Class).

Move them to forward areas - such as the Santa Cruz Islands - and station a squadron of PBYs with them. Can extend your search fans by hundreds of miles.

Alternately place them (with PBYs) to provide ASW patrol over Japanese Submarine feeding grounds.

You can use the big ones the same way - just keep them further south.

The problem with AV is not 'can they do something or not ?' but 'are they needed ? And in big or small number ?'

The Allied player has enough big base forces to man all his base, he is more lacking INF units to protect them all.

So if you want to use PBY for patrol somewhere, it is likely that you will have a base force here and enough air support points to not need an AV. Or the base will be too small and not have a 3 point port and your AV will search for trouble.

I don't send back all of them but keep only half of what the AI is giving me.

On the Japanese side, on the other hand, you had never enough AV or aviation support personnel.

I use them as AV's to support PBY squadrons, I forget the island's name but the one up near the north edge of the map, your PBYs can search all the way to Truk. I also use them to support PBY to fill in the blank areas of the Coral Sea so I can see what the Japanese are up to at Rabaul.

thanks for all the info i guess ill have to reevaluate my use of them