Use of CL Katori Class & AV Akitsushima Class

[Renegade]

Hi Folks,

playing as the Japanese against the AI i'm searching for the Use of the 2 Ship Classes. Since the Katori CL ist just to slow for real fleet actions (just 20 Knots) i decided to create a special "Commerce-Raider" Taskforce. These Ships would be deployed in the Area of Rabaul intercepting enemy merchant Ships. As the AI ist sending the Ships mostly unescorted even those tiny CL's should wreck havock among the TK's, AK's & AP's. And they did!! In about 2 Month they racked up the Score of 4 Sunk TK's, 3 AK's and one AP. The only offset of this class of "Commerce-Raiders" is there awfully low Endurance. Thinking for an solution without tying up precious AO for these Special Task Force i decided to use Akitsushima AV vessels. As AV Vessels they are pretty useless with just 1 Plane Capicity, but the posesses two much needed assets to my Commerce Raider Taskforce, the same speed as the Cl's and a high Endurance. Also they got a nice Batery of 4 5 Inch Guns. And now comes my problem:

I can't include em in my Surface Task Force. The Manual says only AVD's are allowed in Surface Task Forces. Despite the fact that they are as fast as my cruisers I can only use them in Escort Task Forces. This is fine for replacing fuel to my CL cause of the same speed, but I would also like that these Ship's would participate in Surface to Surface Engaments. I guess 4x5" Guns should work against much lighter armed Merchants. Is it possible to actually use them as Warships engaging enemy Forces??? If it's not possibly what is the use for these Ships? I don't have any 1 Plane Recon Squadron and will never receive one.

Greetings from Germany

Bluecher

[UncleBuck]

Well I don't know how you could use them in a Surface force, but you coudl just make the TF a Transport TF. Just because it is not a Surface force does not mean it won't attack.. ANother Option woudl be to place a few of these AV's in a group and use them as a gas station. Leave them in a blocking position and let teh CL's go out to attack then come back for fuel. The AV's are in in a position to intercept any that slip by. Also you coudl leave them at a red ot with some supply and use them to service Sea Planes. The Squadron does not have to be on teh AV , the AV is a mobile seaplane anchorage.


UB

[tsimmonds]

I don't have any 1 Plane Recon Squadron and will never receive one.

1. Don't they come equipped with a plane? If not there are lots of CLs that have one Alf, you can transfer.

2. They are most useful in that they can support up to ten floatplanes or seaplanes (think Mavis/Emily) in places where there is no aviation support, or even a base.

[Renegade]

Hmm when they are in an Escort Taskforce the never attack the Enemy. I didn't try out Transport, cause i thought if even Escort won't attack why swould Transport do. In fact I really don't want that my Transport TF's actively engage enemy fleets. But I'll give it a try now.

[UncleBuck]

I don't think they will be as effective, but worht a try. I wopudl place them somewhere near teh battel area and use them as expendable AO's. Or better yet use them to maintain some sea planes at say Buka before you build a base there. Send a supply ship with a few thousand in supply load t to the beach, dock your AV's there and fly in some Float Planes. The AV will service them, and you can use the AV's to re-fuel your CL's. It may make them more effective if you have some AIr search ability.

UB

[Ron Saueracker]

Those Katoris were a really stupid design. Darned beauacrats need an office, use an old merchant auxilliary or AV or something (Ghormley and Halsey used the old tub Argonne) if ya need to feel like a sailor. Don't build a useless ship with 6" guns just so you can go ooooh, ahhhh. Like my big guns little geisha girl?[:)]

[mogami]

Hi, I use them in transport TF for gunfire support on landings. They are faster then any of my AP.

Escort mission is not for combat. Escort missions are so you can place a damaged ship in a TF with escort and not have the damaged ship drop out into a new (unescorted) TF.

[The Dude]

i think they designed primarily as training cruisers with a secondary cbt role sort of like a more useless emden

[grraven2004]

It would seem to me that placing them in a trasnport TF would give them some protection against surface raiders. They would be fair against slow merchies away from enemy aircover in a surface combat role. but otherwise they are pretty worthless ships. The AV's are great for putting in a remote area with some supply and basing some Mavis or Emily's from.

[Drongo]

I normally allocate a Katori to a Transport TF that has to run an Allied air gauntlet to deliver some vital cargo.

They will tend to attract the lion's share of aircraft attacks away from the vulnerable transports since the Katoris will generally be the higher value ship. Surprisingly, they also tend to survive this attention fairly well if the opposition is only FBs and LBs.

[Caltone]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, I use them in transport TF for gunfire support on landings. They are faster then any of my AP.

Escort mission is not for combat. Escort missions are so you can place a damaged ship in a TF with escort and not have the damaged ship drop out into a new (unescorted) TF.

Interesting Mog, I often use the escort mission to send a 'Surface Combat' TF with a critical transport TF.

Example: I have a 25 ship transport TF with 6 or 7 escorts in it (maybe a DD with some PG's and MSW's) Then I form what amounts to a surface combat TF (couple CA's or CL's and 6 DD's or so) I give this TF the 'Escort' mission and have it 'follow' the transport TF.

This seems to work but am I missing the intent of the 'escort' mission? Additionally, when the transport is less than a day from its objective, I usually change the 'Escort' TF to bombardment and send it in before the troops start to unload.

[Sneer]

as a cover use Surface TF
escort TF was created only to escort heavily damaged ships with higher amount of escort of all types.
In UV damaged ships tends to break from TF with 1DD as an assist.