In Progress Let's Succeed at Ruling the Waves 2: Electric Boogaloo

[ValeVelKal]

Pointless. 4 inch is totally enough and 5 inch rate of fire is not firing fast enough...

Pah, is this what I get for having preached all 5'' secondaries since the design of the Admiral Class? Pah!

I thought common wisdom was that 5 inch for double purpose is too much, except if well, you have 5 inch as main anyway.

In any case, our 4 inch is qality +1 and our 5 inch is quality 0, so...

 

[TheLoneGunman]

Secretary of the Navy ?????, January 1935

My Dearest Constance,

I hope that this letter finds you well. It is with the deepest sense of regret that I must inform you that there has been a delay to my planned return home to our plantation. As you well know, after my long tenure training Swedish soldiers in the customs and tactics of the honourable southern soldier, I was recalled to Richmond in order to develop a new uniform for the men. As luck and Almighty God would have it, President ValeVelKal saw fit to present me with a field promotion to Secretary of the Navy. Please my love, do not dismay. I know that you will continue to find comfort in your favorite servants Toby and Remus as they obediently tend to you after their work in the fields is done for the day.

I will need to convene with these Navy men shortly. I must find out more about how these ocean-going vessels function in war. From what I understand, they follow a similar code to the Confederate infantryman. They are supposed to line up honourably alongside their foe and only at the command of their general admiral do they fire their weapons upon one another.

I am afraid that I will not have much time to write you after this letter is dispatched, the Damnyankee Commune looks to be gearing up for war, and I will be needed to whip them back across the Mason-Dixon line much as I whipped Remus the day I caught him singing and carrying on in the wood beside the plantation. With luck, the newspapers will share tales of our victory soon. When you receive such articles, please dispose of them promptly after you've read them, lest Toby discover them and begin to learn the alphabet.

With love and honour,
T.L.G. Beauregard

 

[Andnjord]

The lone gunman... that name sounds strangely familiar from the AGEOD forums...in any case, welcome aboard! The new secretary of the navy will be in for a rude awakening when he meets the motley crew we call captains and admirals here

I thought common wisdom was that 5 inch for double purpose is too much, except if well, you have 5 inch as main anyway.

In any case, our 4 inch is qality +1 and our 5 inch is quality 0, so...

I thought that was the case with 6" vs 5"....Problem is 4" are too small to deal with cruisers and destroyers, so you end up having to equip your x capital ships with both a anti ship 6" battery and a AA 4" battery while a 5" battery could deal with both. I least I think that's the case :D

 

[ValeVelKal]

The lone gunman... that name sounds strangely familiar from the AGEOD forums...in any case, welcome aboard! The new secretary of the navy will be in for a rude awakening when he meets the motley crew we call captains and admirals here

I thought common wisdom was that 5 inch for double purpose is too much, except if well, you have 5 inch as main anyway.

In any case, our 4 inch is qality +1 and our 5 inch is quality 0, so...

I thought that was the case with 6" vs 5"....Problem is 4" are too small to deal with cruisers and destroyers, so you end up having to equip your x capital ships with both a anti ship 6" battery and a AA 4" battery while a 5" battery could deal with both. I least I think that's the case :D

Well, at least ValeVelKal has been removeed from the roster for 5 more years !

 

[TheLoneGunman]

Secretary of the Navy TheLoneGunman, January 1935 - July 1937

Getting Started

Spoiler

War is looming. A quick glance at the current diplomatic situation shows that our greatest enemies at the moment are Russia and the Communist United States, with the United Kingdom slightly agitated with us.

Since we have no allies for the time being, I decide to change our intel efforts and increase them across the board, with the highest setting for our 3 most likely enemies. Germany gets medium intel effort. France and Japan get low.

Looking over the composition of our fleet, I am dismayed to see that it is mostly composed of ships that belong in a museum. Our budget however, is currently being used to construct 3 Slaveowner-class Battleships (with a top speed of 25 knots and short range ) and one additional CL.

Once these ships are completed, we should have a sufficient budget to begin a new project. It seems apparent to me we have a need for several things:

1. A suitable destroyer than can actually accompany our battlefleet and actually be useful.
2. A cheap corvette that can fulfill trade protection duties and kill enemy subs.
3. Dedicated BCs, CAs, and/or CLs that can provide proper Anti-Aircraft protection for our carriers and battleships.

As March rolls around we get a message from an old friend.

Jolly good show old boys! I have an offer from His Majesty the King himself for you.

What K-king want?

Well you see old bean, His Majesty has this fancy new 5 inch gun, but needs some quid to upgrade the old palace. He was hoping your new Naval Secretary would buy it.

Secretary! Come! Make deal-deal!

Mr. President, we already possess a 5 inch gun, why purchase a new one?

Because it has more range and penetration ability. Something you'll learn all about if you keep asking questions like you're still in the army.

Ah, so it is similar to using a better rifle, even if the caliber is the same.

Mon Dieu! What has Monsieur Le Président done?

I say good sir, on my word you can tell your king that you have a deal.

Great news! Cheerio chaps!

In April, the CSS Slaveholder Washington is commissioned. This frees up a considerable budget for the design of some new ships.

The design of a new Destroyer is put forward, the DD-1935 Class.

It is a medium range 2500 ton destroyer with a top speed of 34 knots. It packs ASW and AA capabilities, and can also trade blows with enemy destroyers thanks to its 5 inch quality 1 main battery and it's dual purpose 4 inch guns of quality 1. We place an initial order for 10 of these. With hopes to create a few more once the budget has room.

Then in July...

S-secretary!!! President needs you!


Monsieur Le Président, what can I do to assist you?

C-communists, want war-war. Stop them with more-more ships. Now!

But Mr. President, we've deployed practically the entire army navy to the Northeast Atlantic.

N-no buts! More-more! Now! President ValeVelKal c-commands!

Yes sir!

*Sigh* This wasn't going to be easy. On the bright side, CSS Slaveowner Washington was now available for deployment. Let's send her out!

In Septmber we make another great advancement.

We'll implement a rebuild of the 1935-class once the first ones launch to make use of this.


S-secretary!

Mr. President?

You fail me. Not enough ship-ships in waters.

But sir-

President make you, President b-break you!

There's simply no pleasing this rat!

Our spies also provide us information on a new Yankee Battlecruiser.

It seems they want to use this to compete with our Slaveholder-class.

Then this happens:

Remember the DD ML-1920-4!!!!!

 

[Andnjord]

We'll implement a rebuild of the 1935-class once the first ones launch to make use of this.

On that note, it seems that DP batteries of mixed caliber take a substantial hit to total AA effectiveness. So it might be worth converting these DDs to get rid of the 4'' and use the leftover space for more 5'' guns, although that might be too expensive? And genuine question about ASW. Do ships with ASW equipment NOT on Trade Protection actually contribute anything to killing subs in-game?/

Because it has more range and penetration ability. Something you'll learn all about if you keep asking questions like you're still in the army.

Could I ask that picture to be changed to Captain Andjord's new face?

After all the 'Admiral' Andnjord has been dead and buried for more than 30 years now :D

Remember the DD ML-1920-4!!!!!

HUZZAH! It's been too long we didn't kick the commies into the dirt!

 

[ValeVelKal]

Remember the DD ML-1920-4!!!!!

C-Catchy slogan !





By the way, it looks like President ValeVelKal had another terrible accident that he survived… shortly thereafter .

 

[ValeVelKal]

Also, what's the issue with my Slaveowner-class. It is supposed to be short range for the Americans !

 

[Andnjord]

Also, what's the issue with my Slaveowner-class. It is supposed to be short range for the Americans !

Considering the cost and the hopefully long service life of a battle ship, building one short ranged to fight a single enemy could be seen as an issue. Also it's not like a DD or a CL that have strict tonnage limits, what's a couple of hundred tons more on a 35 000 ton behemoth

 

[ValeVelKal]

Also, what's the issue with my Slaveowner-class. It is supposed to be short range for the Americans !

Considering the cost and the hopefully long service life of a battle ship, building one short ranged to fight a single enemy could be seen as an issue. Also it's not like a DD or a CL that have strict tonnage limits, what's a couple of hundred tons more on a 35 000 ton behemoth

Bah, once the Americans are done for, park them in Iceland.
Also, it is way more than a couple hundred tons. I saved maybe 15% or 20% of the price with that.

 

[Andnjord]

Also, what's the issue with my Slaveowner-class. It is supposed to be short range for the Americans !

Considering the cost and the hopefully long service life of a battle ship, building one short ranged to fight a single enemy could be seen as an issue. Also it's not like a DD or a CL that have strict tonnage limits, what's a couple of hundred tons more on a 35 000 ton behemoth

Bah, once the Americans are done for, park them in Iceland.
Also, it is way more than a couple hundred tons. I saved maybe 15% or 20% of the price with that.

20%? That much? Ok then, in that case I can see the point in that.

 

[ValeVelKal]

Also, what's the issue with my Slaveowner-class. It is supposed to be short range for the Americans !

Considering the cost and the hopefully long service life of a battle ship, building one short ranged to fight a single enemy could be seen as an issue. Also it's not like a DD or a CL that have strict tonnage limits, what's a couple of hundred tons more on a 35 000 ton behemoth

Bah, once the Americans are done for, park them in Iceland.
Also, it is way more than a couple hundred tons. I saved maybe 15% or 20% of the price with that.

20%? That much? Ok then, in that case I can see the point in that.

Checking, it would have moved a 37 000 tons ship into a 40 000 tons ship, so more like around 8%

 

[TheLoneGunman]

Secretary of the Navy TheLoneGunman, July 1937 - October 1937

First Blood

Spoiler

In August the Communist Yankees attempt an attack on a Confederate convoy in the Carolinas. The Confederate fleet sails to meet the threat.


We must protect the convoys of supplies for our boys in Gray!

Attack with torp-torp in air!

Mr. President?!

Y-you blind?! Not President!

Let's get this show on the road boys. The CSS Admiral Andnjord is ready.

Le Louisiane en position.

We begin our deployment, and it doesn't take long for the Yankee ships to begin engaging the convoy. They've come heavily armed, with a squadron of battleships, a squadron of battlecruisers, and a carrier division.

Pull back, the enemy has us outgunned!

A general alarm is sounded as the Yankees have a vastly superior fleet that outnumbers us 2-1. As we attempt to disengage from the Yankee battleline and explosion is heard in the distance.

What was that?!

Le Pursuit of Happiness, she is détruit.

The CA Pursuit of Happiness takes a salvo from the main batteries of the Yankee battleships. It penetrates her forward magazine and the vessel is obliterated.

Our destroyers get into a scrum with the enemy, and we begin losing portions of our Rat Pack II-class.

We finally manage to disengage.

We know where the enemy is, let's him them from a distance.

Squeeeeaak!

You may commence the aerial launch.

Our bombers, of both the torpedo and the diving variety fly out under fighter escort to the last known location of the enemy fleet.

We are greeted to reports of multiple enemy battlecruisers being torpedoed.

Torp-torp is working! Good. More! Finish r-really big destroyers.

Move the fleet to their position.

With pleasure.

The Confederate battleships increase speed (to a whopping 25 knots so the Slaveowner Jefferson can keep up). They encounter the Yankee battlecruisers isolated from the rest of their fleet and damaged from the Confederate carrier strike.

In the exchange, the Louisitane is hit.

Comte get aboard!

We will avenge those men, open fire and unleash hell upon those damnyankees.

Firing main batteries.

The Yankee battlecruisers are no match for our concentrated fire. We rain hell down upon them and watch with glee as the enemy ships are cut to ribbons by southern steel.

First to go is the USS United States, a 34.4k ton battlecruiser. Her 11" belt armor is not suitable for this engagement. She is beaten soundly and begins to sink. Next on our menu are the USS Nevada and USS Congress, both Nevada-class Battlecruisers that look like they were designed to defeat our Slaveowner-class battleships. The Slaveowner Jefferson begs to differ and we get the upperhand on them, sending them to the bottom of the ocean.

With the enemy BCs dealt with, we withdraw, as there are no longer reports of our convoy being attacked, and I don't want to risk losing any of our battleships while we are still clearly outnumbered.

An enemy airstrike from the Yankee carrier fleet manages to attack our own carriers, and well-placed bombs damage all of our fleet carriers, with the CSS Sumter losing the ability to conduct flight operations.

The Battle of the Carolinas is considered a major victory for the Confederacy, despite some losses. Our new DD-1935 class performs excellent, suffering no losses.

We are also closing in on parity with the Yankee fleet. After the battle is concluded, Confederate intelligence reports that the Yankees have 12 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, and 4 fleet carriers in service (with a single new carrier being built).

Our next battle occurs in September, when we attempt a raid on the enemy in retaliation for their attack on the Carolinas. This puts our fleet near Philadelphia. Our fleet carriers are out of operations, so we only have our CVLs to support us. In the battleline are the CSS Gettysburg, the Admiral Andnjord, the James Longstreet, and the Slaveowner Washington.

We use our airpower to strike first, but our battleships eventually run into the Yankee battleships. What ensues is basically a brawl as night approaches. The Confederacy manages to isolate and sink the USS Illinois, an older dreadnought with 14" guns. In exchange, we lose 1 destroyer. The victory is still sweet.

 

[TheLoneGunman]

End of my turn will be uploaded soon!

 

[Andnjord]

Comte , got spare time this round?

 

[TheLoneGunman]

Secretary of the Navy TheLoneGunman, October 1937 - January 1940

The Warrin' 30s

Spoiler

To Whom It May Concern,

It has been a long and brutal period of war throughout the end of the 1930s. The Commune of United States has fought us tooth and nail, but through it all Southern cunning has continued to rule the day. I remember when I took this post as an eager soldier, demanding satisfaction. How ignorant I was then, flush with small victories like the sinking of the Battlecruiser Independence in April of 1938. Back then we were typically outgunned, but the Independence made a fatal mistake and closed ranks with the CSS Gettysburg.

The Independence was not a stout ship, but she packed a punch.

What she didn't count on was the sudden appearance of the CSS Admiral Andnjord and James Longstreet.

When the 3 battleships converged, it was too late and the Independence could no longer run.

We fought several such battles, slowly grinding away the Yankee battleline.

Sadly, we lost many brave men as our destroyers and cruisers suffered terrible casualties. The CA State's Rights was sunk in combat, leaving us depleted of any ship not quite a dreadnought.

I was asked to design a new light cruiser to supplement our navy. With help from the engineers we came up with the Charleston-class CL.

We placed a number of them under construction, hoping that they would be able to outgun and outmatch any enemy CLs and also function as suitable escorts against air attack.

Meanwhile, our Southern soldiers put the Yankees on the run on land as they so often were accustomed.

By the end of 1938, we had managed to sink almost all of the Yankee battleships and battlecruisers. Their ranks were so depleted, that our battleships encountered the carrier USS Saratoga practically unopposed in 1939, putting her to the bottom of the ocean with good old fashioned Southern shot.

We had lost so many vessels, that a budget surplus appeared, and I made the decision to build a glorious flagship for our mighty navy, the most powerful vessel ever conceived.

I named her, the Dixieland.

She weighs in at 63k tons. Her armor is equivalent to her contemporary dreadnoughts (although truth be told her deck armor is 2" thinner than the Slaveowner-class). Yet she still manages a speed of 27 knots.

And she does so carrying the greatest arsenal ever fitted to a sea-going vessel.

Of course, I kept the project a secret, I had to. A gentleman does not kiss and tell, and I refused to give our enemies any sort of advantage. I never knew that this decision would come back to haunt me with my own men. They assumed that I had hoarded the money for myself, perhaps to purchase new friends for Toby.

I've been forced to leave my office under cover of darkness, before the constables arrive. When you find this letter, that will mean you are now in charge of the Confederate Navy. I wish you well. You will find the pertinent information on the Dixieland project in a ledger locked within a lockbox hidden behind The Story of Atlantis and The Lost Lemuria in my study.

I don't have much time, you must carry on, God save the South!

With Honour and Respect,
T.L.G. Beuregard

Save file:

Spoiler

https://www.dropbox.com/s/e2grxcgbwpmg2by/Game8.7z?dl=0

 

[Andnjord]

Alright, unless Comte or Oscar manifest themselves 'Captain' Andnjord will claim the Secretariat of the Navy and break the glass ceiling for world-womanhood.

Thank you for joining us TheLoneGunman, good job whittling down the US navy and I cannot wait to see what manner of monstrosity your last creation is

 

[TheLoneGunman]

Thank you guys for letting me join in.

The war is practically over, so if you take the turn you may want to milk it a bit for extra budget, at least until most of the Charleston-class are completed.

Sadly our invasion range is still too short to grab any of the USA's colonies in the Pacific.

 

[Andnjord]

The Woke Admiralty

Spoiler

W-well, cpt Andnjord, you m-must wonder why I su-summoned you?

Is it about that party on the CSS Gettysburg Mr. President? Because i swear the champagne fountains were all Comte's idea, I had nothing to do with it Mr. President

N-no! Party fine-fine, need to celebrate incoming vi-victory. Navy needs fresh blood-blood. LoneGunMan secretariat fiasco! Destroyers with wings here, future-visionary! And what he b-build? Destroyer with no wings, small ones only! And money gone-gone, Poof! No one know w-where! And LoneGunMan gone, joined the g-great brood mother in the sky.

I mean he did do a damn good job at blowing up the US navy, under his leadership we've sunk all of their capital ships for the loss of a dozen destroyers and outdated cruisers only.

He great war-time pack-leader. But no v-vision. Navy needs vision- n-new ideas, new f-future. No more stuffy old w-white males. You fresh blood, you go wake the n-navy. You Pack-leader now.

Also me creating n-new visionary idea today. Pay gap real now. You pack-leader because we p-pay you less money because you are w-woman. Navy broke.

Now go-go, Navy need Destroyers with wings brood mothers, big ones, m-many ones!


******************************************

ALRIGHT SONS OF BITCHES, I'M THE BAD-ASS BITCH IN CHARGE NOW. BAUD! SITUATION REPORT!

As you no doubt know milady, our war with the USA has been going splendidly due to the fine admiralship of our departed TheLoneGunMan, the US navy lies at the bottom of the sea and their access to foreign trade has been all but stopped due to our tight blockade.

Baud, I was there in all those battles, I know all of this. Bring me the ledgers and the fleet status please.

...ehm, are you sure? Wouldn't you want to leave such boring and trivial matters to your humble servants who are better served at dealing with numbers and hard facts due to their manly minds and spirits?

The ledgers. Now.

Very well...Our capital ships are all in dire need of refits, their engines are worn out, their fire controls obsolete and their AA protection inadequate. We possess only two light cruisers built less than ten years ago, we have no dedicated aircraft carriers and we barely have any budget surplus. On the bright side we do have fourteen modern destroyers, five state of the art cruisers almost finished constructing and our squadrons are patrolling the skies from Reykjavik to Port de France. And there is a letter for you from our retired secretary.

...

Anything else milady?

First order of business, you will disband all the airgroups except the one from Portland. We cannot afford to pay our aviators to shoot down fishes or whatever they think they're getting paid to do in Iceland. Please leave me now, I shall retire in my study.

******************************************

Oh, what about that letter now...The Story of Atlantis and The Lost Lemuria...? This cannot be, how could he have been building a battleship all that time...and we had no idea...

....*opens locker*

this...THIS IS A MONSTROSITY

 

[Dayyālu]

Day here, I have no idea what's going on, I was on vacation and the new forum "improvements" are making this very hard to keep an understanding of.

Do I need to blow up stuff or something?

 

[Andnjord]

Day here, I have no idea what's going on, I was on vacation and the new forum "improvements" are making this very hard to keep an understanding of.

Do I need to blow up stuff or something?

Someone had the bright idea to ask DU to make avatars unique to the users. Things have....spiraled out of control since then...
In doubt? always blow stuff up.

-Andnjord-

 

[ValeVelKal]

For the record, I am supposed to be president until February

Nice taking over. Could we have the loss ledger for both USA and CSA? I see only 2 "Slaveowners" and worryingly few Louisiana-class

 

[TheLoneGunman]

The Slaveowner Hamilton was scrapped to give a budget for desperately needed Light Cruisers.

The Slaveowner Jefferson has been trapped in the Caribbean thanks to short range.

The Slaveowner Washington has narrowly avoided being sunk since it cannot keep up with the rest of our fleet, cannot outrun the enemy, and cannot fire back at enemies it wants to try to outrun anyways. In addition, the quad turrets are easily disabled effectively knocking out 50% of their main battery.

I regret nothing.

 

[ValeVelKal]

The Slaveowner Hamilton was scrapped to give a budget for desperately needed Light Cruisers.

The Slaveowner Jefferson has been trapped in the Caribbean thanks to short range.

The Slaveowner Washington has narrowly avoided being sunk since it cannot keep up with the rest of our fleet, cannot outrun the enemy, and cannot fire back at enemies it wants to try to outrun anyways. In addition, the quad turrets are easily disabled effectively knocking out 50% of their main battery.

I regret nothing.

All cool, but that would have made exceptional LARPing. Opportunity missed here.

 

[Andnjord]

Nice taking over. Could we have the loss ledger for both USA and CSA? I see only 2 "Slaveowners" and worryingly few Louisiana-class

Spoiler

Our own losses. Lots of Destroyers, I guess most of TheLoneGunMan's budget went into building the DD-1935 class, and several cruisers, including our only CAs.

US Capital ship losses...

And just part of the 40 odd destroyers they've lost. This has been one brutal attritional war as evidenced by the mountain of kills on the US side. So I don't really know where our budget went during those five years, but LoneGunMan sure as hell did a good job at sinking the US fleet, shame we didn't get more battle reports.