Dunno-Lars posted:

Where is it on the game map compared to where you start?

Mikl posted:

Random question: does this game model fog of war conditions for the player's own units? That is, is it possible to have a ship disappear on you and never find out what happened to it?

(This question prompted by reading about USS Indianapolis, which was sunk by a sub while under radio silence and went down so quickly that the crew didn't have time to send out a distress call so the higher-ups didn't know what the gently caress had happened to her until the few remaining survivors were found four days later.)

CannonFodder posted:

Was this after people had figured out that the Titanic would have survived* a head-on collision with the iceberg which would fill a few forward flotation areas but leave the majority of the flotation areas safe. Instead the Titanic hit the iceberg along the side, rupturing many flotation areas and causing a failure cascade. Getting hit head on with a torp would hurt but not instantly kill a Titanic class ship, at least compared to getting hit broadside.

goatface posted:

H81-A3 is the designation for P-40s sent out to the Flying Tigers. Why they're in Burma I'm not sure, but the fact they cheerfully chewed on some unescorted bombers is unsurprising.

Ron Jeremy posted:

I came.

Grey Hunter posted:

We confirm two kills, but gain 703 points this turn, some of this (200) is from base point fluctuations, 90 from killed planes, this leaves roughly a carrier worth of points!
Lets see how long the papers take to report this.

Grey Hunter posted:

A Naval bombardment by rare American battleships?

Jeek posted:

As the Hong Kong representative of the thread, I wonder why was it taken by the Japanese so early both in history and this game?

The history education on my side of the Earth is pretty mess up as you may imagine, so please feel free to enlighten me.

gradenko_2000 posted:

What height are the Allied 4e's bombing from?

vyelkin posted:

Maybe it would have been better to delay this invasion until after taking Noumea airfield.

Grey Hunter posted:

The Liberator war continues.

Grey Hunter posted:

The battleships are still hunting.

HannibalBarca posted:

what movie/tv show is that from?

HannibalBarca posted:

Why does the game call Xi'an Sian anyway

TheDemon posted:

Ha no joke the main town is 200m wide, with the lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other.

The airstrip is just a spit of land the width of two roads.

There's a handful of slightly larger islands with trees on them, no more than 500m wide at largest.


Fitting this many men on the atoll seems nearly impossible. Nevermind the fortifications, the military airstrip, and the guns.

Grey Hunter posted:

Lanchow falls in a single day.

quote:

In early 1941, Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist Chinese forces were being hard-pressed by Japanese air attacks, and were in desperate need of more combat aircraft. So dire was their need that they were willing to accept just about anything that had wings. On May 19, 1941, the British government agreed to release its Vanguards for supply to Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist Chinese forces. The 144 Vanguards were given the USAAC designation P-66 and were assigned the serial numbers 42-6832 thru 42-6975.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, there was complete panic on the west coast of the USA. The Japanese fleet was expected to show up off Santa Barbara at any moment. In anticipation of a Japanese attack, some forty to fifty P-66s originally intended for China were hastily impressed into USAAC service and issued to the 14th Pursuit Group for use in the emergency defense of southern California. The pilots of the 14th Pursuit Group actually liked their P-66s, and they described the P-66 as being a very good aerobatic aircraft. Test pilot Gil Clark thought that it was the best aircraft he had ever flown, being much better than the Curtiss P-36. However, the cockpit layout was rather poor, and the aircraft was not sufficiently robust for a fighter. In addition the P-66 had an disconcerting tendency to ground-loop, some 15 examples being lost to this sort of accident.

Eventually, the US west coast was regarded as being sufficiently secure that the Vanguards were eventually released from USAAC service and allowed to be transferred to China. The first shipment of P-66s left for China in February of 1942, the last aircraft being delivered by August. They went first to Karachi (at that time in India) where they were assembled, tested, and ferried to China.

The combat record of the Vanguard in China is rather undistinguished. The actual number of Vanguards which actually reached China is uncertain. Several were lost during tests in India and others were lost while enroute to China. Others remained unairworthy at Karachi. About twelve Vanguards were on station at Kunming with the 7th Fighter Squadron of the 23rd Fighter Group, but they saw little use. Two Chinese squadrons based at An-Su saw combat action with the Vanguard from August 1943 onward. Many Vanguards were destroyed on the ground during Japanese attacks. The Vanguard had an unfortunate resemblance to the Japanese Nakajima Ki-43 *Oscar* and Nakajima Ki-44 *Tojo*, and several Vanguards were shot down by Chinese forces by mistake.

Some Vanguards were placed in caves for storage at Chungking for use in the upcoming civil war against Mao's Communists. Many were reported still in their crates as late as 1947. I am uncertain if they actually saw any service during the civil war. It is possible that there are some Vanguards in China STILL sitting in their crates in pristine condition. Would be an astounding discovery if this were actually the case!

quote:

We've located the USS Lexington after she sank 76 yrs ago. #RVPetrel found the WWII aircraft carrier & planes more than 3000m (~2mi) below Coral Sea near Australia. We remember her brave crew who helped secure 1st strategic US win in the Pacific Theater vlcn.fyi/Vcee30iLuOo

PittTheElder posted:

Where are you getting this information?

quote:

The aircraft nominally assigned each pilot on the basis of the squadron flight organization is shown, but a pilot rarely flew the assigned airplane, instead manning whatever fighter the flight leader and squadron duty officer assigned after learning from Air Plot the side number and deck position of the planes scheduled for the upcoming launch. Thus during the whole cruise Burt Stanley flew his nominally assigned aircraft (F-5, BuNo. 4009) only twice. 7 On 19 February (and also the next day), there were not sufficient aircraft for all of the pilots, as only sixteen of VF-3’s eighteen Grummans were flyable.

quote:

After the Lexington had recovered the last of her strike group, her aviators congregated on deck, hoping that damage control and repair would progress sufficiently for them to resume flight operations. The plane handlers had shifted all of the aircraft aft, and optimistically spotted the eight F4F fighters for takeoff. No one was more eager to go than VF-42’s orphan McCuskey, whose faithful F-2 was spotted number one. He along with some VF-2 pilots hoped for the word to man planes.

At 1442, however, a second major explosion wracked the massive flattop. Its blast lifted the forward elevator a foot or more above the flight deck and sent smoke and steam gushing from the ship. An intense fire erupted inside the already smoke-filled hangar deck, setting one aircraft ablaze as the flames spread aft. Three minutes after the explosion, Sherman signaled the Yorktown : “ Lexington has serious explosion,” followed at 1452 by: “This ship needs help.” 1 Some on board fully agreed with their captain. Topside, McCuskey was amazed to see three sailors run up to his Wildcat and snake out the small liferaft stowed just behind the cockpit. Sherman hoisted the breakdown flag. Soon afterward all power failed in the forward half of the ship. The Lexington was in danger of succumbing to the flames growing in her bow. All her aviators could do was wait on the flight deck and try to be of assistance to the crew.

It soon became obvious that the Lexington required assistance in order to save lives. At 1505, Fletcher sent the destroyers Phelps, Morris , and Anderson to stand by the stricken carrier. At the same time he made ready to reassume tactical control from Fitch. To regroup and prepare for a possible second enemy strike, the air department thought it advisable to rotate the CAP. To add to the uncertainties, the Yorktown ’s radar had been cutting out, and she alerted the heavy cruiser Chester to maintain a continuous radar watch. At 1512, the Yorktown turned into the wind to despatch a relief CAP of four VF-42 F4Fs (Fenton’s section “Wildcat Black” and Leonard’s “Wildcat White”) and ten SBDs from both Bombing Five and Scouting Five as anti–torpedo-plane patrol. About fifteen minutes later, she recovered the old CAP (one F4F from VF-42, six from VF-2) and anti–torpedo-plane patrol—eight VS-2 and two VB-2 dive bombers. Checking the bureau numbers of the VF-2 F4Fs, the Yorktown ’s air department probably had a laugh. F4F BuNo. 1865 was one of the old VF-42 fighters dealt off on 14 March to VF-3 as “overaged.” It had fought at Coral Sea and returned home. Aloft, the Yorktown immediately put Fenton to work checking out the carrier’s YE homing transmitter which appeared to be malfunctioning. Fenton and his wingman flew about 15 miles out to check the strength of the signal.

The explosion that finally settled the question of the Lexington ’s fate occurred at 1525. It blew out plating near the firerooms and damaged the boiler uptakes. Water pressure in the hangar deck fire curtains also failed, releasing a great surge of flame. It became necessary to evacuate the forward machinery spaces, cutting power in more areas, thus severing the only link between the bridge and steering control. Sherman then attempted to steer his giant carrier by her engines only. With sickening speed the inferno swept aft. Damage control managed to flood ammunition and bomb magazines, but all they could do with the torpedo warheads was play hoses on them to keep them cool. At 1538, the ship reported the fire as out of control. Eventually the blaze severed all connections with Main Control, ending all attempts to steer the ship. The Lexington careened wildly through the formation as escort vessel hustled out of her way. By 1600, the flattop slowed and began circling. Sherman ordered the men to leave the lower spaces and come up on the flight deck. Her powerplant secured, the Lexington let off steam and came to a stop. Then she drifted helplessly, broadside to the gentle swells of the Coral Sea.

Concerned over the very real possibility of a second Japanese strike, Fletcher had to reckon with the fact that the Lexington no longer could stay up with the rest of the task force. At 1601, he separated Task Force 17 into two groups. Operating with the Lexington would be Kinkaid’s Task Group 17.2, two heavy cruisers and three destroyers. His mission was to stand by the crippled flattop, rescue her crew, and sink her if need be, or escort her southward if she could be saved. As the Yorktown group moved off to the south, her radar evidently picked up a contact. At 1700, the Yorktown scrambled seven F4F Wildcats from both Fighting Two and Fighting Forty-two. As they clawed skyward, she warned the task force: “Prepare to repel air attack.” The Chester offered to vector fighters, but Pete Pederson declined, noting that his radar was now “fairly reliable.” 2 The alarm proved false, but that did little to reduce tension in Task Force 17.



Meanwhile, the destroyer Morris moved up alongside the Lexington after she hove to, and passed hoses up to the flight deck in a vain effort to fight fires. With rescue ships on hand, Sherman directed that the wounded be evacuated, and at 1652, ordered all squadron and air department personnel to embark on board the Morris . Under the circumstances, most of the aviators did not get the word to leave until Sherman soon after ordered all hands to abandon ship. That unhappy event took place at 1707. By that time, the Lexington ’s list to port had increased to 7 degrees, and her fires roared unabated. She was doomed, and Sherman had no assurance that the flames would not set off torpedo warheads in the mezzanine deck over the after part of the hangar deck. Explosions there would threaten the 2,500-odd sailors crowded on deck and also the safety of the surrounding rescue ships.

The Lexington ’s crew went over the side in an orderly manner, either hand-after-hand down lines or (for the adventurous) by diving fifty feet into the water. Screening ships sent whaleboats and launches to rescue the men in the water. For the most part, aviation personnel abandoned ship over her port and starboard quarters. Many took with them rubber rafts salvaged from the aircraft on deck.



All the fighter pilots safely reached the escort vessels, but Fighting Two lost one enlisted man either killed in the blast or missing in the water: Virgil L. Weeks, PhM2c, USN.

Evacuation of the crew took the better part of an hour, and they departed just in time. Around 1800, an enormous blast exploded amidships, followed in short order by another, even bigger detonation farther aft. Fire had worked its way aft among the planes parked on deck, setting most ablaze. Now this explosion blew the aft elevator apart and tossed several aircraft into the air. The stern was a mass of flames. In spots the Lexington soon glowed cherry red, as the fire relentlessly consumed the vitals of the ship. Sherman and his department heads bravely remained on board to conduct a final inspection. From the main body, Fletcher despatched the destroyers Phelps and the CAP pilots:

"Fires, explosions large and small, debris blowing over the side made her look like hell afloat. It was a sad sight. "

Called back to the Yorktown for recovery, the ten SBDs and eleven F4Fs found it “plenty dark” by 1818 when the last of them landed on board. Fletcher at 1826 signaled to Kinkaid conducting the rescue that the rest of Task Force 17 would hold a course of 225 degrees at 14 knots (less zigzagging) until 2000, then head for a rendezvous point. There Kinkaid would be able to rejoin after sinking the Lexington with torpedoes. Sherman waited until 1830 on board the inferno his vessel had become. He was certain he left no living crew on board. A whaleboat from the Hammann with Ramsey on board recovered the Lexington ’s captain from the water. In the night sky, the Lexington burned brightly, a beacon of flame and towering black smoke visible for many miles. After carefully checking the waters for survivors, the rescue ships cleared off, having brought 2,770 men (92 percent of her complement) to safety. At 1841, the Phelps received orders to sink the Lexington , and between 1915 and 1952, she sent five torpedoes into the flaming mass so persistently still afloat. Finally just after 1952, the Lex rolled over to port and slipped beneath the waves. As she disappeared from view, a tremendous underwater explosion rent the sea. The concussion reverberated as far as 20 miles, where it was felt among the ships of the main body. The Phelps , near the catastrophe, was so shaken, her skipper thought she had been torpedoed.

Kinkaid’s task group rejoined Task Force 17 at 2037, and Fletcher set a southwesterly course. On everyone’s mind that gloomy evening was the loss of the Lexington , one quarter of the total American carrier strength in the Pacific. Not knowing of the carrier’s loss, Admiral Nimitz back at Pearl had drafted a congratulatory message praising Task Force 17’s “glorious accomplishments,” which were the “admiration of the entire Pacific Fleet.” 6 To the weary participants in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the words would sound a little hollow because the gallant old Lex was not there to share in them.

Flavius Belisarius posted:

quote:

The research vessel Petrel is perched on a spot in the South Pacific Ocean that was anything but peaceful 77 years ago. Then, it was the scene of a major World War II battle between the U.S. and the Imperial Japanese Navies. For the U.S. aircraft carrier, Hornet, it would be her last battle.

Now, researchers are revealing Petrel found the wreckage of the USS Hornet in late January – exactly what they were looking for. The ship was found more than 17,000 feet below the surface, on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands. The USS Hornet is best known for launching the important Doolittle Raid in April of 1942 and its role in winning the Battle of Midway.

Richard Nowatzki, 95 now, was an 18-year-old gunner on Hornet when enemy planes scored several hits, reports CBS News' Mark Phillips.

"When they left, we were dead in the water," Nowatzki said. "They used armor piercing bombs, now when they come down, you hear 'em going through the decks … plink, plink, plink, plink … and then when they explode the whole ship shakes."

With 140 of her crew already dead, the order was given to abandon ship. The Hornet went to the bottom – three and a half miles down – which the crew of the Petrel has been scanning with a deep-sea sonar drone that sends back live pictures.

The drone brought back an image of something down there that's about the right size in about the right place. It looked like her but lots of ships went down around here. To be sure, they needed positive identification, which they got when they saw the Hornet's naval designation: CV-8.

"CBS This Morning" was able to share the discovery in real time with Richard Nowatzki in California – even finding the gun he was on during the attack.

"If you go down to my locker, there's 40 bucks in it, you can have it!" Nowatzki joked.

Nowatzki has enjoyed a long life since that day. Seeing the Hornet again and the evidence of the men who served -- a jacket hung on a hatch, somebody's wash kit complete with toothbrush – naturally made him reflect on those who hadn't been as lucky.

"I know I've been a very fortunate man," he said. "The actual fact that you can find these ships is mind boggling to me … I want to thank you for honoring me this way."

But it's the crew of the Petrel who were honored to find the Hornet and the final resting place of so many of her brave crew. Another wreck, and in turn, another war grave has been discovered. Its exact location is kept secret to protect it, but the memory now has a place and the loss has a memorial.

Kodos666 posted:

just a sidenote: LCM 543E had been sunk. How many ships do you have to build until it dawns on you that the name should better be retired.

Magni posted:

The Unryus are modified Hiryus designed to be relatively cheap to produce for a CV. Tradeoffs had to be made.

vyelkin posted:

Does make me wonder who's defending New Zealand.