What If: Japan vs Russia naval battle

This Friday, it was naval gaming at Craig's. The scenario was a 1914 encounter with the Russian navy protecting a convoy of troop carriers that were set to invade Korea.

The Russian navy had 4 modern ships and 4 pre-dreadnoughts facing off against a Japanese fleet with 2 semi-modern ships (or maybe they were also pre-dreadnoughts), 2 ultramodern Kongo class battlecruisers, and 6 pre-dreadnoughts. As I arrived just as things were getting started, I got 2 of the Japanese pre-dreadnoughts and I really didn't get a chance to see what the other ships were.

So the Japanese sort-of plan was to sail the pre-dreadnoughts straight at the heart of the Russian fleet to try to burst through and get at the convoy. The ships on the left were to swing over to the right and combine with the BCs to push that flank. The Russian plan was to delay the convoy for a couple of turns, combine all of their modern ships over the right as well (setting up for an epic clash), and swing their pre-dreadnoughts over to the left to protect that area and stay out of trouble.

The battle plans went awry right away. The Russian ships on the far right immediately ran into trouble with some lucky hits devastating them early. They remained floating for a number of turns but they were gone in turn 4 and turn 6 (I think). The other Russian modern ships attracted a lot of attention and suffered some loss in firepower and speed but were still in pretty good shape. The Japanese charge of the pre-dreadnoughts did have the benefit of attracting fire from these ships instead of at the heavier hitting Japanese modern fleet. It cost the Japanese a couple of pre-dreadnoughts by the end of the game.


Meanwhile, on the Japanese left, the plan to sail to the right was abandoned and they kept up a heavy fire the modern Russian ships now in the centre. As the Russian pre-dreadnoughts swung around in front of them, they began fire on them as well.

By the end of the game, the Russian fleet was in serious trouble. The modern elements of the Japanese navy were untouched and beginning to pound on the Russian modern ships. The Japanese pre-dreadnoughts in the centre were beginning to break through but were a bit worse for wear.



The battle really turned on the Japanese getting really good and lucky hits on the right and the charge of the pre-dreadnoughts attracting the Russian attention away from the modern ships in the Japanese fleet.