More Cruel Seas Action.

Mark came around the other day and I got the chance to put a couple of my new boats on the table, a pair of Fairmile Bs, one in the minesweeper configuration and the other kitted out as a gunboat with a semi-auto 6 pounder up front.

The scenario was that a small German convoy, escorted by little Kriegfischkutters, is ambushed by a mixed British force of MGBs and MTBs. While the gunboats approach the convoy head on, the Vospers swing around to come in from the seaward, hoping to get a clear shot with their torpedoes. In the meantime a pair of S Boats have been dispatched to aid the convoy to get past the British.

The Fairmile Bs move up.

As do the S Boats.

The waiting Vospers start their engines.

As the convoy moves on.

As the Vospers speed forward, they split to attack from either side of the island.

One of the Kriegfischkutters peels off to engage the nearest Vospers.

Whilst the Fairmiles increase speed to get to the action.

The right hand Vospers get into range of the brave little Kriegfischkutter. It hits with it's quad 20mm and sets off one of the torpedoes!
First shot of the game...BOOM!...scratch one Vosper. Not a good start for the British.

The second Vosper launches torpedoes whilst it still can!

Things getting rather busy. One of the German Merchant's fulls some fancy turning to try and avoid the torpedoes in the water, the S Boats shoot up one of the left hand Vospers as they line up to launch torpedoes, but take damage in turn from the incoming Fairmiles.

Some fancy manoeuvring lets one of the merchants avoid the British torpedoes, but it's not looking so good for the other ship.

Around the other side of the island it's up close and personal as the Vospers and S Boats blast away at point blank range. One of the Vospers is sunk and the other damaged, but both S Boats are also in a bad way and a direct hit for a Fairmile's 6 pounder send one of them to the bottom.

A torpedo connects with one of the merchantmen and hits....

...it's not a dud BOOM!
The ship is still afloat but multiple critical hits mean that the engines are taken out, so it's dead in the water.

Which means it also takes a hit in the stern.

So now it's just dead!

 

We played another turn after this, which saw a Kriegfischkutter and the last Vosper sunk.

With no torpedoes left and two German escorts still packing quite a punch, the British decided to call it a draw. A good, fun game was had by all.