Into the Lion's Den Scenario Planning

 

I've done a bit more work on the scenario for Broadside and Ram, based on a 'What If?' raid by United States Navy turret monitors on the Royal Navy anchorage at Spithead. I still have to work out the details but it's shaping up nicely, as you can see from the scenario layout that I've bodged together in my usual MS Paint format. It's a bit basic but you I'm hoping that you'll get the idea.

The monitors will be attacking just before dawn in the early morning fog, so the Royal Navy picket boats patrolling the Solent will have to detect them before they get within range of the anchored ironclads. The forts are under construction so will be unarmed but they do have sentries posted and are able to detect the enemy monitors at visual range. They can also fire illumination rockets.

I haven't worked out where or how the picket boats and a couple of harbour defence ironclads will deploy but they will be the key factor in preventing the monitors from penetrating the anchorage and blasting away at the (relatively) defenceless ironclad warships. The monitors will have to cause as much havoc as possible in the time limit, which I haven't yet worked out, before exiting from the way they entered.