Solo Campaign Scenario 2: Torpedoes Away!

Torpedoes Away!

29th February 1899

A Solo Mini-Campaign Scenario for Tsushima

Argentinian Briefing

The unexpected sinking of a Chilean protected cruiser in Argentinian waters two days ago by the ARA Nueve de Julio has alarmed the Argentinian government, which had not expected such a swift deterioration of the political and military situation. The Argentinian admiralty are under severe political pressure to avoid further escalation of the conflict, while also enforcing the Argentinian claim to the disputed territorial waters, protecting navigation rights and ensuring the safety of Argentinian shipping in the Beagle Channel. 

To add further alarm, reports of the imminent arrival of a powerful Chilean naval squadron including a battleship and an armoured cruiser has meant that Argentinian warships have been ordered to sea to prevent the Chilean force from threatening Argentinian merchant shipping, or potentially bombarding the port and naval base at Ushuaia. In the absence of the First Cruiser Squadron, which has been urgently dispatched to the region as reinforcements, the armoured cruiser ARA San Martin has taken up a forward position to the west of Navarino Island, from which she can sortie in case the Chilean squadron attempts to cross into Argentinian waters.

Scenario Location

The ARA San Martin is currently anchored in an isolated inlet, ready to intercept the Chilean squadron once it has been detected entering Argentinian waters.

Chilean Briefing

The sinking of the Chilean protected cruiser Ministro Zenteno by an Argentinian warship has been a major shock to both the government and the Chilean naval command. The news of yet another act of aggression by the Argentinians has led to popular and political demands for a powerful military response, despite the reservations of the Chilean army. The Chilean admiralty is aware that escalation of the conflict could result in a punitive response by the British and Americans, but is prepared to risk having to back down after having had the opportunity to avenge the loss of the Ministro Zenteno.

A reprisal bombardment of the Argentinian port of Ushuaia by the armoured cruiser O'Higgins and battleship Capitan Prat has been ruled out as too risky, due to the possibility of minefields and shore batteries protecting the anchorage, However, the battleship squadron has been ordered to sortie into Argentinian waters to draw out any enemy warships, naval intelligence being aware of only the cruisers ARA San Martin and ARA Nueve de Julio being in the immediate vicinity. If these warships can be engaged before Argentinian reinforcements arrive, there is a very good chance that they can be destroyed, this deterring any further Argentine response.

Almirante Lynch

In addition, intercepted and decoded naval signals traffic have revealed that the Argentinian cruisers have been dispersed, in order both to intercept the Chilean battleship squadron and to prevent their blockade in port by superior Chilean naval forces. The torpedo gunboats, Almirante Condell and Almirante Lynch, have been ordered to scout ahead to locate these warships and, if possible, cripple them by torpedo attack. They are now patrolling the western coast of Navarino Island, entering the numerous inlets and fjords to locate the Argentinian cruisers. To maximize their chances of damaging the Argentinian warships, the torpedo gunboat flotilla has been ordered to patrol under the cover of darkness.

Objectives

The Argentinian armoured cruiser ARA San Martin is anchored in an inlet and must be located by the Chilean torpedo gunboats before it can be attacked with torpedoes. The exact location of the cruiser is unknown, with five tokens deployed only one of which is the actual cruiser. These are placed no less than 25cm apart in a deployment zone in the Argentinian half of the table, the Argentinian player deciding if this is the long or short table edge. 

The Chilean torpedo gunboats enter the table from the opposite edge in Turn 1, operating as a flotilla of two boats under the command of the flotilla leader in Almirante Lynch. To identify the ARA San Martin, the torpedo gunboats must move within spotting range of a token then roll a single D6 for each gunboat that is in range. 

On a roll of 6, the token will be revealed as the armoured cruiser. Any other result is a dummy token. If four tokens are revealed as dummy tokens the last one will be the location of the ARA San Martin. When spotted the cruiser model should be placed in the position of the token, aligned parallel to the closest table edge, which represents the shoreline.

The ARA San Martin may also attempt to spot the torpedo gunboats if they are in range, if she has the initiative. If, however, she has been spotted first she must wait for the subsequent turn to make her own spotting attempt. This will allow the torpedo gunboats to potentially have one turn in which to launch their torpedo attack without being fired upon, after which the ARA San Martin will go to action stations and may engage with her port or starboard batteries only. 

The ARA San Martin will automatically spot the gunboats if they launch a torpedo attack. If the torpedo gunboats subsequently move out of spotting range, the ARA San Martin may use her spotlights to illuminate the gunboats up to a range of 5nm (50cm) and continue to engage with gunfire, after which they will be hidden by the dark and can make their escape.

At no point can the ARA San Martin weigh anchor or move, as she does not have steam up and is unable to manoeuvre without power. She may also not use her main fore and aft guns, as these take too long to clear for action and standard doctrine is to use secondary batteries for self-defence against torpedo boat attack.

This is a night action, with spotting range set at a reduced distance of 2nm due to the moonless conditions and the difficulty of spotting a target against the dark shoreline. The weather will remain clear for the duration of the scenario. Due to the sheltered location the Wind Strength is 2, the Wind Direction is from the North and the Sea State is 1, all of which will not vary during the scenario. 

To win the scenario, the Chilean torpedo gunboats must cause at least ten points of underwater hull damage by torpedo hit to the ARA San Martin, which will result in her being immobilised for the rest of the campaign. Any other result will be a draw, unless the ARA San Martin suffers less than ten points of damage and, in addition, sinks at least one of the torpedo gunboats by gunfire, in which case the Argentinians will win the game.