The Battle of Sable Island Report

I've been tied up with DIY the last few days but got time to play the Broadside and Ram Battle of Sable Island scenario yesterday, albeit on a table in the dingy garage as everywhere else was occupied. It was a fairly evenly matched scenario but in the end the Royal Navy squeezed a very marginal victory at the cost of two of it's latest ironclad turret ships being rather dented.

In the first few turns, the USS Powhatan attempted to slow down the advance of HMS Monarch and HMS Captain but despite some nifty paddle wheel manoeuvres, she was blown to pieces as the ironclads steamed past at close range. In the meantime, USS Oregon, USS Nebraska and USS Colossus had weighed anchor and were steaming a reciprocal course to intercept the advancing British warships.

The initial clash between the monitors and the turret ironclads set the tone for the rest of the game, with both sides circling around each other in an attempt to cross the enemy's T and to combine their firepower, with the aim of crippling or shattering one of the opposing warships. This was almost achieved at different points by both sides but at the end of each turn the damage had always been hastily repaired using AP's.

HMS Monarch took a battering being the ship in the lead position of the British line, while USS Oregon took the brunt of the punishment from the twin turrets of the ironclads. In the end, the game stretched to the full twelve turns, at which point the Royal Navy had to retire due to the need to conserve coal, leaving the US monitors to limp back to the anchorage for urgent repairs.

At the end of the game HMS Monarch and HMS Captain were both Silenced but USS Powhatan had been Shattered, USS Oregon Silenced and USS Colossus was Damaged, leaving only USS Nebraska unscathed. However, this tipped the victory in the Royal Navy's favour, with one VP for sinking the Powhatan and no VP's for the US Navy, as it had failed to Cripple or Shatter either of the ironclads, despite getting close on a couple of occasions.

This leaves the US in control of the coaling station on Sable Island, which will cause the Royal Navy a minor headache but not stop the relief squadron from arriving off Halifax in a couple of days time. The USS Oregon is now out of action, while HMS Captain and HMS Monarch are also hors de combat, at least for the next scenario. This will be the last in the mini-campaign and will be a full on fleet action, with the Royal Navy attempting to break the blockade.

A close run thing indeed!