All Guns Blazing — July 2017

1 All Guns Blazing! Newsletter of the Naval Wargames Society No. 273 – JULY 2017 EDITORIAL Last year saw the centenary of Jutland and the Somme. This year the commemoration of the Third Battle of Ypres, commonly known as Passchendaele, will start with a traditional Last Post Ceremony at the CWGC Menin Gate in Ypres on the eve of the centenary, 30 July. The ceremony will give thanks to those who have remembered the British and Commonwealth involvement and sacrifices every evening in peacetime since 1928. Assault on Passchendaele 1917: A soldier running along a corduroy track through Chateau Wood. Copyright: IWM. The ceremony will be followed by a series of live performances, open to thousands in Ypres’ rebuilt Market Square, that tell the story of the Battle. Images and film will also be projected onto the town’s famous Cloth Hall. On the 31 July 2017, 100 years after the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres, the focus will shift to the 12,000 graves and 35,000 names on the Memorial Wall to the Missing with no known graves at the CWGC Tyne Cot cemetery, which bears witness to the ferocious battle. While the Somme and Jutland hold a powerful place in the national psyche of the UK today, during the First World War, Passchendaele and Ypres were household names. The battlefield is closely associated with terrible fighting conditions, and was the first time poison gas was used in battle on the Western Front. The story of Joey the War Horse, was set in this part of the Western Front. And Harry Patch, who became known as the Last Tommy, was conscripted and fought at Passchendaele. The Centenary of Passchendaele, the Third Battle of Ypres is a key part of the UK Government’s four year programme to commemorate the Great War.

2 Fighting commenced on the Ypres Salient between Commonwealth and German forces in 1914, and continued throughout the war. The Battle was the first major Allied offensive on the Ypres Salient. The ferocity and horror of the battle is encapsulated in Siegfried Sassoon’s famous line “I died in hell - They called it Passchendaele” Well done to David Manley and those that helped before and on the day of the Midway 75th Anniversary re-fight which took place on Saturday 10th June. The venue was the function room of a top class country pub, “The Tudor Arms”, Slimbridge. I was on the losing side – the USN on this occasion. At one stage it looked good for the USN, the first airstrike by the Japanese failed to inflict much damage to the Enterprise and Hornet Task Force. The Yorktown air-group launched against a two carrier surface fleet only to discover four carriers and two battleships, plus cruisers and destroyers. The pilots thought that major damage was done to one carrier only to discover at the post game wash-up that the damage was not that severe. The Japanese launched a devastating counterstrike sending Yorktown and one AA cruiser to the bottom and crippled a second AA cruiser. The pub had real ale and cider to drink and top class pub grub. A marvellous time was had by all. Norman Bell SEA QUIZ 62. A reminder of the questions: 1. Who was the last Lord High Admiral? 2. Who commanded the Russian Black Sea Fleet in August 1915? 3. What was ‘Operation Judgement’? 4. When is a warship said to be moored? 5. How many sieges of Gibraltar were there? For those few who struggled with the Quiz last month, here are the answers. An uncomplicated set of answers (I hope!). 1. William IV, when he was Duke of Clarence. 2. It was, you guessed, Admiral Kolchak. 3. This was the code name for the Taranto Raid. 4. Well, to be moored a ship has to have two anchors down; or be made fast to a buoy. ‘Simples’ as the Meerkat said. 5. It was 13!

3 The Battle of Calabria in July 1940 is famous on two counts: HMS WARSPITE hit the Battleship CESARE at a pre-radar record of 15 miles and it was the first time since Nelson’s day that the signal, “Enemy Battle Fleet in sight”, was made by the RN in the Med. SEA QUIZ 63…….. A veritable mixture this month! 1. Which navy launched a torpedo armed air-cushion boat in 1915? 2. Where was Haulbowline Naval Base? 3. Name ten British warships named after mammals. 4. Which early destroyer was lost in the North Sea on trials without guns or torpedoes? 5. Which Monitor was intended to serve as Coast Defence Ship at Bombay? Best of luck, just in case you need it. Rob Morgan Ed Note: I can think of four mammals off the top of my head but after that I’m struggling. No, hold on – five mammals. Members of Team US Navy participate in the Navy Wounded Warrior Walter Reed Adaptive Sports training camp. The camp focuses on wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball and swimming to help prepare the athletes for the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games, which kick off June 30 in Chicago, Ill. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charlotte C. Oliver (Released) 170610-N-HV737-072

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9 Phil Dunn. ======================================= “Too Big to Sink?” The May 2017 issue of ‘PROCEEDINGS’ the US Naval Institute journal contains this interestingly titled, and arguably unusual, article by Lt. Jeff Vandernegel USN, between pages 18-24. Its subtitle should undoubtedly be thoughts on losing a US carrier in war, one of the big Nimitz Class*, he reminds us that each Carrier costs around $12 billion, and carries a crew of 5,000. ‘Nothing in the past few decades points to the demise of the aircraft carrier as the premier weapon of naval combat.’ He writes, and suggests that the carrier has been pre-eminent in victory at sea since Taranto (certainly so) to Iraq and Syria (An interesting argument there surely?). The loss of a carrier, to any fleet, would have an extreme impact, he says, quoting Rear Admiral Walter Carter Jr. USN…..’We don’t know how the carrier would fare in modern combat.’ Vandernegel describes the only major naval combat since WWII as the Falklands War, and he quotes Admiral Sandy Woodward…. ‘Argentinian Commanders failed inexplicably to realise that if they had hit Hermes, the British would have been finished. They never really came after the one target which would surely have given them victory. As it was we fought our way along a knife edge.'’ In a very readable article with plenty of good references, he concludes that…’A fleet of smaller ships such as Singapore’s RSS Formidable could be more lethal and more survivable.’ The six heavily armed French designed stealth frigates of this particular class form the backbone one of the best small fleets currently in the Far East. * Sadly, I don’t have a photo of one of my Nimitz models, because I don’t have any, models that is. However, there is a brilliant novel by Patrick Robinson ‘Nimitz Class’ published in 1997, which deals with just such an event as a carrier loss, must read it again. Rob Morgan.

10 ‘US Warship names?’ I was reading the US Naval Institute’s May 2017 issue of ‘PROCEEDINGS’ earlier, and as always it contains an interesting range of articles, and this one caught my eye. ‘We Must Change How We Name Ships’, by James Young, considers a ‘new’ approach to the naming of warships in the American fleet, and of course there are quite a few to name! Young suggests this…. Carriers…..should be named after former US warships, battles and national ideals. Cruisers….after cities of 1m+ people or state capitals. Destroyers and Frigates….after USN and Marine Corps holders of the Medal of Honour or Navy Cross. Or ‘service pioneers’, ‘firsts’. Littoral combat ships…after cities of less than one million people. Ballistic Missile submarines…after states of the Union. Attack submarines….after fish or marine creatures, including fictional, i.e. mermaid or kraken. Amphibious ships….after battles. Support vessels… after signatories of the Declaration of Independence. The reason for the article which is to say the least interesting, is not fully explained, but Young does say that the US has just endured fifteen years of consistent war. Interestingly, if the suggestion is followed a future USN cruiser could be ‘USS Bismarck’, possibly a difficult choice, historically. But my own serious interest, and James Young should be heartily applauded on this point, is that a future US support fleet might well have sixteen vessels named after Welshmen! Since the Welsh were the largest recognisable group to sign the Declaration, and Wales provided most of the first six Presidents. But Presidents, or former Presidents, alive or dead, are excluded from Young’s list. I wonder why? Rob Morgan. Mulberry Harbour in 1/3000th. A new series of 1/3000th scale components and accessories for the two great post D-Day harbours produced by Mick Yarrow Miniatures, provide an unusual and interesting table-top element for a Normandy wargame. Of course, there are a few possibilities beyond that for several of the items! Here’s the list, harbour elements first… 3410 ‘Corn Cob’ Grounded Liberty ship 80p 3411 ‘Corn Cob’ Grounded Cargo ship 80p 3415 ‘Phoenix’ Caissons + a/a post x2 80p 3416 ‘Lobnitz’ pier heads x 2 80p 3416A Whale & Beetle roadways x3 80p

11 The ‘Phoenix’, ‘Whale’ and ‘Beetle’ elements, combined with the ‘Lobnitz’ ( where did that name come from?) pier heads make for a decent harbour, if you assemble around half a dozen packs. There are so many photographs available of the Mulberries that the set-up will be well known to most naval wargamers. Remember, there are two excellent, accurate drawings of the Arromanches and sadly destroyed Omaha harbours at pages 84-85 and 86 in ‘The Penguin Atlas of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign.’ By John Man; from these you can assemble both in full or stylised versions. The ‘Phoenix’ caissons are sturdy, based-20mm long, 10mm wide, and 6mm high. Topped with an A/A platform and gun. These blocks can easily be painted up to represent heavily loaded barges in 1/1200th, even 1/600th, just be rounding the sea base to a more suitable shape, and replacing the gun, or removing it entirely. Any period at all, from the Napoleonic, ACW and WWI onwards. The ‘Lobnitz’ pier- heads are more ‘singular’ in use, but have the potential to become pontoon bridges in larger scales, 1/300th. Or with naval games in other periods, as basic floating batteries, you’d need to add 1/600th ACW guns from ‘Peter Pig’ or ‘Tumbling Dice’ for this option. The ‘Whale and Beetle’ roadways and pontoons might make pontoon bridges for earlier wargame periods, in 1/1200th or 1/600th scale, a pack will cross roughly 50mm of river or harbour. Take a look at the two ‘Corn Cob’ blockships, they are neatly sea-based, and though they sit rather deeply in the water, a bit over the Plimsoll line, at 80 pence excellent value for standard sea use…3411, the cargo ship will fit with ‘Tumbling Dice’ early C20th warships in 1/2400th for instance, but would need a little extra detail for that purpose. The Liberty Ship type is an excellent, well detailed model too, but obviously limited to WWII and post-war scenarios. Mine will join my Red Navy as one of the half dozen such ships which were actively used by the Soviet fleet until the 1970’s, ‘Dekabrist’, ‘Orel’ or ‘Sergei Kirov’ among them. There are a several more ‘Mulberry-related’ ships in the new group of models. 3426, a tug and barge a single piece moulding, 2 in a pack - 50p. Useful, small, only 20mm long overall, but useful…. As a small river tug with tow, the tug’s funnel is easily replaced with a taller one, and the barge load increased in any one of half a dozen ways, then, for ACW, in 1/1200th or 1/2400th, or 1/3000th. I think they look good with the ‘Tumbling Dice’ 1/2400th ACW ironclads and gunboats. Possible use in WWI off Gallipoli, or in the North Sea, or a few other late C19th or C20th sea scenarios. 3406, two small coasters, at 50p- basic but can be added to for most WWII and Cold War scenarios. Two in a pack, 25mm long, superstructure aft, small funnel. Will serve as convoy, coasters, ice-breakers etc. in 1/2400th or 1/3000th and as much bigger vessels in 1/4800th. You can add gear, containers, etc. to the forward deck which is 10mm long and 4m wide.

12 3405 is a version of the coaster with a small barrage balloon on a 15mm long sprue, and these were used, but the balloon, it occurs to me might have a use in another wargame scenario, a mass of them looks quite good. 3428 at 50p is two barges with balloons, and pack 3412 provides two large balloons for 50p. Again useful. Finally, the series includes two packs at 50p each, one, 3413 is a group of 10 tanks and trucks, based, and about 4mm long in each case; pack 3414 is a group of 10 tanks, useful not only for adding to the ‘Mulberry’ scenario, but potentially for a wider range of naval purposes. They can be used for Allied or Axis forces, or post WWII in fact. You could add them to transport vessels, to the barges or small coasters, or piled on liberty ships as lend lease cargo for Russia. That’s it. A new and interesting and inexpensive range, worth taking a look at. Rob Morgan.

13 Type 45 Destroyer HMS Daring has returned to Portsmouth after spending nine months at sea protecting some of the world’s most vital shipping lanes. Hundreds of families and friends were at HM Naval Base Portsmouth to welcome home the warship. During her time away, she visited 12 countries, steamed 50,000 miles and undertook 20 patrols of the Bab-al-Mandeb strait to reassure merchant vessels and keep the sea lanes open for trade. Daring operates with the Royal Navy’s newest type of helicopter – the Wildcat Mk2 – with its cutting-edge targeting system and surveillance radar to help reduce the threat of waterborne attack. After passing east of the Suez Canal, Daring carried Royal Navy and Royal Marine boarding parties to counter piracy, terrorists and smugglers. The destroyer then went on to undertake 20 journeys through the Bab-al-Mandeb strait, protecting 800,000 tonnes of shipping and ensuring the critical choke point remained free flowing for international trade. Around 95 per cent of Britain’s economic activity by volume depends upon the sea and a vast amount of global trade passes through the region. HMS Daring’s youngest sailor was 19-year-old Able Seaman Jake Hobday. Is it real or is it one of the superb models belonging to Members of The Portsmouth Model boat Display Team. Picture 2 is a give- away. http://www.pmbdt.co.uk/GALLERY.html

14 "I have made great friends and it has been amazing sharing this deployment with them. My highlights have been skydiving in Dubai and celebrating my 19th birthday while at sea off the coast of Somalia. I’m looking forward to spending some time with my family and friends before joining my next ship, another Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender." HMS Daring has now passed on her duties to HMS Monmouth, a Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate. The Royal Navy has a permanent presence in the Middle East, working as part as part of the Combined Maritime Forces – a collective of 31 nations formed to promote security and stability in some of the world’s most vital shipping lanes. 17 nations will be represented at the third Invictus Games from 23-30 September in Toronto, Canada. They will compete across 12 sports: athletics, archery, wheelchair basketball, road cycling, powerlifting, indoor rowing, wheelchair rugby, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair tennis, the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge, and a new sport for 2017, golf. The Invictus Games harness the power of sport to inspire recovery and generate wider understanding and respect for those who serve their country. Getting involved in sport provides significant physical and mental health benefits including increasing self-confidence and psychological empowerment. The 2017 UK team captain is former Army Major Bernie Broad. He served in the Grenadier Guards for around 30 years and lost both his legs below the knee due to injuries sustained in an explosion in Afghanistan 2009. oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Naval Wargames Weekend in July. I hope you have annotated your diaries and can come along. I have attended several times now and it has always been good fun and a chance to meet Society Members, have a chat, have a beer and try a new game and/or rule set. oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo The UK Ministry of Defence has signed a £3.7 billion contract for the first three Type 26 Frigates. The Ships will be built in Scotland, securing 1,700 jobs with another 1,700 jobs in the supply chain around the country.

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16 JOINING THE NAVAL WARGAMES SOCIETY If you have been lent this newsletter and would like to join the Naval Wargames Society, please follow this link to join our Society: www.navalwargamessociety.org. Membership secretary: simonjohnstokes@aol.com NWS Events and Regional Contacts, 2017 NWS Northern Fleet – Falkirk East Central Scotland Kenny Thomson, 12 Craigs Way, Rumford Grange, Rumford, Stirlingshire, FK2 0EU Tel: 01324 714248 e-mail: kenny.thomson@hotmail.com - Website: http://falkirkwargamesclub.org.uk/ Falkirk Wargames Club meets each Monday night at 7pm with a variety of games running each evening. Naval games are popular with 2 or 3 run each month. Campaign games sometimes feature in our monthly weekend sessions. Games tend to be organised week to week making a 3-month forecast here a waste of time. Please get in touch if you’d like to come along.  Popular periods – Modern (Shipwreck), WW1 and 2 (GQ), WW2 Coastal (Action Stations), and Pre-dreadnought (P Dunn’s rules) Devon and the West Country Naval Wargames afternoon/evening/all day on a regular basis. Contact Stuart Barnes Watson to arrange the details. stuart_barnes_watson@hotmail.com 3 Clovelly Apartments, Oxford Park, Ilfracombe, DEVON, EX34 9JS Tel: 01271 866637 Uruguay, SCOW: Southern Cone Orientales Wargamers • Games erupt, inquire to set one off: Bill Owen US telephone is 217-619-0202, Uruguay 099 834 544 WmOwen@aol.com • If Spanish speaking, email & I will get someone who speaks it better. • Soca, Canelones or in Montevideo we can arrange a "Graf Spee 3 Gun Salvo": see her 5.9” gun, anchor & rangefinder salvaged from the ship resting in the harbor, a Real English Tour conducted by British expat staff who were associated with the British Ambassador who won the post-battle diplomacy and subterfuge plus, of course, a GQ3 refight of the battle (fees for features like museum & tour). • Most of the Salvo can even be done during a cruise ship stop in MVD from a Round Cape Horn itinerary between Santiago<->Buenos Aires. • wargamecampaign.blogspot.com