Re: FB designs and SLMs

At 11:09 PM 9/9/98 EDT, Stephen wrote:

>Not only that but you need fast ships, if using the VMS then if
>you have a Komarov, Konstantin, Der Theuerdank, Von Tegetthoff, 
>Szent Istvan or Maria Von Burgund you will not survive, and some
>of the others if you get a check on thrust.

I'd have to say that if you can't dodge 'em, you'd better be prepared to
shoot 'em down.

In our game my Marias survived a combined SLM/torpedo fighter attack by
being paired off with K.P. Wilhelm CLs (equipped with AFDC).  The enemy
couldn't decide whether to try and go for the capital ship through the
escort's point defense or kill the CLs first and leave the battleship
for
later.	(Of course, if we were sticking strictly to the "attacks the
closest ship" rule on SLMs, then he probably would have just capped a DD
instead and the torpedo planes would have had to go in alone.)	In the
end,
he end up splitting his attacks and succeeded at neither.  And this was
against an NSL fleet that was within 1" of their predicted positions
through the entire game.

Had the FSE's attacks gone better, it might have been different, so if I
had it to do over again, I would have brought more escort cruisers.  

One of my biggest problems now with the FSE and ESU fleets is the lack
of
AFDC-equipped ships.  Although this can be alleviated to some degree by
assigning fighter squadrons to screening duties, it doesn't see as
effective to me.

Jeff