The loss of the Angara

[HMSWarspite]

I want a 'unluckiest ship' award for the Aux Cr Angara.

Patrolling off the western coast of Japan, already sunk 1 Maru, I came across a neutral at about 10 miles range as dawn breaks. I immediately gave chase, and closed the distance in just over an hour. Unfortunately, when signalled to stop and allow boarding, the Vancouver declined, indicating the IJN Aux Cruiser that had appeared at about 8 miles. I immediately gave chase again, intending to return to my reluctant prize once the IJN were dealt with. The cruiser headed in shore, and I trapped her against the shore. Attempting to escape the target reversed course. I didn't want to turn off shore to follow, since this would open the range and slow down my increasing punishment of her. I thus turned in shore to reverse. At exactly the mid-point of my reversal of direction, the IJN *&*! jammed my rudder ahead with a lucky shot, and was treated to the sight of me running ashore at 18 kts a couple of minutes later.

I claim foul from the gods of war!:mad:

[SunScream]

The shell flies over winter seas,
Without armour's wall,
Struck, you must circle.

[Bullethead]

Oh man, being killed by an auxiliary cruiser... that's HARSH! But while I'm ROTFLMAO, because it happened to you and not me, I'm secretly thinking "there but for the grace of the Dark Gods go I". :D.

I once lost my own Angara to a large herd of TBs. Once they caught up with her, they jammed her rudder and it stayed that way, so she went round and round for the rest of the battle, which was like another hour. Angara was smacking down TBs left and right (she killed about 6 of them and maimed several more IIRC) but early on she took a torp. This took about 1/2 hour to finally get ahead of the pumps, and then another 1/2 to finally sink her, with nothing for me to do but watch her go around in circles :(.

So, for this and several other heartbreakers, I agree with you--Angara is a cursed ship. Her sister Lyena always strikes it rich, returning home unscathed with a dozen or so captures and a couple of auxiliary cruiser pelts to her credit every sortie, without spotting so much as a whiff of smoke from an IJN warship. Lyena by herself usually accounts for 50% of the Russian victory in my campaigns.

But Angara starts out being lucky to survive the Port Arthur attack. Then there's the question of whether she'll even make it out of the Yellow Sea, constantly having to run from various IJN hunter-killer groups. Next, by the time she finally reaches relatively safe parts of the shipping lanes, Lyena, Bogatyr, and Askold have already swept the seas so Angara just gets a few crumbs. And finally, she usually dies in some thoroughly humiliating and brutally ironic manner. :rolleyes:

[saddletank]

The shell flies over winter seas,
Without armour's wall,
Struck, you must circle.

I'm not sure that's a true Haiku, shouldn't they be 5-7-5? Maybe we could use some entertainment while Norm is coding away like a demon. Perhaps an RJW Haiku contest? :)

[SunScream]

I'm not sure that's a true Haiku, shouldn't they be 5-7-5? Maybe we could use some entertainment while Norm is coding away like a demon. Perhaps an RJW Haiku contest? :)

Over winter's seas flies
the shell. Without armour's wall,
struck, you must circle.

:p :laugh:

If you Wiki Haiku you will find there are many different interpretations of the format :)

How about a limerick competition:
I'll start with a first line -

There was an old admiral called Rojdestvenski ...

[saddletank]

Who on his ship sat on a benchski

[Bullethead]

His round-the-world mission
Went straight to Perdition
And he lost all his ships and his menskis

[SunScream]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Well done the both of you! On topic, too.
I thought I would start with an easy one.:devious:

I wondered how many english words rhyme with Rojdestvenski :)

[saddletank]

Possibly one to continue in a 'humour' thred (or a 'humor' one if you prefer), rather than clutter up the AARs.

I'm wearing my Moderator Hat as I write this.

[Zakalwe]

Well,

my "Angara" seems to be of another kind.

She hunts down merchants like no other ship in the fleet.

"Lyena" OTOH barely escaped a fleet of TBs and DDs only with the help of on of my PCs.

Z.

[HMSWarspite]

There once was a raider Angara...

[HMSWarspite]

Who tried for some kills off Osaka (almost!)
But the cruiser did teach
How to run up the beach
And that is the end of this saga (:nuts: )

[saddletank]

Sorry guys, I know I got involved in this off-topicness myself and I'm sorry I did but can we keep the AAR forum for AARs only please.

By all means start up a humour thread elsewhere!

[HMSWarspite]

Sorry guys - fair cop.

BTW Angara's luck is still poor in a IJN game of mine - bumped in to 4 PCs at night at 1000m. I wont bother to write a detailed AAR for that one!

[saddletank]

I'm cautiously hopeful my Angara can lift the curse... on my 2nd attempt at a Russian campaign (first one abandoned as it was started at v1.006 so can't run with the later patches) on her first cruise 2 days out and she's sunk 2 Marus an auxiliary cruiser and a torpedo boat. So far she's sunk 100% of the merchant shipping the Russians have encountered!