Lutzos 2nd Cruise

bill44

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Ater the sucess of her first raid Lutzows crew could not wait for another chance to get at the British.
She sailed out in to the Atlantic, then down the western side of the British Isle, at 23:44 she was illuminated in the searchlights of two destroyers, they were barley 3000 yards away she rang up full speed and turned to starboard, and opened fire, within two minutes HMS Lucifer was fatally mauled, and turned away, her companion, HMS Lassoo was blasted to pieces, one shell touching off her magazine, she was gone in less than 30 seconds, not one of her crew survived.

HMS Ferret was the next to feel Lutzows wrath, then the light cruiser Champion, FL Botha was equally smashed to a wreck, before she too succumbed to a devestating magazing explosion, that left just 3 survivors.
This group that the Lutzow had run in to was in fact the screen for the BCS, not one of the BC's pressed home an attack, seeing his chance, Lutzows captain swung his ship to starboard and dissappeared in to the night, but not before claiming the destroyers Mastiff and Morris. Her tally for the 12 minute action was 9 ships. She had suffered minor damage, none of the destroyers guns had got through her armour, and she had 9 casualties.

Morning founf her far out in the Atlantic, where she spotted the AMC Otway, and the chase was on, she closed the disitance to 7000 yards before her loo outs spotted smoke some 320000 yards behind her, it was the BCS, but as they could only make 20 knots, she was in no hurry to get out of the area, and she had the Otway in her sights.
Otway turned and presented her stern to Lutzow, but she began scoring hits, and damage began to tell, Otways speed fell off, she had seen the smoke of the BC'S and her captain was heartened by it, but soon his heart sank when he saw the BC's break off and head away, the cowards were leaving him to be slaughtered, more shells slammed in to Otway, and she lost more speed, fires raged below decks, power was cut and her pumps could not keep up, she had not fired one shell at her attacker. She listed further and further to port before slipped stern first under the sea.
 
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gascan

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Wow, a close encounter with the BCF at night... that must have been quite the surprise. It looks like you encountered the older BCs which don't like to get heavily engaged with German capitol ships. Where are the Splendid Cats?

While my two BC raiders are on their way up north, I sent two fast cruisers into the Channel to raid shipping between Calais and Cherbourg. I'd already sunk the French AC in the Channel Fleet which should have been the biggest threat down that way, but my CLs found 3.1CS with two ACs in it. I evaded them in the night, then started hunting a bit further into the channel, but they followed and blocked me from capturing a CS south of Portsmouth (I even sailed within 200m of the CS and it refused to surrender). If those two ACs keep following, I may send my two CLs all the way around to meet Seydlitz and Moltke.

Could you put all these into your original thread, so I can see all the reports in one spot?
 

Von der Tann

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It also seems that the RN command believed in advantage in numbers and added CA Roxburgh to the 2nd BCS... which slowed the others down nicely.
 

bill44

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Wow, a close encounter with the BCF at night... that must have been quite the surprise. It looks like you encountered the older BCs which don't like to get heavily engaged with German capitol ships. Where are the Splendid Cats?

While my two BC raiders are on their way up north, I sent two fast cruisers into the Channel to raid shipping between Calais and Cherbourg. I'd already sunk the French AC in the Channel Fleet which should have been the biggest threat down that way, but my CLs found 3.1CS with two ACs in it. I evaded them in the night, then started hunting a bit further into the channel, but they followed and blocked me from capturing a CS south of Portsmouth (I even sailed within 200m of the CS and it refused to surrender). If those two ACs keep following, I may send my two CLs all the way around to meet Seydlitz and Moltke.

Could you put all these into your original thread, so I can see all the reports in one spot?
Initially I was mortified, the fact that it was night really saved my bacon, but I cant work out why the BC's didn't try and come after me, or target me, my only damage was from the DD's and the CL, and FL, and they didn't last long enought to do much of that.

I don't see much shipping in the channel, other than TB's, and subs.

I'm not sure how to combine all my threads, I have structured them this way cause I thought it would be easier to understand, rather than lumping different ships in to the one thread.
 
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bill44

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It also seems that the RN command believed in advantage in numbers and added CA Roxburgh to the 2nd BCS... which slowed the others down nicely.
Yes and Invincible and Inflexible are still carrying damage from a previous encounter, so it looks like the British don't want to take them off the line for repair.
 
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