The Tsar's Crown Jewels - Russian

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Maru Convoy

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
February 25, 1904

1632 We sight two Marus, one B class and one C class, 192 km NNE of Hiroshima. They are WSW of the islands. We pursue.

1701 We sight a 3000 ton freighter.

We pursue, but the light is dying.

1809 Dunolly Castle surrenders.

1815 Novik speeds ahead and targets B. Maru at 4849 meters.

Novik weaves between the two Marus, firing on whichever is closest at the moment.

1845 B. Maru sinks.

1848 C. Maru sinks.
 
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Taro Maru

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
February 25, 1904

We encounter the Taro Maru 153 km NNW of Hiroshima.

Gromoboi sinks her.
 
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Commerce Raiding - yeah, we do a lot of this!

Naval High Command
February 26, 1904

Latest Reports:
Lt. Burakov repaired.
Sevastopol repaired.

Vladivostok Force captures the 4500 ton Kashmir, 127 km north of Hofu.
They sight two large smoke plumes to the southwest.

Lyena seizes the 6000 ton freighter Cape Cross, 141 km SE of Ominato.
They report that the Hikosan Maru is nearby to the north.

Angara sinks a C class Maru and then captures the 3000 ton Fairhaven, 74 km SW of Yokosuka.

Vladivostok Force seizes Cape Cross (6000 tons) and Trondheim (4500 tons).

Torpedo Gunboats, Vsadnik and Gaidamak sight the cruiser Sai Yen (Gunboat Division), 161 km WNW of the Assan Basin. They leisurely come to heading 311 back to Port Arthur. Sai Yen pursues, coming as close as 15460 m. She even aims and elevates her guns.

Angara captures the 3000 ton cargo hauler Lindenfels, 54 km south of Yokosuka.
 
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Battle stations!

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
February 26, 1904

1419 We sight the Yakumo and Adzuma, 35 km east of Takeshiki.

The enemy is between us and the islands, so they can't flee west unless they retreat into their base. I resolve to drive them away from their base, if possible, and otherwise to take what shots we can from the edge of their defenses.

We head straight for their base, only turning NW at the edge of their defenses. The enemy vacilates close to the coast of the northern island, but eventually decides to head north. We pursue.

1517 The enemy opens fire at 13667 m.

1518 Rossiya is hit twice for minor damage.

1521 Novik is hit by a 152 mm, as she and Bogatyr start to zig-zag, they turn away now.

1528 Eerie silence as the enemy ceases fire.

1534 Enemy opens fire again as we close to 8 km, Gromoboi fires on Adzuma.

1535 Our first salvo hits Adzuma with a 203 mm on her forward starboard side.
Gromoboi is hit for minor damage.

1540 Rossiya opens fire on Adzuma at 8 km.

1543 Gromoboi hit by 203 mm, forward port 203 mm mount damaged.
This was unfortunate, in that we were closing on the angle while they worked their way up the coast. Unfortunately, this hit forces Gromoboi to change course shortly to maintain 203 mm fire.

1557 An "over" hits Yakumo, which shows light damage for two minutes.

1600 Adzuma zig-zags at 20 knots behind Yakumo who is making 19 knots.

We manage to have Ryurik, Bogatyr and Novik join in, with everyone at rather long range. Adzuma is hit repeatedly, but never goes beyond light.

1615 The enemy rounds the north end of the island, firing at Bogatyr.

1636 We turn north as they head west. They are too far away, and the light is failing.

1738 We sight them again briefly as visibility drops, 45 km SE of Fusan.
Our heading is 343, theirs is 59, range about 12 km. We turn towards them, but lose them in the darkness.

We took only minor damage, and hit Adzuma quite a few times, though it didn't slow her or disable any guns that I could see.
 

Pandur

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can you possibly post me a "full camapin" map screen for DG? iam not thinking about switching to DG but after reading about the campain iam interessted in the area it plays and the differences to the jutland campain.

i mean i see many little engagements here, wich is possible in jutland but at teh end of the day you decide the game with the large fleets clashing at some point.
how are the fleets set up in DG, how is this war over there waged? are there large "historic" jap or russian fleets like in jutland? i see the theatre but i dont get the picture :)
 
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Distant Guns objectives

Pandur,

I'll see if I can screenshot it for you, but basically, you are dealing with Japan, Korea, Port Arthur, Vlaidvostok and the sea around those spots.

However, the objective here is rather different. The key is to eliminate X tons of Japanese shipping as the Russians or to prevent that as the Japanese.

I've made a point of avoiding the main Japanese battle line, and Yakumo and Adzuma for the most part.

I'm winning, not because I have sunk all their DDs and TBs and their veterans from the Sino-Japanese war, but rather because I have captured/sunk about 80 merchants and A-E.Marus.

Auxilliary cruisers Angara and Lyena, as well as the Gunboat Mandzhur have done amazing damage to the enemy! Angara did meet Yakumo and Adzuma one night, before dusk, and they were making 20 knots to her 19, but I was able to slip away in the darkness, and then turn out to sea. I made a big detour around those two!


I kill what I can kill easily with minimal losses, which works to blind the enemy and allow me to use weaker forces.

I probably can't put together a force at this time that could go toe to toe with the six battleships and four armored cruisers in Mikasa's group, but then I haven't seen them in a long time. Anyone who sees them has orders to flee!

Yakumo and Adzuma are different. I have enough in my Vladivostok group to handle them (though they might hurt me a lot before they died), and the AI thinks so too, which is why they run from me. The biggest problem is that these two cruise at 18 knots, faster than any of my Task Forces. So they can keep contact until dark.

But, then, as long as they run, I can do as I like, sinking their merchants and Marus at will. And a lot of my cruisers can now beat anything they can't outrun.

Night is my biggest danger right now, which is why I am adding TBs and DDs as screens to my task forces, in case I do meet the big, bad Mikasa & friends at night!

But, the days are getting longer...

In short, this is commerce warfare! Starve the Japanese army of supplies, so that Port Arthur never falls, and they are pushed back to the sea, where, thanks to our relentless efforts, they will find no transports to take them home!

So, as the Russians, go after the merchants with a vengeance, and run away from anything resembling a fair fight!

I have found that running up and down the coasts of Japan (don't forget the east coast, very good hunting there), is very effective.

I try to hit a lot of places at once, so they can't catch us all.

Of course, now, I plan to mine all their ports (nyah-hah-hah!!!).
 
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Still more commerce raiding

Naval High Command
Commerce Raiding Report
February 26, 1904

Angara sinks a C class Maru, after sunset, 120 km ESE of Tokyo. She later seizes the 3000 ton steamer Lindenfels.

February 27, 1904

Lyena hunts down the Dunolly Castle of 3000 tons, 132 km NW of Sakata.

Vladivostok Force is surprised by the Gunboat Akagi which sinks TB 211 with a single 150 mm shell. Gromoboi and Burni fire on Akagi, but she is finished as Bogatyr performs a "drive-by"!

Angara captures the 6000 ton Cape Cross, 126 km east of Ishinomaki.

Mandzhur & Pallada repaired.

February 28, 1904
Vladivostok force returns.
Pobyeda and Novik are repaired.

March 1, 1904
No activities, all ships are resting in port.

March 2, 1904
Gromoboi repaired, but waiting for a 152 mm mount.

March 3, 1904
We resume TB patrols, and Mandzhur sails.
 
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A missing torpedo boat

Harbor Master, Vladivostok
March 4, 1904

The Patrol Torpedo Boat 203 Sungari has not reported back.
What could have happened to her?

Perhaps...

TB 203 Sungari
0651 We sight the Yakumo and Adzuma! At range 3810 m.!
323 km SSE of Vladivostok
Their heading is 53 degrees east of north, speed 18 knots.

We are hit immediately by a 203mm shell! Only three of us, out of twenty-one, survive this first hit!
Damage control 21%
Searchlights - obliterated!
Fires are out of control!
Port flooding 100%!
Accumulated shipped water 2% port, flooding exceeds pumping.
We are red heavy.

0653 We are hit by a 76 mm shell, several times.

0655 Turning towards the enemy, we launch a 381 mm Whitehead torpedo!
Then the mount is damaged. We are sinking in 8 minutes, 11 seconds.
The last three of us are dead.

Her crew dead, Sungari narrowly misses being rammed by Yakumo. Adzuma veers away to starboard! Both armored cruisers blast away at her, perhaps some friendly fire? At least they are using up their 203 mm shells like there is no tomorrow!

0658 Rudder jammed, dead in the water, Sungari is relentlessly blasted!

0659 Sungari sinks. The enemy speeds east at 20 knots.
 
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And now for something completely different!

ah i see, that sounds fun too. i think at some point i gone need to play DG 1.5 too.
Definitely! The Russo-Japanese war has a whole different feel. The battleships have a harder time hurting each other, particularly at ranges over 6 km. The biggest danger is fire getting out of control. Usually because of lots of 6 inch shells.

There are no aircraft or submarines. Torpedoes are short ranged and unreliable.

I use TBs and DDs primarily as a recon screen. Capital ships can shred them much faster, well beyond torpedo range! Their anti-torpedo boat defenses are more akin to an Iowa class anti-aircraft defense, than anything from Jutland.

Also, you only start with seven battleships, and as the Russians, you may suffer significant damage right away! Think Pearl Harbor! Losing even one is a big deal!

Of course, in many ways, the worst thing that can happen that first night, would be the loss of multiple cruisers!
 
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Looks like they picked the wrong morning to visit Port Arthur!

Harbormaster, Port Arthur
March 4, 1904

Our forces are on their way out when they find two Japanese Destroyers in their midst!

Yugiri and Shiranui don't last long, but they take our Silni with them!

These are the last of their destroyers from our intelligence reports.

And here is the campaign map!
 
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Continuing Operations

Naval High Command
Operational Reports
March 4, 1904

1935 Byeszhumi repaired.

March 5, 1904

1151 Mandzhur seizes the 3000 ton Lindenfels, 173 km NNW of Sakata.

1458 Lyena captures the Cumberland (4500 tons), 35 km SW of Matsumai.

1724 Lyena sights a B class Maru, 9 km WNW of Matsumai, but loses her in the failing light.

March 6, 1904

0100 Lyena surprises the 4500 ton Baron Kelvin, 121 km SE of Ominato.

0752 Novik (with the Vladivostok Force) sinks the Nippon Maru, 100 km NNW of Ullung. She is part of the force escoring the Yenisey to mine Takeshiki.

1006 Lyena seizes the 4500 ton freighter Cumberland, 137 km ENE of Ishinomaki.

1314 Lyena captures the 6000 ton steamer Sylvia Grace, 81 km E of Ishinomaki.

1448 Angara seizes the 6000 ton freighter Sylvia Grace (deja vu!) 36 km SW of Matsumai.

1922 Mandzhur sinks a B class Maru (4500 tons), 94 km NNW of Niigata.
 
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Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 6, 1904

We have been sailing south in force, escorting the ML Yenisey:
Armored Cruisers: Gromoboi, Rossiya & Ryurik.
Protected Cruisers: Bogatyr, Varyag, Diana & Novik.
Destroyers: Burni, Boyevoi & Lt. Burakov
Torpedo Boats: TB 208, 209 & 210

Our plan is to lay mines all around their base at Takeshiki.

0752 Novik sinks the Nippon Maru, 100 km NNW of Ullung.

1923 Our worst nightmare! We have encountered the Mikasa & friends (6 battleships, 4 first class armored cruisers)!

Their heading is 34, ours is 180.

To quote Admiral Akbar: "Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude!" ("Return of the Jedi").

Unfortunately, their whole battleship line has come into contact with the starboard quarter of our formation, with both Lt. Burakov and Boyevoi visible to the enemy at close range.

Lt. Burakov and Boyevoi are hit hard!

1928 Boyevoi is sinking.

1929 Lt. Burakov sinks.

We signal all ships: "Run away! Run awaaaaay!" (King Arthur, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail").

We flee to the southeast, directly away from the enemy.

1944 Boyevoi sinks. The enemy was last seen on heading 105, seeking new prey.

1951 No sight of the enemy in the last ~15 minutes. We sail south.

Unfortunately, it is very early in the evening. The enemy's cruising speed is faster than Yenisey can sustain.

We will need to evade them all night, and we have already lost two of our destroyer screen.

On the other hand, without our screen, we would probably have lost three or more cruisers.

2130 Action ends 113 km east of Ulsan.
 
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Things that go clank, clank, clank in the night

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 7, 1904

0028 Japan's First Squadron (6 BB, 4 AC) is back! This time they are off our port quarter!

0029 TB 210 is hit and sinking.

0030 TB 210 launches a torpedo at Mikasa!

0031 Looks like a hit, probably a dud.

0032 No one remains alive on TB 210, including G. Alexeyev.

0035 TB 210 sinks.

0036 Action ends 119 km NNW of Shimoniseki.

We can mostly outrun them, but Yenisey only matches them and has a slower sustained speed. And we have lost half our screening vessels.
 
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Silver Lining?

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 7, 1904

0158 We capture the 3000 ton freighter Pegasus.

0345 Once again, Mikasa & friends appears on our port quarter and TB 209 is sinking. We flee south and then southeast, trying for the narrow straight at Shimoniseki. Perhaps, we can run them aground.

0416 Action ends 33 km NNW of Shimonoseki.

0450 They're back!

0452 TB 208 is sinking. Firing torpedo at Mikasa.

0454 All dead aboard TB 208, including D. Tirkov. Asashi has light damage, friendly fire?

0455 Asashi takes a big hit on her port stern, as ghost ship TB 208 is rammed by Fuji and dragged under her keel. Fui has light damage and is slowed to 5 knots.

0459 The enemy turns back toward the north. Their line is disordered as the following ships pass Fuji.
 
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Mikasa in the twilight before dawn

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 7, 1904

Gamer's Note: We keep getting dragged back the same spot. The battle generator gets confused near land, I think. I almost had Novik through the straight at the end of the last round. I had set waypoints through it for several ships.

0522 Contact with the enemy First Squadron, but as first glimmers of light appear we are a little further from them (~4400m instead of 2800m). Burni is the sacrifice this time, but she's not ready to die! She turns away and her stokers shovel for their lives!

0523 Burni hit by 76 mm, bigger stuff all around.

0525 Burni repairs damage, hit again by 76 mm, and again.

0528 Enemy turns away, probably to avoid running aground.

0532 Action ends, enemy on heading 358, 18 knots, 10 km from Mikasa.

Burni survives with light damage.
 
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