Commerce raidin'

Admiral Cristobal Hernandez a Tortuga had led a Tropezonian cruiser squadron to raid Ortosilian commerce routes. A suitable target was soon spotted on the narrows between the Isola del Muerte and the Ortosilian main coast: a large convoy of freighters with the annual cargo of bananas, to be delivered to the northern markets. 

Admiral Hernandez has ignored the warnings of the Tropezonian spy service, of a nearby large-scale naval exercise of the Imperial Ortosilian Navy. Now he had to act quickly, before the heavier ships of the enemy could sink his old cruisers.

This is how the Second Banana War (1918-9) broke out.

The rules we used were a mixture of Coal and Steel (damage calculation) and my naval rules for large scale models (movement). The torpedoes were glass balls.

Ortosilian OOB

Reina Maria Teresa (Frigate 1st class / armored cruiser)
M 3” A[4] F[6]

Amirale Villa Lobos (Frigate 1st class / armored cruiser)
M 3” A[4] F[6]

Tropezonian OOB

Base force

Santa María (armed merchant)
M 2,5” A[2] F[1]

Large merchant ships
M 2” A[1] F[0]

Small merchant ships
M 3” A[0] F[0]

Reinforcements #1 (at turn 4)
Cagafuego (central battery ironclad)
M 3” A[4] F[4]

La Guadanha / La Daga (TBD)
M 6” A[2] F[1] + torp

Reinforcements #2 (at turn 8)

La Fortuna / St Louis Class
M 3” A[5] F[8]

The Tropezonian gunners were very eager to do their job, but their aiming was ineffective. The Ortosilian armed merchant conducted a series of agressive maneuvers, but was destroyed despite its valiant efforts to save the convoy.

The first wave of Ortosilian warships arrived, and the destroyers launched another wild charge at the Villa Lobos. It was hit by torpedoes multiple times, but took only minor damage. Incendiary shells rained on the TBDs, and one of them was soon out of action.

There was not enough damage done to the convoy to quit the fight by the time the Ortosilian flagship arrived. She launched a deadly salvo at the already damaged Villa Lobos. The Maria Teresa's crew managed to extinguish the fires caused by a close encounter with the Cagafuego, and retained a good fighting capability. 

Now, with six ships sunk, the Tropezonians ran for it. The Villa Lobos took four direct hits, multiple fires on board, her main armament destroyed, and then two more hits to the engines... yet she had managed to escape at half speed, with the Maria Teresa covering the retreat in her wake.