My last game featured some newly painted models set in Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898. In the actual battle, the Spanish fleet was decimated, while American losses were minimal. However, to make things more interesting, I gave the Spanish a fighting chance and adjusted the scenario slightly. You can read about how it all turned out in my battle report. We used Gods of War: Togo rules for the game.
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda
1. Forces.
(Andy, Tim)
Before the game, Jimmy, portraying Vice Admiral Cervera, received a secret telegram about the arrival of reinforcements. Here is its content:
URGENT TELEGRAM — MADRID
3 JULY 1898
TO: VICE-ADMIRAL CERVERA, SANTIAGO DE CUBA
REAR ADMIRAL CÁMARA, WITH PELAYO AND EMPERADOR CARLOS V, WILL APPROACH SANTIAGO TODAY.
YOU ARE ORDERED TO PUT TO SEA IMMEDIATELY AND JOIN CÁMARA'S SQUADRON.
THEREAFTER, BOTH SQUADRONS ARE TO BREAK THROUGH THE ENEMY BLOCKADE, LEAVE CUBAN WATERS, MINIMISE LOSSES AND HARASS UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL SHIPPING AND TRADE ROUTES.
AVOID UNNECESSARY ENGAGEMENTS WITH SUPERIOR ENEMY FORCES. PRESERVE THE SQUADRONS FOR FURTHER OPERATIONS.
DO NOT DELAY.
BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MARINE.
From Turn 2, roll a D6. On a 6, it appears in the centre of the opposite table edge. If not, on Turn 3 it appears on a 5 or 6, and so on.
2. The Game.
The forces were evenly matched. The Spanish began to gradually exit the strait leading to Santiago; however, despite my warnings, they failed to maintain proper spacing—an oversight that would soon prove costly. As they slowly cleared the channel, the Americans opened fire on the Spanish ships. Vice Admiral Cervera's flagship, the Infanta María Teresa, was the first target. She quickly suffered significant damage; one shell struck the rudder, causing the ship—still moving at full speed—to veer toward the Cuban coast and the rocky shoreline.
As early as the second turn, Admiral Câmara's squadron, under my command, appeared at the centre of the battlefield. We opened fire on the American ships, specifically targeting the USS Brooklyn and the USS Vixen. While our attacks successfully ignited a fire on the American yacht, the shells fired at the American cruiser only stripped away its paint, causing no significant damage.
The Spanish ships moved into open waters, gradually closing the distance to the American vessels. An exchange of fire quickly broke out between the Spanish torpedo boats and the second American yacht, the USS Gloucester. In the actual battle, the American ship sank both torpedo boats. However, in our version, the outcome was different—the USS Gloucester was the first vessel to be sunk in the engagement. This initial success made it appear that things were looking promising for the Spanish. But that was only an illusion.
Insufficient spacing and uncoordinated movement began to hinder the Spanish fleet. The Cristóbal Colón, commanded by Alasdair, turned to starboard and rammed the Vizcaya, commanded by David, which was positioned to its right, causing the latter to sink. This incident was just the beginning of the tragedy.
The American ships advanced decisively, throwing the Spanish fleet into disarray. With their superior capabilities, the Americans quickly gained the upper hand. They began by sinking the Spanish torpedo boats, then redirected their fire at the Spanish cruisers, causing fires and flooding. The situation soon became critical for the Spanish.
The USS Indiana tried to ram the Almirante Oquendo, but the Spanish ship miraculously avoided the manoeuvre. Unfortunately, it ended up directly in the line of fire of the American battleship's guns. The outcome was inevitable, and yet another Spanish ship sank.
Alasdair then continued his ramming exploits with the cruiser Cristóbal Colón. He first attempted to ram the USS Indiana, but the American ship evaded the Spanish vessel; however, the manoeuvre that failed against the USS Indiana succeeded against the USS Iowa. The American ship miraculously avoided sinking, while the Spanish vessel remained afloat.
Meanwhile, the duel between my squadron and the American left flank continued. Although my shells failed to inflict significant damage on the American ships, their fire eventually found my flagship. The Pelayo took a torpedo hit, causing a hull breach and uncontrollable flooding; ultimately, the ship capsized to starboard and sank. The other Spanish vessels remained afloat—the Infanta Maria Teresa managed to repair her rudder—but the combat damage she sustained was severe enough that she would likely have been forced to do what happened in reality: run aground on the rocks. As for the Cristóbal Colón, American battleships surrounded it and would have forced it to surrender or sunk it in subsequent turns. The only vessel that would have surely escaped the battlefield was the Emperador Carlos V. As a result, the battle ended in an even greater defeat for the Spanish fleet, though this time the American losses were significant: one ship was sunk and another, the USS Iowa, was heavily damaged.
3. Links.
SESWC:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352
FLICKR:
SONG ABOUT THE GAME:
