Galleys & Galleons: Anti-submarine operations at the KhiNok islands
We return once again to our man in the Indies, Mark, for another dispatch.
Encouraged by the success of the Maluku Strait operation (Sep 2025) An-te Hai (Admiral of the Tribute-Bearing Fleets, Ming commander in the Indies) started a blockade of the KhiNok Islands. With the mothership Peony Pavilion parked at a convenient but hidden location he can keep one submersible on station at a time.
Malakka had anticipated the Chinese move and augmented the small naval presence at the KhiNoks with some experimental aerial units which can - up to a point - spot and bomb submersibles in these clear shallow waters. The arrival of the Santa Isabella da Goa, inbound from the Moluccas laden with spices, brought matters to a head.
The Ming blockading force (62 points) comprised -
Zuhong Liyu (Vermilion Carp) (62) (Captain Wang Yi)
Q3 C3: Ramming, Sluggish, Submersible, Unarmed, Unorthodox
3 x blinds, marking the possible positions of the submersible while submerged.
The Portuguese defensive force (129 points) comprised -
Santa Isabella da Goa (35) (Carrack) (Captain Don Pedro Figuera da Foz)
Q4 C5: High castles, Merchantman, Reinforced hull, Sluggish, Square rigged
Moscato (Nutmeg) (18) (Merchant brig) (Captain Jorge Carvalho)
Q3 C2: Lateen rigged, Merchantman, Master gunner)
May identify a submerged enemy within 1S on a roll of 4+.
Cherub, Seraph (Ornithopters) (38 each)
Q3 C 2: Bombs (2 each), Ornithopter
May identify a submerged enemy within 1M on a roll of 4+.
Here is a group shot of all involved (Photo #1).
The KhiNoks are shown mostly in the SW corner of the table in the next shot, but the infamous Black Rock is to the N of the main group. The wind is blowing from the S. The carrack Sa Isabella is approaching from the NE, lying as close to the wind as Don Pedro can manage. It looks like he’ll have to tack at least once before he can fetch the KhiNoks, where he must stop to fulfil tiresome colonial bureaucratic requirements before proceeding to Malakka.
The Moscato is sailing towards the Sa Isabella to escort her on the final leg, and warn of the submersible danger of which Don Pedro is yet unaware. The ornithopters are trailing the brig, but will shortly begin a search for any suspicious underwater threats.
The three blinds marking possible submersibles are scattered about in likely locations, as both sides know very well that, the weather being where it is, the Sa Isabella has only limited options for making the KhiNok anchorage ( Photo #2).
After two turns the Sa Isabella has hauled itself around to a new course, parallel to the N side of the table, on which it can broad reach across towards the Black Rock, prior to swinging around it onto a new tack. The Moscato is still heading towards the carrack, signal flags flying, but meanwhile one of the ornithopters has spotted a suspicious target, and has signalled this so the brig may join that hunt. The other ornithopter has overflown one of the other blinds, failing to spot it.
But then the spotted blind moved away (all blinds move as if they were the actual submersibles, and even I do not know which is which, not yet anyway) and the contact was lost.
Turn 3. The game of cat and mouse continued, as both sides were affected by inconvenient activations (resulting in such annoyances as inability to make a turn, and unorthodox propulsion delivering too much power, or not enough). One blind is directly in the path of the Sa Isabella, but the other two are seemingly heading away from the action . The ornithopters can’t spot anything, but the Moscato is on the tail of the blind in the best position to attack the carrack.
Turn 4. Important developments! One of the submersible blinds was unsuccessfully bombed by an ornithopter. The bomb missed, but § revealed the suspicious object was only a school of fish so it has been removed. Another blind may be about to collide with an island. The third is on the same course as and directly in front of the Sa Isabella, but has been spotted by the other ornithopter (yellow d6 token) (Photo #5).
Turn 5. The submersible blind heading towards the island was able to turn aside, but the other, in a good position to attack the carrack from astern, experienced machinery failure (3/3 activation fails) and ended up moving forward 1S, ending under the Sa Isabella again. In the next photo the “missing” ornithopter is out of frame at top L (Photo #6).
Turn 6. The Carrack kept sailing on, with the submersible unable to attack (which would of course reveal which of the two blinds is the actual Zuhong Liyu) and the brig and ornithopter unable to intervene. The ornithopter cannot turn to do a bombing run. The brig cannot hurt the submerged blind, but can annoy it by taking up space it would need to surface and attack (Photo #7).
Turn 7. Don Pedro, commanding the Sa Isabella, is growing concerned he is running out of sea room. He needs to start turning his great tub of a carrack from port onto starboard tack. This time he gets two activation successes so orders the turn to begin. The blind dogging him finally reveals … that it is another dummy. The only remaining submerged marker is the actual submersible, and it is as yet unspotted.
Turn 8. The Sa Isabella continues its turn. It is now close-hauled on the port tack, cutting the Black Rock fine on the port side. No Portuguese asset is near enough to try and spot the Zuhong Liyu, which rolls really well, surfaces, and rams the oncoming carrack. Its reinforced hull availed it nothing, and it took 2 hull damage, a lucky result for the submersible all things considered (Photo #8).
Turn 9. I let the Zuhong Liyu activate first to try and simplify the ensuing Portuguese bound. It reversed course 1S and submerged again. Then the Sa Isabella failed 2/3 activations, resulting in ‘garbled orders’ and ‘hard to port’ which on further investigation § ran her onto the Black Rock, and the ensuing critical damage was ‘taking on water’ so the carrack is lost.
Things did not get better for the Portuguese after that. Carvalho brought the Moscato around the stern of the wreck but failed to spot the submersible. Anyway he now has to try and rescue Don Pedro and his crew. The closer ornithopter failed activation so flew away, and the further-away ornithopter is too far off to intervene (Photo #9).
Wang Yi ordered the Zuhong Liyu full ahead, and remarkably the engines delivered. The submersible moved forward 2L, taking it partly off the N table edge, a successful getaway after a successful attack. No doubt the Admiral will be pleased (Photo #10).
Cheers from Pattaya
Mark
*****
Malakka had anticipated the Chinese move and augmented the small naval presence at the KhiNoks with some experimental aerial units which can - up to a point - spot and bomb submersibles in these clear shallow waters. The arrival of the Santa Isabella da Goa, inbound from the Moluccas laden with spices, brought matters to a head.
The Ming blockading force (62 points) comprised -
Zuhong Liyu (Vermilion Carp) (62) (Captain Wang Yi)
Q3 C3: Ramming, Sluggish, Submersible, Unarmed, Unorthodox
3 x blinds, marking the possible positions of the submersible while submerged.
The Portuguese defensive force (129 points) comprised -
Santa Isabella da Goa (35) (Carrack) (Captain Don Pedro Figuera da Foz)
Q4 C5: High castles, Merchantman, Reinforced hull, Sluggish, Square rigged
Moscato (Nutmeg) (18) (Merchant brig) (Captain Jorge Carvalho)
Q3 C2: Lateen rigged, Merchantman, Master gunner)
May identify a submerged enemy within 1S on a roll of 4+.
Cherub, Seraph (Ornithopters) (38 each)
Q3 C 2: Bombs (2 each), Ornithopter
May identify a submerged enemy within 1M on a roll of 4+.
Here is a group shot of all involved (Photo #1).
The KhiNoks are shown mostly in the SW corner of the table in the next shot, but the infamous Black Rock is to the N of the main group. The wind is blowing from the S. The carrack Sa Isabella is approaching from the NE, lying as close to the wind as Don Pedro can manage. It looks like he’ll have to tack at least once before he can fetch the KhiNoks, where he must stop to fulfil tiresome colonial bureaucratic requirements before proceeding to Malakka.
The Moscato is sailing towards the Sa Isabella to escort her on the final leg, and warn of the submersible danger of which Don Pedro is yet unaware. The ornithopters are trailing the brig, but will shortly begin a search for any suspicious underwater threats.
The three blinds marking possible submersibles are scattered about in likely locations, as both sides know very well that, the weather being where it is, the Sa Isabella has only limited options for making the KhiNok anchorage ( Photo #2).
After two turns the Sa Isabella has hauled itself around to a new course, parallel to the N side of the table, on which it can broad reach across towards the Black Rock, prior to swinging around it onto a new tack. The Moscato is still heading towards the carrack, signal flags flying, but meanwhile one of the ornithopters has spotted a suspicious target, and has signalled this so the brig may join that hunt. The other ornithopter has overflown one of the other blinds, failing to spot it.
But then the spotted blind moved away (all blinds move as if they were the actual submersibles, and even I do not know which is which, not yet anyway) and the contact was lost.
Turn 3. The game of cat and mouse continued, as both sides were affected by inconvenient activations (resulting in such annoyances as inability to make a turn, and unorthodox propulsion delivering too much power, or not enough). One blind is directly in the path of the Sa Isabella, but the other two are seemingly heading away from the action . The ornithopters can’t spot anything, but the Moscato is on the tail of the blind in the best position to attack the carrack.
Turn 4. Important developments! One of the submersible blinds was unsuccessfully bombed by an ornithopter. The bomb missed, but § revealed the suspicious object was only a school of fish so it has been removed. Another blind may be about to collide with an island. The third is on the same course as and directly in front of the Sa Isabella, but has been spotted by the other ornithopter (yellow d6 token) (Photo #5).
Turn 5. The submersible blind heading towards the island was able to turn aside, but the other, in a good position to attack the carrack from astern, experienced machinery failure (3/3 activation fails) and ended up moving forward 1S, ending under the Sa Isabella again. In the next photo the “missing” ornithopter is out of frame at top L (Photo #6).
Turn 6. The Carrack kept sailing on, with the submersible unable to attack (which would of course reveal which of the two blinds is the actual Zuhong Liyu) and the brig and ornithopter unable to intervene. The ornithopter cannot turn to do a bombing run. The brig cannot hurt the submerged blind, but can annoy it by taking up space it would need to surface and attack (Photo #7).
Turn 7. Don Pedro, commanding the Sa Isabella, is growing concerned he is running out of sea room. He needs to start turning his great tub of a carrack from port onto starboard tack. This time he gets two activation successes so orders the turn to begin. The blind dogging him finally reveals … that it is another dummy. The only remaining submerged marker is the actual submersible, and it is as yet unspotted.
Turn 8. The Sa Isabella continues its turn. It is now close-hauled on the port tack, cutting the Black Rock fine on the port side. No Portuguese asset is near enough to try and spot the Zuhong Liyu, which rolls really well, surfaces, and rams the oncoming carrack. Its reinforced hull availed it nothing, and it took 2 hull damage, a lucky result for the submersible all things considered (Photo #8).
Turn 9. I let the Zuhong Liyu activate first to try and simplify the ensuing Portuguese bound. It reversed course 1S and submerged again. Then the Sa Isabella failed 2/3 activations, resulting in ‘garbled orders’ and ‘hard to port’ which on further investigation § ran her onto the Black Rock, and the ensuing critical damage was ‘taking on water’ so the carrack is lost.
Things did not get better for the Portuguese after that. Carvalho brought the Moscato around the stern of the wreck but failed to spot the submersible. Anyway he now has to try and rescue Don Pedro and his crew. The closer ornithopter failed activation so flew away, and the further-away ornithopter is too far off to intervene (Photo #9).
Wang Yi ordered the Zuhong Liyu full ahead, and remarkably the engines delivered. The submersible moved forward 2L, taking it partly off the N table edge, a successful getaway after a successful attack. No doubt the Admiral will be pleased (Photo #10).
Cheers from Pattaya
Mark
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