Need help with Union naval strategy???

[rabit123]

Playing Union, first '61 campaign. Initial union blockade starts out at 70% effective. It's now early Sept '61 and my blockade is down to 25%. I've tried adding more ships to the Atlantic blockade box, but the percent stays at 25%. What exactly do I need to do to build it back up to 70% (or more)?

I've built some additional frigates and brigs...because I thought I read on the forum that these types were the best for increasing blockade % and hunting blockade runners. But I'm not sure if I'm building the right mix.

Also, is it better to place all ships in one stack, or is it the more stacks...the better? I guess it's possible I haven't allowed enough time to go by, for the % to rise, since adding the ships.

As for shipping...CSA raiders sank a couple of transports, even though I had them combined with the African Squadron for protection. So now I'm building replacements. Just how important is having a naval commander to a stack in the shipping or blockade boxes?

I'd like to get a handle on the naval aspect, as I'd really like to do well at it. Thanks for any input. Oh, and curse you CSA players! Cheers.

[Major Tom]

I haven't played the US nearly as much as I've played CSA, but this is an easy answer --

You need to be blockading both the Gulf and Atlantic blockade boxes with about equal strength, because the overall effectiveness of your blockade is weighted towards the weakest box.

You should have started with 5 blokcade squadrons in the Atlantic box but only 1 in the Gulf box, so unless you have added more to the Gulf, you're not going to get your blockade numbers up.

The most effective ships for blockades are, not surprisingly, blockade squadrons. In addition to the ones that start in the blockade boxes, you get a few of these squadrons for free in 1861, but they'll be locked for several turns. When they unlock, send them to the blockade boxes -- especially the Gulf. You certainly have the resources to buy a few more blockade squadrons, and I think it's a good idea to.

Also, when you send more blockade squadrons to the Gulf, make sure to send a couple of transports with them. Transports carry tons of supplies, so they'll keep your blackade squadrons happily fed for much longer before they have to return to port.

The biggest issue with the Gulf is that it's a longer trip to get there from your Atlantic ports. But, you don't have to send them all the way back to resupply -- they can get supplies from any harbor, and the US owned Fort Pickens on the Gulf coast has a level 1 harbor.

For catching blockade runners, the regular blockade squadrans are fine, and can be augmented with additional frigates.

Also, don't neglect the shipping box. You need transports in the shipping box to get supplies transfered between coastal ports, and you need some fighting ships -- frigates -- to hunt down raiders.

For more info on the blockade boxes and the relative qualities of the ship types, see Hobbes' "Quick Guide" -- it's a sticky thread at the top of the general AACW forum.

[rabit123]

Thanks Major Tom, the blockade box balance issue is surely at the center of my difficulties.

What say you on the issue of having fewer or more stacks for naval units, especially in the blockage and shipping boxes? Is there an advantage statistically? For example, should I have one large hunter group in the shipping box, or multiple smaller groups?

[Major Tom]

Thanks Major Tom, the blockade box balance issue is surely at the center of my difficulties.

What say you on the issue of having fewer or more stacks for naval units, especially in the blockage and shipping boxes? Is there an advantage statistically? For example, should I have one large hunter group in the shipping box, or multiple smaller groups?

This is hard to say. The naval detection and combat rules are one of the great unknowns in this game.

I honestly don't know whether it makes any difference whether units in the naval boxes are stacked or separate, but for myself I always stack my unions fleets together and separate my CSA ones (except shipping box raiders).

The way detection works is that it's the larger force's patrol value compared with the weaker force's evasion value that determines whether you can locate them and attack. Onland, patrol values are added for all elements, while evasion is based on the average for a unit. I assume it's the same for naval units. I don't know if patrol value is added at the stack level or for the entire box. It might be the entire box, because on land the patrol value is added for the entire region. Either way, I'd rather have the stack together so that when I do locate the raiders I have overwhelming force and can inflict maximum damage.

Evasion is not added up but averaged across all elements. On land this is done at the stack level. Not sure about the naval boxes. But, there is a small stack bonus for less than 4 units, so it definitely pays for blockade runners to spread out.

[Chertio]

That's a good tip about the balanced blockade, thank you.

My current "strategy" as the Union has gone wrong: I have built far too many frigates, which have succeeded in damaging only three or four blockade runners in 2 years of patrolling.

I also built two fleets of ironclads to keep Hampton Roads permanently blockaded (Fort Monroe fell to the CSA). No use, they sit and watch the blockade runners go by.

I keep the ships in two fleets (frigates and blockade flotillas) in each Box, with two transports per fleet. I am surprised that even so, and with a lot of transports in the Atlantic Shipping box, they still run out of food - evidently the Atlantic Shipping box does not ferry resupply to them.

In Spring 1862, there were apparently some severe (and unannounced) storms or something, in the space of two or so turns every single ship in the Blockade Boxes got damaged.

So next time round my strategy would be to concentrate on blockade flotillas, including reserves so that hungry crews and damaged ships can be rotated out continually and the blockade maintained. A few frigates for fun, maybe, but nothing more, a few ironclads for fort-busting.

The other aspect is the river gunboats and ironclads, which are immensely useful for blocking CSA supply and river transport, interfering with CSA units who are trying to cross rivers, assault, recon... can't get enough of them.

Switching off navy attrition is a game option, but it makes things too easy for the Union I think.

[husky1943]

Major Tom is absolutely on target. Just a couple of other hints / observations:

I have found that squadrons grouped together, and some independent steam frigates or sloops (or whatever) operating independently are the best way to up your box percentage. Of course, don't forget to put some ships in the shipping box, as well, as protection for your supply boats.

Also, make a naval engineer or two and put them on a small fleet (couple of men-of-war and two supply boats). Then send them to Ft. Pickens (if you still have it). When the fleet arrives, build a depot and drop off the naval engineer. You will have supply and the engineer will help you get the ships to recover cohesion quicker. Plus, the depot pulls replacements for you fleets and the fort's garrison more effeciently (I think).

Hope it helps

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

Also, make a naval engineer or two and put them on a small fleet (couple of men-of-war and two supply boats). Then send them to Ft. Pickens (if you still have it).

If you don't have Ft. Pickens, put the naval engineer in the Florida Keys.

[kwhitehead]

Blockading has been like a black box to me, almost impossible to determine the affect or whether it is worth it so I was hoping to expand this thread a little.

First some observations based on my games. I haven't seen any affect for blockade ships in the Gulf. I have had to send all of them back for supplies before and not seen the blockade level change. But if any are sent back from the Atlantic box the response in level fall is immediate. It almost looks like they are using the box with the highest but it is difficult to verify any of this. The other observation is that there may be a limit on how high the blockade value can go. I typically see 30% and have never seen over 35% except the first turn when it is 70%.

Hopefully someone with more experience with the game can clarify this and why I might not be seeing the affects of blockading I should.

But the bigger question is "Is it worth while?" Why I ask this is that when I played the CSA side I never really got that much money and war supplies from my blockade runners. I may not have had the best ships or enough but the numbers were so low for them I wonder if the Union is wasting resources building blockade fleets.

The other question is "Do you gain much from Blockading coastal regions and how do you tell what to blockade?" I have blockaded some ports and got the pop up saying I had enough ships to blockade that region but I still don't know if it had the slightest affect on the CSA.

I have a test game going and getting ready to place some fleets so I wanted some ideas about what to try and how do I determine if they are effective.

[Jim-NC]

The blockade box affects the money (and WS I think) that the CSA gets. The higher the % of blockade, the less money the CSA gets. As to "brown water" blockade (blockading a sea.river area next to a port), it prevents a lot of things from getting to that location (like supply). Say you had surrounded Wilmington NC by land for example. If the CSA has river transport, Wilmington could still receive supply from a near by port/city. If you blockade the harbor, then no supply can come in by river (or sea). This is useful to end sieges. Also, you can make a unit starve by blockading it's supply route. For example, if the union has a division in Petersburg VA, and there is no union land supply pathway, then the division could pull supply from the harbor located just to the north. If you blockade that harbor, no supplies for the division.

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

But the bigger question is "Is it worth while?"

Blue-water blockade is definitely worth it, although there are diminishing returns. Once you get up to 40 or 50% blockade level, it's probably best to invest your assets elsewhere.

[GraniteStater]

Like airpower in a certain WWII game, ya gotta make a commitment to The Blockade. I play with the Standard Rule, being a salty type.

* The investment is worth it, IMO. 'Sides, I like my jolly tars - one area where those perfidious Rebs take a back seat.

* Various people say that BlkSqdns are best for the BlkBoxes. I haven't crunched the numbers, but am willing to grant the point. Use BlkSqdns with a Frigate or two, and one or two Brigs (the latter for the scouting component).

* In the early game, 40% or so is all you can reasonably expect - you have other things to do, you can't pour everything into the Navy. As you build a bigger Navy, you can get to 60%, maybe more. These are the Boxes, natch. I keep enough Union Shipping with a modest escort force to ensure 100% Sea Supply/Transport abilities - I could care less about the $$ and WS; even with Light Industrialization, I have more than enough WS by mid-'62.

* Now, for the close blockade - I effect a 'semi-close' Brown Blockade. Some spots you can do a true Close Block - Bogue's Inlet to block Morehead City, NC, is an example. CSA guns can't hurt you there, although there's a fort nearby. Hover the mouse over the Harbor icon on CSA cities to see where the Block Point is. In the example just mentioned, you can effect a true ClsBlk and suffer no damage from the shore batteries. For other spots, e. g., Charleston, SC, I park myself off the river mouth. I'm not truly blockading the Harbor (see Tooltip per above), but I'll engage a fair amount of Runners. I'll miss a bunch too, no matter my Aggresion, but...well, I dislike having to build new ships for sunken ones. If your units lose a battle (rare) or are weakened, they can end up shorewards a water region, inside an estuary. Not Good. You'll lose ships on the way out to the batteries. Ships are expensive and take months to replace. I don't like losing ships, at all, unless it's for a major objective.

* My BrownBlock Sqdns are one (1) BlkSqdn with 2 Brig Sqdns (four Brigs altogether) and one (1) Transport Sqdn. 12 Elements, enough for any region on the charts (only a landlubber would say 'map' :cool .

* I don't build a whole lotta Frigates - *sigh*. Too bad, lovely vessels (I don't mean the stinkpots). I generally use these for my 'semi-Blue Block': crusing one region outwards, to sea - you'll catch the occasional Runner out at sea.

* Put Transports with as many fleets as you can - they stay out longer. Keep some TPs at Pickens, the Keys, Monroe, and anyplace you grab, also, to attract Supplies.

By mid-'63, you should be able to effect a 50%+ Blue Block, have a more than good sized Navy and be putting the squeeze on up close and personal. If you wanna bring Monitors south beyond the VA Capes, ya gotta seize the NC coastal forts, otherwise it's just throwing tin at the bottom of Cape Hatteras.

Don't forget the River Navy either!

!!! What the heck is the difference between a Monitor and an Ironclad??? I don't mean River Ironclad - if you build Monitors, some come out with the "weather canopy" on them in the GIF and are denoted 'Ironclad'. Flavor only, or is there a real distinction?

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

I effect a 'semi-close' Brown Blockade.

my 'semi-Blue Block'

* Put Transports with as many fleets as you can -

Interesting thoughts on the semi-blocks. Hadn't thought about that.

Does it do any good to put supply wagons on those Transports?

[kwhitehead]

Excellent tips GraniteStater. Added that to my personal tip document.

Thanks

[GraniteStater]

Interesting thoughts on the semi-blocks. Hadn't thought about that.

Does it do any good to put supply wagons on those Transports?

Yeah, but the horses are a pain.

[Lew]

One of the reasons I like playing the Union is that I get to mess around in boats. Here are my responses to the OP's questions and various points brought up previously.

Playing Union, first '61 campaign. Initial union blockade starts out at 70% effective. It's now early Sept '61 and my blockade is down to 25%. I've tried adding more ships to the Atlantic blockade box, but the percent stays at 25%. What exactly do I need to do to build it back up to 70% (or more)?

The initial 70% is most probably a game or display glitch. Ignore it.

It is extremely difficult to achieve a blockade percentage of 70%. 50-60% is a more realistic goal.

The best way to get the blockade percentage up to 50-60% is to 1) build more blockade squadrons, and 2) maintain a constant, even blockade in both the Atlantic and Gulf boxes. Four or five blockade squadrons in each box is what I try to maintain; it's fairly straightforward to accomplish this by end of '61 or even earlier. Be sure to keep them supplied using transports.

I've built some additional frigates and brigs...because I thought I read on the forum that these types were the best for increasing blockade % and hunting blockade runners. But I'm not sure if I'm building the right mix.

I haven't had much luck sinking blockade runners or raiders. You'll want some sloops for scouting and cheap escorts. I haven't gotten much mileage out of building more frigates - use the existing ones to defend against raiders and beef up your brown water blockade.

Also, is it better to place all ships in one stack, or is it the more stacks...the better? I guess it's possible I haven't allowed enough time to go by, for the % to rise, since adding the ships.

I haven't noticed any difference in blockade percentage between a given group of ships organized in a united fleet or many individual squadrons. Organization level also doesn't seem to have much (if any - not sure) effect on blockade %.

However, both of these things make a difference in battle. The larger your fleets, the more successful you are in battle, but the larger the number of ships that lose organization and ammo. If you're maintaining a blockade, consider spitting up your fleets to prevent a small enemy force wearing you down too fast, or uniting them to avoid being driven out by a large enemy force.

Another point is that a united blockading fleet is less annoying to keep supplied.

As for shipping...CSA raiders sank a couple of transports, even though I had them combined with the African Squadron for protection. So now I'm building replacements. Just how important is having a naval commander to a stack in the shipping or blockade boxes?

If you're getting lots of opposition, it's important. If not, use your leaders where they'll do the most good. Note that leaders also increase speed, so consider using a less skilled dude to reduce transit times to and from ports.

===========

I keep enough Union Shipping with a modest escort force to ensure 100% Sea Supply/Transport abilities - I could care less about the $$ and WS; even with Light Industrialization, I have more than enough WS by mid-'62

I do exactly the opposite. Maxing out on transports, getting 30 to 40 of them into the shipping box as soon as possible, and keeping them there are major priorities for me. We're talking 60 or 70 extra $$ or WS per turn, and that's not chopped liver.

But the bigger question is "Is it worth while?" Why I ask this is that when I played the CSA side I never really got that much money and war supplies from my blockade runners.

Against the AI, blockade runners are a huge benefit for the Confederacy. I try to have 15 to 20 of them in each blockade box by no later than spring of '62, so I can get that 50+ extra $$ or WS per turn. However, against a human player, things would be trickier. I can see a well-executed blue-water blockade plus vigorous patrolling causing blockade running (or at least large-scale blockade running) to become unprofitable.


===========

Other observations:

1. Try a brown-water blockade of Richmond, VA. If I understand correctly, a close-in blockade imposes a penalty to whatever the blockaded cities are producing, over and above the global penalty caused by the blue-water blockade. Because Richmond produces so much, the penalty caused by a blockade will annoy the Confederate player considerably.

I'm not sure if a brown-water blockade of any other Confederate city is worth the trouble. Comments invited.

2. If you have ships to spare, run them along the seazones away from the coast to intercept Confederate ship movement. If they have to fight to and from the ocean boxes, they'll be doing a lot less raiding and blockade running!

3. Pay attention to force stance. A Passive stance is useful for avoiding trouble and for recovering strength and organization in port. With a Defensive stance, fleets don't lose organization nearly as rapidly, and will still engage weaker forces in the blockade/shipping boxes, but will not intercept passing enemy forces elsewhere. This stance is ideal for a blockading force. An Offensive stance will wear out a fleet quickly, but is required for interception outside the blockade/shipping boxes.

4. Key points along the coast include Fort Munroe (guards the water roads to Richmond, Washington, and Baltimore), and New Orleans (quite apart from the other advantages of seizing it, it's a wonderful place to maintain a blockade of the Gulf from). The first deserves at least a division; the second, two or three.

5. Be very, very careful about moving ships about in winter (December through March), as storms can easily do more damage in a single turn than the Confederates could all year. Have your blockading squadrons well-supplied by late November.

6. Leave the coastal forts alone. They eat ships for breakfast. Use division-strength landing forces if you need to take out a fort.

[GraniteStater]

You and I are largely in agreement here. I haven't played AACW as much as some, but I've played thoroughly, if you catch my meaning. Here are my comments:

I do exactly the opposite. Maxing out on transports, getting 30 to 40 of them into the shipping box as soon as possible, and keeping them there are major priorities for me. We're talking 60 or 70 extra $$ or WS per turn, and that's not chopped liver.

I'm puzzled by this. As far as the Union economy goes, all I do is some Light Industry in no more than six or seven states. I'm absolutely swimming in resources by late '62 or early '63. 60-70 $$ or WS a turn to me by late '62 is pocket change in my experience (1.13b). Manpower is the bottleneck by this time.

Try a brown-water blockade of Richmond, VA. If I understand correctly, a close-in blockade imposes a penalty to whatever the blockaded cities are producing, over and above the global penalty caused by the blue-water blockade. Because Richmond produces so much, the penalty caused by a blockade will annoy the Confederate player considerably.

I'm not sure if a brown-water blockade of any other Confederate city is worth the trouble. Comments invited.

Richmond is most definitely worth it, now that you point it out. Without launching and looking at it, there are no Forts or ugly bang-bangs, are there?

Some can be CloseBlocked for 'free': Morehead City, northern FL. To amplify, at some point the Union player should actively seek landings, seizure and occupations along the coast - then it's 100% drop in CSA production.


If you have ships to spare, run them along the seazones away from the coast to intercept Confederate ship movement. If they have to fight to and from the ocean boxes, they'll be doing a lot less raiding and blockade running!

What I think of as my 'semi-Blue Block.'

Pay attention to force stance. A Passive stance is useful for avoiding trouble and for recovering strength and organization in port. With a Defensive stance, fleets don't lose organization nearly as rapidly, and will still engage weaker forces in the blockade/shipping boxes, but will not intercept passing enemy forces elsewhere. This stance is ideal for a blockading force. An Offensive stance will wear out a fleet quickly, but is required for interception outside the blockade/shipping boxes.

Stance is immaterial in the Boxes, for catching Runners, AFAIK. In the Shipping Box, I keep everyone together on Passive [the '()' stance] and Avoid Combat. Nonetheless, I put my Intercept Fleets in the B-Boxes on Aggressive - just being a nudge.

Outside the Boxes, I'm Aggressive 95% of the time.

I use the Standard Rule and keep a good eye on my fleets. A little micro here is not a bad habit.

[husky1943]

Just to piggyback on this.....

I had understood that the stance setting was almost immaterial in the boxes. But, even still I have placed all of my shipping in defensive (blue) stance, in an attempt to use less cohesion and supplies (which is what happens to land units, right?) I was just trying to hedge my bet. On the other hand, I was given good advice that blockade squadrons, aided by the addition of a frigate, performed better because the frigate's increased detection ability helped.

Anyhoo, I have had the box up to 90%, and I have always combined the fleets together, and placed them under an admiral (even in the gulf.) I assumed that the fleets would perform better or worse, depending on the afloat commander (just like the land units).

Lastly, I believe that brown water blockades are quite capable of achieving by using brigs on only the major ports (Richmond, Charleston and Mobile). I didn't include New Orleans because it is always rather easy to capture (in my experience). The only bad thing is planning ahead to have naval engineers around to fix the damage, which can be quite extensive. I had five ships sunk by a fort in one turn!!!