Carriers for night battle

[gayrat84]

Am wondering whether is it possible for carriers to be played during night battles options. At the moment, I could not find (or looking at the wrong direction) that indicates carriers were involved in night battles during WW2, more specifically carrier based planes involvement.

At the movement, we are planning for our next NT league and I m planning to field an escort carrier (for the fun of it). However, we have night battle option for the league scenarios. If I could not use the carrier's plane during night battles, might as well change my setup LOL.

[regiamarina]

Carriers were involved in night operations. There were several specialist Night Air Groups including NAG-90 which flew off the Enterprise. Enterprise, Independence and Bataan were supposed to be a specialist night carrier groups but never really served together. These flight operations were fighter CAP so not bombing or torpedo launches. The following passage regarding the Battle of the Phillipine Sea probably recounts best why night bomber operations were not widely used:

"Flying home in the darkness, the attackers began to run low on fuel and many were forced to ditch. To ease their return, Mitscher daringly ordered all of the lights in the fleet turned on despite the risk of alerting enemy submarines to their position. Landing over a two-hour span, the aircraft set down wherever was easiest with many landing on the wrong ship. Despite these efforts, around 80 aircraft were lost through ditching or crashes. His air arm effectively destroyed, Ozawa was ordered to withdraw that night by Toyoda."

Hope this helps answer your query.

Martin

[gayrat84]

Hi Martin, I just found out about the USS Enterprise night bombing and a friend sent me a link on a documentary on it.

Might as well scrap the idea of fielding an aircraft carrier with night battle option lol

[campyf]

About the only night carrier attack was Taranto. Interesting that no one ever attempted that again. In 1943, with losses to AA becoming unsustainable, the Japanese started using land based torpedo bombers to attack US warships. First time out, they took out the USS Chicago. Hence, the need of carrier night fighters.

I believer the USS Saratoga was also used for night fighters. With plenty of Essex class CV's, and their larger air groups, the older ships found use as specialty units.

[fannyhil]

I recall reading that the Shokaku and Zuikaku (sp) both had crews trained for night air operations but they lost many of them at the battle for the Coral Sea.

As far as a carrier involved in night combat gun fire, i can't recall a a single fight.

[shigure]

The RN Eastern Fleet (w/ carriers Indomitable, Hermes, and Formidable)planned to attack the Admiral Nagumo's First Carrier Striking Force made up of the carriers Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku at night during the IJN's Indian Ocean raid in early 1942. Admiral Sommerville only had 39 fighters and 57 strike aircraft available aboard his 3 carriers. The IJN force had over 300 more modern aircraft aboard. The RN admiral knew his aircraft would have little chance in a daylight battle, but by using his long range Catalinas he hoped to find the IJN force and then attack at night. Amazingly one of Indomitable's Albacores found one of the IJN's carrier division just before nightfall. Unfortunately, follow-up searches were unable to find the IJN force so no attack was launched. Then due to guesses about where the IJN was headed and IJN replishment operations, neither force got close enough for an engagement, except of poor Hermes getting caught by the IJN. Vals (D3As) scored over 40 hits in 10 minutes on the undefended carrier.

The HMS Formidable was involved in the Battle of Cape Matapan. Although the carrier did not provide any gunfire support, she trailed the 3 RN BB's that destroyed the Italian Heavy cruisers. Formidable was close enough that she was almost taken for an Italian ship and fired upon by the RN BBs.