Nordic but Nice - The Herring War Resumes!

The Danish fleet.  Painted black so they're clearly the baddies...

This game was played by FLW author PW (aka The Great Dane) and your humble correspondent in P's garden at RMA Sandhurst.  We assembled at 1700 hours and after a brief pause for tea and cake set up an played the game.  Hostilities were brought to a close as much as anything else by failing light.  P has already posted a report on the FLW Yahoo Group and I reproduce it in full below:

From the Samso Gazette – Late Edition - best for Tinned Fish since 1870

HERRING WAR RESUMES!

The perfidious Norwegian (Blue/Red/Blue) blockade of Skagen continues – and all Danish (Red/White/Red) naval forces are tasked with breaking the blockade, and returning the Bishop of Odenso to Samso in time for the feast of St Just the Bigot....

Objective – RWR – run the Bishop through the blockade – and attempt to sink the battleshipForces – Torpedo Ram – Tordenskjold + 2 x TB3 X Heavy Naval guns in the shore defence

Objective – BRB – to stop and ships escaping and destroy the shore defences – in order to land the Naval Division on the shore.Forces – BB – Norge + monitor Odin and minelayer Valkyrie + tethered balloon

Rules – a form of Boilers and Breechloaders, and FLW + LC.

Summary
The game opened with mine laying from BRB and an artillery exchange with the shore batteries – with some truly comical estimation of range. One excellent shot resulting in a shore battery being disabled.With dusk approaching the RWR fleet emerged – the TB's leading the way and immediately firing torpedoes. The Danish `Terror' weapon – the Torpedo Ram Tordensjkold engaging the monitor Odin – and receiving damage immediately. The Bishop looked likely to escape as the Norwegians concentrated their fire on the Tordensjkold...but darkness drew the game to a close...
A good little game, using a FLW type of 'Boilers and Breechloaders'; – with some fine shooting from TG.

Honours going to the B/R/B, with an amphibious assault set for the next day.

A neat little lighthouse - late in the game we lit it!

The heroic Norwegian fleet!

The Norwegian tethered balloon.  The spotter was shaken about by the stiff breeze.

The monitor Odin.

Norge and Valkyrie

Valkyrie braves the (reassuringly inaccurate) coastal guns to lay mines.

Norge opens up!

A hit!  This battery was put out of action by shells from Odin.

PWs plan was similar to what I'd have done in his shoes (or sea boots?).  His big ship and one of the TBs would make a lot of noise emerging from one channel while the other TB (with the Bishop aboard) made a run for it from the other channel.  He wasn't going to make it past Norge's guns!

See what I mean about the failing light?  After quickly packing up it was off for curry and a chat.