The United States Asiatic Fleet

The United States Asiatic Fleet consisted of a small cruiser-destroyer force, a large submarine force, some China River Gunboats, and assorted auxiliaries. The original Scenario 15 did a very good job with the larger ships and we have only done a little expanding with the smaller ships. We have also reworked the merchant ships in Philippine waters. The primary source for this was "US Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II", which details a number of merchant ships taken into army service for supply operations.

Historically the U.S. Asiatic Fleet consisted of:

• Two cruisers - the heavy cruiser Houston and light cruiser Marblehead. However a third cruiser, the Boise, had been "temporarily retained" in Philippine waters after she arrived as a convoy escort.
• Destroyer Squadron 29, comprised of 13 old "Flush Deck" destroyers of World War I vintage.
• Twenty-nine submarines, including some of the newest boats and also a Division of 6 old "S" boats.
• A minesweeping Squadron with 6 old "bird" class minesweepers.
• 8 Assorted Gunboats including 5 River Gunboats.
• Half of Motor Torpedo Squadron Three (6 boats - the remaining 6 were at Pearl in the process of being loaded on cargo ships for transport to Manila).
• A Naval Patrol Wing with several tenders.
• An assortment of Destroyer and Submarine Tenders, Oilers, and service ships.

The main surface force of the Asiatic Fleet was in the process of being transferred south, with the intent of reinforcing the British at Singapore. The arrival of Prince of Wales and Repulse gave the British a strong naval presence but they were very short on destroyers. Even the Asiatic Fleet';s old flush-deckers would be welcome.

Two separate groups were already heading toward Soerabaja: Light cruiser Marblehead and five destroyers, currently at Tarakan; and tender Black Hawk with four destroyers at Balikpapan. The remaining two cruisers were already in the southern Philippines, leaving only Destroyer Division 59 at Manila (with two of it';s four ships under refit).

A few Submarines were also out on patrol but most were concentrated at Manila, with their tenders. Three boats were under refit. There were two submarine tenders plus a third under conversion.

All of these ships are in their historical positions and those under refit/conversion have been given initial system damage.

The Patrol wing (PatWing 10) was dispersed between Sangley Point (Manila) and Subic Bay (Bataan), with a few OS2U attached to Tender Heron at Palawan and four PBY with tender William B Preston at Davao. The two remaining tenders, including the old Langley, were at Manila. This is represented by placing one of the patrol squadrons at Bataan and the other at Manila. We have also added the Utility Squadron of the Patrol Wing (with 4 OS2U) and placed it with Heron at Puerto Princessa. William B Preston is at Davao but without the four PBY';s that were historically there.

The gunboat force of the Asiatic Fleet has been expanded to full size and the ships placed in their historical positions:

• Asheville, Tulsa, Luzon, and Oahu were at Manila - the last two recently arrived from China.
• Mindanao was enroute Manila from Hong Kong - about half way there.
• Isabel was returning to Manila after a "Patrol" off French Indochina.
• Wake - too small to make the open ocean trip to the Philippines - was sitting in reduced commission in Shanghai harbor. Her normal crew had been removed and sent to the Philippines on one of the other gunboats. She was manned by a group of about ten naval reservists from Shanghai as a radio transmission ship for the U.S. Embassy there. Her Captain, also a reservist, was not on board. Wake is placed at Shanghai and given 50% system damage to reflect her condition. Historically a boat load of Japanese soldiers surprised her deck watch on the first day of the war - the only U.S. ship captured during the war. In the scenario she is appropriately easy picking for Japanese forces at Shanghai.
• Tutuila, sister ship to Wake, was upriver and was turned over to Chinese forces. The closest we can come is Hong Kong and she is placed there.

The remaining vessels were concentrated at Manila - 6 minesweepers, 6 PT boats (plus 5 more of the Philippine Offshore Patrol), two oilers, the floating drydock Dewey (as an AR), and the ocean-going tug Napa (as a PC). There was also the Auxiliary Gold Star - actually the flagship of the Guam Squadron but fortunately at Mindanao when war broke out.

There were also two large ocean liners that had been contracted by the Navy to remove the 4th Marines from China - President Madison and President Harrison. These had evacuated the majority of the 4th Marines by the time war began and President Harrison was enroute Tientsen to get the remainder. President Madison was in port at Manila. Both ships are placed historically in the scenario.

Merchant ships in the Philippines have been reworked to include a large number of smaller ships that were used for inter-island work. Many of these were commandeered by the U.S. Army and it is these ships that formed the basis for the new Philippine Classes:

• Philippine Steamship - a small (1200 capacity) class of AK that is based on the historical ship Don Esteban.
• Philippine Ferry - a small (650 capacity) class of transport that is based on the Legazpi.
• Philippine Cargo - a larger, modern AK based on the Don Isidro (2400 capacity).

There were also a number of smaller, coastal vessels that were taken over by the army. These are represented by about half-a-dozen vessels of a standard "coastal" class, spread throught the Philippines. The remainder of the ships in Philippine waters have been reviewed and many reclassed into our expanded set of merchant ship classes. And, as always, any ship for which no specific additional information could be found was left in it';s original class and location.

All in all this gives the allied player a group of small, short ranged ships for use within the Philippines - you';ll find them handy for running the blockade to Manila. Also an assortment of medium ships that can be used locally or withdrawn (if the Japanese let you get away with it)!