Camapaing Mission: Iron Spindle
Objectives
| Required Objectives |
|---|
| Destroy Factory Components |
| Secondary/Implied Objectives |
|---|
| Defeat All Enemy Forces |
| Loot the Station |
Ships
| Allied Ships | Enemy Ships Present | Enemy Reinforcements |
|---|---|---|
| None | OSPN More Bite Than Bark (MMT) - E/M/H OSPN Push Not Shove (MMT) - E/M/H OSPN According To Plan (Rocket shuttle) - E/M/H OSPN General Strike (MDMN) - E/M/H OSPN Friend Or Foe (Jam shuttle) - M/H OSPN Stones And Glass (Rocket shuttle) - M/H OSPN Always Alert (MMT) - M/H |
OSPN Eminent Domain (MMT) (Reinforcements) - E/M/H OSPN Separation Anxiety (MMT) (Reinforcements) - M/H OSPN Stolen Prize (MMT) (Reinforcements) - H OSPN Slap Dash (MMT) (Reinforcements) - H |
Area Outline
Task Force Alder arrives at Iron Spindle to find a massive factory station. The installation is huge and has lots of cover, meaning it’s hiding a lot of enemy forces. It is also an important target for the fleet to destroy.
There is no rush, however, to actually destroy the factory. This can be done at the end of the mission with bombs launched from either your Claymore bombers or Tanto fighters. What is more important is to defeat the four distinct enemy battle groups that defend the station:
Three combat Draugr tugboats around the middle of the station on one side A rocket shuttle group around the middle of the station, on the other side from the tugboats A pair of tugboats that arrive close to the fleet’s arrival point from Lamplight station to ambush you. You will get a two-minute warning that shows up on your Tactical Map view A single Flathead-class Monitor equipped with a Mass Driver, an extremely long-range weapon that applies flat damage to your warships regardless of armor angling. This monitor is located toward the rear of the station, toward the top of the map by the highest fin.
Speaking of which, this mission is your introduction to the Flathead class Monitor. Slow and fat, the Flathead is the Protectorate’s only heavily armored ship, with 48cm of plate armor. It also has a large spinal mount that will, throughout the campaign, sport a variety of weapons.
Assuming you have all your fleet assets from Crucible and Lamplight, this writer found the easiest way to deal with Iron Spindle’s defense fleet is to take the following steps:
- Stay behind the station fin Alder initially deploys itself. It serves as very useful cover
- Launch bombers, SEWACS, and fighter escorts
- Send the group of craft to locate the Mass Driver monitor and bomb it with torpedoes. A group of four claymores and their 8 Forgetfulness torps will be sufficient. You may wish to back this up with a claymore-carrying bomber, but this is optional
- As you await the pair of enemy tugboat reinforcements to arrive, and for your strike to kill the Mass Driver monitor use the SEWACS to help you vector in strikes of cheap Thunderhead missiles aimed at the middle tugboat group’s sides. They have chaff, but the volume of Harsh Wind Blows strikes will allow you to get them through
- Deal with the reinforcing tugboat pair and any attempts by the Rocket Shuttles to attack your fleet with missiles and guns. Because you are behind cover, and because the trio of central tugboats will generally not advance unless you move out to engage, you can dictate the engagement distance using the station’s geometry
- Advance, kill the central tugboat group and finish the damaged monitor if it needs finishing
- Bomb the factory assets with your fighter-launched glide bombs. You could use your Claymore’s KBU-22 bombs, but those are actually useful for disabling enemy heavy ships later in the campaign whilst your fighter bombs are too light to do that
After you finish the battle, salvage the ships. As mentioned previously, the Draugr tugboats in particular have pretty good Active Radar/ [Command Validated] missiles. Then dock with the station. Repair up, fuel up, load as much munitions as you can, and head to Anacrusis.
