Today’s supposed to be a great day, or at least it was until I got up and learned that one of my convoy fleets had been ambushed by a submarine force—ten of them detected before the convoy fleet managed to run away. Ten! They took out three of my Color Class destroyers, sent them straight to the depths, along with five of my C-1 cargo ships. That’s what stings. Losing those destroyers is rough, but manageable. The cargo ships? That’s a different headache.

Of course, my airbases did what they’re supposed to, launching depth charge airstrikes right after, but it took hours before they even arrived. By then? Those submarines were long gone, slipping away like rats.

Now, I’m scrambling. Throwing more destroyers into convoy defense means pulling them away from the patrols I was hoping to keep steady. It’s not ideal. I’ve got air patrols running non-stop above, covering as much as they can, but everything feels stretched thin. One of those classic "just another day" situations that hits a little harder than you'd like, but you roll with it anyway.

I sit down at my desk, crack my knuckles, and grab a fresh piece of paper. The top reads "Anti-Submarine Warfare 101". It’s brainstorming time. I tell my brain to dig into its library, flipping through every scrap of WWII convoy tactics, anti-submarine warfare, and what I’ve currently got on the table. I might be early in the fight, but it never hurts to be thorough.

First thing’s first: the current convoy formation. I grab a pen and start sketching it out. Right now, I've got a destroyer leader posted up front, its sonar pinging steadily, scanning the depths ahead. Behind it, there’s a destroyer on each side of the convoy, forming a protective triangle with another one bringing up the rear. The ships are arranged like a shield around the convoy’s core—my cargo ships and oilers positioned safely in the middle.

The Color Class destroyers, for all their shortcomings, at least come equipped with standard sonar and a handful of thrower depth charges. Sure, they’re not brimming with equipment, but they’re enough. Or at least, they’re supposed to be. A close hit with one of those depth charges should be more than enough to ruin any submarine’s day. That’s the theory, anyway. But submarines are clever, and more often than not, a theory’s not enough.

I pause, tapping the pen against the paper, thinking. What’s the real issue here? The destroyers aren’t bad, but they’re spread too thin. And even though I’ve got sonar, maybe it’s just not cutting it. The subs might be too far away, or there are too many of them. Either way,

Something’s not working, clearly. I scratch my head, going over the options. First thought? Sonar upgrades. The sonars I have are pretty alright, decent for what they cost per unit. But it’s starting to feel like “decent” isn’t cutting it. Maybe the subs are hanging out further back, beyond range, or maybe there are just too many of them lurking around.

So, I think, What’s the obvious fix?* More destroyers. Simple, right? Throw more ships at the problem. But then, I hit the brakes. That could just give the submarines even more targets. Great, I’d be defending the convoy, but also handing them a buffet of destroyers to sink. So, I lean back in my chair, tapping the pen against the paper, thinking this over again.

I mean, it’s not like I can just keep adding ships without consequences. More destroyers mean more resources, more maintenance, and still no guarantee those subs won’t just slip through the cracks. The balance feels off—like I’m missing something crucial.

My AWACS patrols on the island run like clockwork, sweeping both the skies and the ocean surface every three hours. On paper, it sounds solid. But as I’m sitting there, visualizing the planes move across the map, I start to get this nagging feeling. Three hours feels like a lifetime when you’re hunting submarines, doesn’t it?, following the patterns of my aircraft as they make their rounds, gliding through the pre-set routes, crossing each section of ocean and airspace in neat, predictable lines.

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And then it hits me. Sure enough, there’s a gap—a hole in the coverage that I’ve been overlooking. The time it takes for my planes to complete their sweep and loop back around leaves big windows where I have no eyes in the sky. No radar, no nothing. Just a big, blind spot. Damn. Three hours might be too long to go without surveillance when I’m dealing with a sneaky force like submarines.

That’s when I leave my room and head straight for the fleet control room, half lost in my thoughts. On the way, I bump into a couple of the girls, giving them a quick chat, but I’m already mentally pacing through this problem, looking for the fix. By the time I arrive at the control room, I’m ready to dig in.

I bring up the coverage map on the big display, watching as my patrol planes fly their loops over the convoy routes. It’s all right there, clear as day—my planes can keep patrols running around the convoys, but they’re still taking too long to return to some areas. It’s like I’ve got a three-hour blind spot where the submarines can slip through. I could set up more constant patrols, sure, but the way things are, it feels like I’m just throwing band-aids at a bigger problem.

That’s when it hits me, like a spark lighting up my brain. Small seaplane tenders. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I clap my hands, feeling a rush of excitement. It’s the perfect solution. These tenders could carry a couple of seaplanes, constantly flying further out beyond the sonar range of my destroyers. It’s exactly what I need to keep the subs at bay, day or night. And if I equip those planes with radar and searchlights, they’ll keep the patrols going even in the dead of night, making it hell for any submarines trying to lurk around.

I’m already visualizing it. The tenders would, of course, need to refuel—seaplanes burn through fuel fast. But that’s easy. They’ll be right there with the oil tankers anyway, refueling alongside them. Once they’ve topped off, they’re right back in the air, keeping a constant watch. With this setup, I’ve essentially plugged the holes in my sky coverage. Constant patrols, no gaps, no blind spots. This is it. This is what’s going to give me the edge.

*

It didn’t take long—just a few hours of tinkering and development. I took the hull of my trusty C-3 cargo ships and converted them into seaplane tenders. Simple enough, really. I carved out space for depth charge racks, added an aircraft maintenance area, and just like that, I had a working seaplane tender ready to go.

For the planes, I went with a design based on the PBY Catalina. That old workhorse was perfect for this role—big, sturdy, and reliable. I added surface radar to the planes, making them ideal for hunting down submarines lurking on or just below the surface. These birds would carry ten barrels of depth charges each, more than enough to wreck any sub they came across. With four planes per tender, I could keep a constant watch over a wide area, ready to strike whenever a sub showed its face. And at a cost of about one million credits per vessel—including the tenders, planes, and other components—it’s practically a steal compared to the price of destroyers.

That doesn’t mean I’m ditching destroyers entirely, though. There’s still a place for them. I figure I’ll keep at least one lead destroyer in the convoy for direct firepower, but the real ones are going to be the two seaplane tenders. These tenders, constantly patrolling around the convoy routes, will provide that much-needed extended coverage. With their planes flying further out, beyond the sonar range of the destroyers, they’ll spot any lurking submarines well before they get close enough to do damage.

*

With my submarine tender, the AV Warden, pushing out of drydocks for a week, I feel a wave of relief. It's the first of its class, and its trusty OA-1 Catalina aircraft has already made its debut with one of my convoy fleets. These birds are just starting to roll off production lines, and I’ve got five of these vessels earmarked for my "Expeditionary Fleet." Submarine hunting has become their specialty, since my AWACS planes are often too far from the carriers to cover those blind spots.

The submarine threat? Practically squashed this week. I’m definitely giving myself a mental pat on the back. I didn’t pull a King Ernest and leave things in chaos, unlike the early days of the US Merchant Navy. Since, I turned off unnecessary port lights when I wasn’t there and ramped up air patrols. My improved convoy tactics paid off—42 enemy subs sunk by my OA-1 Catalinas, while only losing 3 cargo ships and 1 destroyer to a few sneaky torpedoes that slipped through the net.

Honestly, those trade-offs feel like a win. My industries are churning out ships faster than I can name them: 10 new C-3/03s, 5 C-2/O-2s, 2 C-1/O-1s, and 3 fresh Color Class destroyers. It’s like giving the enemy submarine fleet a hard slap, and I can’t help but congratulate myself on this record-breaking turnaround.

With the enemy submarine fleet issue mostly sorted, I grab a glass of orange juice, cheered one for victory.