We learned even more today. Here are my observations, most of this knowledge has already been shared with Commander Verok, CO of the Dauntless. This is for any other interested parties.
1. CAG is key.
Without a CAG to give good orders to the pilots we are just growing hair down in the flight bay waiting to launch. And even once launched, we need to know which targets have priority and the proper barring to face.
2. Don’t be afraid to talk to CAG.
I had my first shift as Flight Commander today. Or it might be Wing Commander, not sure.
A few times my pilots and I launched into a bad situation because I didn’t insure that CAG kept us abreast of what we were jumping into. Like any relationship, communication is critical. That said, CAG Lt. Kennon Far has been made an unofficial member of our Flight(Wing?) and given the callsign “Cannon Fodder”. May he wear it with pride.
3. Clear communication with pilots
As a first time Commander of men, I found that keeping the communication between pilots and the Carrier as clear as possible was paramount. At first we tried having the CAG talk to the whole group but this proved to be unnecessary. Once Cannon Fodder took over as CAG, the Flight Commander became the sole contact for the ship and disseminated orders and intentions to the squad.
Doing things this way worked well for us. I was able to tell my squad mates what they needed to know and we kicked ass to the satisfaction of the CAG and the Commanding Officer.
4. Battle group Composition
Before our continued testing of the operational effectiveness of the Dauntless earlier today, I would have thought that the Eagle would be the best compliment to the strengths of a Carrier. The reality bore little resemblance to what we saw on paper.
The Missile Boat’s ability to severally weaken an enemy fleet left the fighter pilots with only clean up work, and not very much of it. One more, as the Eagle and Dauntless share some key weaknesses, they would fall apart at the same circumstances.
The Raven proved itself more capable of matching the Dauntless.
5. Crew experience and vessel rotation
Commander Verok pointed out that the Dauntless is unlike any other ship of the 2nd Fleet, 4th LD, and he’s right. While most other ships can have Officers come aboard and use a station they’re experienced with adequately, a Carrier requires a crew that is practiced and use to each other and their stations. Operational effectiveness depends on it.
As such, the Dauntless may not be good to set sail if the core crew is missing an Officer, and it may be better to split the 8 Officer’s required to crew the Dauntless to two other vessels then to have a sub-par showing by the Division’s lone Carrier.
