6.4.2.3 Coastal Defence
Many nations in the 19th century had a very effective coastal defence against enemy invasion. In Austerlitz coastal defence works the following way:
Coastal areas that can be defended are indicated by a '+' or a '*' on the regional map. Each area of '+'s or '*'s is a separate coastal defence area. To order a fleet to defend your coast it must be in a shipyard that is adjacent to a coastal defence sea-co-ordinate. The coastal defence command is written in section -15- of the turn sheet.
Command: (registration number of fleet)If a fleet has a coastal defence order it will defend all coastal areas that are marked by a '+' or a '*' and that are within its reach of movement points.
Preconditions:
-a fleet with enemy brigades on board must end its movement on one of your coastal sea co-ordinates for your coastal defence to be sent into action
-that co-ordinate must be indicated by a '+' or a '*' on the regional map
-that co-ordinate and your defence fleet must be connected through an uninterrupted line of '+' of '*' sea co-ordinates
-the fleet with an coastal defence order must be in a shipyard
Explanation:
If a fleet with enemy brigades loaded on board ends its movement on a defensible coastal co-ordinate then as many of your defending fleets will rush to the enemy as are necessary to have an advantage of at least 50% more tonnage than the enemy fleet (merchant ship's tonnage will not be counted). If the coastal defence fleet is smaller it will still attack the aggressor. Fleets with the lowest fleet-number will leave first.
By dividing your ships into different fleets you can defend your coast against several enemies.
Coastal defence can be disrupted by other enemy fleets. A decoy fleet can be set between your defending fleet and the invading fleet with brigades loaded on board. The decoy fleet will only stop the defenders if it has at least 75% of their tonnage. If it is smaller than 75% the defender will ignore it. Also, if the defender can reach the invading fleet via another route it will ignore the decoy and attack the invading force.
Coastal defence areas cannot be connected by building shipyards, but if you station fleets in shipyards where two areas cross then that fleet can defend both.
Example:
A fleet on Coastal Defence based in a port will only patrol the continuous path of co-ordinates that start outside the port and are symbolised by either ‘*’ or ‘+’ - the fleet will patrol a continuous path of ‘*’s or ‘+’s. For example, a fleet based in Karlskrona (43/10) would patrol the co-ordinates 43/11, 44/11, 45/10, 46/9, 46/8, 45/7, 45/6, 46/5, 47/4 and 48/3.
Notes:
All ships in fleets with coastal defence orders have a high attrition because of their constant patrols.
There is a 60% chance that they will lose 15% of their condition each turn.
Fleets with a coastal defence order cannot be moved.
Fleets on coastal defence are listed last in the Warships section on the turn report.
A fleet with a coastal defence order will attack a friendly fleet, belonging to a third party empire, that is loaded with enemy brigades.
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