IRCWCC  RULES

 

PART  III - BATTLE

 

 

 

A.        SUMMARY

 

            1.         Ships shall be divided by mutual agreement into two fleets, and launched at a mutually agreed time.

 

            2.         When all participants have announced that they are ready to battle, the Contest Director (or someone appointed by the Contest Director) shall announce, "LET THE BATTLE BEGIN."

 

            3.         A battle shall consist of one or more sorties.  The number of sorties shall be agreed upon by both sides prior to the start of the battle.

 

            4.         A sortie is officially counted as started when a ship is on the water at the time battle is declared between two sides.

 

            5.         A sortie shall be declared over when all ships have been removed from the water due to being sunk or in accordance with the Five Minute Rule (or Two Minute Rule).

 

            6.         If additional sorties are scheduled in the battle, cannon magazines may be reloaded with BB’s and gas systems may be reloaded with CO2.  Hull damage shall not be repaired until all sorties have been completed.  At the appointed time all ships shall be re-launched for the next sortie. Batteries will be changed in accordance with section C. a. and b., below.

 

            7.         At the end of the last sortie the battle is declared over, total combat damage is assessed and tabulated, and a winning fleet is declared. Combat damage may then be repaired and batteries may be replaced in preparation for another battle.

 

 

B.        PREPARING FOR BATTLE

 

            1.         Each ship entering a sanctioned event shall have all old damage repaired and painted prior to entering its first battle of that event.

            2.         A ship mistakenly launched with the barrel safety pins still inserted in the barrels or the guns’ gas or electricity turned off may, during the first two minutes of the sortie, be brought to shore and have the pins removed or guns turned on.  The ship shall not be fired upon while returning to shore, and after the mistake has been corrected, shall not be fired upon until the captain declares that the ship is reentering the sortie.

 

 

 

C.        BATTLE

 

            1.         The 5 Minute Rule

 

                        a.         A Captain may withdraw a ship from a sortie by announcing to all participants that “The [name of ship] is on five!”  For ships in Class 1, the announcement shall be “The [name of ship] is on two!”

 

                        b.         After invoking the Five Minute Rule (or Two Minute Rule) the captain shall start a timer, and the ship must remain in the battle for five minutes (two minutes for Class 1) before being touched by its captain or removed from the water.  During that five minute (or two minute) period, the ship trying to withdraw shall not fire on opposing ships, but it may be fired upon by any other ship which is not also “on five” or “on two.”

 

                        c.         A captain may not announce that a ship is "on five” or “on two” while anyone is in the water.

 

                        d.         At the expiration of the required five minute or two minute period  

the withdrawing ship must be brought to shore immediately and may not be fired upon.  After the ship has been touched by its captain or removed from the water it may not reenter the ongoing sortie.  The ship may enter subsequent new sorties if any are scheduled in the same battle.

 

            2.         The Fleet 5 Minute Rule

 

                        a.         The Fleet Five Minute Rule varies from the normal Five Minute Rule in that all ships in a fleet shall announce "on five" simultaneously and no individual Five Minute Rule announcements shall be allowed.  The rule shall only be established if a majority of the participants in a battle agree, or if directed in the discretion of the Contest Director.

 

                        b.         Only a fleet admiral (or other designated fleet commander) can announce a Fleet Five Minute Rule for a fleet.

 

            3.         Out of control

 

                        a.         If a ship is out of control, a captain may announce "[Name of ship] Out of Control - Five Minutes" for ships in Classes 2 through 7, or "[Name of ship] Out of Control - Two Minutes" for ships in Class.

 

                        b.         A ship may be declared out of control only when:

 

                                    (1)        The ship loses controlled propulsion in either direction.

 

                                    (2)        The ship loses controlled steering.

 

                                    (3)        The ship is accidentally beached.

 

                        c.         A ship which has announced "out of control” may fire on opposing ships and may be fired on by any other ship not already “on five" (or “on two”).

 

                        d.         If control of a ship which has announced “out of control” is regained within the required five minute or two minute period the captain may, after announcing that control has been regained, return the ship to full battling status. Time accumulated while in "out of control” status is cancelled when the ship reenters the battle in full status.

 

            4.         Moss checks

 

                        a.         In every event a 30 second “moss rule” shall apply.

 

                        b.         A captain may announce “30 second moss check” in order to check for suspected fouling of a ship’s propeller(s).  After making the announcement the captain must start a timer and the ship must remain in the battle for 30 seconds before being touched by the captain.

 

                        c.         During the 30 second period the ship may fire upon opposing ships and may be fired upon.   After the required 30 seconds have elapsed the ship must be brought to shore as quickly as possible and the ship may not fire or be fired upon.

 

                        d.         The captain must immediately clear the fouling material from the ship’s propellers and return the ship to the sortie.  No other action other than the clearing of propellers may be taken with the ship.

 

            5.         Between sorties

 

                        a.         Water may be removed from a ship's hull between sorties, but battle damage shall not be repaired.

 

                        b.         No weights may be shifted inside a hull between sorties if the effect is to change the actual waterline.

 

                        c.         If a ship is not ready to battle at the time a sortie is scheduled to start, it may not participate in the remainder of that battle.  If both fleet admirals agree, the ship may enter the battle at the beginning of a later sortie.

            6.         Batteries

 

                        a.         Ships in Classes 4 through 7 shall complete a battle (two or more sorties) running on the same set of batteries with which they started.  This rule does not apply to radio receiver batteries provided that they are not also used for propulsion or pump power.  The captain of a ship in Classes 4 through 7 who changes batteries (other than receiver batteries) improperly shall be penalized as provided in section F, below.

 

                        b.         Ships in Classes 1 through 3 may change any or all batteries between sorties.

 

            7.         Sinks

 

                        a.         A ship shall be declared sunk when any portion of the main deck on both sides of the hull is awash, or when any part of the hull is resting on the pond bottom. This rule applies to a sinking from any cause.

 

                        b.         A ship that is declared sunk shall not fire on other ships.

 

                        c.         The Contest Director of someone appointed by the Contest Director shall rule on any questions concerning a sink, including whether a ship has been beached.

 

                        d.         Submarines are not considered sunk when their decks are awash or when the boat is resting on the bottom.  A submarine shall be declared sunk by its failure to surface at the end of a battle and return to port.

 

 

 

D.        SCORING

            1.         Battle damage points are scored by shooting holes in the penetrable hull areas of an opponent's ship.
 

                        a.         A BB entry or exit hole in the hull above the marked waterline shall count 10 points.
 

                        b.         A BB entry or exit hole on or touching the marked waterline shall count 25 points.
 

                        c.         A BB entry or exit hole below the marked waterline shall count 50 points.  If a BB makes a hole partially in the marked waterline and partially in the area below the waterline, it shall count as a below-the-waterline hit.

 

                        d.         If a BB makes both an entry hole and an exit hole, the highest scoring hole is counted and the second hole is not counted.
 

                        e.         A hole shall be counted for scoring purposes if a BB strike causes a visible break through the hull skin.  In the case of large holes, if there is evidence that more than one BB caused the damage (e.g., rounded dimples around the edge of the damage), then each BB strike that can be identified shall be assessed as a BB hole.

 

                        f.          Points shall not be awarded for superstructure damage.  Dents in areas which are properly constructed to be impenetrable shall not be counted as holes.
 

            2.         The assessment of battle damage and penalty points shall be done at the end of each battle and recorded on a combat damage report. 

 

                        a.         When battle damage is assessed an opposing captain must be present to verify battle damage/penalties.  This opposing captain shall initial the combat damage report signifying acceptance of the figures recorded for that sortie. 

 

                        b.         A combat damage report shall be filled out for each ship which participated in the battle.  At the end of a battle, the completed reports shall be turned in to the Contest Director.

           

            3.         Points for the sinking of a ship shall be awarded as follows:

 

Ship Class

Sink Points

7

1100

6

1000

5

900

4

800

3

700

2

600

1

400

 

 

           

            Authorized exceptions:  ships of the Iowa class and Yamato class are worth 1200 battle sink points.     

 

 

 

E.         RAM DAMAGE AND PENALTIES

 

            1.         Any contact between ships may result in a ram penalty being assigned to the captain of the ship causing the contact.

            2.         Contact between ships which causes damage affecting one ship's combat serviceability, its watertight integrity, and/or the breakage of superstructure parts, is defined as ram damage.

 

            3.         The Contest Director shall assess ram damage penalty points against a ship which causes ram damage in accordance with the following:

 

                        a.         50 points for superstructure damage

 

                        b.         100 points for hull damage above the waterline

 

                        c.         200 points for hull damage below the waterline

                        d.         Ram damage which causes a ship to sink shall result in penalty points being assessed equal to the sink points of the sunken vessel.

 

                        e.         Non-damaging rams shall have no penalties

 

            4.         The captain of a ship which has been rammed must immediately make every effort to bring the ship to shore for determination of ram damage.

 

                        a.         The rammed ship cannot be fired on while returning to shore for inspection or thereafter until the captain declares that the ship is reentering the battle. 

 

                        b.         If no damage to the ship's watertight integrity or its combat serviceability is found by the captain, the ship shall immediately return to battle. 

 

                        c.         If damage to the hull is found and it can be repaired within five minutes the captain may reenter the sortie in progress after making the necessary repairs.  If repairs to the hull cannot be carried out within five minutes, the rammed ship shall remain out of the sortie but may reenter the battle in a later sortie.  If repairs cannot be made in time to reenter either the sortie in progress or any remaining sorties, no penalty shall be assessed against the captain of the rammed ship. 

 

            5.         If  the captain of a ship which has been rammed refuses to immediately bring the ship in for inspection, and the ship later sinks as a result of the ram, the sinking shall not count as a ram sink, but shall count as a combat sink and the opposing fleet or captain shall be awarded full battle sink points.  If the rammed ship is inspected and is repaired or not repaired, and the ship later sinks as a result of the ram, the sinking shall not count as a ram sink, but shall count as a combat sink and the opposing fleet or captain shall be awarded full battle sink points.

 

            6.         If a rammed ship goes out of control immediately following a ram, the captain must immediately recover the ship for inspection.  The procedure in section E.4, above, shall then apply.

            7.         A ship that has sunk due to ram damage shall be recovered immediately.

 

                        a.         If damage to the hull can be repaired within five minutes the captain may reenter the sortie in progress after making the necessary repairs.  If repairs to the hull cannot be carried out within five minutes the rammed ship shall remain out of the sortie but may reenter the battle in a later sortie.  If repairs cannot be made in time to reenter either the sortie in progress or any remaining sorties, no penalty shall be assessed against the captain of the rammed ship.

 

                        b.         Penalty points shall be assessed against the captain responsible for the ram regardless of whether the ram sunk ship is repaired and returned to battle.

 

            8.         When a damaging ram occurs, all ships involved shall stop their timers while the ram is repaired.

 

            9.         The ship which caused the ram damage shall be removed from the water while the rammed ship is being repaired.  The ramming ship may reenter the sortie only if repairs to the rammed ship can be made within five minutes and the rammed ship returns to the sortie in progress.  If the rammed ship cannot reenter the sortie in progress because of the ram damage, the ramming ship shall also remain out of that sortie.  The fact that the rammed ship may not be able to enter any remaining sorties in the battle shall not prevent the ramming ship from re-entering any remaining sorties in the battle.

 

 

 

F.         OTHER PENALTY POINTS

 

            1.         Penalty points shall be assigned for the following:

                        a.         A ship that has received no BB hits in penetrable areas of the hull during a battle but which sinks shall be declared an “unseaworthy” sink shall be penalized one-half (1/2) of the ship's battle sink points by class.

                        b.         Changing batteries (other than receiver batteries) at an unauthorized time shall be penalized one-half (1/2) of the ship's battle sink points by class.

 

                        c.         A ship which is intentionally beached to avoid sinking due to combat damage shall be penalized two times the ship's battle sink points by class.

 

                        d.         A ship's captain may declare the ship scuttled and immediately withdraw at any time during a battle. The opposing fleet or captain shall be awarded points equal to one and one-half times the sink points of the scuttled ship.

                        e.         A ship's captain may withdraw the ship from a battle between sorties for any reason other than ram damage.  The opposing fleet or captain shall be awarded points equal to the sink points of the withdrawn ship.

 

                        f.          Speed violations during an event shall be penalized as follows:

 

First Offense

250 points

Second Offense

500 points

Subsequent Offense(s)

1000 points each

 

            2.         At any sanctioned event, the contest director, with the concurrence of the two fleet admirals, may assess penalty points for actions which violate the spirit and intent of IRCWCC rules even though the actions are not specifically addressed by the rules or Bylaws.

 

            3.         The Contest Director may test randomly for magazine loads at any time.  If more than 55 BB’s are present in a one (1) unit magazine (28 for a one-half (1/2) unit magazine and 82 for a one and a half (1 ½) unit magazine), a 1000 point penalty shall be assessed and the captain shall sit out the rest of the battle.

 

 

 

G.        BATTLE POINTS, WEIGHTS and COMPUTATIONS

 

            1.         At the end of a fleet battle, points shall be weighted by ship class in accordance with the following:

 

Ship Class

Weight Factor

7

10*

6

10

5

9

4

8

3

7

2

6

1

4

 

 

 

 

 

            * If three or more Class 7 ships are present at an event, their weight factor         shall be 11 (for Class 7 ships) and 12 (for Yamato and Iowa class ships)

 

            2.         To determine the points awarded to a particular ship, the following computation shall be performed:

                        a.         The total battle damage points for each fleet shall be computed by adding all battle damage points for each ship in that fleet.

                        b.         A total fleet weight factor for each fleet is computed by adding together the full weight factor of each ship that participated in all sorties in a battle plus one-half the weight factor for each ship that participated in less than all sorties in the battle.

                        c.         Each ship is awarded a portion of the total battle damage points equal to its weight factor (full or half) divided by the total fleet weight factor.

 

            3.         Any individual penalty points assessed against a captain or ship shall be deducted from the ship's battle points to produce the final score for the captain of that ship.

            4.         The final scores of all captains participating in a battle shall be added together to obtain the final fleet score.  The opposing fleets’ final scores shall then be compared. The fleet with the highest final fleet score shall be the winner of the battle.

            5.         Ship-to-ship battles shall be scored as if they were fleet battles with only one ship in each fleet.

 

 

 

H.        SPEED TESTING

 

.           1.         Speed testing at events other than the Annual Championship shall be by challenge only, and may be conducted immediately before a sortie begins or immediately after a sortie has been fought.

 

                        a.         The ship being challenged may not be opened or modified in any manner before the test is performed.  The test shall be conducted using the batteries installed in the ship at the time the ship is challenged.  Pumps may be turned on only if the ship is in danger of sinking during the speed test (or if the pump is always on or automatic).  The challenger’s ship shall be tested at the same time in the same manner.

 

                        b.         Testing shall be over a measured course from a running start.  The challenged ship shall be piloted by the challenger and the challenger's ship shall be piloted by the captain he challenged.  The timing shall be done by the Contest Director or by someone appointed by him. The actual length of the course for measuring speed can be any distance with the above-listed speeds being a rate rather than an absolute.

 

            2.         Speed testing at the Annual Championship shall be conducted under the direction of the Contest Director before the start of the first sortie of the first day.  Speed testing for convoy ships shall be conducted the same day as the first campaign battle.

 

I.          RADIO FREQUENCIES

 

            1.         Only members in good standing who have battled in a sanctioned event in the 24 months prior to the date of their request shall be assigned a frequency.  Members in good standing who have not battled in a sanctioned event in the past 24 months may be assigned a frequency on a tentative basis prior to their first battle.

 

            2.         The Vice President has sole discretion to allocate frequencies to members, subject to the following preferences to the maximum extent possible:

 

                        a.         Any member already on the Frequency List who was a member in good standing and battled in a sanctioned event during a calendar year shall be permitted to keep the same frequency during the next calendar year.

                        b.         Any member already on the Frequency List who battled in any sanctioned event during the last year shall be permitted to keep the same frequency during the next year. 

                        c.         All other frequencies shall be assigned at the sole discretion of the Vice President on a "first-come-first-served" basis but with consideration for the geographic location of the member and the number and location of events the member usually attends. 

 

            3.         Members are advised to correspond with the Vice President before purchasing new radios to determine frequency availability.

 

            4.         Members may be assigned only one "primary" frequency.  Secondary frequencies may be shown on the Frequency List to help resolve conflicts, but they are provided for reference purposes only.

            5.         The Vice President shall have the authority to require members to change frequencies in order to eliminate conflicts during a sanctioned event.  The factors listed in section 2, above, shall be given maximum possible consideration with the goal of minimizing the total number of frequency changes necessary.

            6.         Prior to the Annual Championships the Vice President shall coordinate with the Site Host to determine if there are any potential conflicts involving members who have registered for the event.  If a conflict is found, the members involved shall be contacted to resolve the conflict prior to the event.  All other factors being equal, preference shall be given to the member who registered for the event first.

 

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