Hello again, and welcome to the second installment of this ongoing series. Given that we all (ahem) know how to use stern guns to their maximum effectiveness, and understand the concept of "Stern Gun Death", it's time to take the game to the next step. While the triple stern mount may be the most devastating combination in the hobby, the stern sidemount is the single most deadly gun in the hobby. If you have a ship with a stern sidemount, you have the ability two sink one, or even two enemy ships per battle. If you know how to use it, that is... So, let's begin.

You might just be wondering at the above statement. Just why is the stern sidemount so important? Well, I'll tell you. Think of it this way. Assuming that you never miss, a stern gun is worth about 10 points per shot. Sure, you get the occasional on or below, but they're canceled out by the occasional rib or stringer shot. Triples, then are worth about 30 points per shot. The stern sidemount, on the other hand is worth about the same 30 points per shot, because you usually get about an even distribution of above/on/below shots. And that's for a single gun. The bow sidemount, comparatively is more like about 20 points, because you get more aboves and less belows with them. Keep in mind that these are estimates, and they're based on "ideal" considerations... However, thinking of this, it should be obvious why I consider an effective stern sidemount the "ultimate weapon"...

The first thing when discussing stern sidemounts is location and position. My preferred stern sidemount location is in X turret, with 20 degrees of down angle, angled slightly back from 90 degrees. Actually more like 75 degrees from the stern. On a ship like an Invincible, I would mount the stern sidemount in the Y turret, at about the same stern angle, and with as much down angle as I could get. The idea is that the bb should just barely clear your deck. That way, you can be assured that if an enemy is alongside your stern sidemount, the only way you can miss is if your round goes below his penetrable area... If your stern sidemount doesn't have enough down angle, or is mounted too high, you're likely to waste your rounds on your opponent's deck rim, and your shots will be wasted. (And it's likely you will be wasted, shortly thereafter...)

Okay... So, now that we've got our stern sidemount mounted, let's begin discussing how to use it. First up, there are always a few do's and dont's. When I discussed stern gunnery, I said that the rule was to never take damage. This changes, slightly. Whenever possible, it is still a better thing to not take any damage. However, it is also acceptable to take some damage. But... You must always be assured of taking much less damage than you give. If you're slugging it out, and it looks like you're taking about as much as you're giving, you're doing something wrong. Get out if you can, and go shoot at someone else who's less dangerous...

So, with that in mind, I also said (essentially) that the stern gun beats everything, when used properly. Behind that, the stern sidemount beats anything else. (Except a better stern sidemount, that is!) Stern sidemounts are best used against people with bow sidemounts, who are eager to use them, or people with no bow sidemounts at all. The ideal target of a stern sidemount is an enemy's bow because that's where all the freeboard is. Also, belows in the bow of an enemy ship are very nasty and are likely to cause that ship to sink. They can also be used in other situations, but things get a little more difficult then, as we'll see.

Stern sidemounts don't really offer quite the same variety of maneuvers that stern guns do. This is primarily due to the range factor. When you have a gun with a 6" or less range envelope, your choices are pretty much limited to slugging it out side to side, and there's not too much finesse in that game. However, here are a few maneuvers you might like to think about. Since you should also have some sort of effective stern guns, I'll also integrate their use into these maneuvers, because they are often a backup for when things go wrong.

1. The chase my stern sidemount maneuver: This is where you find a ship which is either eager to chase you, or is approaching you with its bow. You ease up on the throttle just a bit and allow the enemy to catch you, being careful to maneuver him so that he goes up your stern sidemount side. If he doesn't cooperate, throw the rudder the other way and stern gun him. If he does cooperate, blast his bow with your stern sidemount. This is somewhat similar to the "turn and shoot" maneuver for stern guns.

   Example: This is Fluegel's favorite. He's assured at any Nats that there are enough Allied fools out there who don't know what a stern sidemount is, much less what it can do to them. So, he sits out in open waters and waits for one who's stupid enough to chase him. He starts into a shallow port turn, and the sucker inevitably tries to creep up on his starboard side. And then, once the stern sidemount is lined up, boy do they get it. Note that Fluegel's stern sidmeount is set up in a special variation that may or may not work on all ships. It's set so that it has moderate down angle, and a lot of stern angle. The idea is that when he places his stern against your ship, all he has to do is pull the trigger and he will be shooting belows. This works well for his Bismark, but I'm not sure how well it would work for other ships. Myself, I still prefer having more angle off the side, because it's more useful for the following case...

2. The Cross the Bow maneuver: This is a variation on "chase my stern sidemount". Instead of turning away, you wait for the enemy to reach you, and you turn across his bow. The advantage of this maneuver is that it becomes much harder for the enemy to get away, because you're pinning his bow with your ship. Once your sidemount is lined up, just start shooting, and wiggle your stern to adjust the range. Just be aware that people don't necessarily like having this done to them, and if they make funny noises, don't be surprised...

   Example 1: At the 1995 Nats, I had the QE out, and noticed a Nagato was charging in my direction. I was to his left, so I made a starboard turn so that he would have a choice. Either he could go left and eat stern guns, or he could go right and eat stern sidemount. He elected to ramsink me instead. Hmm...

   Example 2: At the 1993 Nats, I caught another Nagato in a bit of a melee' and came up on his bow with my stern sidemount. I was able to ride his bow for about 10-20 rounds, after which he backed off and got away. However, he sank later that sortie, probably due to the bow carnage.

3. The bow intercept maneuver: In this maneuver, you don't necessarily worry about getting in front of the other guy, or crossing his bow. If you have a favorable angle, you simply come at his bow from the side, until your sidemount is on target. Then, you open fire and enjoy the fun. This maneuver is easiest against slower/less maneuverable opponents who aren't very wary, or ships which aren't really going anywhere to begin with.

   Example: At the 1993 Nats, yet another Nagato was getting far too used to Allies which apparently weren't able to shoot back. Apparently the way things went where he came from, all he had to do was sail up to an Allied cripple, park, and shoot, and no Allies would bother to should back, because they were too afraid, or something like that. So, when another Ally had problems and this battler came up to pound on him, he simply parked his Nagato alongside the intended victim. I cruised up on the other side with my stern sidemount, taking careful aim, and proceeded to put about 18 below the waterline hits in his Nagato in short order. He sank soon afterwards.

4. Trapped Ashore: This is an evil variation of the bow intercept maneuver. Find a large, unmaneuverable enemy ship which is between yourself and shore, and moving parallel to shore, and also behind you. Slowly close in towards its bow so that you pinch it against the shore. If you time it properly, you can trap them between your stern sidemount and the shore, and pound them unmercifully. This also works with other obstacles like Cam-Pain targets, other ships, and stuff like that.

   Example: At a Triple Crown battle in 1992, I was chasing a Lutzow with the Vanguard, along a shoreline. We were traveling upwind, so that my heavier ship had a slight speed advantage. I got slightly ahead of his ship and simply pushed it shore, and pounded him a bit. Unfortunately, it was only the Vanguard, which has poor sidemount location due to its freeboard, so I didn't sink him, but you get the idea...

5. Hug 'n' Slug: Ah, brutality at its finest. Occasionally, you'll run into a captain that's good enough to get alongside you with a bow sidemount, and try to give you a little trouble. You need to be aware of this, so that you can blast him properly. When he approaches for the bow sidemount shot, turn into his ship, and fire away. Typically, his bow sidemount should be shooting your superstructure, or deck rim, while you can dismember his hull with your stern sidemount. This is fun... Beware, though, because if his ship is more maneuverable than yours, and he has very good reactions (and a long range bow sidemount), he can simply turn in the opposite direction and keep the range open. This can be quite dangerous, but luckily, there aren't that many captains in the hobby that are that good with a bow sidemount.

   Example 1: One autumn afternoon, another battler and I had a battle. He had decided to try using a high down angle sidemount in B turret, in hopes of besting the stern sidemount on the Tennessee. In the ensuing battle, I wanted to prove a couple of points to him. First, I used the Tennessee's long range bow sidemount to pound on his battleship, while staying for the most part outside the range of his stern sidemount. (He did get me a few times...) Then, after more jockeying for position, he came along my starboard side, where my stern sidemount hides. The Tennessee is an interesting ship in that its stern sidemount is just about perfect at approx. 1-2" range. I dumped the entire magazine into his hull in very short order. He blasted some nice chunks off my superstructure. His battleship sailed about another ten feet and sank. Turns out that the stern sidemount on the Tennessee had mangled a strip about 1/4" wide and 8" long below the waterline on his battleship. Ouch. You don't want to know the scores.

   Example 2: This it somewhat total insanity. A few weeks later, at Jim's place, we had a get together, and Jim and I had a short one-on-one battle, his Invincible vs. my Tennessee. We spent about three minutes jockeying for position, not firing a shot. It was beautiful - combat ballet. We were so closely matched at that point that we were essentially doing parallel S turns, and stuff like that. After a while, though, we both decided that the time was right, and we both pounced with our stern sidemounts. Each of us fired about 10-12 rounds, and then we separated. Shortly after that, Jim retrieved his sinking Invincible. His stern sidemount had less down angle than mine, so his shots mostly landed above. Mine opened two huge holes at the bottom of his penetrable area in the stern, way below the waterline. Like I said, insanity. However, if you really know your enemy's ship well, and your own ship too, you can do this kind of stuff. However, it takes a lot of practice. (I've been using stern sidemounts since 1991, in case you wonder...!) Also, in case you wonder, Jim got me back later that day, but with his bow sidemount...

6. Stern to Stern: This is one of the more nerve wracking stern sidemount gambits. Again, it helps to have a maneuverability edge on your opponent. You engage them stern to stern, waving your stern back and forth slightly, enticingly. You keep the range very close, oh, about 6 inches or less. When you sense that the timing is right, and your enemy isn't expecting it, and when your stern sidemount is exposed, you hit reverse and back along your enemy's side, firing your stern sidemount into his stern. However, if your enemy has good reactions, triple stern guns, and a maneuverable ship (NC), this can be a very dangerous thing to do.

   Example: At the 1991 Spring NE Regionals, I debuted the QE, and made a bit of an impression. That is, I scared them. At the end of the weekend, I was talked into doing a one-on-one with the Hiei. Actually, I kinda wanted to see just what the QE could do to the Hiei anyways... So, the sortie began, and quickly degenerated into a stern to stern engagement. I tried a few other things, but they weren't working so I settled in and started swishing the stern back and forth. The Hiei's stern sidemount was to port, and mine was to starboard, so that if we backed alongside each other, only one of us would get to shoot. I was determined that it would be me. So, I kept my eyes open, and at the right moment, I would back alongside his ship, and shoot about two or three rounds, then get out of there. We repeated this a few times, until the Hiei's captain realized that things were getting really ugly. At that point, he tried to run, but it was too late, and he sank with a score of about 15 above, 3 on, and 12 below. Three of the belows were concentrated in one area, and had a large hole connecting them...

These are the major stern sidemount maneuvers and gambits. There are probably a few more slight variations, but these are the essentials. There aren't as many variations as stern guns, because of the range factor. You're pretty much limited to slugging it out side to side, it's just a matter of how you get there...

Anyways, that's it for the basic tactics. However, as I've mentioned before, practice is critical, because you need to know how your ship performs, so that you can have confidence, both in your ship as a system, and in your own captaining abilities. Again, your stern sidemount must fire reliably, and powerfully. One of the reasons the stern sidemount on the Tennessee is so nasty is because it's powerful enough to cause blowouts when more than one round lands in the same area.

Another crucial consideration with the stern sidemount is your enemy's gun disposition. If you don't know where your enemy's guns are, you don't know where his vulnerable points are, and you're very likely to come off worst in any sidemount exchange. So, it's important to look over all the enemy ships carefully, and note where their guns are, how they're aimed, etc. This way, you can know when you come up against Nagato X just where you want to put that stern sidemount, and which side of his stern you want to avoid... And remember - never chase! Trying to chase someone with a stern sidemount is pointless, because you'll never catch them, and even if you do, all they have to do is turn away and stern gun you, or shoot you with their own stern sidemount.

This brings me to the biggest disadvantage of stern sidemounts - if your enemy doesn't want to fight it, he doesn't have to. Typically, the enemy will gladly eat your stern sidemount, until they realize that you're actually damaging them with it. At that point, they'll become a lot harder to hit, because they will run from you, and generally make your life difficult. This is when you have to become more cagey, and learn how to trap them against the shore and other objects. Or use another ship's attack to try to get them to turn towards your stern sidemount. A ship that's running from one of your friends can often become a good stern sidemount opportunity - they have a choice, either they can eat your stern sidemount, or they can hit reverse, and eat your friend's sidemounts, or stern guns...

Either way, the stern sidemount is a very fun weapon, and can be used to inflict vast damage on your enemies, when used properly. So, get out there, practice, and soon you too will be sinking helpless victims... As always, you must practice; against dixie cups or other stationary targets, and most importantly against other ships. Stern guns are easy to learn, but sidemounts are another matter entirely. Anyone can simply pull alongside and slug. It takes experience, skill, and a good sidemount gun setup to win.

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