I've been thinking about this for a while now, and thought I'd post on what I thought about it. Some people I've seen say that sinking a CV is just too easy. Up some B-24's or LANCs and you can sink a Carrier. Hit it a couple times with a Shore Battery or a 110 when it's soft and you'll sink it. It's not that there's a lack of ack fire to destroy the threats, it's that there isn't enough players going it right! There can only be so much auto-ack then the human players have to pitch in to help out.
On the carrier alone there is 2 mannable twin 5" guns, 2 single 5" guns (or is it 3 now?) 2 quad 40mm's, and a few 20mm's (not to mention all the auto-ack guns!). This only on one ship! If you count the Cruiser, Destroyers, and any PT drivers then you have well over enough firepower to take on 3-4 sets of bombers! and we haven't even taken into account the Air Force!
If you're going to take a base with a Task Group then you need a few things done first before you begin your assault. You need a few pilots to take out the ord at that base and start de-acking/capping. You need you're 8" gunners to start shelling the town as soon as possible, and you need to destroy any Shore Batteries in the area. Once that is all accomplished then you need a second group of pilots to clean up the town, and then head to the field to keep the cap (and to allow the pilots already capping the chance to RTB). When you're in range then you need 2-3 guys to bring in the troops, be it by Goon or LVT. Do that and you usually take the base.
If there's a drawn out battle for the base, and the enemy starts bringing in sets of LANCs from other bases, that doesn't mean that the Carrier is going to die. One thing that rarley happens in CV assualts is that no one stays at high altitude to intercept the incoming bombers. If there are, then those bombers will surely go down in flames before they get close to the carrier to drop their payload. If they get through you're air defence then there is one of two situations that may happen. One: those bombers will be at high alt (usually 10K) when they drop their bombs. That will give your CV plenty of time to take evasive actions to avoid taking a direct hit (9 times out of 10 the bombs do miss if you turn the CV). OR Two: the bombers will be low altitude (from 5K down to the deck), in which they are easy pickings for your 5" gunners, 40mm's, and even the 20mm's.
Just think, If you have some pilot's attacking the field/town (maybe two groups on rotation), another group of pilots flying cover for your fleet at 12-15K, and possibly every position on the Carrier, Crusier, and Destroyers taken by someone then it doesn't seem possible for any amount of bombers to get close to the Carrier no matter how long the battle! (Though sooner or later you will get the base or they will get your carrier)
What are your thought on the vulnerability of Task Groups??
