Platapus
02-24-10, 07:34 PM
There I was, no Shi... uh this a true story.
8 Oct, 42 patrolling “somewhere off the Japanese coast”
Watch spots a ship. Probably another one of those damn sampans, that’s all I seem to find this patrol.
Run the plot for three minutes and find that the target has traveled 12,500 yards. Hmm not a sampan. I probably found a convoy of sampans and miss-plotted. Run another plot, same speed 12 knots Course NE. This might be interesting. Rough seas. I can only manage about 15-16 kts so it will be a long dog leg overtake.
I get into position well in front of the target, plenty of time for a nice fast 90 set up. So much time, I think I will set up for the stern tubes.
I align everything up perfectly, AoB, distance. Perfect set up. All I have to do is wait for Christmas.
It is getting a bit late so I decide to use TC, just a little mind you. I order the sonar man to follow this ship. He has a good signal. I can just wait until the bearing is 210.
Bearing is 210 so I up periscope already at the 190 mark. With the speed being a shade higher than 10 Kts, I plan on launching the first torpedo a little ahead of the target.
OMG! All I see is the butt of the ship passing the firing bearing. How can I be so stupid? :damn::damn::damn: I did it again, I ruined a perfect set up because of my impatience. :damn::damn::damn: I fire three sterns in a pathetic hope that one will hit. All three miss.
I ID the ship trying for another set up. ID it as a Large Old European Passenger Carrier 9,000 tons! But I can’t get all the data before it moves to a poor firing angle.
I do notice that there are no deck guns on the ship so I try for a surface attack.
I surface but can’t seem to get into a firing position due to the rough seas cutting down my speed (but evidently not having much effect on his speed.
I decide to use the deck gun. A 3” gun against a 9,000 ship. This might take a while. :doh:
I pump in about 50 or so rounds at the water line with no effect. I try a surface torpedo attack. Things are just happening too fast and I miss with the first three torpedoes. I try to set up again but miss with the second three torpedoes. Time for a long reload.
The ship turns into me and before it I know it, it looks like it is going to ram me!
I put the ship at 180 and haul As... uh .. order flank speed. I am only going about 15 knots and I think the ship is doing 15 too! I wish I could have taken a screenshot of nothing but this huge bow about 6 inches from my stern!
From a range of zero I pump in about a 100 rounds directly into the bow (nothing else to aim at) at the water line. No effect. I really can’t believe that a three inch shell would have NO effect on a 9K boat.
This is getting me nowhere, so I peal off and try to regroup for yet another surface attack. Now the ship is all over the place. Right and left turns. Impossible to track.
I abort the failed attack. I am almost out of shells and I have used 9 torpedoes and still have not sunk a ship. Oh well, it was a nice naval career while it lasted. I am sure there is a weather station in Antarctica just calling me.
I proceed until I lose contact with the ship and then slow down to 9 knots and resume what is clearly going to be my last patrol.
A few hours later, my watch calls out ship spotted. Plot shows 12 knots heading NE.
Hmmmmm
This time no TC at all. I am already ahead in a perfect Fast 90 position. All stop, periscope depth.
Sure as Shi.... uh Well golly, what do my wandering eyes appear but a Large Old European Passenger carrier!
Runs right into a nice four torpedo spread where, imagine this, three detonate. After a long wait, 9,192 tons is added to my patrol.
After all that pooch screwin, I end up sitting in the perfect position by dumb luck. :know:
Sometimes luck can compensate for a poor Captain. :yep:
8 Oct, 42 patrolling “somewhere off the Japanese coast”
Watch spots a ship. Probably another one of those damn sampans, that’s all I seem to find this patrol.
Run the plot for three minutes and find that the target has traveled 12,500 yards. Hmm not a sampan. I probably found a convoy of sampans and miss-plotted. Run another plot, same speed 12 knots Course NE. This might be interesting. Rough seas. I can only manage about 15-16 kts so it will be a long dog leg overtake.
I get into position well in front of the target, plenty of time for a nice fast 90 set up. So much time, I think I will set up for the stern tubes.
I align everything up perfectly, AoB, distance. Perfect set up. All I have to do is wait for Christmas.
It is getting a bit late so I decide to use TC, just a little mind you. I order the sonar man to follow this ship. He has a good signal. I can just wait until the bearing is 210.
Bearing is 210 so I up periscope already at the 190 mark. With the speed being a shade higher than 10 Kts, I plan on launching the first torpedo a little ahead of the target.
OMG! All I see is the butt of the ship passing the firing bearing. How can I be so stupid? :damn::damn::damn: I did it again, I ruined a perfect set up because of my impatience. :damn::damn::damn: I fire three sterns in a pathetic hope that one will hit. All three miss.
I ID the ship trying for another set up. ID it as a Large Old European Passenger Carrier 9,000 tons! But I can’t get all the data before it moves to a poor firing angle.
I do notice that there are no deck guns on the ship so I try for a surface attack.
I surface but can’t seem to get into a firing position due to the rough seas cutting down my speed (but evidently not having much effect on his speed.
I decide to use the deck gun. A 3” gun against a 9,000 ship. This might take a while. :doh:
I pump in about 50 or so rounds at the water line with no effect. I try a surface torpedo attack. Things are just happening too fast and I miss with the first three torpedoes. I try to set up again but miss with the second three torpedoes. Time for a long reload.
The ship turns into me and before it I know it, it looks like it is going to ram me!
I put the ship at 180 and haul As... uh .. order flank speed. I am only going about 15 knots and I think the ship is doing 15 too! I wish I could have taken a screenshot of nothing but this huge bow about 6 inches from my stern!
From a range of zero I pump in about a 100 rounds directly into the bow (nothing else to aim at) at the water line. No effect. I really can’t believe that a three inch shell would have NO effect on a 9K boat.
This is getting me nowhere, so I peal off and try to regroup for yet another surface attack. Now the ship is all over the place. Right and left turns. Impossible to track.
I abort the failed attack. I am almost out of shells and I have used 9 torpedoes and still have not sunk a ship. Oh well, it was a nice naval career while it lasted. I am sure there is a weather station in Antarctica just calling me.
I proceed until I lose contact with the ship and then slow down to 9 knots and resume what is clearly going to be my last patrol.
A few hours later, my watch calls out ship spotted. Plot shows 12 knots heading NE.
Hmmmmm
This time no TC at all. I am already ahead in a perfect Fast 90 position. All stop, periscope depth.
Sure as Shi.... uh Well golly, what do my wandering eyes appear but a Large Old European Passenger carrier!
Runs right into a nice four torpedo spread where, imagine this, three detonate. After a long wait, 9,192 tons is added to my patrol.
After all that pooch screwin, I end up sitting in the perfect position by dumb luck. :know:
Sometimes luck can compensate for a poor Captain. :yep: