Thrair
10-04-10, 06:28 AM
I attacked a convoy I found that was lightly defended. Only 2 destroyers. I figured it was worth the risk to attack in calm seas. After all, it was night, I had a good angle, and the water was deep.
So I creep up and one of the destroyers happens to turn into my path and pause to listen. I get a solution on him and launch 2 torps, leading him slightly with the second in case he sees them and surges forward. Quickly, I aim a hasty shot at the convoy itself and launch 2 more.
Here's where I made my first mistake: I didn't dive instantly as I normally do. I succumbed to the urge to watch the destroyer take 2 torps and blow up.
Alas, the sob spots both torps and DOESN'T drive forward, he just casually backs up. Both miss. Fail. Of the 2 long range torps on the convoy, one misses, and one's a dud. By this point I've regained my sense of self-preservation and am diving deep, but the Destroyer knows right where I am and starts depth charging me mercilessly. The other soon arrives.
Remembering the bug with deck crewman getting blown up, I quickly shift my deck gunners to Hogan's Alley. I forget about my AA gunner. Mistake number 2. Remember this one for later.
I start getting depth charged hard by both destroyers. I can't seem to slink away from these ones. For early war escorts, they are uncannily good at what they do, even for TMO. I must have the ill fortune to bumble into the two destroyers in the fleet run by OCD nuts with hearing a fox would envy.
After about half an hour, I take a nasty hit. Casualties. Oh.... I forgot to move the AA gunner, didn't I? I get light flooding and have to pick up speed to maintain depth, and occasionally blow balast. I have long since decided these destroyers have uncanny hearing, and I will not be able to slink away. I'm gonna have to just keep making evasive manuevers and wait em out.
Another hour or so passes, I take another set of hits. At this point I'm getting tired. I start sinking quickly. I blow balast and this time I let it bring me to the surface. While doing so, I barely remember to move my deck gun crew back out of Hogan's Alley. I figure, may as well go out swinging: I begin engaging at close range with two destroyers. I was fortunate in that both were close to me initially, providing me with easy shots and preventing them of firing for fear of friendly fire.
Amazingly lucky, they are missing quite a bit at close range. While gods at tracking, they can't shoot for $#!^. I was expecting to sink quickly, and then go to bed. But amazingly, the gods smile upon me and one of the destroyers suddenly erupts into secondaries and sinks fast. I begin shooting the other and manage to drive it off, listing heavily and smoking from a bad fire.
I cheer. And then I look at my damage. I stop cheering. I've taken a brutal pounding. Less than I deserve, but it's nonetheless bad. MY crew works overtime and somehow keeps me afloat and I begin limping for home. I do not notice my SD antenna was blown off at some point. Suddenly I hear "aircraft spotted"? Oh crap. I'm in no condition to dive. Hopefully it doesn't spot me. Crap, it is. Man the gun!
Why isn't he shooting it? He's got a good.... oh wait..... he's DEAD! CRAP! I take manual control and fail miserably. It drops a few bombs on me. And while not sinking me, destroys both diesel engines.... (and kills about 8 of the crew).
... Crap
Well, this run's over, but I decide to see it out to the end and ramp up Time Compression til something sinks me or my sub finally notices it's overdue and rolls over on it's own. Suddenly BAM. I'm yanked out of TC to calls of medic, heavy flooding, etc. I look around for what hit me.....
No.... this ain't right..... this ain't right.
It's a damned long merchant coming up from behind me (I have a bow mounted deck gun). He fires a few more shots and I get rolled the game over screen..... This ain't right. Not right at all.
My sub survives all this bullcrap it has no right to survive.... only to be sunk in the end by a merchant with a pea shooter? That's humiliating.
So I creep up and one of the destroyers happens to turn into my path and pause to listen. I get a solution on him and launch 2 torps, leading him slightly with the second in case he sees them and surges forward. Quickly, I aim a hasty shot at the convoy itself and launch 2 more.
Here's where I made my first mistake: I didn't dive instantly as I normally do. I succumbed to the urge to watch the destroyer take 2 torps and blow up.
Alas, the sob spots both torps and DOESN'T drive forward, he just casually backs up. Both miss. Fail. Of the 2 long range torps on the convoy, one misses, and one's a dud. By this point I've regained my sense of self-preservation and am diving deep, but the Destroyer knows right where I am and starts depth charging me mercilessly. The other soon arrives.
Remembering the bug with deck crewman getting blown up, I quickly shift my deck gunners to Hogan's Alley. I forget about my AA gunner. Mistake number 2. Remember this one for later.
I start getting depth charged hard by both destroyers. I can't seem to slink away from these ones. For early war escorts, they are uncannily good at what they do, even for TMO. I must have the ill fortune to bumble into the two destroyers in the fleet run by OCD nuts with hearing a fox would envy.
After about half an hour, I take a nasty hit. Casualties. Oh.... I forgot to move the AA gunner, didn't I? I get light flooding and have to pick up speed to maintain depth, and occasionally blow balast. I have long since decided these destroyers have uncanny hearing, and I will not be able to slink away. I'm gonna have to just keep making evasive manuevers and wait em out.
Another hour or so passes, I take another set of hits. At this point I'm getting tired. I start sinking quickly. I blow balast and this time I let it bring me to the surface. While doing so, I barely remember to move my deck gun crew back out of Hogan's Alley. I figure, may as well go out swinging: I begin engaging at close range with two destroyers. I was fortunate in that both were close to me initially, providing me with easy shots and preventing them of firing for fear of friendly fire.
Amazingly lucky, they are missing quite a bit at close range. While gods at tracking, they can't shoot for $#!^. I was expecting to sink quickly, and then go to bed. But amazingly, the gods smile upon me and one of the destroyers suddenly erupts into secondaries and sinks fast. I begin shooting the other and manage to drive it off, listing heavily and smoking from a bad fire.
I cheer. And then I look at my damage. I stop cheering. I've taken a brutal pounding. Less than I deserve, but it's nonetheless bad. MY crew works overtime and somehow keeps me afloat and I begin limping for home. I do not notice my SD antenna was blown off at some point. Suddenly I hear "aircraft spotted"? Oh crap. I'm in no condition to dive. Hopefully it doesn't spot me. Crap, it is. Man the gun!
Why isn't he shooting it? He's got a good.... oh wait..... he's DEAD! CRAP! I take manual control and fail miserably. It drops a few bombs on me. And while not sinking me, destroys both diesel engines.... (and kills about 8 of the crew).
... Crap
Well, this run's over, but I decide to see it out to the end and ramp up Time Compression til something sinks me or my sub finally notices it's overdue and rolls over on it's own. Suddenly BAM. I'm yanked out of TC to calls of medic, heavy flooding, etc. I look around for what hit me.....
No.... this ain't right..... this ain't right.
It's a damned long merchant coming up from behind me (I have a bow mounted deck gun). He fires a few more shots and I get rolled the game over screen..... This ain't right. Not right at all.
My sub survives all this bullcrap it has no right to survive.... only to be sunk in the end by a merchant with a pea shooter? That's humiliating.