[Rockin Robbins]

I was pinned under 3 destroyers at 300' but decided that based on experience with U-Boats I could play with the destroyers no matter what changes were likely in 1.3. Came to periscope depth putting the 2 closest destroyers at bearing 180, distance about 2500 yards. Running 1000 RPM, not rigged for silent running. Set up 4 stern torpedoes to run 8' fast, based on ID as Shuiratsuyu class. Preset bearing 180º, raised attack scope. Locked target. Bearing 180. Speed est. 18 knots. AOB 0.

Sent range and bearing to TDC and checked out the solution. Everything good, so I left the scope up to draw him while watching the range patiently. Both destroyers were now heading toward, side-by-side almost. No time to set up the other one, we'll fire a spread and maybe get lucky. Open tubes 7 through 10.

1600......1300.....wait for it...1100.....900. Fire 7. Spread -1.5º. Fire 8. Spread +1.5º. Fire 9. Spread zero. Fire 10. We will now pause for a message from our commercial sponsors.

First torpedo passed perfectly under the bow, almost scraping the keel, but no explosion and it continued on. What the.......BOOM!!!!!! Torpedo 8 had also passed under and detonated magnetically. This has gotta sink her........or........not. She chugged toward me. Torps 9 and 10 either passed under and didn't detonate or missed by a hair. The event camera showed one sliding off the keel. That hurts to watch. I firewalled the throttle and took her deep.

22 depth charges later idling at my usual 1000 rpm I reversed course to approach the destroyer. Sonar said I had 2 stopped destroyers. Took a look with the free camera and they were stopped nose to tail, the damaged one in front. I took the camera under and dead center fore and aft perfectly centered was a huge hole. Isn't that supposed to split the ship in 2 and make a big beautiful explosion?

Defect in Realistic Sinking Physics confirmed then. As I approached to finish off the crip, the following destroyer fired up her engines and started a search pattern, a circle of about 1600 yards diameter with one end over me. I was about 600 yards from the crippled Shuiratsuyu I figured. With engines stopped I ascended to periscope depth. The I waited for the other destroyer to get maximum distance before unleashing 2 bow shots, aimed 1/3 and 2/3 from the bow of the damaged destroyer. Boom! Boom! The destroyer sits there just as high in the water as if she hadn't ingested a single torpedo. She's not moving but apparently not sinking either. In RL the first one would have exploded her into a million pieces.

Dive! Take her to 300'. Destroyer's pinging now so full ahead emergency. Cut to 1000 rpm at 300'. (Thermal layer at ~260). Time to file a report for WernerSobe, switch mods and go for another round on another post.

I've never purposely tangled with destroyers before. Man that was fun! Somehow I don't think it was fun in RL.