SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Stories and Patrol Logs + Screenshots and Videos (merged)

tedhealy · 06-17-07, 01:10 PM

(Using RFB, tater's campaign layers, my own reduced merchant tonnage mod, and at 100% + no map contacts.)

1942
Jan 25, Pearl Harbor
USS Trout (SS-202) Completed shakedown, ready for patrol orders. XO Robert Morton reports crew is nervous but as ready as they'll ever be for their first war patrol.

Jan 26
16:00 Leaving Pearl Harbor behind.

We have orders to patrol the East China Sea. Will top off the tanks at Midway, ETA 4 days.

Jan 29
21:36 Arrived Midway ahead of schedule. Refueling overnight, departing for patrol ASAP, no time to waste.

Feb 8
Assumed standard operating procedure - submerged during daylight hours to avoid air patrols, recharge the batteries at night.

Feb 11
Picked up radio Washington late tonight. Heard on the radio that the Japs are closing in on Singapore and MacArthur is holding out on the Philippines. Hopefully our patrol in the East China Sea can intercept men and material bound for the Philippines and further points southwest.

Feb 13
22:31 Arrived at the designated patrol area, weather calm.

Feb 15
00:37 XO Bob Morton woke me to tell me we received an encrypted 'for the captain's eyes only' message. Decoded ULTRA message reported convoy 20nm north of our present position, course SSW, 8kts. What luck! Who knew they'd come to us? Ordered 20kts and a N intercept course.

1:15 Warship spotted. We reduced speed to 9 knots to limit the phosphorecent bow spray as much as possible, also turned to WNW to close on apparent WSW convoy course. Intend to close distance on the surface and make periscope attack. Partly cloudy night with minimum acceptable light for night time scope attack, but too bright for surface attack.

1:34 DD turns towards us and has bone in her teeth, signal light is rapidly challenging us. Crash dive to 200 feet, found a thermal layer at approx. 190 feet. New course SW.

1:42 Back at periscope depth, Thunder Below! 4 depth charges heard well aft. Resuming intercept course on convoy.

1:47 Convoy is spotted either zig zagging or changing course. They are alerted to our presence. Approx. 5 small/medium cargo freighters. Probably shouldn't have tried to close directly on the surface. There was plenty of night left to withdraw some and end around at high speed.

Will try to make the best of the situation. Intend to split forward bow tubes between a medium freighter and nearest small freighter. Will reserve stern tubes for any coup de grace shots or defense against the DD.

1:49 3 more depth charges heard to starboard and well aft.

2:07 3 bow shots from a mediocre TDC solution due to target's constant course changes. 2nd and 3rd shot spread 1 and 2 degrees to the right. Dove to 90 feet and changed course to due W immediately after 3rd fish left the tube.

2:09 2 torpedo impacts heard!

2:14 Returned to periscope depth slowly, DD still searching aft. 2 Bow torpedoes fired at small freighter, 600 yards away. Mediocre TDC solution again due to target constant course changes. 2nd shot spread to the right.

2:14.xx
1st torpedo was thought to be a hit, but it's run was at least 5 seconds too short for a hit and it looked to be well forward of the target. It must have exploded early. 2nd shot is a hit! Dive back to 90 feet.

2:17 Returned to periscope depth, DD is still confused and searching the wrong area. A quick sweep of the area reveals our first 2 hits crippled the medium freighter. It appears to be dead in the water with a small fire. Our 2nd attack started a large fire on the small freighter, but it is still steaming on.

2:23 DD has looped around aft of us to rejoin small freighter that is blazing. Will deliver coup de grace to crippled medium freighter with remaining bow tube and immediately dive to 150 feet.

2:27 Crippled medium freighter still not heard breaking up. She's a tough old thing. Intend to secure from silent running and reload at least 1 forward tube, then swing around for another coup de grace shot, this time from the stern tubes.

2:36 2 stern shots at the crippled ship. 2 impact, the freighter breaks up. Estimated 4000 tons, Biyo Maru.

2:38 Crash dive to 220 feet, under thermal layer, and rigged for silent running. Pinging is heard. Was anyone expecting the Japs to have active sonar?

2:52 No depth charges dropped, but plenty of pinging heard as the DD closed to something under 500 yards of us. Currently the DD is moving away as we head E away from the convoy. Secured from silent running.

Red X marks our first sinking!

2:56 Turned in. Left night orders for Bob Morton - Proceed east until morning, reload all tubes. Surface at XO's discretion. If anything comes up or you have any questions, wake me. Excellent performance by the crew tonight. We'll have to go over our procedures for closing on convoys at night. We should have been able to avoid being spotted.

06-17-07, 01:10 PM	#757
tedhealy Grey Wolf Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: St. Louis, MO, USA Posts: 772 Downloads: 13 Uploads: 0	(Using RFB, tater's campaign layers, my own reduced merchant tonnage mod, and at 100% + no map contacts.) 1942 Jan 25, Pearl Harbor USS Trout (SS-202) Completed shakedown, ready for patrol orders. XO Robert Morton reports crew is nervous but as ready as they'll ever be for their first war patrol. Jan 26 16:00 Leaving Pearl Harbor behind. We have orders to patrol the East China Sea. Will top off the tanks at Midway, ETA 4 days. Jan 29 21:36 Arrived Midway ahead of schedule. Refueling overnight, departing for patrol ASAP, no time to waste. Feb 8 Assumed standard operating procedure - submerged during daylight hours to avoid air patrols, recharge the batteries at night. Feb 11 Picked up radio Washington late tonight. Heard on the radio that the Japs are closing in on Singapore and MacArthur is holding out on the Philippines. Hopefully our patrol in the East China Sea can intercept men and material bound for the Philippines and further points southwest. Feb 13 22:31 Arrived at the designated patrol area, weather calm. Feb 15 00:37 XO Bob Morton woke me to tell me we received an encrypted 'for the captain's eyes only' message. Decoded ULTRA message reported convoy 20nm north of our present position, course SSW, 8kts. What luck! Who knew they'd come to us? Ordered 20kts and a N intercept course. 1:15 Warship spotted. We reduced speed to 9 knots to limit the phosphorecent bow spray as much as possible, also turned to WNW to close on apparent WSW convoy course. Intend to close distance on the surface and make periscope attack. Partly cloudy night with minimum acceptable light for night time scope attack, but too bright for surface attack. 1:34 DD turns towards us and has bone in her teeth, signal light is rapidly challenging us. Crash dive to 200 feet, found a thermal layer at approx. 190 feet. New course SW. 1:42 Back at periscope depth, Thunder Below! 4 depth charges heard well aft. Resuming intercept course on convoy. 1:47 Convoy is spotted either zig zagging or changing course. They are alerted to our presence. Approx. 5 small/medium cargo freighters. Probably shouldn't have tried to close directly on the surface. There was plenty of night left to withdraw some and end around at high speed. Will try to make the best of the situation. Intend to split forward bow tubes between a medium freighter and nearest small freighter. Will reserve stern tubes for any coup de grace shots or defense against the DD. 1:49 3 more depth charges heard to starboard and well aft. 2:07 3 bow shots from a mediocre TDC solution due to target's constant course changes. 2nd and 3rd shot spread 1 and 2 degrees to the right. Dove to 90 feet and changed course to due W immediately after 3rd fish left the tube. 2:09 2 torpedo impacts heard! 2:14 Returned to periscope depth slowly, DD still searching aft. 2 Bow torpedoes fired at small freighter, 600 yards away. Mediocre TDC solution again due to target constant course changes. 2nd shot spread to the right. 2:14.xx 1st torpedo was thought to be a hit, but it's run was at least 5 seconds too short for a hit and it looked to be well forward of the target. It must have exploded early. 2nd shot is a hit! Dive back to 90 feet. 2:17 Returned to periscope depth, DD is still confused and searching the wrong area. A quick sweep of the area reveals our first 2 hits crippled the medium freighter. It appears to be dead in the water with a small fire. Our 2nd attack started a large fire on the small freighter, but it is still steaming on. 2:23 DD has looped around aft of us to rejoin small freighter that is blazing. Will deliver coup de grace to crippled medium freighter with remaining bow tube and immediately dive to 150 feet. 2:27 Crippled medium freighter still not heard breaking up. She's a tough old thing. Intend to secure from silent running and reload at least 1 forward tube, then swing around for another coup de grace shot, this time from the stern tubes. 2:36 2 stern shots at the crippled ship. 2 impact, the freighter breaks up. Estimated 4000 tons, Biyo Maru. 2:38 Crash dive to 220 feet, under thermal layer, and rigged for silent running. Pinging is heard. Was anyone expecting the Japs to have active sonar? 2:52 No depth charges dropped, but plenty of pinging heard as the DD closed to something under 500 yards of us. Currently the DD is moving away as we head E away from the convoy. Secured from silent running. Red X marks our first sinking! 2:56 Turned in. Left night orders for Bob Morton - Proceed east until morning, reload all tubes. Surface at XO's discretion. If anything comes up or you have any questions, wake me. Excellent performance by the crew tonight. We'll have to go over our procedures for closing on convoys at night. We should have been able to avoid being spotted. Last edited by tedhealy; 06-17-07 at 06:13 PM.