I'm sure everyone on here has had at least a few really cool encounters with a task force or convoy before. Anyone willing to share? I'll start.
About a week ago, I embarked on my 10th patrol with my brand new Balao class submarine. I got orders to patrol some area that I don't recall. On my way over there, I ran into a fairly large task force. It had no carriers, but it did have three battleships (Two Fusos, one Kongo), probably 5 or 6 heavy cruisers, and 3 or 4 light cruisers with maybe 8 or 9 destroyers. Hmm…a big task force with some nice juicy targets and here I am fully loaded with Mark 23 torpedoes…whatever shall I do?
I closed in on the front of the task force where the first Fuso class battleship was steaming at cruising speed. I hadn't been spotted yet. Perfect. I let loose with four torpedoes at about 2000 yards. Two of them prematurely detonated since the seas were a bit rough, but the other two found their target and within a few minutes, the battleship was already listing and clearly sinking.
One down, two to go. I repositioned myself for another attack on the two remaining battleships off their port side. The Kongo was directly parallel to the second Fuso, off to the Fuso's right side. While I allowed them both to get a bit closer to me, I looked directly behind me and there was a Mogami class cruiser steaming perpendicular to my stern tubes. Fired off two, both hit and sank the cruiser with a magazine explosion.
Once the Fuso was within 1500 yards, I fired off four torpedoes. Again, the rough seas caused two premature detonations, much to my dismay. But luck was on my side. As the torpedoes swam toward their target at 46 knots, the Fuso spotted the first torpedo I fired, causing it to miss.
However, apparently the Fuso didn't warn his buddy, the Kongo class battleship, about the incoming torpedo. The torpedo that missed the Fuso instead slammed into the Kongo dead amidships and killed the engines. She listed heavily and stopped dead in the water, but didn't sink.
The Fuso, which had successfully evaded my first torpedo, was struck by the second one. I guess luck wasn't on her side because the single torpedo that struck her caused a magazine explosion which destroyed her instantly, much to my excitement.
I finished the Kongo off with two more torpedoes in the starboard side, and I also sank an additional Mogami class cruiser and two destroyers before I ran out of fish and had to call it a day.
I'd love to hear some stories from you guys since I'm new here. Let's hear em!
