A Brief Introduction to the Pacific Submarine War

[kylesplanet]

Well that just fires me up! I'm gonna have to let my guys run the shop today, I have some important stuff to take care of.:p Look out bad guys, here I come!

[AVGWarhawk]

Nicely written and yes, shows compassion and respect for the submariners!

[Digital_Trucker]

Very well done, sir

[John Channing]

WOW!

I mean... just WOW!

JCC

[Sailor Steve]

WIKI? You used WIKI???:rotfl:




Actually, in this case, it seems to be the best online source.

Good read.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

WIKI? You used WIKI???:rotfl:




Actually, in this case, it seems to be the best online source.

For the information on subs, unfortunatly wiki is the best source. Amazingly enough.

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As an aside, here some pictures i was trying to work into the post, but didn't cause it sort of ruined continunity, (and i ran outta gas )

[ReallyDedPoet]

A different kind of theater - a different kind of enemy
The pacific theater differed in many respects. Particuarlly were submarines were concerned. Unlike the atlantic, submarines in the pacific were tasked to do alot more then harvest as much tonnage of enemy ships as they can. They also actively participated in the overall effort to defeat japan. Some of these additional tasks included:

- Lifeguarding Rescues of downed pilots
- Wolf Packs operations
- Recon Missions
- Minelaying Missions
- Supply Missions
- Special Transport Missions
- Anti-Picket Boat Sweeps

The above, just another reason why I play SH4, the variey of tasks that our thrown your way. They make you feel like you are really part of the experience.

No more just going to a grid and patrolling that area, then a free for all after that.


RDP

[Spyguy101]

1 in 5. I guess my grandfather was one of the lucky 4.

[Werekoala]

I think the sub that survived 48 hours of depth-charge attack was the USS Seal (I'm reading a book right now that details the experience of one of the crewmen who served on that patrol). SO intense. They had one torpedo in the aft tubes about 1/2 way in before the pressure lodged it in the tube. One of the crewmen somehow managed to shove it in on sheer brute force before the pressure on the outer door could punch into the compartment during the initial dive.

They had charged a convoy that was hugging the coast off on Honshu, fired forward tubes, then dove deep to go under the convoy line to use their aft tubes for a second salvo. When they came up, they found out that there were 5-7 destroyers between the convoy and the shoreline, and so began the "fun".

Going back through the thread, it seems like there are multiple subs who had similar experiences!

[Ducimus]

What book?

[Werekoala]

"The Depths of Courage - American Submariners at War with Japan, 1941-1945" by Flint Whitlock and Ron Smith. Got it at Half-Price books for $5.98 hardcover. (Flint Whitlock - is there a more stereotypical action-hero name?)

Next up - "Shinano! - The Sinking of Japan's Secret Supership" by Captain Joseph F. Enright, USN. Half-Price Books, $9.48 hardcover. Details one of the patrols of the USS Archer-Fish, who holds the single-patrol record for tonnage at 72,000 - all from one ship. Apparently the Shinano was laid down as the third in the Yamato/Mushashi class super-battleships but they converted it to a flat-top in the middle of the war. It was sunk hugging the Japanese coast before it was fully fitted out and ready for service. Hardly sporting.

[Wizz]

This is a really fantastic thread, and while it was obviously started a few years ago, I'm very happy that it was stickied.

After a decade long interest with German U-boats (I started with SHII, fell in love with it, and was surprised with the timely release of SHIII - obviously having a subsim of this quality hooked me properly!), I've only recently returned to delve back into SHIV. I played it on it's release, but never really found the same interest in the Pacific campaign. Let's not talk about SHV....

Well, I'm not sure why, but I have really enjoyed getting back into SHIV, and have found the amount of readily available archive information to be fantastic! While no dearth of it on the German side, the US by virtue of both their victory and English language have really helped me get back into it. I had no idea as to the real depth [pun fully intended] of the Submarine effort during the Pacific.

I've got lots of reading to do, but it has been fantastic to revisit these forums and find references to the detail I so very much love to delve into!

Happy hunting all!

[en20649]

This is great! I was just starting out in SH4 and this really gets me into it

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim en

[TopcatWA]

Well written & descriptive.