Lifeguard

[mikesn9]

I know this has been covered before, and I have all the instructions on completing various assignments, and keep going over this one, again and again.
I have never been able to pick up a survivor.
This last time, while returning to port I ducked under when a LOT of planes came on radar. Surfaced after a while, and a bunch of survivors, ours & theirs, were all around. One of ours was close by, so I went to get him. I did everything I could think of. I could see him in the Binoculars, came in close, slowly, went by, backed up, stopped. Tried it from farther away, NOTHING... I never got the life preserver to light up.
What am I missing?

I'm running 1.5 NO mods.

[Rockin Robbins]

This is a big area where my playing TMO 2.5 has kept me from running lifeguard duty at all. That's a shame because submarine crews valued lifeguard duty even above sinking enemy targets. Fishing soggy pilots out of the water was the highlight of their careers.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

This is a big area where my playing That's a shame because submarine crews valued lifeguard duty even above sinking enemy targets. Fishing soggy pilots out of the water was the highlight of their careers.

Not if they were Democrats!
rescue of future Republican president George H.W. Bush. The matter is still in some dispute: http://tarpley.net/online-books/george-bush-the-unauthorized-biography/chapter-6-bush-in-world-war-ii/

[aanker]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

Not if they were Democrats!
rescue of future Republican president George H.W. Bush............

LOL

If you're almost at a dead stop and can get him locked in your binocular view it should light up. This is hard to do if there are any waves or swells at all.

I agree with RR - these are not what I'd call fun to do.

Happy Hunting!

[Threadfin]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

This is a big area where my playing TMO 2.5 has kept me from running lifeguard duty at all. That's a shame because submarine crews valued lifeguard duty even above sinking enemy targets. Fishing soggy pilots out of the water was the highlight of their careers.

Yeah because it meant a big tub of ice cream from the Air Group, and probably a nice meal on the carrier for the sub's wardroom at some point later. I can only imagine how good ice cream would taste after spending more than a month at sea in the tropics!

[mikesn9]

If you're almost at a dead stop and can get him locked in your binocular view it should light up. This is hard to do if there are any waves or swells at all.

Lock? like lock on target?

[Moonlight]

If I remember right, the binocular crosshair sights turn red and you'll get the lifebelt image lighting up in the menu bar, and I'm sure a crewman also says something as well but I'm not too sure about the latter bit.

[aanker]

Originally Posted by mikesn9

Lock? like lock on target?

Sorry, I meant lock on to the pilot with the binoculars because it's about that delicate.... especially if your boat is rocking - due to wave action - not music : )

Exact Quote from a 'How To' post by another skipper:
(I don't recall who wrote this, it is from my notes)

GUARD.

You're required to go to the objective location and pick up pilots who parachute into the sea. You get 250 renown points if you pick up 5 pilots.

Go to pilot location, zoom right in on map to ensure you are in the right place exactly. Surface boat from under the pilot/chute. A screen pops up offering you the option to rescue the pilot. Note - you cannot rescue Japanese aircrew after shooting them down... this is just for US airmen when you perform lifeguard duties in your sub.

1. Draw a 40 mile radius around the life buoy marker on the navigation screen.

2. There will be a message from HQ saying an operation (or words to that effect) will be starting in the area in so many days.

3. Once the operation starts, there will be friendly "stationary" contacts on the map.

4. Head towards the closest contact and dive (yes dive) to periscope depth. I find 5 kts submerged is good. For a reason I cannot work out survivors are heard by the sonar and you now get an up to date report on their position. The survivors tend to drift towards the south west I find.

5. When you get really close to survivor ask the sonar operator to report contacts and surface the boat. On the navigation map a blue parachute should appear, this means you can see the survivor in the water. Use the binoculars and check the bearing that the sonar operator gave you. If the yellow crosshairs turns red and you can see a pilot floating in the sea, click on the bridge tab and you'll see the rescue survivor button lit up. Click the button and you'll get a message telling you that the survivor has been picked up. Just repeat the whole process again, you only need to rescue 5 pilots to complete the mission.

I found the mission to be tough at 1st but once I got used to it, I find it easy to complete. I use TM and that makes it even easier as it has a report visual contacts button added to the bridge tab, so all I have to do is click on it, if there are no visual contacts I just move closer to the survivor on the bearing given to me by the sonar operator.

I played lifeguard in the Solomons. The aviators drift on an EXACT course of 225 degrees from their reported location, at speeds between 1 and 5 knots.

The way to find them is to go SW of their position and move EXACTLY north east at 2/3 or 1/3 speed. Lookouts will spot them, and then you have to F% to the Bridge, TAB for your binoculars and when the cross-hairs are on the pilot and you are close enough, they will turn red. Then you press the life buoy symbols at the bottom of the page, et voila! they are picked up and you get +250 renown.

Hope this helps.

Happy Hunting!

[Berserker]

I have tried that mission many times..It cost me one sub and crew each time...

[mikesn9]

Aanker: Thanks, I'll give it a try next time the opportunity arises.