"Bad Hair Day" Patrol

Hinrich Schwab · 10-15-11, 04:24 PM

This is my first post involving a "sea story" in any of the Silent Hunter games, but this experience is filled with enough fail to make it mildly amusing. I was sent on a simple 48 hour patrol to the middle of the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka. It was no big deal other than the usual annoyance of METOX painting a big bull's-eye on my boat for aircraft along with the annoyance of the crew turning the stupid thing back on after I manually turn it off. I come off with a paltry ~2000 tons sunk for my effort, but at least I am still intact. I make the "mistake" of signalling in to base for a new mission, which gave me photo recon of the docks at Colombo. I did not think anything of it at the time. Slip in. Take pictures, slip away.

Or so I thought....

I find out the hard way that Colombo is crawling with destroyers in shallow waters.

I make my first attempt at perimeter penetration from the north. I identify the destroyers in the area, all Clemson-Class. I decide that the waters are too shallow and the distance too far for the sluggard Type IX to make any attempt without catching pure hell, so I try again from the southwest where there is enough water to remain at periscope depth comfortably to get close enough for the stupid pictures.

Another day passes and I kill a random fishing trawler en-route. My approach runs fairly well enough. I waited until dark (of course) and had no real issues getting within recon range...until...

*PING*

AFTER the ping, my crew was kind enough to interrupt my barrage of multi-lingual swearing to tell me a destroyer was closing. "Thanks, guys. I know." *facepalm*

I peek up my scope as I was WAY too shallow to try any evasion to discover a J-Class destroyer expressing its concern over my presence. My choice of tactic was simple: play chicken and fire a torpedo point-blank. Given how close we both were when I acquired the destroyer, the first torpedo missed. He let out a salvo, which sent my aft torpedo to the showers and roughed up the bulkheads for respectable damage.

Knowing I couldn't run and the fact the destroyer was turning into a pattern for the kill, I continued looking through my scope to maneuver the destroyer and hoped he would see me so I could sucker him into a stern chase. The volley from all of his deck guns let me know he took the bait. I turned my boat so he would chase my stern and gave him both tubes when he was less than 800m out at flank speed. The destroyer tried to evade, but simply Tokyo Drifted into the torpedoes as I had planned. The destroyer was gone and my crew had a shower. Mercifully, none of the other destroyers in the area were close enough to care about one of their own getting lit up by a sub it had dead-to-rights.

I took the stupid pictured BdU wanted and got out of Dodge.

The next time the AI sends me on a recon mission in the Type IX, my answer is "NO!"

Sailor Steve · 10-15-11, 06:57 PM

Is this in the stock version of the game? Sometimes the "Missions" are silly and have nothing to do with the real war. In either case I don't think you get in trouble for not bothering to complete them.

Anyway, good story.

Diopos · 10-16-11, 01:36 AM

Next time send back the photo with the wife and kids! Report that you located your family in Colobo and apply for a shore leave!

.

Hinrich Schwab · 10-16-11, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Is this in the stock version of the game? Sometimes the "Missions" are silly and have nothing to do with the real war. In either case I don't think you get in trouble for not bothering to complete them.

Anyway, good story.

Yeah, this was stock. I am aware that ignoring missions holds no real penalty, but I had been spoiled by stock SH4's American missions and made way too many trips to Melekeok.

For my "reward", I am now being sent to patrol around South Africa. The ability to call in an auxiliary cruiser really doesn't make me feel any better.

10-15-11, 04:24 PM	#1
Hinrich Schwab Grey Wolf Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 908 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	"Bad Hair Day" Patrol This is my first post involving a "sea story" in any of the Silent Hunter games, but this experience is filled with enough fail to make it mildly amusing. I was sent on a simple 48 hour patrol to the middle of the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka. It was no big deal other than the usual annoyance of METOX painting a big bull's-eye on my boat for aircraft along with the annoyance of the crew turning the stupid thing back on after I manually turn it off. I come off with a paltry ~2000 tons sunk for my effort, but at least I am still intact. I make the "mistake" of signalling in to base for a new mission, which gave me photo recon of the docks at Colombo. I did not think anything of it at the time. Slip in. Take pictures, slip away. Or so I thought.... I find out the hard* way* that Colombo is crawling with destroyers in shallow waters. I make my first attempt at perimeter penetration from the north. I identify the destroyers in the area, all Clemson-Class. I decide that the waters are too shallow and the distance too far for the sluggard Type IX to make any attempt without catching pure hell, so I try again from the southwest where there is enough water to remain at periscope depth comfortably to get close enough for the stupid pictures. Another day passes and I kill a random fishing trawler en-route. My approach runs fairly well enough. I waited until dark (of course) and had no real issues getting within recon range...until... PING AFTER the ping, my crew was kind enough to interrupt my barrage of multi-lingual swearing to tell me a destroyer was closing. "Thanks, guys. I know." facepalm I peek up my scope as I was WAY too shallow to try any evasion to discover a J-Class destroyer expressing its concern over my presence. My choice of tactic was simple: play chicken and fire a torpedo point-blank. Given how close we both were when I acquired the destroyer, the first torpedo missed. He let out a salvo, which sent my aft torpedo to the showers and roughed up the bulkheads for respectable damage. Knowing I couldn't run and the fact the destroyer was turning into a pattern for the kill, I continued looking through my scope to maneuver the destroyer and hoped he would see me so I could sucker him into a stern chase. The volley from all of his deck guns let me know he took the bait. I turned my boat so he would chase my stern and gave him both tubes when he was less than 800m out at flank speed. The destroyer tried to evade, but simply Tokyo Drifted into the torpedoes as I had planned. The destroyer was gone and my crew had a shower. Mercifully, none of the other destroyers in the area were close enough to care about one of their own getting lit up by a sub it had dead-to-rights. I took the stupid pictured BdU wanted and got out of Dodge. The next time the AI sends me on a recon mission in the Type IX, my answer is "NO!"

10-15-11, 06:57 PM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Is this in the stock version of the game? Sometimes the "Missions" are silly and have nothing to do with the real war. In either case I don't think you get in trouble for not bothering to complete them. Anyway, good story. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

10-16-11, 01:36 AM	#3
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Next time send back the photo with the wife and kids! Report that you located your family in Colobo and apply for a shore leave! . __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!