UNREP's ?

[DaveH]

Hi,

New to SH4 - just purchased it a week ago.

I am assuming from other posts that underway replenishments do not occur in SH4. Is this realistic for the time period?

I served in the USN onboard a Frigate in the late eighties and if we were out more than a few weeks, we'd UNREP to take on fuel and supplies. I don't remember specifics, but our fuel stores never got to less than 50%. If they did, it only happened rarely. Again, it's been almost 20 years, so I may be wrong on those figures. I do remember that when deployed we always took on fuel whenever possible.

Anyone know if this should be how it's done in SH4 also?

Dave

[Salty Longshanks]

On your nav map, look for the bases that have the anchors with the blue (I think) stripes through them. You can sail to these ports and refit. I don't think there is anything modeled into the game to refit at sea while your underway.

P.S. Welcome aboard! :D

[John Channing]

The Tenders (Striped Anchors) only become available after mid '42. Conserve fuel and watch your sped.

JCC

[JimRat]

I also served in the Navy in the Early 80's and when on Deployment we UNREPed every 3 days, the Fuel was not allowed to go below 80% capacity. the only exception to this was when a Ship was assigned to some detached duty away from the Battle Group.

As far as USN subs UNREPing in WW2, this was not as a rule done, as the Subs generally observed Radio silence to avoid giving their positions to the enemy and also as the Subs were usually in very forward areas, it would have needlessly endangered the supply vessels. :)

[tater]

I've read of a couple attempts to transer fuel from sub to sub in wolfpacks later in the war, but they weren't set up for doing it (and they weren't even underway) and it didn't work well.

USN subs simply didn't do this.

[Sailor Steve]

I am assuming from other posts that underway replenishments do not occur in SH4. Is this realistic for the time period?
It was common for ships in a task force to have tankers and supply ships along. Not for submarines. We didn't risk having tenders in actual combat zones without a lot of escort along, so subs had to return to port for resupply.

[DaveH]

Thanks for the replies everyone! That's good to know.

@JimRat - yeah, I was pretty sure we topped off pretty often, but I don't think we did it every 3 days. However, I worked a 12 hour rotation when out to sea, so it's very possible we could have UNREP'ed while I was in the bunk and didn't even realize it! :)

If I remember correctly, our boat help about 208,000 gallons of fuel not including JP5, so I am sure we took on fuel more often then a remember. It's been too long though, so I am just not sure.

Cool story though - we had a chance to UNREP from the Battleship Missouri once before she was decommissioned. Not sure why we did this, because we didn't even take on enough fuel to make it worthwhile. Sure was neat to see her that close while underway though! :D

Dave

[don1reed]

Another fun fact.

Vessels that are too small for normal side x side highline unreps and/or not set up with quick connecting fuel intake ports, have their fuel resupply lines buoyed and floated to them from the stern of the AO/AOE/supplying vessel while underweigh.

[JimRat]

Dave,

Cool! Refueling from the "Mighty Mo". :D I served aboard the USS Chandler (DDG-996), one of the Kidd class, (Ayatollah class), DDGs that the USN took over after they were originally built for Iran. We had a 600,000 gallon fuel capacity and usually took on about 80,000 gallons every time we hit the Tanker.

As an aside and to show it is a small world, I was a "plankowner", our Original Command Master Chief joined the Nav in 1944 and was a Seaman 1st class aboard the USS Missouri when the Japanese signed the surrender documents. He retired from our Ship after 38 years in the NAVY, (BMCM - all red service stripes and chevrons if you know what I mean ;) ). He also spoke seven languages, had LOTS of SEA STORIES. LOL

You mentioned you served aboard a Frigate, may I ask? Which one?

Jim R. (former QM3 USNR)

P.S. The Chandler is now serving proudly in the Taiwanese Navy.

[Navigator857]

Uggg, the days of UnReps. I remember our first cruise after being leaving Hampton Roads. As a deckape I was amoung the lucky "ammo work party". All day long we took on 5" and 16" rounds. Stack after stack after stack of 5" rounds that we had to download using those slow WWII era ammo hoists. Most of the 16" rounds were high wired but the pallets of 5" were usually swing onto deck by to transport helos. Those guys were nuts but did a fantastic job. I thought my arms would fall off. The 16" rounds were'nt so bad since the GM's took care of stowing the powder and shells up foward. We had a few rounds of 5" get launched across the lower handling room due to malfunctions.

Now UnRep refueling was a blast. As a QM I got to helm during most of the UnReps. Now that was hairy. A guideline was sent across with different colored flags to measure distance. Get too close and the collision alarm got sounded and an emergency breakaway took place. One cool action was that all ships that did a normal breakaway from AO/AOES got to pick thier break away song. Since it was the 80's I usually played the "Eye of the Tiger" over the 1MC. The CO was'nt too hip on rock music but he let it pass.

[XanderF]

UNREP at all did not occur before the 1930s. From the 1930s through 1940s (unsure of exact stopping point), it only occurred while basically stationary between ships of any type - and, as noted, not for subs. Subs required dedicated tenders, which would usually be parked in a specific harbor (and well defended). The Germans had something of a special case exception to this during the brief period the Milchcows operated, but the Allies never did anything like that.

(Aside: the first warship -> sub UNREP was in 1943, between DD-818 USS New and SS-423 USS Torsk.)