Elder-Pirate
08-20-07, 05:13 PM
13 Jan. 1944 Bismark Sea two DD's ( Shiratsuyu I think ? ) and eight freighters came knocking on my door about 3 am. Closest Maru would cross 850 yds in front of me in about five minutes. Both DD's ( Really, only two this time ) were lolly gaging at about 10 kts, one in front of convoy the other in rear. Fired two #23 torps ( red ones ) at first Maru, was lining up for another shot next Maru when I heard both explosion of direct hit and that blessed "ping-ping". :damn: One DD from the bow and the other from the stern as I think I was about to become hamburger, I already had the rear DD lined up and I took a shot at him 850 yds away ( still setting still at PD ) swung the periscope to 0 degrees and just took a wild guess and fired at 580 yds the bow charging DD. ( I swear those AI sailors had big smiles on their faces :huh: ) Ordered crash dive, then a few seconds later changed the order to 250 ft. Kaboom the rear DD went up in smoke, the front DD zigged his torp or it did not arm or a dud, don't know, but he got me with an ash can and lots of things started going hay wire but I was in good enough shape to run 1 kt at 250 ft and I noticed no leaks in Control nor conning tower. Deck gun and both AA's were beat up, Observation scope head was broke. Put everybody to work fast as we went below the thermal layer ( 140 ft here ), took four hours and every thing was fixed except the guns and of course the broken Obs. scope head.
Came up to 120 ft and sonar showed Marus very faintly at 120 degrees and no DD, well he was up front far enough and I could not pick him up for the Marus behind him. Ok time to surface as its been a little more than four hours now and those guys are moving at 9 kts. Surfaced and radar is picking them up. Ok Deck gun now fixed but I find I've a Hydraulic pump that's not been fixed, oh well lets put the pedal to the metal and get ahead of those guys.
Was making 19/20 kts in o meter winds and smooth seas and out of their radar range about 7500 yds of their starboard side. DD was leading the pack. went far enough ahead of the pack and again waited in about a 900 ft range.
Here they come, heck I think I'll take out the DD then their all mine. :arrgh!: ( remember in title I said "greed or stupidity" well this was stupid :roll: ) I was setting at PD. I wanted him bad so I did something I've not tried before, I surfaced ( approx 10:30 am now ) and I took control of my forward deck gun and fired two rounds at him hitting him both times and just enough to make him mad. :doh: I was facing him at 1200 yds and put my two best gunners on the gun and told them "aim for weapons". setting still ( again ) my guys were pumping it to him and believe it or not he kept missing me but those shells were still to close for comfort. I lined up the DD and shot two torps toward the DD's bow at less than 700 yds, crash diving at 90 degree port. Two big booms, but one boom was my conning tower. As the DD went up in smoke the other Marus were very close and zigging all over the place and I was just about to periscope depth, whoa sub you can't dive. So I pulled up to 15 ft and slowed to 1 kt. my gunners were firing like crazy and so were the Marus. :doh: Mean time I put everybody to work trying to get ready so I could maybe dive as these Marus were really slinging lead and some were hitting me.
Just before I fired the shot at the DD I radioed HDQ of this convoy and that may have been a mistake.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/oleman/Ehnowwhat.jpg
Air radar started screaming his head off "Aircraft sighted". OH S..., not now please. :damn: Bam.kaboom. I was hit by that plane everywhere. so much for the Marus I wanted. I never thought of them calling their air force buddies. :damn:
I had so much wrong I could not take a chance on getting the now seven Marus with no body guards ( they fought pretty good for their selves ) so I turned 180 degrees from them and tried flank speed but 8 kts was all I could muster, also my forward batteries were 90% shot so no under sea driving till I get it .repaired
Here's the damaged report of what that plane and marus combined did.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/oleman/Substatus.jpg
I headed straight for "Tulagi" sub tender then to Brisbane only to get the same mission all over again "because" I did not complete my mission by sinking those Marus. Oh well at least I made it to Brisbane and Davey Jones will just have to wait. :arrgh!:
Came up to 120 ft and sonar showed Marus very faintly at 120 degrees and no DD, well he was up front far enough and I could not pick him up for the Marus behind him. Ok time to surface as its been a little more than four hours now and those guys are moving at 9 kts. Surfaced and radar is picking them up. Ok Deck gun now fixed but I find I've a Hydraulic pump that's not been fixed, oh well lets put the pedal to the metal and get ahead of those guys.
Was making 19/20 kts in o meter winds and smooth seas and out of their radar range about 7500 yds of their starboard side. DD was leading the pack. went far enough ahead of the pack and again waited in about a 900 ft range.
Here they come, heck I think I'll take out the DD then their all mine. :arrgh!: ( remember in title I said "greed or stupidity" well this was stupid :roll: ) I was setting at PD. I wanted him bad so I did something I've not tried before, I surfaced ( approx 10:30 am now ) and I took control of my forward deck gun and fired two rounds at him hitting him both times and just enough to make him mad. :doh: I was facing him at 1200 yds and put my two best gunners on the gun and told them "aim for weapons". setting still ( again ) my guys were pumping it to him and believe it or not he kept missing me but those shells were still to close for comfort. I lined up the DD and shot two torps toward the DD's bow at less than 700 yds, crash diving at 90 degree port. Two big booms, but one boom was my conning tower. As the DD went up in smoke the other Marus were very close and zigging all over the place and I was just about to periscope depth, whoa sub you can't dive. So I pulled up to 15 ft and slowed to 1 kt. my gunners were firing like crazy and so were the Marus. :doh: Mean time I put everybody to work trying to get ready so I could maybe dive as these Marus were really slinging lead and some were hitting me.
Just before I fired the shot at the DD I radioed HDQ of this convoy and that may have been a mistake.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/oleman/Ehnowwhat.jpg
Air radar started screaming his head off "Aircraft sighted". OH S..., not now please. :damn: Bam.kaboom. I was hit by that plane everywhere. so much for the Marus I wanted. I never thought of them calling their air force buddies. :damn:
I had so much wrong I could not take a chance on getting the now seven Marus with no body guards ( they fought pretty good for their selves ) so I turned 180 degrees from them and tried flank speed but 8 kts was all I could muster, also my forward batteries were 90% shot so no under sea driving till I get it .repaired
Here's the damaged report of what that plane and marus combined did.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/oleman/Substatus.jpg
I headed straight for "Tulagi" sub tender then to Brisbane only to get the same mission all over again "because" I did not complete my mission by sinking those Marus. Oh well at least I made it to Brisbane and Davey Jones will just have to wait. :arrgh!: