We regret to inform you...

[Capn_Sinky]

Ok guys I need to borrow the collective brain trust. Just got sunk for the second time on the same insane mission.

Obviously Mr. Lockwood has got it in for me. I thought it was bad enough putting an agent ashore on the Island of Hokkaido. Talk about into the mouth of the cat. Then I get the mission to go and do a photo recon of Yokohama.

Having made it into the bay past the first patrol boat and having managed to avoid the three patrolling gunboats and destroyers so far, even managed to take my pictures but the channel its only 120 ft at its deepest point. Its a cloudy overcast day so at least the weather is on my side. The sticky part is the exit. I got 60% of my batts left and I have 10 torps and I'm in the Drum. Ive managed to evade the existing patroling craft but halfway out I run into this huge taskforce. I cant slip by even at 1/3 and silent running. They hit me with everything they had managed to sit on bottom, repair and stop the major flooding, then they hit me with a gunboat. NO, I dont mean the gunboat sank me with a DC, I mean they litterally hit me with a gunboat. I'll try to post a screen shot of it later. But visualize a gunboat sitting on the submarines hull just aft the conn. In their zeal to sink my sub they apparently ran over the gunboat sinking him and he manages to kamakize right down on top of me. There is a slightly deeper area but it is right under the BB Ise. Dont' know if i can reach it in time to avoid the onslaught.

Saved it at several points during the mission so I can go back to before the task force entry.

Any ideas gentalmen?

[Idaeus]

Wow... I really wish I could be in your position atm! Sounds really cool! :D :rock:

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

If I were you I'd go Periscope depth. Hi flank speed and attack. Better to go out fighting. Had a similar situation and had two escorts burning and the rest shocked- didn't expect that reaction I guess. I'd then head out to deeper waters and lose them.

[SuperCavitation]

I run harbor attacks pretty frequently, and I'd say to slink into the deeper water.

(see illustration)

There's layer present in the green areas and I usually run back n forth between the two green areas to recharge at night. I'm assuming you're near the blue?

http://www.jediforest.com/images/yokohama.JPG

[SuperCavitation]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.... this is where my save games are usually worthless. Don't know if you'll have the same issue though.

[Capn_Sinky]

Yeppers, Im currrently just a little to the left of the blue dot. There are three patrol craft (a destroyer and I think two gunboats) that patrol the area. They run in a circuit (been tracking them on the hydrophones) above the blue dot then run NE to above the green dots and disapear to North probably Toyko. Then they come down to the right just E of the green dots then across to the West under the green dots and around to the south of the blue dot and start the route over again.

I try to wait till they pass by me and I'm in their wake and then make my move. Cant get very far at 4 kts though. There is a smaller deeper area SW of the blue dot, but a BB is sitting there. Thought about going deep and using him for cover. Dont really want to engauge the patrol craft, not sure how many DD would show up if I do that. About how far away can the patrol craft hear my sub running silent and at 1/3 power? 5000yds? or much further I know it depends on their speed but?? Active sonar they have to be much closer right? <3000yds maybe?

Batts are ok at about 60/65% CO2 is showing 18%. Dont understand that gauge real well. Surely it is showing percent of lethal limit and not percent of atmosphere in sub right? I would think 18% CO2 atmosphere would be lethal.

SC When you say your saves are useless define useless. As in don't work or crash when you try to replay or too far apart to be helpful (aka saved when trouble walked in the door and not before)?

[Quillan]

I think the task force is just bad luck. I had that happen once when I had to do a photo recon of Osaka; a convoy was coming in as I was leaving. If you can hide, you may be ok, but if you get too close to the escorts they will detect you. Even motionless, lying on the bottom with silent running on I got spotted by the convoy escorts that time.

[SuperCavitation]

I think the task force is just bad luck.
It is indeed. I've not had it happen to me yet in 15+ harbor attacks.

Dont really want to engauge the patrol craft, not sure how many DD would show up if I do that.
If you are talking about the harbor patrol, none. But with the Task escorts buzzing around... thats different altogether... :cry:

About how far away can the patrol craft hear my sub running silent and at 1/3 power? 5000yds? or much further I know it depends on their speed but?? Active sonar they have to be much closer right? <3000yds maybe?
I feel safe at 3000yds when I run my harbors. But I always keep my speed at 1-2kts and run mere feet from the bottom. Silent running helps, too, I'd imagine... but sometimes I forget to turn it on and I still end up okay. :roll:

CO2 kills the crew at 100% I believe. Has not happened to me yet, but I did push it past 50% once.

SC When you say your saves are useless define useless. As in don't work or crash when you try to replay or too far apart to be helpful (aka saved when trouble walked in the door and not before)?
There are a couple threads here and there about saves that will be bad when there are TONS of contacts for the game and your machine to account for. Lets say you get sunk now and you try to reload. What happens (for me) is the progress bar will load and then the game hangs on "Please Wait." Somebody has said to try and load your save from outside port and run it for about 5 min and then reload your harbor save and it'll work. This has not worked for me. Ran mine 15 min. But it might work for you, and has for others, that's why I mention it.

Basically, I save before I commit to my harbor attack run and I dont bother until I hit the deep blue a few tankers and merchies later. :arrgh!:

PS. The harbor is mighty pretty at sunrise with all that smoke in the air. :p Cuz you know they never really "sink." Hehehehehe!

[peabody]

Make a japanese flag and sail out on the surface. :arrgh!:

I had to do a photo mission in manila Harbor of carriers and it was almost all white, but I got to do it at night, so I just stayed tight to the shoreline. None of the ships seem to patrol there. The deap water was heavliy patrolled and I had to go all the way around behind them because they were guarded in front of them too. They were anchored not docked. But during the day, I don't know, if the DD don't see you the planes will. Don't know what time it is, but if you could slip into deeper water until night, then try the eastern shore. Just a thought.
I suppose the place is full of gun bunkers so you can't surface anywhere to try flank to deeper water.

Peabody

[Capn_Sinky]

Thanks SC and Q.

Yeah , I was kinda thinking that too, about the bad luck. A convoy of merchies came through first and they went right over me. I was stuck in like 70' of water when they came through and I just knew one was going to konk me on the noggin. The poor guy on the diveplanes looked like he was going to poop himself :o when all the engine noise came through the hull. the escorts were out to the sides of that convoy so they didnt find me and lucky for me the convoy wasn't zig-zagging so they went right around me.

But when the task force came through all heck broke loose. If my perscope was still functioning I bet I would have even seen a kitchen sink comming down at me. It was definately bad luck when the gunboat landed on my aft end. Guess he didn't follow the pattern the DDs were using. Thats when you know you are really giving them fits when the DDs starting running into each other and you can hear the collision alarms going off.:arrgh!:

[SuperCavitation]

I suppose the place is full of gun bunkers

Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima are, that's why I hang out in the green areas in my map up there when in Tokyo. Haven't been to Manilla yet.

I'm going to attack Wake Island next, as it is on my way home from my less-than-stellar patrol. I bet this is gonna be fun! I've been studying Wake's layout on the map and there is no good angle but a hook-in. Good times!

MAN THE BEER COOLER!!

[SuperCavitation]

If my perscope was still functioning I bet I would have even seen a kitchen sink comming down at me

Both scopes destroyed? Totally? Or just need repair time?

[Capn_Sinky]

Hey I've been to Wake. In the game and in real life. Cool place.

Intel report from the commander USS Drum

Two things I can tell you make sure your running Mark 14s (I know Im a big Mk10 guy, but they dont have the range you'll need) and stay near the middle but slightly to the right, be careful it gets really shallow really fast. There are gun emplacements in side the rim and outside the rim so don't surface within 6000yds or so. Also go deep as soon as you leave, luckly it drops off quick, the zeros and Betty's will be on you really quickly. I hit it early in 42 and there were no patrols. Several ships but none active. The easy ones will be the the left and will have their sides exposed, but they were small or medium sized vessles. The big boy sits at the far end to your right and although you will see her starboard side there is a pier on that side obstructing your shot, but her bow sticks out 10-20 yards past the end so aim for her nose. Lots of nice buildings much bigger than in real life and the height of the island is much taller than in real life too. If you really want to know what it feels like to stand on Wake Island go to the beach right next to the waters edge and sit down. Thats what it is like standing on Wake. nothing to hide behind, but a few sand dunes. I cant imagine what it would have been like standing there and seeing the IJN out there off shore. Luckly the real island has a lot of reefs further out but no reef in SHIV.

[Capn_Sinky]

SC both scopes totaled. Will try to put a screene of the Gunboat on my aft end when I get home. Luckly I saved right after getting the recon photos. Way befor the convoys show up.

[SuperCavitation]

:up: Thanks for the intel, Capn! I'm off work today (I get my 40 in thurs-sun) so I'll let you know how good or bad it goes soon.

It's Aug 11, 1942 and I'm on the Drum... saaaayyyy.... If you're the Ice Cream Officer.... whats that make me?

[Capn_Sinky]

I may make a visit there myself. Another good port call is Melekeok on the east side of Lalau. SW from Guam. Usually 2 or three large ships there and its an open port, easy in easy out.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

[SuperCavitation]

Wake Island was a breeze. One DD guarding the whole chicken coop. But... all I saw (worth sinking) was an old tanker and a large euro merch. I swam away with about 11k in tonnage, not shabby. Trying Melekeok this evening.

[Capn_Sinky]

Finally made it out, whew. Staying close to the bottom and not being so worried about distance from escorts helped. I left a little calling card before slippling into the channel. I fired my four stern tubes at the Ise BB on the way out and got three out four hits. Unfortuantly the one dud kept me from sinking her. Left her burning with the aft end even with the surface. If the one dud would have worked I would have a BB to my credit. Will take them a while to get her running again though, two really solid hits flooded the engine room and one well below the waterline under aft turrett.

Made it around the bend in time for the merchant convoy to pass over me. Sat in the sand and waited for them to pass then ran for the harbor entrance staying low. The patrol craft at the entrance made one DC run but didn't get too close, no damage. I tried the 2-3 knot thing applying ahead 1/3 until I get three knots and then coasting and turning. That seemed to really confuse the patrol craft. They knew I was there but could'nt get bead on me. Then the task force shows up and I keep up the 2-3 knot stratgey and stayed close to the bottom and managed to slip out under the TF.

By the time I made it all the way out of the harbor it was night and I had about 5% batts and 35% CO2. I know I must have been under for at least 14-16 hours. Hit the surface and RLH at flank speed. By morning had a 75% charge on the batts and then the planes started showing up. But thats ok, I can deal with the aircraft and surface threats out on the open sea.

Well, on my way back to Pearl. Thanks for all the help guys. The men aboard the USS Drum thank you and the citizens of the United States thank you!:rock:

"All right boys, will it be Rum Rasin or Butter Pecan!":arrgh!:

[Rockin Robbins]

A difficult job well-done! I haven't had the good or bad fortune to get an assignment like yours but if I do, I hope I do as well.:up: Great story!

[SuperCavitation]

Awesome!!! :up:

[peabody]

Excellent Capt'n Sinky! I have not had the misfortune of having a harbor mission in Japan itself. How's the nerves? I'm sending a bottle of rum, you deserve it. (purly medicinal of course).

Peabody