I'm in a Pickle

[scrapser]

I'm on my first ever campaign patrol using TMO and ran across a couple merchants running tandem south/southeast of Formosa. Just as I'm about to ambush these guys (they are less than 2000 yards off my stern), I get flash traffic about a Task Force! It turns out to be south/southwest of Formosa traveling at 15 knots and looks to be heading for the Formosa Straits.

Do I...

Attack the two merchants

<or>

Scramble for the Task Force at flank (maybe intercept them north of the island)?

[miner1436]

Are the merchants armed?

[scrapser]

I doubt it. It's still 1941 and one is a Hog and the other a Split something or other. Not very large either of them.

[miner1436]

Try to take them out with the deck gun and then run to the task force.

[Rockin Robbins]

Radio reports aren't always reliable. Leaving real targets for something that might not pan out just maka no sensa. Also, what if this is one of those 30 knot convoys and you're not in the narrow cone of opportunity to attack it? You'd be wasting your time.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." There! Submarine wisdom from Benjamin Franklin.:know:

[Captain Vlad]

I'm with RR on this one. You've accomplished step one (find them). Leaving out step two (sink them) just doesn't seem right.:arrgh!:

[scrapser]

I will attempt both. The task force is moving at 15 knots according to the report so it's worth a look see. I haven't encountered a Task Force yet so it's very tempting.

[Quillan]

If you're running TMO, forget the deck gun. They're only 2k yards off, so hit them with torps. Then finish them off with the deck gun if need be. While you're waiting for them to move into firing position, use the time to plan your course to intercept the task force. At flank you can do ~20 knots depending on weather conditions, so you can outpace them. Finish the merchants, come to the surface, and all ahead flank to get well ahead of the task force. You'll have time to reload the tubes while you're moving.

FYI, a task force moving at only 15 knots almost certainly includes at least one merchant (tanker would be my guess), otherwise it would be moving faster. The last one I got notice of was 2 DDs and 2 Kongo BBs, and it was cruising at 20 knots. Without advance notice, I would never have been able to intercept it.

[MonTana_Prussian]

I agree with Q's suggestion,Torps,then Gun if needed. I never pass up juicy Merchies...

[gord96]

sorry for being a SH4 noob (have been playing SH3 more) but what is TMO?? :hmm:

[Quillan]

Trigger Maru Overhauled, it's a major mod for SH4 with the majority of the work done by Ducimus with inclusion of a lot of other work that other modders have put together. The two major "supermods" for SH4, Trigger Maru and Real Fleet Boat, both include a mod that was called "Real Deck Gun", which changes the way the deck gun operates. In stock, the deck gun is almost like a turbolaser battery on a star destroyer, fast firing and immensely powerful. With the mod, it's a lot slower to fire and a lot less damaging. I used up about 75 rounds of HE last night from my 4" gun to sink 4 junks.

[Rockin Robbins]

@gord what Quillian just comprehensively said.:up:

[howler93]

If it were me, I'd tend to chase after the task force...they're pretty rare, and especially if you've never encountered one before, that's where the fun is...merchants are a dime a dozen, and it's guarenteed that you'll find other merchants at another time. Not so for a task force. Go for broke I say!

Either way, Good hunting!

Howler :arrgh!:

[Soundman]

On the contrary, I have to disagree about the deck gun in TMO. It depends on the version. I'm currenly using TMO 1.5 with RSRDC and PE2 and the deck gun is VERY effective. I've sunk smaller vessels with about 15-20 rounds, as long as they are well placed rounds. I find a mix of shells works well. The armour piercing aimed low and high explosives aimed high. I do agree however, that some of the older Trigger Maru mods DID have a slow reload time and were not that effective.

[Ducimus]

That speed/ range chart attached to the gramophone is pretty handy when making decicisions as to which target to chase. ;)

[Buffalo9]

At first notice how far was the TF from your present location?
I'd go for the present target(s), knocking out any asset is a positive,
then crunch the numbers and gauge weather it's even practical to try and intercept the TF.
I'm conservative, challenging merchants is always safer than chasing a TF down then not being able to locate them, or worse; being DC'd, pick'm off one by one and live to do it again.

[Quillan]

It doesn't sound like they're close. From the original post, the sub and the two merchants are SSE of Formosa, and the task force is SSW of Formosa, which basically means the island is between them. Since the merchants are so close (1 nautical mile roughly) and astern, my advice would be to fire two stern tubes at each of the merchants, come to a course of NE, and if the two don't go down, battle surface and finish them off with the deck gun. After they're gone, make a speed run around the northern end of Formosa and try to catch the task force coming out of the Straits. I do not know what boat or year the OP is in; obviously it will be much easier in 1944 with a Balao and SJ-1 radar than it would be in 1942 with a Gato or Porpoise and hydrophones, and impossible if it's a pigboat since they can't run quite as fast.

[scrapser]

I'm in a Tambor and the situation the last poster describes is pretty accurate (except the island is not actually between us). I'm thinking of trying to make a speed run and head them off at the pass north of the main island but there's two ports on some small islands west of Formosa that I'm afraid is the Task Force's destination.

It's Dec. 1941 and my first patrol so I'm running with the basics right now.

We will see. Going for it now.

[MonTana_Prussian]

Good luck scrapser! I hope you get them,but I'd still take out the merchies first.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Blow up everything that moves and steal their toilet paper, I say!