Log in

View Full Version : A Shokaku can be your friend


VonGlaus
02-08-09, 07:07 PM
Isn't Ctrl+F11 supposed to take pictures? No photographic evidence, sorry. But...

I decided to take a break from my career, so I loaded some of RockinRobbin's subnuclear torps and tried the Midway mission (TMO 1.62 & RSRD). Got smeared twice, there are a LOT of destroyers hunting for you. Third time was more fun:

I made a conventional submerged attack, except for spending quite some time with the free camera watching the air battle. I was detected again, so launched from 3,000 yards at 2 shokakus and 1 heavy battleship. Dived deep and started to take a pounding. Had to keep spying with my camera and watched the shokakus come to a complete stop. Got the BB though.

After a few minutes of getting bombed, I realized that my course was taking me under one of the stopped carriers. I slowly crept up to 100` and was under one carrier looking at the other. Unrealistic, yes. This did seem to confuse the destroyers, I was able to go back to working on my repairs. I decided to set a torp to straight running and try for the other carrier. I fired one torp and surprise! A protective destroyer drove right in front of my firing solution and took it for his buddy. So now I had to wait a few minutes for his wreckage to clear, then fired another torp. The other carrier went from dead stop to ahead flank, but I just clipped her in the stern. Close is good enough with these torps and down she went. Now I had a problem: I'm parked under the next ship I want to hit. So I gunned it and tried for a stern shot. But the carrier hit the gas also, and my shot missed. Now I was flushed back out in the open, and here came the destroyers! It was time to dive again and get pummeled. But then they stopped! Looking through my magic camera I see the carrier has made a 180 and is steaming right back at me! However, a destroyer was lining up for a run in the other direction. Destroyer came to a dead stop nose to nose with carrier. Carrier didn't stop, just bashed into the destroyer, pushed her sideways for a bit, then rolled her completely over! Another destroyer went to all back emergency and just barely evaded the charging carrier! I was saved!

Still laughing and panning around with the camera, I notice another heavy BB now sitting still. I snuck under it and came back up. Repaired some more damage, loaded some more torps. "Ho ho," thought I, "I have a new tactic to brag about." Saw another large ship nearby (actually using my periscope for quick peeks, somehow the BB never saw it) and backed and filled until my stern was inline with it. My big plan was to fire a couple stern torps at it, then when the destroyers came running I would dodge under the BB again.

All went exactly to plan. I fired some more subnuclear torps and down went the ship. Here came the destroyers and down under the BB I ducked. Oh look! A blinky message saying mission accomplished! I was feeling very cocky, when I suddenly discovered the disadvantage of wearing a Battleship as a helmet:

Bad-Guy Battleships Get Attacked By Good-Guy Airplanes!

Apparantly a wave of friendly aircraft came overhead, and the only capital ship left was sitting right on top of me. The BB took a pounding and so did I. Explosions, Screams, everything being destroyed. I was just waiting for the fade to black when...

Up pops the mission accomplished screen.

So did I win or lose?

Torplexed
02-08-09, 07:30 PM
So did I win or lose?
Let's see. You inflicted major losses on the enemy but sacrificed your life and that of your sub's crew in the process.

You win a bronze statue of yourself in a park somewhere. :cool:

BTW I always loved the hide under the motionless ship tactic in SH3. I've yet to try it in SH4.

Enigma
02-08-09, 09:12 PM
BTW I always loved the hide under the motionless ship tactic in SH3

Me too! :yeah:

Torplexed
02-08-09, 09:48 PM
BTW I always loved the hide under the motionless ship tactic in SH3

Me too! :yeah:

We had a thread once where we tried to decide if this tactic was cheating...

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=135296

...but how do you cheat if the system allows it? :ping: According to the thread it could be done in reality.

VonGlaus
02-08-09, 10:28 PM
I sat at 100 feet depth and cracked the attack periscope up just enough to view above me. I was able to see the ship and it's orientation, allowed me to wiggle around under her. Probably gave my depth-keeping officer fits.

Red Lord of Chaos
02-09-09, 06:53 AM
Well if she goes down you're going with her, but you make your choice and you take your chances...

Berinhardt
02-09-09, 11:26 AM
While hiding under a badly damaged burning cruiser to reload torps and dodge destroyers, the enemy called in air support. While the planes were dive bombing my location, they hit the cruiser which started to sink right over the top of me.

I was at 200 feet and was using my external camera to watch the action, so I had a few seconds to jump to flank speed and try to get out of the way. I still collided with the cruiser on the way down, and had to maintain flank speed to keep from sinking to the bottom - which of course drew the destroyers straight to me.

For the next hour I managed to evade 2 destroyers and the overhead aircraft while the crew made repairs. Just when I thought I was done for the DD's ran out of depth charges. As darkness fell, and the batteries faded I managed to reload the stern tubes and set the destroyers up for a topedo attack.

As the last destroyer was sinking, I surfaced the boat and limped back to Pearl to get chewed out for the condition of my boat.

SteamWake
02-09-09, 11:37 AM
limped back to Pearl to get chewed out for the condition of my boat.

LOL yea got to love that.

Well at least your crew will be greatful.