DigitalAura
10-25-09, 12:27 PM
Last night was my best patrol ever!
It started as an agent drop at Quingdong, China. I had to head into shallow waters to do this (Yellow Sea I think?).
Afterward I was directed to head back to area ABRIDGE for further orders.
Before I hit the west coast of Southern Japan a huge storm came up and the fog became heavy. Once night fell, it was black. I MEAN BLACK! I actually had to save my game and resume once my room was dark enough! I've never seen it so dark. I couldn't even see any part of my sub, not even the TBT! I was picking up a fast moving convoy of two ships. 17 knots.
I stayed surfaced (because...no one can see anything anyways) and got within 2000 yards, thinking maybe I'll see a light or something. Nada. As the ships sped closer my sonarman reported they were merchants! Hell, I'll get closer then... 1000 yards. They're dead ahead of me and I can't see squat!
All I hear is the howling wind and rain. Pitch black! FIRE'm ALL! Spread 'em out, hopefully we'll hit!
At 1000 yards, I couldn't miss. WHAM... but NO lights or fires. I couldn't believe it. You know, I even went to external cam to go explore. But I couldn't find them!
Then the next merchie was dead ahead... with no torps I started firing my deck guns. As the shells hit I could see faint sillhouette of the most massive ship I've ever seen. At 1000 yards, she was a behemoth to me. Dang...no torps except the stern tubes, and I didn't want to disorient myself by spinning in this ink! Two stacks I saw as one shell hit into the waterline. Man...that deck was waaaaaay up there.
I cheated by checking the Captains log. Somehow, miraculously some one had identified that other ship as a Horai Maru troop ship worth 8000 tons. This one was twice the size! He actually switched on his search lights and I gladly struck at him with my deck guns for several minutes. Didn't even phase him. It all of a sudden turned off all his lights and threw 'er into high gear and veered away. The radar told me it was trying to go around me so I spun to position my stern at him. SO DARK. Can't BELIEVE IT! I unleashed all four torpedoes in a fan and within 10 seconds heard ALL FOUR of them hit! Then it went through a ruckous of explosions like I've never heard. At least 20 explosions. I didn't see much, cuz in case you missed my point... IT WAS FREAKIN' PEA SOUP FOG OUT THERE! But several minutes later I got the report. Yes... it was a Class Rare Troop Carrier... Conte Verde Liner! 18,000 tons, baby!
The second one of those in two days on this patrol! Yesterday I found one surrounded by escorts and nailed her from afar... and waited 4 hours for the escorts to leave so I could finish it off. Well, heading home now, with a whopping 58,000 tons to report. Get the medal ready, Lockhart! I'm a-coming!
It started as an agent drop at Quingdong, China. I had to head into shallow waters to do this (Yellow Sea I think?).
Afterward I was directed to head back to area ABRIDGE for further orders.
Before I hit the west coast of Southern Japan a huge storm came up and the fog became heavy. Once night fell, it was black. I MEAN BLACK! I actually had to save my game and resume once my room was dark enough! I've never seen it so dark. I couldn't even see any part of my sub, not even the TBT! I was picking up a fast moving convoy of two ships. 17 knots.
I stayed surfaced (because...no one can see anything anyways) and got within 2000 yards, thinking maybe I'll see a light or something. Nada. As the ships sped closer my sonarman reported they were merchants! Hell, I'll get closer then... 1000 yards. They're dead ahead of me and I can't see squat!
All I hear is the howling wind and rain. Pitch black! FIRE'm ALL! Spread 'em out, hopefully we'll hit!
At 1000 yards, I couldn't miss. WHAM... but NO lights or fires. I couldn't believe it. You know, I even went to external cam to go explore. But I couldn't find them!
Then the next merchie was dead ahead... with no torps I started firing my deck guns. As the shells hit I could see faint sillhouette of the most massive ship I've ever seen. At 1000 yards, she was a behemoth to me. Dang...no torps except the stern tubes, and I didn't want to disorient myself by spinning in this ink! Two stacks I saw as one shell hit into the waterline. Man...that deck was waaaaaay up there.
I cheated by checking the Captains log. Somehow, miraculously some one had identified that other ship as a Horai Maru troop ship worth 8000 tons. This one was twice the size! He actually switched on his search lights and I gladly struck at him with my deck guns for several minutes. Didn't even phase him. It all of a sudden turned off all his lights and threw 'er into high gear and veered away. The radar told me it was trying to go around me so I spun to position my stern at him. SO DARK. Can't BELIEVE IT! I unleashed all four torpedoes in a fan and within 10 seconds heard ALL FOUR of them hit! Then it went through a ruckous of explosions like I've never heard. At least 20 explosions. I didn't see much, cuz in case you missed my point... IT WAS FREAKIN' PEA SOUP FOG OUT THERE! But several minutes later I got the report. Yes... it was a Class Rare Troop Carrier... Conte Verde Liner! 18,000 tons, baby!
The second one of those in two days on this patrol! Yesterday I found one surrounded by escorts and nailed her from afar... and waited 4 hours for the escorts to leave so I could finish it off. Well, heading home now, with a whopping 58,000 tons to report. Get the medal ready, Lockhart! I'm a-coming!