Alcibiades
04-02-10, 01:20 PM
As a forum lurker, I figured I'd finally pipe up with a post.
Captains Log
0300 - dark night, rough seas. constant pounding causes crew to lose lunch, stink is high, morale is down. all stop, submerge to 30 meters for some rest
0325 - sonar contact bearing 183, warship long range moving slow. adrenaline buzzes through the crew. everyone moves to battle stations.
0330 - sonar contact bearing 185. okay, got it. surface the boat, ahead full, new course bearing 150
0345 - task force in sight! visibilty low. one Nelson class battleship. 5 escorts. range to battleship, 5,000m, est angle on bow -115. bearing 35 (from heading) crap! they are almost broadside and slightly moving away.
0350 - battleship range 4800m. speed estimate 15 knots. increase to flank. attempt to intercept, but am already "behind" with estimated angle on bow of -120. I cross my fingers and hope that the task force will suddenly turn towards us. XO gives me a strange look.
0403 - everyone excited. tell engine crew chief to overcharge diesel engines, he refuses - low morale... @$#@%! I threaten to kick his arse good, but it doesnt help. back to the deck. battleship is moving at 16 knots (revised). no course change. bearing 20, range <3000m.
0405 - plot long range solution, select a 4 torpedo salvo spread. offset 1 degree. check map again. will be a long shot, but posssible. cannot help but to drool at the thought of sinking the Nelson class battleship. XO wisely does not mention my excessive drooling.
0415 - update solution. trying to close distance to approach a marginal firing position, though still coming in from the battleships 8 o'clock position. Not a great shot, but... I try hard to justify the shot. Range 2400. I climb to the deck again to stare at the glimpses of the battleship as she bobs up and down in my binoculars. Waves are very rough. I can almost "see" the torpedo's striking her as she sinks in a blaze... I cackle in glee
0420 - closest destroyer escort is getting too close for comfort, but my eyes are on the battleship. he won't see us anyway. Finally after an excessive wave threatens to wash me overboard, I retire to the tower below and recalculate a solution.
0422 - oh @#$%#@% a flash of light from the destroyer. a wall of water erupts just past the bow! SPOTTED!! ahhhh.... heck! what now?! push the fire button! .. what? FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE!!! DAMMMIT FIRE!! ......Firing tube 1.. Firing tube 2... Firing tube 3... Firing tube 4... okay now damn GET OFF THE DECK!! AHH HECK WITH EM, THEY DON'T LISTEN ANYWAY! CRASH DIVE!! HARD TO PORT.. NO NO, HARD TO STARBORD... THAT WILL FOOL THEM!! FLANK SPEED!!
0424 - crossing 40 meters depth, destroyers still firing deck guns.. how could they have seen me? I bitch considerably and curse them violently. but why are they still shooting? I can hear the splashes. do they still think I'd be waiting around on the surface? All ahead slow, Silent running.. I look at the stopwatch.. Torpedo impact in 1 minute
0425 - impact in 50 seconds.... 30 seconds.... 10 seconds.... 5... 2... 0... + 1.... + 5 .... +15 WTF!!! @#$%@#% #@$@#$ @#$#@$! !#@$
I berate the XO for his lousy shooting! Ahhh.. hell... how am I ever going to explain this to Donitz? wait, wait... I know I'll just tell him the torpedo's were duds... works everytime.
0428 - sonar has four warships converging at high speed - #@$@# .....sonar still has slow moving warship moving away. I tell him to shut the @#$%#@ up!! Crossing 70 meters. depth charges are in the water... we are so screwed.........
...
*log found by salvage vessel Discovery in remains of U120 deep on the Atlantic sea floor*
This game rocks!!!!!! I don't know what people are complaining about. Now on my third patrol and this was my first encounter with warships. I did miss, but I did get away also. I ravaged two unescorted convoys for +100k tonnage on my first two patrols, but am not doing so well on my third...(6 missed torpedos, 0 ships sunk, 60% fuel left and 58% hull!!?!) I had to try! But FUN!!
yeah, I play with 100% realism.
Captains Log
0300 - dark night, rough seas. constant pounding causes crew to lose lunch, stink is high, morale is down. all stop, submerge to 30 meters for some rest
0325 - sonar contact bearing 183, warship long range moving slow. adrenaline buzzes through the crew. everyone moves to battle stations.
0330 - sonar contact bearing 185. okay, got it. surface the boat, ahead full, new course bearing 150
0345 - task force in sight! visibilty low. one Nelson class battleship. 5 escorts. range to battleship, 5,000m, est angle on bow -115. bearing 35 (from heading) crap! they are almost broadside and slightly moving away.
0350 - battleship range 4800m. speed estimate 15 knots. increase to flank. attempt to intercept, but am already "behind" with estimated angle on bow of -120. I cross my fingers and hope that the task force will suddenly turn towards us. XO gives me a strange look.
0403 - everyone excited. tell engine crew chief to overcharge diesel engines, he refuses - low morale... @$#@%! I threaten to kick his arse good, but it doesnt help. back to the deck. battleship is moving at 16 knots (revised). no course change. bearing 20, range <3000m.
0405 - plot long range solution, select a 4 torpedo salvo spread. offset 1 degree. check map again. will be a long shot, but posssible. cannot help but to drool at the thought of sinking the Nelson class battleship. XO wisely does not mention my excessive drooling.
0415 - update solution. trying to close distance to approach a marginal firing position, though still coming in from the battleships 8 o'clock position. Not a great shot, but... I try hard to justify the shot. Range 2400. I climb to the deck again to stare at the glimpses of the battleship as she bobs up and down in my binoculars. Waves are very rough. I can almost "see" the torpedo's striking her as she sinks in a blaze... I cackle in glee
0420 - closest destroyer escort is getting too close for comfort, but my eyes are on the battleship. he won't see us anyway. Finally after an excessive wave threatens to wash me overboard, I retire to the tower below and recalculate a solution.
0422 - oh @#$%#@% a flash of light from the destroyer. a wall of water erupts just past the bow! SPOTTED!! ahhhh.... heck! what now?! push the fire button! .. what? FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE!!! DAMMMIT FIRE!! ......Firing tube 1.. Firing tube 2... Firing tube 3... Firing tube 4... okay now damn GET OFF THE DECK!! AHH HECK WITH EM, THEY DON'T LISTEN ANYWAY! CRASH DIVE!! HARD TO PORT.. NO NO, HARD TO STARBORD... THAT WILL FOOL THEM!! FLANK SPEED!!
0424 - crossing 40 meters depth, destroyers still firing deck guns.. how could they have seen me? I bitch considerably and curse them violently. but why are they still shooting? I can hear the splashes. do they still think I'd be waiting around on the surface? All ahead slow, Silent running.. I look at the stopwatch.. Torpedo impact in 1 minute
0425 - impact in 50 seconds.... 30 seconds.... 10 seconds.... 5... 2... 0... + 1.... + 5 .... +15 WTF!!! @#$%@#% #@$@#$ @#$#@$! !#@$
I berate the XO for his lousy shooting! Ahhh.. hell... how am I ever going to explain this to Donitz? wait, wait... I know I'll just tell him the torpedo's were duds... works everytime.
0428 - sonar has four warships converging at high speed - #@$@# .....sonar still has slow moving warship moving away. I tell him to shut the @#$%#@ up!! Crossing 70 meters. depth charges are in the water... we are so screwed.........
...
*log found by salvage vessel Discovery in remains of U120 deep on the Atlantic sea floor*
This game rocks!!!!!! I don't know what people are complaining about. Now on my third patrol and this was my first encounter with warships. I did miss, but I did get away also. I ravaged two unescorted convoys for +100k tonnage on my first two patrols, but am not doing so well on my third...(6 missed torpedos, 0 ships sunk, 60% fuel left and 58% hull!!?!) I had to try! But FUN!!
yeah, I play with 100% realism.