Need Help from a seasond S-Boat Skipper

[rein1705]

Hi guys. I typically think of myself as being pretty good at taking down merchants with the S-18 class but i have a problem here. It's early 1942 and we've been sent up to patrol the celebs sea. The S-36 is a new command for me and I've got a green crew and no radar. Type 10 torpedoes. We were exiting the strait just before entering the Celebs and i decided to do a trim dive. Low and behold I had a sound contact bearing 004 long range, Warships, Lots of warships. They were closing fast. i surfaced. It is dark out and the sea is dead calm but i have light fog to work with. I determined there course which would take them past me and set an intercept course at flank. Eventually we saw the first DD and i radioed it in. HQ back at Java ordered us to intercept and attack the TF. There going better than 17 knots and at flank on the surface I'm turning 13. too slow for how far away i am but they change course SW and i manage to brave it out and charge along side and slightly ahead of them then turn into the fray. I figure at least 14 DD's 2 fleet CV's some escort CV's BB's the works... man oh man i'm in over my head! several DD's are right near me and im stunned i haven't been spotted yet but im still out of range for my out dated torpedoes to hit anything other than those tin cans. Unfortunately i saved the game when i reported the TF so i still have the same approach as the only option i see. The DD's always spot me on the surface before im in range and im too slow at PD to make range of a capital ship. anyone have any advice? I'm stumped.

[Laconic]

Don't bother trying to attack ships or convoys that are already ahead of you or that you can't be in position to attack in a reasonable amount of time and safety. Call 'em in and go hunt some nice, fat, slow merchants instead. Bugger command; not even the ghost of John Paul Jones can make S-Boats fast enough to chase warships.

[magic452]

It's not exactly realistic but about the only option you have is to open up the range to about 4000+ yards, with fog you might not even have to be that far, and put a few deck gun rounds into the TF.
Maybe you can get them to slow down and you than can maneuver into position for a decent shot. If the TF can't see you they will not return fire.
No radar so you will have to shoot off sonar bearings, don't need to hit just come close.

I've lost more than one TF because of this type situation and it's frustrating
but nothing you can do about it, you were simply not in the right place at the right time. :damn:

Magic

[rein1705]

Thanks u Guys. I managed to hit an Light cruiser with one torpedo while the other 3 missed. I did that at PD! don't ask me how i managed it, it was simply luck! TF scattered and i got the Tin Can's after me. Dove to 268 Feet (very deep in an S-boat) maneuvered around a few minutes while crew reloaded tube one then crept back to pd. i caught a Can about 900 yards in front of me. She must have stopped To run an acoustic check while the others depth charged away some wase off. (I thought I'd send him on a tour of the deep) My torpedo caught her at midships but to my surprise it only crippled the Can.... So for the next half hour We dodged Depth charges and pulled every dirty trick i could think of and managed to come back and sink that crippled Can and put fish into two other DD's before moving off with only one torpedo left. :arrgh!: Not the way i had wanted it to turn out but hey, were alive and Tojo's gonna have nightmares of me for a while.

[magic452]

I just intercepted an IJN radio message about some crazy fool that attacked a big TF with an S boat. Put the big hurt on some DDs and a CA.

I wonder who that could be? :know:

Good job mate. :yeah:

Magic

[rein1705]

right on magic! i gave em a run 4 there money.:salute:

[Armistead]

I love the S boat early war. The only thing that does stink about it is it's slow speed on the surface, if you're not in front, it's hard to do an end around.

Like Magic said, if conditions are right they will slow down if they know you're there, good fog lob some shells. Only problem is if they do get a visual on you, you'll have to dive. You may still be lucky and catch them later. With big war ships, try shooting shells from long range, get one hit that will slow them down.

I ran into the Coral Sea TF and could never even get in range to slow them down. I did the battle of Savo in my S boat...big storm, was a fun battle.

[rein1705]

Yarrr we found another big TF this time headed through the Java. I had better positioning and wound up inside the DD screen. With the help of 5-6 foot seas We maneuvered and dived in a great spot. Loosed our four fish and they ran straight and true. Kablammo! nailed one of the Heavy Cruisers, he was history!! Cut the engines and dove down under the thermal layer to reload but the TF moved on before my first two tubes were finished. A single DD stayed behind, She was sitting pretty not 750yds dead ahead. Slowly we rose from the deep like a S-Boat sea monster and let her have two tickets to the bottom. Then we moved off in the direction of the TF. Found a DD on her way back towards me. Range 6,000 yards i opened up with the deck gun lol.
WE hit her 3 times in a row, Big explosions, and she turned tail and ran!!!!
That was the last we saw of them. Now under way to recon a harbor in Borneo. Wish us luck.
LTCMDR Rein, USS S-36 (SS-SS-141)