New mission and success.

[Bothersome]

Well, I've taken command of a new boat, the Seahorse, a Balao class sub out of Brisbane. She's in bad need of new/better paint job. Don't know how it got so bad in such a short period of time being the boat is supposed to be new.

Got my first patrol and headed out. Did some test dives and turning maneuvers to get the times recorded. The men still need more training here. They don't seem to have it down pat yet.

Came upon a task force detected on radar at about 5 degrees starboard, heading 270. Tried to get ahead but the TF was just a bit too fast.

Heading back on plotted course made it destination. Setting up patrol I got new contact. A Hog Island type freighter heading SW away from me. After a run around maneuver, contact never show on radar so gave up search and headed back to patrol area. The target obviously changed course while I was in the head. Re-acquired the target and set up a nice approach using a 70 degree bearing approach. Closing with sub speed at 5.5 knots kept the target on 70.

For some reason, my sonar man couldn't hear anything yet I could when I put on the head phones. I tried to give him a lesson in what ships sound like but he must be too nervous to learn anything new. Finally, he did start hearing and tracking the target.

(situation is 100% realism, TMO 2.0)

By the book target tracking and range measurements yielded a nice target image on the position keeper. I normally like to to get so close it's hard to miss but really needed to learn this targeting computer to the end of its abilities. If wanted to make best use of my weapons. So, now was the time to "get it done right".

After paying close attention to the bearing readouts on the targeting computer, and comparing them to the called out sonar positions, I knew I had a pretty close attitude on the target.

Originally, I had planned a straight ahead shot with little to no turn on the torpedoes. But after about a minute of watching the position keeper image and with scope down I noticed that the torpedo would hit about 270 angle on the bow of the target. So I open tubes 1 through 3 and fired 1 through 3 about about 5 seconds apart.

Target about 2100 yards out. I raise the periscope when I thought the torpedoes should be getting close from watching the image on the PK. Right about the time the water cleared the lens of the periscope, the first torpedo impact was reported and a blast heard throughout the boat. Raves and hollers almost drowned out the second impact. Then 5 seconds later the third impact. First two hit right under the smoke stack. Because of the first taking out the power unit, the ship started to slow. The third hit right under the bridge. Ship broke up and sank within about 1 minute. 6683 tons made it's way to the bottom.

I was very proud of my men and the equipment for doing an excellent job that was a text book, by the numbers, kill.

Many thanks go to many of the skippers here on SUBSIM for all the knowledge papers they have written on how to kill merchants. I have learned to take the best parts from each lesson and apply them to my own strategies for situations that arrive and how to change the situations to more of my own liking.

Many thanks again. :salute:

[Armistead]

Good patrol.

You'll be able to hear things your men won't on sonar, moreso early war. There is basically a contact zone around your ship that reaches out to the range of your best equipment. However, the best zone always exist even if you don't have the late war equipment. You'll notice when you come close to a convoy your PC will lag. You may not get a contact report, but ships are in your contact zone. They may be far away. Often people just keep going in the same direction during this lag time and miss targets. Most people will dive and use sonar to find the ship. If you head that way eventually your crew will pick it up, but they pick up based on equipment and ability.

Later war as you get better stuff and ability, your men will see and hear these targets further into the contact zone. Early war your not limited by their inability, so you can hear on sonar to the end of the contact edge, they have to get better skill and equipment. With the best sonar and radar late war, they should pick up targets almost to the edge of the contact zone, so you don't get near as much as a lag warning, but you get the contact, so who cares.