GoldenRivet
12-27-10, 12:12 AM
Intercepted a convoy out of Gibralter a while ago.
planned my attack out and set in the target solution.... and the whole convoy changed course on me as i peered from my once perfect - now crappy - firing position.
when things settled i recomputed the solution and decided to fire a spread at very long range... something i rarely do - and sent two torpedoes toward a large merchant ship at 5,000 meters range.
an escort speeding back from his little search pattern spotted the torpedo wakes (darn near was hit himself) and set all hell loose. everyone started zig zag patterns and the torpedoes missed astern - and reached the end of their run without hitting anything but salt water and i was depth charged for a couple of hours.
I hurried to re-intercept the group by dawn, and again during the night they had changed direction putting me about 40 KM out of position. :stare:
for 4 days this went on and on and on and it seemed that every time i would set up they would change direction.
on night number 2 i got lucky and struck an empire type freighter with one eel- it damaged and immobilized the vessel and it refused to sink. I observed it for 3 hours in game as the convoy sailed onward. Finally i decided to put one more torpedo into her gut. that did the trick.
for those keeping score that is now 4 fish spent... one ship sunk :nope:
I re-intercepted on day 3 several times but they continued to change direction every few hours it seemed and each time they threw me off and put me in a bad position. finally at dusk I hit a small merchant and a coastal freighter, both went down with one hit each.
so that is 6 torpedoes spent... 3 ships sunk.
The poundings resumed by the ash cans and i sustained light damage but nothing serious. I limped away and shadowed them again until getting back into position.
on night number 4 i spent 1 torpedo on a Granville type freighter and 2 torpedoes on a large freighter. bagged them both and sent them under.
finally... after i had spent nine torpedoes and claimed 5 ships i headed home to regroup and try again some other time.
I would have completely dominated that convoy if those first shots had worked out.
sometimes thats just how it goes.
planned my attack out and set in the target solution.... and the whole convoy changed course on me as i peered from my once perfect - now crappy - firing position.
when things settled i recomputed the solution and decided to fire a spread at very long range... something i rarely do - and sent two torpedoes toward a large merchant ship at 5,000 meters range.
an escort speeding back from his little search pattern spotted the torpedo wakes (darn near was hit himself) and set all hell loose. everyone started zig zag patterns and the torpedoes missed astern - and reached the end of their run without hitting anything but salt water and i was depth charged for a couple of hours.
I hurried to re-intercept the group by dawn, and again during the night they had changed direction putting me about 40 KM out of position. :stare:
for 4 days this went on and on and on and it seemed that every time i would set up they would change direction.
on night number 2 i got lucky and struck an empire type freighter with one eel- it damaged and immobilized the vessel and it refused to sink. I observed it for 3 hours in game as the convoy sailed onward. Finally i decided to put one more torpedo into her gut. that did the trick.
for those keeping score that is now 4 fish spent... one ship sunk :nope:
I re-intercepted on day 3 several times but they continued to change direction every few hours it seemed and each time they threw me off and put me in a bad position. finally at dusk I hit a small merchant and a coastal freighter, both went down with one hit each.
so that is 6 torpedoes spent... 3 ships sunk.
The poundings resumed by the ash cans and i sustained light damage but nothing serious. I limped away and shadowed them again until getting back into position.
on night number 4 i spent 1 torpedo on a Granville type freighter and 2 torpedoes on a large freighter. bagged them both and sent them under.
finally... after i had spent nine torpedoes and claimed 5 ships i headed home to regroup and try again some other time.
I would have completely dominated that convoy if those first shots had worked out.
sometimes thats just how it goes.