First Campaign is done

[Red October1984]

My sig pointed out most of my first SH4 Career. I've just been killed due to flooding during a crash dive.

SH4 TMO+RSDRC Career
1st Command USS Sturgeon 1941-1942
2nd Command USS Grenadier 1942-1942
3rd Command USS Balao 1942-1943

Time to start a new...more serious career....

I played most of this one with the Easier AI Mod so I could get used to the game. It was too easy. Time to jump in with a serious career. :rock:

[Armistead]

One if these days I'm going to play again and start a career. I've finished several using saves, but yet to play 100% realism and complete the entire war without a death. Once I made it to early 45 and got killed in the Korea Strait. If I ever make it to 45 again, think I'll stay away from killer escorts and shallow water.

[captgeo]

I am up to April 45 now:yep:, 2 months better then last try....the only thing that is not realistic is my outside camera view left on for screen shots:arrgh!:

[Red October1984]

I'm running my new career now. Going to update my sig.

I have command of the S-30 and moved to intercept a task force moving from Cam Ran Bay. I moved into position and managed to bag a Naka Light Cruiser.

I had a destroyer looking for me. I avoided him and waited some time. Then, I started after the Task Force to try and bag another one but now i have a Fubuki coming up at 174 at medium range. The surface was clear earlier when I came to periscope depth. It snuck up on me. It looks like I'm going to have to evade him and I'll lose the rest of the Task Force.

I'm in the process of evading. :cool:

[Armistead]

I'm running my new career now. Going to update my sig.

I have command of the S-30 and moved to intercept a task force moving from Cam Ran Bay. I moved into position and managed to bag a Naka Light Cruiser.

I had a destroyer looking for me. I avoided him and waited some time. Then, I started after the Task Force to try and bag another one but now i have a Fubuki coming up at 174 at medium range. The surface was clear earlier when I came to periscope depth. It snuck up on me. It looks like I'm going to have to evade him and I'll lose the rest of the Task Force.

I'm in the process of evading. :cool:

One lone DD holding you down, give him a stern DTT shot next time and get after that TF or be known a coward..:03:

[Red October1984]

One lone DD holding you down, give him a stern DTT shot next time and get after that TF or be known a coward..:03:

It's my first patrol, I want to play it safe, and the S-18 Class doesn't have stern tubes

:shifty:

[Armistead]

It's my first patrol, I want to play it safe, and the S-18 Class doesn't have stern tubes

:shifty:

Er, yea, er, forgot you were in an Sboat......

Often the game leaves one pesky escort to hold you down why the TF escapes, if I can, I take it out so I can continue the chase. Course if you get killed..:doh:

Since you're playing RSRD and probably got the RSRD patrol Cam area, watch for other TF, think they're 3 over a few days that come through.

[Red October1984]

I'm currently running out of Surabaya right now. I know this won't last too long so I've got to get up to Cam pretty fast. I'm about to apply some new mods actually...so I'm gonna do that first.

[Red October1984]

I was just sent to patrol the Massakar Choke Point but I missed the ships that went through there because a few days later I got a radio message telling of many troop transports sunk by another sub.

I took a risk and sailed up to Manila to raid the harbor. I managed to pull approx. 20000 tons. The nice Nippon Maru provided half of that.

Finally, I'm getting Mk 14 Torpedoes to use instead of short-range Mk 10s. :up:

[Armistead]

Seems like Sura falls early March, but if it ain't happened yet, several large jap invasion groups will be near Sura about Feb 28, one over 50 ships. You can usually find the larger one NW of Sura, comes around that small island and heads to the small port left of Sura. Most the merchants in this group are loaded with fuel and ammo, so one torp per ship takes them out. Seems you can find another large invasion force in the harbor right of the Merak label.

Another good ambush point during Feb is the small strait above Timor, a large carrier TF passes through it heading out into the Indian ocean. I would usually attack this group first, then head to Sura and reload in time for the big invasion of Java.

[Red October1984]

Seems like Sura falls early March, but if it ain't happened yet, several large jap invasion groups will be near Sura about Feb 28, one over 50 ships. You can usually find the larger one NW of Sura, comes around that small island and heads to the small port left of Sura. Most the merchants in this group are loaded with fuel and ammo, so one torp per ship takes them out. Seems you can find another large invasion force in the harbor right of the Merak label.

Another good ambush point during Feb is the small strait above Timor, a large carrier TF passes through it heading out into the Indian ocean. I would usually attack this group first, then head to Sura and reload in time for the big invasion of Java.

Well, it's Feb 14th 1942. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for those groups. :arrgh!:

I don't like S-boats but I picked it because I wanted to keep it real. Haha. I'll play fleet boats later on...

I've got a good amount of tonnage with my S-30 already though.

[Armistead]

Well, it's Feb 14th 1942. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for those groups. :arrgh!:

I don't like S-boats but I picked it because I wanted to keep it real. Haha. I'll play fleet boats later on...

I've got a good amount of tonnage with my S-30 already though.

Good luck, if you find the Java invasion force, you'll know it....

[Red October1984]

Good luck, if you find the Java invasion force, you'll know it....

Thank God they're giving me Mk 14's now.


When I saw that I had a full load of Mk 10s on my first patrol it hit me like a ton of bricks....

#%#%!!

Haha. I hate getting closer than 3000 yards for convoy attacks. I attack from a distance and then set a course to go under the convoy ahead of them and hit them with stern shots.

[Armistead]

Well, the Mk 10's work.......

[Red October1984]

Well, the Mk 10's work.......

So do the Mk 14s...just not the magnetic detonator or the high speed function.

I'd take a load of 14's over a load of 10's any day.

[Armistead]

So do the Mk 14s...just not the magnetic detonator or the high speed function.

I'd take a load of 14's over a load of 10's any day.

Nope, they fail either way, about 30-50 percent dud rate. If you use influence setting, you'll get premature explosions, use the contact setting you'll get duds. The game does have several values for torps that help with the dud rate, water state, slow speed, impact angle, etc., so you can reduce the dud rate in your favor, but at best it may decrease dud rate about 10%. Simpy put, expect torp failures with the Mk 14 regardless until about mid 43. As a rule, in rough water use contact settings, in calm water use influence, try to shoot at some angle on slow settings and you're failure rate will decrease.....some.

[Red October1984]

Nope, they fail either way, about 30-50 percent dud rate. If you use influence setting, you'll get premature explosions, use the contact setting you'll get duds. The game does have several values for torps that help with the dud rate, water state, slow speed, impact angle, etc., so you can reduce the dud rate in your favor, but at best it may decrease dud rate about 10%. Simpy put, expect torp failures with the Mk 14 regardless until about mid 43. As a rule, in rough water use contact settings, in calm water use influence, try to shoot at some angle on slow settings and you're failure rate will decrease.....some.

I must be incredibly lucky then. :06:

When I use the 14's I set them to run shallow at low speed at an angle and to detonate on contact. I have had maybe two duds since I started doing that.

There was one today against a stationary Auxiliary Gunboat and one a few patrols back against a fast moving Fubuki destroyer.

EDIT: I like extra range with my torpedoes too...I can launch short range and long range attacks this way. Mk 14's fit the bill.

[TorpX]

I like extra range with my torpedoes too...I can launch short range and long range attacks this way. Mk 14's fit the bill.

Good Gawd! What version of SH are you playing? The S-boats could only use the Mk 10's because the Mk 14's were too long to fit in the shorter S-boat torpedo tubes. I didn't know the game ever let you use them in the S-class.

[Armistead]

Good Gawd! What version of SH are you playing? The S-boats could only use the Mk 10's because the Mk 14's were too long to fit in the shorter S-boat torpedo tubes. I didn't know the game ever let you use them in the S-class.


Another game flaw, but you can use them in an S-boat.

[Red October1984]

Fine...I will use Mk 10's.

:up: Okay?

[Armistead]

Fine...I will use Mk 10's.

:up: Okay?

Use whatever makes you happy, if I could load a M16 in an S boat I would.

[Red October1984]

Use whatever makes you happy, if I could load a M16 in an S boat I would.

I actually want to keep it semi historical...so I'll use Mk 10's until I get a new boat.

[TorpX]

Another game flaw, but you can use them in an S-boat.
Really? You mean in stock, or TMO? :06:

[Armistead]

Really? You mean in stock, or TMO? :06:


Honestly, been so long since I've played can't remember, but I think so.

[fireftr18]

Really? You mean in stock, or TMO? :06:


stock, yes
TMO, no

[Red October1984]

stock, yes
TMO, no

I can use Mk 14's in an S-boat in TMO and RSRDC....

[captgeo]

Must be a TMO stock thing, I dont recall ever being able to use 14's in an S Boat playing RFB

[Armistead]

Capt. Red October hasn't reported in and is feared lost at sea.

[TorpX]

I can use Mk 14's in an S-boat in TMO and RSRDC....
Well, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, we are operating boats manufactured in the UbiSoft Shipyard. :-?



Just make sure your torpedomen don't hammer the Mk 14's too hard when they jam them into the tubes. :fff:

[Red October1984]

Capt. Red October hasn't reported in and is feared lost at sea.

I have been busy lately. I am just on leave in Surabaya....

Going to leave on patrol soon. Maybe later today. :up:

[Red October1984]

Captain RedOctober1984 Reporting in.

May 3rd, 1942.
S-30
Brisbane, Australia

S-30 has been on a long and tedious patrol that left Surabaya on February 14, 1942 and arrived in Brisbane on May 3rd, 1942.

The S-30 has sank one ship, the Momoyama Maru, totaling approx 4000 tons.

*END*

[Armistead]

How could you miss all the ships near Java in Feb-March? Are you still hiding in the ocean, playing it safe, simply scared?

Well, things are getting ready to heat up in the Solomons, maybe you'll get one more chance.

Get in the fight or it's wire brushes and paint scrapers for you.

[Red October1984]

How could you miss all the ships near Java in Feb-March? Are you still hiding in the ocean, playing it safe, simply scared?

Well, things are getting ready to heat up in the Solomons, maybe you'll get one more chance.

Get in the fight or it's wire brushes and paint scrapers for you.

I'm going to try. I went where I was ordered to go and didn't get a thing until I had given up and started to head back to Fremantle. Then I found the Maru...soon after, I was reassigned to Brisbane...

I topped off fuel at Fremantle and went to Brisbane. I'm wondering if I should transfer to the Aleutians. :hmm2:

[TorpX]

How could you miss all the ships near Java in Feb-March? Are you still hiding in the ocean, playing it safe, simply scared?

Well, things are getting ready to heat up in the Solomons, maybe you'll get one more chance.

Get in the fight or it's wire brushes and paint scrapers for you.
That's the Brass for you, thinking a single S-boat can battle the whole Imperial Navy. :D

[Armistead]

I'm going to try. I went where I was ordered to go and didn't get a thing until I had given up and started to head back to Fremantle. Then I found the Maru...soon after, I was reassigned to Brisbane...

I topped off fuel at Fremantle and went to Brisbane. I'm wondering if I should transfer to the Aleutians. :hmm2:

You'll probably miss the action near Midway and the Aleutians. If you can't get there before the battle of Midway, I would stay in Brisbane, lot's of action in 42. You'll probably miss the battle of Coral Sea and the Port Moresby invasion also, need to spawn by May 4, but still lot's of action near Savo. Lot's of big battles near Savo Aug-Nov, almost non ending action. You can see a lot of large surface battles as well.

[Red October1984]

You'll probably miss the action near Midway and the Aleutians. If you can't get there before the battle of Midway, I would stay in Brisbane, lot's of action in 42. You'll probably miss the battle of Coral Sea and the Port Moresby invasion also, need to spawn by May 4, but still lot's of action near Savo. Lot's of big battles near Savo Aug-Nov, almost non ending action. You can see a lot of large surface battles as well.

Is this cheating? :woot:

You're telling me when all the big battles are...

It's almost like I have the power to change history and to stop the Imperial Japanese Navy in its tracks.

Then again, it's only a game. :D

[Mork_417]

That's the Brass for you, thinking a single S-boat can battle the whole Imperial Navy. :D


:har:


It's almost like I have the power to change history and to stop the Imperial Japanese Navy in its tracks.

Please see first quote. :har:

[Red October1984]

UPDATE

Returned from 5th Patrol to receive a new boat. I am now in command of the Sargo-Class USS Saury (SS-189).

No more S-Boats for me!!! :D

[MarkCt]

How do you guys actually find and lock on to theses battles? In an S boat without surface radar I found it really hard just to find them. In my first campaign around Savo I didn't find one ship. Then I read all the posts about how the action was non stop. The first time around I didn't know about the time stop thing and about diving from time to time to use sonar.

[Red October1984]

How do you guys actually find and lock on to theses battles? In an S boat without surface radar I found it really hard just to find them. In my first campaign around Savo I didn't find one ship. Then I read all the posts about how the action was non stop. The first time around I didn't know about the time stop thing and about diving from time to time to use sonar.

Well...I don't purposely go and find the battles. I play it like I have no knowledge that there is a Battle Of Midway or Solomons, etc.

I keep it real and patrol while looking for any kind of ship. You just have to know where to look. Even then, it comes down to luck and experience.

There may be a ship in your area that isn't visible...but you could dive to 80 feet and hear it. Unless you knew to dive every once in a while, you might just never see that ship...

[fastfed]

One if these days I'm going to play again and start a career. I've finished several using saves, but yet to play 100% realism and complete the entire war without a death. Once I made it to early 45 and got killed in the Korea Strait. If I ever make it to 45 again, think I'll stay away from killer escorts and shallow water.

Is it even possible??

Has anyone ever done it??

I can't get through a single patrol without dying, lol

[Red October1984]

Is it even possible??

Has anyone ever done it??

I can't get through a single patrol without dying, lol

Sounds like you need some practice....

I think I've only been depth charged once since I've started playing SH4 last December.

[Armistead]

Is it even possible??

Has anyone ever done it??

I can't get through a single patrol without dying, lol

Yep, it's possible, several have done it playing stock. :O:

I don't know if anyone has made it through playing 100% realism without dying with harder mods, but I suspect so. I've finished a few careers without dying/saving with cams and contacts on. Main thing is not to get careless or bored and make dumb mistakes. Then your mod setup, how tough is it and how far will you push an attack, will you go after a convoy in shallow water with 6 Type C escort? Maybe one day I'll try again at 100%.

[Red October1984]

FLASH TRAFFIC! YEAH!

I'm patrolling the Slot right now. Just encountered a Task Force moving fast towards Guadalcanal.

Fired two torpedoes at 2 Fubuki Destroyers down the throat and missed. They are pinging me at the moment. Going to dive down under the layer for a while and try to reacquire the group. I wasn't close enough to the rest of the group to ID any targets but those Fubuki's would've found me anyway.

First time in SH4 that i'll actually have DD's dropping depth charges hopefully.

I've played a pretty much unopposed career. The odd plane will dive bomb me...but that's about it.

I'm excited. Results soon! :)

[les green01]

good luck make sure the cook don't pass the gas

[TorpX]

Yep, it's possible, several have done it playing stock. :O:

Yeah, but stock doesn't count. :03:

I don't intend to try to finish the war with one career anymore. I mean, how many patrols would you have to do? ..35..40?? If you play with a high difficulty, it would be very hard, I think. If I can get to a level where my skipper has been well decorated with a good record, I'll send him to a desk job and start again with someone new, at that time in the campaign.

Thread Detour: :subsim:

Armistead,
I was reading about your namesake last week, in the Civil War. You've probably read it already, but if not, I think it was pretty good; They Met At Gettysburg by Edward J. Stackpole. I picked it up at a local, used bookstore.

[Red October1984]

CRAP!

Heavy flooding in bow torpedo at 260 feet. Started sinking.

Ordered back emergency and got the Saury up to Periscope depth....but she's at an 85 degree dive angle. Almost vertical.

Looks like she ain't gonna survive this boys.... We took that lucky DC right on the nose and we didn't take it well.

Going to surface and zig-zag with the deck gun. Crew members are wounded, my boat is sinking near vertically, at PD i have my stern up out of the water, and I've got heavy flooding in Bow Torpedo.

Time to earn some medals. :arrgh!:

3 Fubuki Destroyers.... This shall be interesting....


EDIT: Oh god...the moment my stern breaches and I start to come back to a normal angle....a DD rams into my Stern....

[Red October1984]

This is it boys....the end....

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4226/sh4img20130315221619786.png

The final "screw you" from the Japanese... (I was on the deck with the Gun crew when this happened....the moment I saw the boat tip over on it's side was priceless..... For a moment, I felt like I had actually fallen off the side of the boat.)

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9010/sh4img20130315222134040.png

View from the Command Room. This is the final hour for the USS Saury.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9308/sh4img20130315222626833.png

The External Shot of me sinking. The dead men were still on the deck the moment before the picture.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/5479/sh4img20130315223033674.png

What happened afterwards....

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/937/sh4img20130315223322330.png

Commander Red October1984 completed 6 War Patrols aboard the S-30 and was lost at sea on his first patrol with the USS Saury in 1942


XXXXXXX

FIN

[Armistead]

Yeah, but stock doesn't count. :03:

I don't intend to try to finish the war with one career anymore. I mean, how many patrols would you have to do? ..35..40?? If you play with a high difficulty, it would be very hard, I think. If I can get to a level where my skipper has been well decorated with a good record, I'll send him to a desk job and start again with someone new, at that time in the campaign.

Thread Detour: :subsim:

Armistead,
I was reading about your namesake last week, in the Civil War. You've probably read it already, but if not, I think it was pretty good; They Met At Gettysburg by Edward J. Stackpole. I picked it up at a local, used bookstore.




Yea, it takes about 40 patrols to finish a career.

Armistead is a nickname I got years ago as a reenactor, not to be confused with the actor in the movie of course. However, I was a in the movie with our group out of NC. My GGGrandfather was in the battle of Gettysburg. I'm still an avid CW fan and do a lot of relic hunting with my metal detector.

[fastfed]

Sounds like you need some practice....

I think I've only been depth charged once since I've started playing SH4 last December.

WEll.. then you must be playing stock.. 1943, finding a convoy in TMO, even if you are days ahead of it, sitting at 500 feet, the second you get to P depth, they are on you..

And you will be depth charged ...

[Armistead]

What happened Red....

You probably could've survived if you would've stayed submerged, but you have to yo yo your sub up and down to control the dive.

Good story though.......

[Cybermat47]

Look on the bright side...

From the look of that last command room pic, your crew defied gravity itself :salute:

[TorpX]

This is it boys....the end....

Really, I'm surprised you managed to even get to the surface. It's ironic that this happened after you survived 6 patrols on the S-30.
Hope your next skipper has better luck.



Armistead is a nickname I got years ago as a reenactor, not to be confused with the actor in the movie of course. However, I was a in the movie with our group out of NC. My GGGrandfather was in the battle of Gettysburg. I'm still an avid CW fan and do a lot of relic hunting with my metal detector.
I didn't think you played Armistead in the movie, but rather in reenactments, perhaps? I saw the movie with Martin Sheen as R. E. Lee. It was ok, but I couldn't really buy Sheen as R. E. Lee. I felt I got a lot more out of the book.

[Armistead]

Really, I'm surprised you managed to even get to the surface. It's ironic that this happened after you survived 6 patrols on the S-30.
Hope your next skipper has better luck.



I didn't think you played Armistead in the movie, but rather in reenactments, perhaps? I saw the movie with Martin Sheen as R. E. Lee. It was ok, but I couldn't really buy Sheen as R. E. Lee. I felt I got a lot more out of the book.


The book was much better than the movies, but it was a big fun time making it. We often talk about the CW in General Topics thread.

[Red October1984]

WEll.. then you must be playing stock.. 1943, finding a convoy in TMO, even if you are days ahead of it, sitting at 500 feet, the second you get to P depth, they are on you..

And you will be depth charged ...

I'm playing TMO and RSRDC.

Usually, the only contacts I get are lone merchants or small warship groups.


I stayed down for a bit and fired at those Fubuki's and went down under the layer. It was a lucky depth charge to the bow torpedo room that caused all the flooding.

I only got to the surface by backing emergency and blowing ballast. Once I got there, I didn't last long. That one DD wasn't even on a DC run. It just rammed me out of the blue.

I'm going to start a new career mid-1942 and continue on. I never will know how many ships were in that Task Force.... :shifty:

It was fun though....very fun.... :arrgh!:

[MarkCt]

Playing the same two mods. It's early 1942 and twice I was assigned to the slot for traffic traveling through at night and twice now I haven't had one contact. With no surface radar Ive been using that little time delay to try to detect something near me but I've found nothing. I've been staying in the patrol circle which is in the center of the slot. Any other tips?

[Red October1984]

Playing the same two mods. It's early 1942 and twice I was assigned to the slot for traffic traveling through at night and twice now I haven't had one contact. With no surface radar Ive been using that little time delay to try to detect something near me but I've found nothing. I've been staying in the patrol circle which is in the center of the slot. Any other tips?

I don't recommend going into the Slot at all. All the bad things happen to me in the Slot. Try up north and around the Truk area. When mid to late '42 rolls around, just avoid the Slot. I lost several careers to fast moving Task Forces running through the Slot. There is always more than one Task Force around somewhere it seems like.

Don't always go where your ordered. Experiment a little. Get a feel for the South Pacific. :up: When all else fails, I go and sit in the Truk Harbor by day and sink a whole lot of tonnage at night after the moon sets.

[MarkCt]

I'm actually on my way back from Truk. I sank the carrier in the harbor there because I was bumed at not finding anything the past two times in the slot area. Hunting, whether you find something or not is part of the game.

[Red October1984]

I'm actually on my way back from Truk. I sank the carrier in the harbor there because I was bumed at not finding anything the past two times in the slot area. Hunting, whether you find something or not is part of the game.

That's very true....

I've hunted all over the Solomons and other South Pacific Areas and the South China Sea.

Eventually, I'll get to Japan. :shucks:

[vamac53]

after finishing 3 patrols, coming back to Pearl, they keep sending my boat back out the very next day for more action in July 1943... what does a crew gotta do to get some leave. a little R & R is great, but havent seen any.

Mike Barbel 580

[Red October1984]

after finishing 3 patrols, coming back to Pearl, they keep sending my boat back out the very next day for more action in July 1943... what does a crew gotta do to get some leave. a little R & R is great, but havent seen any.

Mike Barbel 580

Hey. Welcome to Subsim!

Keep on trying and one day you will succeed. :03: :ping:

They'll get you some R&R...but first you have to get transferred to Brisbane. :)

[vamac53]

congrats. still on my first.patrolling in my assigned grid. no enemy ships spotted