scott_c2911
02-23-14, 02:43 PM
I'm feeling a little jubilant about sinking the old "Lusty" today and living to tell the tale.
Its May 1941 and I'm cruising in BE62 in U-123, a type IXB u-boat. The weather is good with calm seas, clear skies and good visibility (reminds me of SH1 so many years ago).
Aircraft spotted to the North West at the limits of visual range, its a Fairy Swordfish and he hasn't spotted us. He reverses course and heads back to the North West. We cruise on to the North East towards BF14. I didn't let an old bi-plane bother me!
An hour or so later my number one tells me he's spotted another couple of aircraft coming from the same direction as the first one. They are also Swordfish and they also reversed course having not spotted us to the North West. You would think I would have gotten the hint by now but I didn't and kept on sailing North East.
Another hour another Swordfish spotted, this time coming in hot. Man the Flak Guns. He didn't even fire a shot or drop a bomb and he was shot down in flames. I've had this loyal crew since August '39 and they are all fully trained and qualified ie awesome shots with the 3.7cm Flak and the 2cm Twin Machine Gun or "zwilling" as its known.
As soon as the flaming ball of canvas and wire splashes down I get a contact report of a Task Force and guess where it is! The North West, so I finally got the hint and changed course to 330 degrees. The Task Force was moving fast at 21kts straight at us practically so I had to head NNW really to get into position.
Less than an hour passes by and my number one shouts Ship Spotted! Its the Task Force comprising of three Escorts, HMS Renown and HMS Illustrious. I am in the perfect position so I dive periscope depth, turn to starboard thirty degrees so I get an AOB of 90 degrees, rigged for silence and called all stop. I set up the four bow tubes so that I would guarantee at least a hit or two. I set up 2 torpedoes to run a metre under the keel of the ship and the other to impact 5 metres below the water line. I will be honest and say I thought the Renown was just another Escort and I got tunnel vision for the Carrier and it was going to get all 4 but it didn't work out that way.
The "Lusty" was 2500m away when I fired tubes 1,2 and 3. I had a swing round with the scope to get a look at what the Escorts made of it and thats when I realised HMS Renown was in old "Lusty's" wake. I quickly re-configured tube 4 for a magnetic under the keel shot and fired at HMS Renown at about 3000m, it was too oblique an angle for an impact pistol.
All 4 torpdoes hit sinking HMS Illustrious quite quickly and damaging but not slowing down HMS Renown. I had kicked the Hornets nest and the Escorts immediately detect us, multiple pings, and turn our way. I dived at flank speed to 160m and turned to the North West changing speed to 2kts. They depth charged us for a while but I received no damage and gradually they faded far astern of us. I surfaced and raced back to the 2nd Flotillas base Lorient as I had very few torpedoes left and they were only stern firing. It was almost too easy and it probably was as I play it at 57% (would be 67% as I like to have the camera on for screenies) difficulty but its not everyday on this game you get that close to a BB and a Carrier without being detected in broad daylight with seas like a millpond.
Its May 1941 and I'm cruising in BE62 in U-123, a type IXB u-boat. The weather is good with calm seas, clear skies and good visibility (reminds me of SH1 so many years ago).
Aircraft spotted to the North West at the limits of visual range, its a Fairy Swordfish and he hasn't spotted us. He reverses course and heads back to the North West. We cruise on to the North East towards BF14. I didn't let an old bi-plane bother me!
An hour or so later my number one tells me he's spotted another couple of aircraft coming from the same direction as the first one. They are also Swordfish and they also reversed course having not spotted us to the North West. You would think I would have gotten the hint by now but I didn't and kept on sailing North East.
Another hour another Swordfish spotted, this time coming in hot. Man the Flak Guns. He didn't even fire a shot or drop a bomb and he was shot down in flames. I've had this loyal crew since August '39 and they are all fully trained and qualified ie awesome shots with the 3.7cm Flak and the 2cm Twin Machine Gun or "zwilling" as its known.
As soon as the flaming ball of canvas and wire splashes down I get a contact report of a Task Force and guess where it is! The North West, so I finally got the hint and changed course to 330 degrees. The Task Force was moving fast at 21kts straight at us practically so I had to head NNW really to get into position.
Less than an hour passes by and my number one shouts Ship Spotted! Its the Task Force comprising of three Escorts, HMS Renown and HMS Illustrious. I am in the perfect position so I dive periscope depth, turn to starboard thirty degrees so I get an AOB of 90 degrees, rigged for silence and called all stop. I set up the four bow tubes so that I would guarantee at least a hit or two. I set up 2 torpedoes to run a metre under the keel of the ship and the other to impact 5 metres below the water line. I will be honest and say I thought the Renown was just another Escort and I got tunnel vision for the Carrier and it was going to get all 4 but it didn't work out that way.
The "Lusty" was 2500m away when I fired tubes 1,2 and 3. I had a swing round with the scope to get a look at what the Escorts made of it and thats when I realised HMS Renown was in old "Lusty's" wake. I quickly re-configured tube 4 for a magnetic under the keel shot and fired at HMS Renown at about 3000m, it was too oblique an angle for an impact pistol.
All 4 torpdoes hit sinking HMS Illustrious quite quickly and damaging but not slowing down HMS Renown. I had kicked the Hornets nest and the Escorts immediately detect us, multiple pings, and turn our way. I dived at flank speed to 160m and turned to the North West changing speed to 2kts. They depth charged us for a while but I received no damage and gradually they faded far astern of us. I surfaced and raced back to the 2nd Flotillas base Lorient as I had very few torpedoes left and they were only stern firing. It was almost too easy and it probably was as I play it at 57% (would be 67% as I like to have the camera on for screenies) difficulty but its not everyday on this game you get that close to a BB and a Carrier without being detected in broad daylight with seas like a millpond.