The Fish are Biting off Gibraltar

[scrapser]

"Captain! There be whales onboard!"

It's now August 1940 and this is my second visit to Gibraltar after finishing my assigned 24 hour patrol west of Ireland. I trolled around for 5 days and nights outside the channel. The last time I was here I ran into two Nelsons.

This time, I picked up warship contacts heading west-southwest and it turns out to be...Nelson...Illustrious...Nelson! I'm about 3 km's south of an ideal attack position but have enough distance to close I think. The problem is, "How to get all three ships with only 4 torpedoes?" I'm in a Type VIIB right now.

The seas are 3 m/s and fog is light. It's about 2 AM so I should be OK with avoiding being sighted. I'm thinking on trying to cripple all three ships (one at a time) and scoot ahead of the formation, rinse and repeat, then come back one last time to finish them off. I figure I can do this if I hit each ship from maximum range.

scrapser

[Crash Dive]

I would say the carrier is the high value target. Mobile air support was very valuable to the Allies. Go get em. :arrgh!:

[bigmammal]

A carrier can take a torpedo or two or five... I would try to dump at least 2 if not ALL of your fish into her, they like to run, and they run pretty fast.

I would either:

A) dump all of my fish into the carrier, hopefully take her out completely and then run like hell, or

B) Go for all three, two fish aimed aft on the carrier, in hopes of taking out her propulsion plant, the other two can go for the Nelson's, one each, aim amidships. Then, run like hell, reload and hopefully you'll come back to a crippled bunch of high value warships :) Empty your tubes again!

Good luck! I went with option A when I was presented with the opportunity, that one works, save option B for those days when you're feelin' really lucky!

[FAdmiral]

Use all fish on the carrier, then surface and deck gun the Battleships !!


JIM

[iambecomelife]

Use all fish on the carrier, then surface and deck gun the Battleships !!


JIM

You know, I read somewhere that a U.S. sub actually surfaced in the middle of a task force and started shelling a Japanese carrier. Does anyone else know if this took place, and which sub was responsible?

[Farside]

why not just wait for a 90% AOB on one of the rodneys and hit the magazine... wait for the carrier to pass get off 1 or 2 at her then 1 more at the next rodney, should slow 'em down enough
then just stalk them... thats what i'd do.

(WARNING, tried out a similar tactic (hitting the rodney first) i got one under it and IT RAMMED ME!, watch out for that one)

[Wolf52]

Actually i would recommend going for the fuel bunker, it seems to be weaker on the Nelsons. If you want try one on both.

[scrapser]

The "cripple and stalk" tactic is what I did. I set all torps for keel shots. My last encounter with Nelsons in calm seas revealed setting the depth to 11 meters to be ideal. The convoy was moving in a single column with the carrier tucked between the two Nelsons. I fired a single keel shot at the carrier from 3500 meters figuring the carrier would close the distance by point of impact.

That worked. The angle on the bow at impact was roughly 28 degrees and the carrier began listing heavily but stabilized at 30 degrees and dropped to 4 knots. The lead Nelson passed my bow at 900 meters and I took it out with two keel shots. The trailing Nelson approached and I hit it with my remaining torpedo in the stern and it went dead in the water.

I lowered my scope, and moved toward the dead Nelson at 2 knots and started to dive deep. The 8 escorts had converged behind me and to starboard about 500 meters. They all went quiet and listened. I was detected but able to pass under the dead Nelson which through off their attack. When they finally gave up, they all steamed off at 21 knots, leaving the carrier and the Nelson behind. From there it was a turkey shoot.

scrapser

[Col7777]

Whn I first saw this thread I thought it was about fishing. :)

But now I've read it yes, I normaly get crippled then stalk... er I mean cripple then stalk. :)

[U-104]

why not just wait for a 90% AOB on one of the rodneys and hit the magazine... wait for the carrier to pass get off 1 or 2 at her then 1 more at the next rodney, should slow 'em down enough
then just stalk them... thats what i'd do.

(WARNING, tried out a similar tactic (hitting the rodney first) i got one under it and IT RAMMED ME!, watch out for that one)
They're Nelsons not Rodneys

[andy_311]

I also "troll the West Coast of Ireland"in late 40s but in my case I found 2 King George V BBs +5 escorts September 1940 in AM19 both BB's went down in heavy fog weather (salvo shot and spread)went deep headed towards AM51 found another TF A carrier group a Bogue class and 4 escorts,3V&Ws and 2 flower class corvetts.
The corvetts sank by what whom I don't know, and the Bogue carrier suffered the same at a range of 375m.
Im not doing that in a hurry taking pot shot's at Primary targets at less than 400m in heavy fog .