Stranded About 4-500 Nautical Miles from The Emperor
 

So...I've been doing pretty well. I've managed to catch some escorted convoys off guard. I've sunk about 15,607 tons of Japanese merchants and warships...however...

I got a bit greedy last convoy. I fired all my tubes (forward and aft) on a convoy and recieved around 4-5 hits. That's amazing. I've never had this much tonnage as a US captain. I'm speechless. However, like I said...greedy. As I was blasting away torps, a destroyer got a little bit close and depth charged me pretty good. I was around 200ft when I was hit. I thought for sure I was dead. No hull damage. I'm astounded. I was ready to be squashed into nothingness. I survived...or did I?

My aft torpedo tubes were all damaged. All four tubes. And so where my prop shafts. I escape the escorts while submerged at 300ft at about 2knots. When the 4 destroyers have finally given up, I surface at night and start my damage control team on repairs. They fix the props. They fix the tubes. The only thing left destroyed is my dive plane transmissions. No big. I'm just a shout away from Midway to end this nightmare...however...I CAN'T TURN!!! :damn:

Nothing is reported to be wrong with my rudder transmission. I take a look with external cams only to see that my rudder is GONE. :o......:wah:

I'm so confused. The only reported damage is to the dive planes, not my steering systems. I cannot get my sub to turn. Rudder is full 40 degrees starboard or port at standard speed and nothing. I'm stuck in a straight line headed for Tokyo! I'm doomed...or am I?

Anyone might know what could be wrong?

Call ahead for take out. Their haveing a special on Suki Yaki. :haha:

:har: So...I'm doomed...lol.

no way out
 

you cannot fix the damage if your damage control team doesn't repair it. Game over.

Go in reverse to Midway :haha:

Sounds like you're playing stock, unrealisic damage zones.



Use a save or start over. You can holler at US ships if they come near, but you'll hear them laughing.

Never say die :har:

LOL. Damn. That's just a spirit breaker.

Thanks for the information guys. :salute:

I think it's pretty safe to say that your crew would have either made a makeshift rudder or called an escort vessel to get you moving again.

I'd just go into the Submarine's data file and remove all of the damage. You'll have to search and search for it, but you should (theoretically) be able to fix it in there.

C:My Documents\SH4\(I can't remember the next file)

Anyway there's a file in there that has all of your submarine's immediate data saved in it. The entire crew's morale, skill points, medals, submarine damage, even your submarine's name can be changed in there. I'd look up the filename if I could, but I'm not at home right now, so I can't. Anybody got some help for this man?

And to make it fair, you could.......return to port after you fix it, because you would have had to anyway.

Calling for help wouldn't do much good if you're in Japanese waters. It just wouldn't happen.

On the other hand a makeshift rudder might not be feasible but also wouldn't be necessary. In real life they could steer using the engines separately. You wouldn't be able to turn very tightly, but you would certainly be able to turn.

Oh, well of course. Unfortunately there are a lot of things that submarine Captain's were able to do that we just can't do. I've had my rudder blown off numerous times and have wished for being able to stop and start engines independently. Too bad we can't. It would also be cool to be able to switch between Diesel and Electric engines at will. Would make navigating through minefields much safer. (Good thing there aren't any mines in Pearl, Germans won't be so lucky though) :salute:

There's a neat story in Herbert Werner's "Iron Coffins" about a day when the Chief Engineer of the pen he was parked in, ordered the XO of his boat to get the U-Boat out of the pen. The stupid part, is that he backed out with the Diesels running, and he set off a mine and sank the submarine. Everyone survived, but Herbert fired the XO anyway; even after he found out the Engineer forced him to move it out of the pen. (They were about to leave for Gibraltar though, he thought it a good opportunity to get a more experienced XO)

I was considering browsing through the folders, but I figured that might be cheating, but I also came to the same conclusions mentioned earlier about calling for a tow or even just steering with the engines.

And yes, to be fair, I would immediately return to port, since I'm low on diesel and out of torps. It's so frustrating that I bagged so much tonnage only to be marooned in the middle of the Japanese sea. I evaded four very determined destroyers and now I simply can't turn to head to Midway, lol.

I think I'll go ahead and give editing the damage folder a shot. With some browsing I'm sure I can find it. If not, like it was mentioned earlier, back full until we get to midway, lol :haha:

I may also change my sub's name. Not that I have any disrespect for the historical vessels...I just feel I don't do them justice. I fancy fictional characters and places, even if it's set in a real period in history. I hope I'm not the only one...:hmmm:

OH MAN!!!:rotfl2:If reverse is out of the question, I wouldn't count the file fix a cheat. I have to agree with Corsair, Steering the Boat without a rudder WAS do-able. SO.....Fix it!

That's exactly what a US task force with 3 carriers near the Solomon Islands did to me when I surfaced on their port side after realizing they were friendlies.

The sad part is, two of the Fletcher escorts were actually moving to intercept me!

Wow, good thing you surfaced when you did! :o