SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Misadventures of a Rookie Fleet boat Captain

Posted so all here can laugh at my pain: and maybe learn a bit as well. Well, that and like any good skipper, I enjoy telling a good tale! :har:

I've had SH4 for about a week now; and I haven't even been on Subsim for as long as that, but already I've had some--let's go with "unique"--(mis)adventures. this is one such adventure: the nautical nonsense that is [was?] the first war patrol of USS Sealion, SS-195, out of Manila, the Philippines.

*****

Our Maritime Misadventure began on December 9, 1941; two days after "The Date that would live in infamy." We were ordered to proceed to "Convoy College" a nondescript stretch of water north of Aparri, Luzon, and await further orders. Being a newly-minted lieutenant just given his first seagoing command, I was ignorant, and yet full of enthusiasm and drive to notch many a Japanese warship in my gunbelt. Then again, we all were in those days.

We stood out at 1300 hours, under a blessedly zero-free sky and calm seas. I had a bad feeling we'd be leaving Manila for the last time--if the savage beating I'd seen heaped upon Clark Field, Subic, and Cavite was any indication, the Japanese could easily waltz over the islands if they wanted. My crew and myself all knew we had to do everything in our power to help even those odds.

the first night out things got interesting. What I thought was a simple American merchantman, motoring south at about 9 knots, was in fact a 10,000 ton Japanese flagged tanker, steaming unescorted right past the mouth of Manila Bay! we rang action stations: since we were on the surface, and he'd already seen us (and lobbed a shell or two in my direction) we manned the deck gun. Believing (mistakenly) that my place was on the bridge instead of the gun, I let the crew do the honors...

Big mistake, we wasted probably 40-50 precious rounds off our 3in/50 before I finally barged down and took matters into my own hands. still, it was tough going: the gunners had landed a handful of hits, but it took probably twenty shells to put him down. I finally got fed up and manned the TBT to try to finish things that way: both fish I fired were duds.

wonderful. Remind me to requisition a bigger gun when we get back; and punch our squadron's weapons requisition officer.

still, a kill's a kill, and we eventually resumed course with the burning hulk of a Nippon-Maru class tanker in our wake. then things got REALLY interesting: about 3/4 of the way to Convoy College, my XO told me had "a feeling." I knew this meant he thought enemy ships were out there; a check of our watches confirmed this [and yes I'm casually referencing the stutter phenomenon here:haha:]. Sonar said he didn't hear anything; once again I had to man the system myself to confirm the presence of a large group of ships. :/\\!! I was too excited to stay mad however; we had a convoy!

charging ahead at flank speed, after making a periscope confirmation of the convoy, we got a new destroyer signature: but to the opposite side of where the convoy should be. Strange; we had their course mostly worked out. how'd they get by us? Quick spoiler, they didn't. This was a new group; a mix of heavy warships and troop transports bound for Lingayen gulf. I knew I had to switch targets after sighting this group.

by the time night fell I was roughly 3000 yards from the ships; not as close as I wanted to get but as close as I dared go with Fubuki and Kagero class destroyers swarming about. Open Bow Tubes: as much as I knew I should target the troopships, that Mogami class cruiser sliding by at 8 knots about 2700 yards away was too good a target. Besides, being the biggest ship in the force it may have the Admiral in charge on board for all I know. range, re-range, get the speed, set fast and contact on all tubes, FIRE!

we dove, screaming for the thermocline at flank with a Fubuki about 500 yards off my port beam, the helmsman taking us into the thundering herd of merchie and heavy warship screws off our nose. I couldn't help it; i smashed the magical "F12" switch in the conn and jumped outside for a look at the torps. doing good...

NO, you idiot! some troopship captain is getting between my fish and my target. he took one in the nose: two more were duds. one went underneath him and buggered off to god knows where. I REALLY hate the ordinance guys now. still, I'm alive, and the destroyers can't hear me since Im between them and the troopships: moreover their racing towards my old position, unknowingly putting me in their baffles.

okay, breathe sawyer, breathe. you still have 4 fish in the stern tubes. take us up DO; periscope depth if you please! and shut the hell up everyone!

several minutes and several furious misclicks of the silent running button later, I have my stern angled towards the Mogami. up scope, re-range, do the same ritual. the DDs are pinging again. how the hell do they know where I am...?

Oh my god; the attack periscope! I was using the night scope at this point. but in my haste to get down after the first attack, I'd left the attack scope up; and since I had to go up higher because of the chop, I'd basically given them an easy target. AND I FORGOT TO GO TO AHEAD 1/3: my wake is massive! FIRE, FIRE AND FLEE!!!

....yeah, had to re-load THAT savefile :haha::haha::har:. Also, I hate destroyers; they're made of pure evil. Although given that I kept mis-clicking and doing things like possibly blowing my ballast tanks, and generally making more noise than a steel mill, I don't think I was exactly making it hard for them. Still, it's there fault I died dag nabbit! :03: