Okay I'll try this, still running tests and killing bugs on my Asiatic career start mod so I'll do one of those.
Career start Manila, USS SCORPION, a SARGO class with an experimental conning tower which was adopted by all fleet boats later in the war. Cast off all lines 0800 DEC 10, 1941, orders to patrol Celebes Sea.
Turned out the first problem was gonna be getting there, or even getting out of Manila Bay. SD radar picked up unidentified aircraft from the south, 51 feet under the keel here so diving wouldn't help. NOW SET AIR DEFENSE CONDITION ONE, ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS. Zeros, half a dozen coming in to shoot up the docks. Didn't have to fight them off alone, a SOMERS class destroyer and a NORTHHAMPTON class cruiser were departing at the same time to investigate some wild report about Japanese ships sighted coming into Manila Bay (some coastal battery lookout had a few too many).
0810 it was all over, all the zeros shot down or departed for the city of Manila.
0815 sighted a cruiser group of 1 CA and 2 CLs from the north heading the same way, went to all ahead full to see where everyone was going.
0825 passing Cavite, US tanker on fire in the docks.
0840 another SD contact coming from Manila up our fantail.
0845 CHECK FIRE, those are friendlies, a pair of Wildcats heading the same direction as everyone else. Radio, you got anything? What's going on?
0850 sighted two more cruiser groups, and another SD contact heading toward Manila from the bay entrance. Turned out to be a VAL dive bomber, shot down by the SOMERS ahead of us.
0900 another VAL, where did he come from? Fathometer reading 70 feet, fuggedaboudit. Ordered the lower sound heads rigged in and told them to check they're all the way up. If we do have to dive there's a good chance we'll scrape the bottom, no sense wiping off the sound heads. Changed course to 270 to head for the deepest water there is here, I'm actually starting to hate Manila Bay.
0907 Got the bastard,nice shooting, Chief! Sierra Hotel! This crazy flyboy was already burning after passing over the cruiser group to the north, made three bomb runs on us while trailing fire and smoke, near misses astern and to port. Last run he was out of bombs and I think he was coming back just to be obnoxious, was actually flying off to the south when the forward 40 got him.
0912 another SD contact from astern, another pair of wildcats.
0915 another SD contact astern, one TBD Devastator followed by two more. Heading same as everyone else. Radio, see if you can raise command. Flags, query that OMAHA cruiser on the starboard bow. Maneuvering, all head flank. I'm gonna get out of the Navy and become a sewer worker, nobody tells me nothing.
0920 guess that guy wasn't drunk after all, either a BB or CA steaming slowly toward Corregidor. Looks too BIG to be a cruiser, and if it's a battlewagon it ain't one of ours cause we don't have any.
0925: Cripes, it's a BB all right, KONGO class. I guess it's not a drill this time.
0940 back to logging this, had to change my shorts.
Evil murdering monster opened fire at an impossible range, but I canceled the order to dive when I realized he was shooting at something, but not us. I swear I saw a torpedo explosion on his side, and he's smoking now, could one of those TBDs actually have HIT him?!
0935 range about 12 Kyards, he's still firing, caught a glimpse of an aircraft flying over him. Saw at least one, possibly two, smoke trails go down like meteors into the water. Flooded down to decks awash.
Around 0930 starboard lookout reported a US tanker on fire but still underway about 14000 yards north. Didn't see it, I was "adjusting my uniform to present a proper military appearance".
0940 range 8500 yards, ordered periscope depth because it seemed less cowardly than going back to Manila and catching a train to anywhere this unholy demon wasn't.
Gotta boogie though, no way to contact them but that SOMERS and NORTHHAMPTON are only a few miles astern, they're toast if I don't get some fish into this horror before they come in range of his guns and for some reason they're not seeing our signal light, they didn't acknowledge the blinker messages before we pulled the plug.
0953 range 5500. Set 1 and 2 for low speed 25 foot depth, aimed at the tip of the bow (because I suspect he'll see the wakes and speed up) and fired. He's doing about 1 knot, dunno if he's damaged or just not in a hurry to get to Corregidor. 5 minute run time but I can't wait, that tin can coming up behind me is almost in his range.
0955 range 4800, he's opened fire on the US DD 3000 yards behind me.
0958 got lucky, first fish hit under one of the forward turrets setting off a secondary and chain reaction, second torpedo also hit but turned out to be a wasted shot.
1000 cripes, was so busy watching that Kongo blow up and sink I didn't notice more coming up - 2 CLs, one CA, one CV. The CA is closest at 3500 yards, he woke me up when he started firing on the destroyer, now 2700 yards astern therefore only 6200 yards from this enemy cruiser group.
1004 TAKAO heavy cruiser and 2 KUMA light cruisers, carrier looks like a HIRYU. Tin can getting some good hits on the TAKAO, and a US heavy just came within range and opened fire on him too.
1005 fired one fish at each of the enemy cruisers, bad angle but the TAKAO is really hammering the NORTHHAMPTON. Hits on all three, sunk one CL and stopped the CA dead in the water, but the other CL shrugged it off and kept going.
1010 KUMA and a destroyer sunk by US surface ships, and I think I saw a Dauntless dive bombing the HIRYU. TAKAO being hammered by that destroyer (he's still alive?!) and about 6 US heavy and light cruisers now. Fired one from the stern tubes at the TAKAO, kicked another hole in his side. But with 2 fish and all the pounding he's still firing back like a demon, so sent another one at him. Saw a huge splash alongide just after firing, another SBD zoomed overhead. I think I saw another VAL about the same time shot down by the SOMERS, I gave up trying to log all these flying machines.
1012 TAKAO blew up and went down, didn't get credit for the sinking because credit goes to whoever gets in the last hit. Some disadvantages to this mod. Collided with the masts of a sunken KUMA (water still only 100 feet deep here).
1015 still heading southwest toward bay exit, two destroyers heading my way. Got a whole 40 feet under the keel at periscope depth, so headed west toward "deeper" water. Less shallow is more accurate.
1035 reached a less shallow part, went down to 100 feet and turned north since I had sound contacts closing from the north. Both destroyers destroyed (HA!) by US cruisers, new sound contacts southwest so turned that way and came back to persicope depth. More big superstructures on the southwest horizon bows on.
1036 US cruiser group bearing 200 to 230 ranges 300 to 400 yards, surfaced to make more speed towards new contacts southwest. One really really tall superstructure, please tell me that's not another battleship. Two others have to be heavy cruisers, all three are firing at something. Pretty sure that's an airplane making a dive bombing run on the really big possible (hope not) BB.
1040 BB alright, two CAs, one smoking. Thought the BB was smoking too, but not now, apparently a plane crashed near her.
1045 Fired two at damaged heavy cruiser, both hits, sunk since she was under fire from 3 OMAHA class light cruisers and a Dauntless dive bomber. Continued closing second CA and BB, more ships off to the northwest, CA and another CV - Shokaku? with one or two escorts.
1055 Fired two remaining loaded bow tubes, one at cruiser the other at an ISE battleship, hit both. Turned west to bring stern tubes to bear.
1105 Cruiser blew up, so fired four stern tubes at BB, 3 hits. One forward tube reloaded so swung around north to fire that at the BB, but she sank so I checked the swing pointing at the Shokaku to the northwest. No credit for either, since there were three US CLs and one CA firing at both of them while I was shooting. One US OMAHA class CL sank, not sure if it was the cruiser or battleship that sank her.
1120 fired one each remaining tube at SHOKAKU class carrier and MAYA class heavy cruiser, hit both, got credit for the MAYA but not the carrier. Three US CLs to the north snak both destroyers, one US light cruiser was sunk. Surfaced, at the bay exit now with Corregidor bearing 025 true 10 miles. One US CA on fire 4000 yards northeast but still making 2 knots. Contact to the south, looks like ANOTHER BB. 5 fish left and battery down to 50% with all this high speed running at periscope depth, so headed toward him on the surface at standard speed.
1150 closed to 1200 yards of BB, fired four fish, four hits. No credit since again she was under fire from 2 US CAs, dirty bums stole my thunder by getting in a few hits as she was starting to roll over.
Total score;
3 aircraft
KONGO BB 30000
TAKAO CA 12500
KUMA CL 5170
MAYA CA 12500
Not much for 21 torpedoes and 3 hours at GQ because I was robbed by them cruiser guys, who are probably all bragging about their kills. That's OK, crew of the SCORPION knows who the real heroes were.
