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Old 09-11-14, 10:25 AM   #6
Threadfin
Ace of the Deep
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
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Ya know, in my first RFB patrol I saw the same thing. The destroyers especially were heeling over 30 degrees even in calm seas, but for whatever reason it stopped. I know, makes no sense (or I just don't understand) but there ya are. Try a second patrol and see if it stops.

I've now done about 10 patrols. Bagged a Furataka cruiser and a Fuso battleship in a single two-ended salvo on the western approach to Truk. I had been south of Truk hoping to pick up contacts on the Truk-Solomons route in fall of '42 while Guadalcanal raged. I use RSRDC so got a Fox that the IJN was shifting naval units to Truk from home waters and the date on which they should arrive. Shifted over to the western approach and made contact. By sheer luck I was positioned perfectly. Just had to submerge and wait.

I play at 100% with no external cameras and it was night so I never got a feel for the entire composition, but there were cruisers, battleships and destroyers, saw no carriers, probably 12-15 ships in all. I got to a point between the oncoming columns and planned to fire all 10 tubes (Gato class) at two targets. I tracked the task force at 14 knots (nomographs are genius) and positioned my sub 800 yards off the column in front and 1500 off the column aft.

It reminded me of the attacks by Darter and Dace in Palawan passage in the prelude to Leyte Gulf when one of skippers said, and I paraphrase, 'we will let these go by, they're only heavy cruisers'. Two cruisers passed ahead and another two behind. In the faint light though, I could see the 3rd ship in the forward column had the distinctive pagoda superstructure of a Japanese battleship. I would fire all 6 forward tubes at this ship and the four stern tubes at whichever ship was abreast in the aft column, which turned out to be the Furataka CA. Because the CA was further from my position, the stern tubes would be fired first, with the aim of having all torpedos arrive at the about same time.

I was a very tense wait as I expected to be detected at any moment, but the ships plowed on. I use a 'steady wire' firing technique, where I predict the point of firing, usually a 080 track (or 170 for stern) depending on the speed of the ships. That is, I place the wire steady, check the gyros, and wait for the ship to sail through the sight picture. For points of aim I will usually use the forward mast, stack and after mast, but every ship is different. This spreads the torpedos across the length of the ship, and in the case of speed or range errors, will usually result in 2 of the 3 fish finding the target. Of course here we would be shooting all torpedos.

So when the Furataka crossed the wire I began firing the stern tubes. Once all 4 were away I quickly spun the scope back to the Fuso, reversed the AoB, and reset the range. One thing I do not like about RFB is when clicking on the range dial it 'resets'. I cannot just move it a little like I could in TMO or stock. Are there keyboard shortcuts to adjust range? Adjusting range in RFB is rather cumbersome for some reason, or I am clicking on the dial in the wrong place. But got it sorted just in time and let go all forward tubes at the BB.

Then I started down. At least one hit in the cruiser, and several on the battleship, but quite frankly I don't know how many. And a few duds as well, as it's RFB afterall! The Fuso sank within 15 minutes, but the cruiser did not. Eventaully the escorts found us at 315 feet and dropped a few strings, rocking the boat but doing no damage. After a hour or so the DDs left and we returned to periscope depth expecting to find empty sea, but instead found the cruiser dead in the water. It took another 6 torpedos to send Furataka to the bottom because of duds, but eventually one exploded near the forward turret and we cleared the area post haste.

As for RFB 2.0 I am really enjoying it, but I am finding range and endurance an issue. I would always have endurance for minimum 60 days at sea, usually quite a bit longer, but in RFB i can just make 5 weeks out of SubPac. It's fine out of Brisbane or Fremantle, but from SubPac bases it isn't enough as I'm burning 35% enroute to say the South China Sea, and 35% back, leaving only 30% for patrol.
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Last edited by Threadfin; 09-11-14 at 04:52 PM.
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