According to my steam library, i have played SH3 for 332 hours. And since i had very few in-game hours i have been looking to sink the
Nelson Battleship. Why? I dunno, but for some reason i have allways wanted his bones!
But after several careers, in vanilla, GWX, and LSH3 (none of them finished to the end), i have never found it.
Then a few days ago, "inteligence reports" told me i could only find it from Nov. 1939 to very early 1940 (Jan). So i started a new career in 1939, 1st flotilla, using Vanilla sh3 + an enhancement mod i made called "Enhanced Vanilla" (it doesnt touch campaing files, just adds some elements from GWX, LSH, and some fixes of my own).
1st patrol, on my TypeII i nailed a couple of small merchants, nothing fancy. Its only september, so i dont expect to find it yet.
2nd patrol, intel reports of a battleship on scapa flow, Not November yet, but still a Battleship is allways a juicy target. I dont know how wise it is to try to infiltrate Scapa flow on a TypeIIA, but its still early war, so i go there, and find the HMS Revenge. 3 eels (all my tubes!) on her port, and down she goes. (Sorry, i did take some pics, but i must have deleted them by mistake
). I got detected on the way out, deptcharged, escaped by a hair.
3rd patrol, November 10. By now i have been given an iron cross (for sinking the revenge), and the TypeVIIB is now available, plus i got the renow to get it so i do. After leaving port, my intel tells me of Battleships reported on Loch Ewe (AM38), report is:
Quote:
Suspected in Loch Ewe:
- Battleship 'Royal Sovereign'
- Battleship 'Nelson'
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Needless to say, i hauled butt to that location. Oh boy it was a nightmare to infiltrate. I did time my arrival to be @ about 1900hrs, but i only managed to get inside the port after 0300hrs and after a couple of close calls! It was crawling with destroyers and patrol boats.
But oh boy was it worth it...
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He was in a position where i had to "circle" arround it to get it at a good angle, wich took aditional time. The other battleship BTW was inside the dock, nearly impossible to attack it unless firing directly at its keel @ an AOB of about 5º (eels will most likely bounce off) so i dint even try.
So i decided to send all my forward eels to the Nelson, slow speed, impact pistons, distributed to hit it in diferent places mostly on its mid and rear portside.
And off they go!
Its not looking good for the Nelson!
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As the eels start they journey i start my escape. Silent mode, 3knots (noone nearby), all the long way back to the entrance.
Then...
Boom! "torpedo impact!", Boom! "torpedo impact!", Boom! "torpedo impact!", Boom! "torpedo impact!"
HAH! i bet he is on its way to the (Shallow) bottom by now!
I go to periscope depth (was @ 14m) and take a quick peek thru the periscope. He is smoldering, smoke coming out but I dont see it sinking yet.
What i do see, is a destroyer "staring" at me as he approaches. He has seen me.
Several minutes and a multitude of manouvers and close calls later, i manage to avoid them. I go further away from the nearest destroyer and take another peak.
Nelson is still not sinking!
Not only im i not in a position for a frontal attack (im on my way out, facing the opposite direction fo the nelson), but my forward tubes are not loaded either. I couldnt order loading due to silent mode.
But i do have my aft tube loaded! and i only need to turn about 15º to get him on my 180.
Range is now about 4.5km, excellent!
Fire 5!
As i continue my exit, event cam pops up, the eel is about to hit. Then the crappiest of toughts comes to my mind "oh boy, i hope its not a dud!"...
Do i need to say what happened next?
I will sink this thing, even if i die trying!!!
And besides, no one notices and/or cares about the dud eel.
All Stop, Secure from silent mode, crew, get your behinds to the aft torpedo room and load 5,
NOW!
About 12min. later....
Fire 5!
I do continue my exit, hoping i dont get two duds in a row, some time later
Boom!...
Now thats better!
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After cheering along with my crew i continued my exit, and noticed two of the destroyers patroling the area had rammed into the shore!!?? the weather was good, i dont know what happened, but oh well ill take it!
After leaving Loch Ewe i still proceeded to my designated patrol area, and managed to sink a C2, then i finally returned to port to be given an iron cross (1st class this time), promotions for my crew, and quite a bit of renow.
While this wasnt my most "profitable" patrol in regards to tonnage (that was one i reported here a few pages back, when i sank a carrier, +100,000 tons total), i think this was my most... "intense" and rewarding one of all the time ibe played SH3.
Thank you HMS Nelson for the great time!