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CaptainAsh · 04-13-07, 09:49 AM

Yesterday evening!!!
Maybe not my best tonnage score but my best feeling ever in that game

GWX Realism 100%, type IXB, from 2 august [edit: got a PM to ask me how fast I m sailing to do such travel from 2 september :P] 10PM to 4 september 7 AM, 3 attacks.

It was my transit mission, leaving from motherland for Lorient sub base. Went north to pass over scapa then south, aiming for a hunting ground I like : the place between madeira and azoren. Found some opportunity target on my way so I reach my hunting ground with only 10 fishes left in bow and 3 fishes left in stern. Was already at something like 35-40K tons. Doing my hunt, went on a medium tanker... 2 fishes gone with him. Then a small merchant... one more fish. So got only 7 left in bow when my radio receive a report about a large convoy, south of us, 130km, heading straight north, 7 knots. That was the perfect repport for me! I was already on his way, just have to decide the interception spot I wished. I decide for a spot where the convoy should be by 10 PM same day.
Weather was not good, light rain and medium fog so I got the convoy on hydrophone long before I can see any ship. 2 escorts, one in front, one in rear. I move myself in position to attack from the right of the convoy and to be at 400-500 metters from the front right ship when he would cross my heading. With the bad weather and the pitching of my scope in an almost pitch black night I was completely in the impossibility to see the whole convoy but I did recognize at least 6 columns of 4 ships. Maybe 300 metters between each columns, same between each ship in a column. Still, I managed to spot some really big ship and some smaller in that formation. The front right ship was a Large Marchant so I wanted him to be on my first run. Problem was, as he was the closest ship, the blank shot were not giving me a lot of opportunity to make another attack in the same run. after watching carrefuly, I saw that the front left ship was something rather big too. After some tracing on my map and some test solution I found that I could have a shot at the left target with 3:50 minutes in the water when my primary target would be at 400 metters of the spot where I need to take my shoot at him. It was perfect because at 7 knots, a ship is doing roughtly 400 metters in 4 minutes so I could exepect to have impact on both target in a short time range and then avoid missing one because of zigzaging. Then I took my shots in this scenario. Went almost perfect. Almost because the front ship of the column before the left one saw the fishes and the sky went suddently clear because of all the flash light

. Still, my fishes were almost at home were he did so it didn t change the result. 4 torpedoes impacts! All in an interval of 10 secondes!
I did not actualy eyes witness the impacts because I learn my lesson long time ago. As soon as you re compromized : DIVE!!! My evasion move on such run is almost always the same, as I m close of the first column, I dived flank speed to reach it and take the same heading as it so I escort would have to zigzag between the convoy's ships.

The left ship happened to be a large cargo and sunk immediatly. yahoooo 10K tons more

The right ship did not sink immediatly but as I had a nice visual on him when I did my shot, I targed one fishes on the engine comp and one on the stern to knock out the propeler. As expected, on hydro I heard him stop. Diving to 140 metters I went silent mode, waiting for the convoy and escort to leave my target alone to finished it. Actually he sunk by flooding 25 minutes after impact as I was still deep (8K tons). Once the escort abandon the hunting, which was quite fast, I surfaced.

For my second run on that convoy, I decided to do it by day for 2 reasons. First was the bad weather. It was covering me and helping avoiding the escort, right. But it was also avoiding me to do nice identification by night. Second was that I was affraid to lose the convoy because of a heading modification (I m used to it

).
So I planed an interception for 3PM next day... something like 170 kilometers away from there. Got only 3 fishes left in bow so I was planing for one shot but on the more juicy target of the convoy. I decided to attack from the right one more time and went into position.
By day, identification was easyer and I spoted really nice stuff in there... 2 medium tankers, some large merchant, etc... For a moment I was sad about having only 3 torpedoes bow and 3 stern. I wanted to do the closest tanker but every tanker was on the central column and I was affraid of a long shot because of 2 things. First, having my fishes spoted too early. Second, hitting another ship on the way. So I move silently into the convoy, I manage only to be beetween the first an second column, firing on the fourth one, 1000 metters away... 3 fishes, spread shot angle 2°, fast, depth 5 metters. My second fear went as expected, the two first fishes passed at less than 20 metters from a ship in the column before my target and the third one it that damn ship which was a small merchant. Still, the two others wishes were enough to do the job on the tanker and he sunk few minutes after. Same evasion move, some depth charge but not even close. 1 hour after I heard with some pleasure the small marchant sinking himself. At least he got it right! Where am I in my calcul...oh yeah! 14K tons more

But I really wanted the second tanker so I decided for a third run with a full stern shot. I went right that time, planing to cross the convoy path and shooting on the tanker then running my ass on the right of the convoy. I planed to intercept it on the first light of the morning to have some beter visibility than just smoke. As the night and weather was a good cover I decided to shadow the convoy for a while on surface, keeping an eyes on his trail. And I did it right because the convoy changed his heading! I changed my interception path, went ahead full and right as planed.
Few to say about that one. Went in the middle of convoy path, all stop, depth 15 metters... waiting silently, as the convoy was starting to have big hole everywhere, I did not have any issue with taking my shot. Went down as soon as the fishes were into the waters. Still I got only one impact, as it was a spread shot with small angle and at short range I was surprised but I could have been a bad torpedo. Still, surprise but not too worry about the future of my target as for the first one of my mission he was a firecracker one ^^ booom kabooooooom. I dunno what was into this tanker... 11K tons more

Take my heading to Lorient after a 6 weeks patrol, a convoy for almost 50K tons and a total score of 91K tons. One of my two biggest scores I think. Went home with one stern fish and just less than 25% of my fuel.

04-13-07, 09:49 AM	#8
CaptainAsh Machinist's Mate Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 128 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	Yesterday evening!!! Maybe not my best tonnage score but my best feeling ever in that game GWX Realism 100%, type IXB, from 2 august [edit: got a PM to ask me how fast I m sailing to do such travel from 2 september :P] 10PM to 4 september 7 AM, 3 attacks. It was my transit mission, leaving from motherland for Lorient sub base. Went north to pass over scapa then south, aiming for a hunting ground I like : the place between madeira and azoren. Found some opportunity target on my way so I reach my hunting ground with only 10 fishes left in bow and 3 fishes left in stern. Was already at something like 35-40K tons. Doing my hunt, went on a medium tanker... 2 fishes gone with him. Then a small merchant... one more fish. So got only 7 left in bow when my radio receive a report about a large convoy, south of us, 130km, heading straight north, 7 knots. That was the perfect repport for me! I was already on his way, just have to decide the interception spot I wished. I decide for a spot where the convoy should be by 10 PM same day. Weather was not good, light rain and medium fog so I got the convoy on hydrophone long before I can see any ship. 2 escorts, one in front, one in rear. I move myself in position to attack from the right of the convoy and to be at 400-500 metters from the front right ship when he would cross my heading. With the bad weather and the pitching of my scope in an almost pitch black night I was completely in the impossibility to see the whole convoy but I did recognize at least 6 columns of 4 ships. Maybe 300 metters between each columns, same between each ship in a column. Still, I managed to spot some really big ship and some smaller in that formation. The front right ship was a Large Marchant so I wanted him to be on my first run. Problem was, as he was the closest ship, the blank shot were not giving me a lot of opportunity to make another attack in the same run. after watching carrefuly, I saw that the front left ship was something rather big too. After some tracing on my map and some test solution I found that I could have a shot at the left target with 3:50 minutes in the water when my primary target would be at 400 metters of the spot where I need to take my shoot at him. It was perfect because at 7 knots, a ship is doing roughtly 400 metters in 4 minutes so I could exepect to have impact on both target in a short time range and then avoid missing one because of zigzaging. Then I took my shots in this scenario. Went almost perfect. Almost because the front ship of the column before the left one saw the fishes and the sky went suddently clear because of all the flash light . Still, my fishes were almost at home were he did so it didn t change the result. 4 torpedoes impacts! All in an interval of 10 secondes! I did not actualy eyes witness the impacts because I learn my lesson long time ago. As soon as you re compromized : DIVE!!! My evasion move on such run is almost always the same, as I m close of the first column, I dived flank speed to reach it and take the same heading as it so I escort would have to zigzag between the convoy's ships. The left ship happened to be a large cargo and sunk immediatly. yahoooo 10K tons more The right ship did not sink immediatly but as I had a nice visual on him when I did my shot, I targed one fishes on the engine comp and one on the stern to knock out the propeler. As expected, on hydro I heard him stop. Diving to 140 metters I went silent mode, waiting for the convoy and escort to leave my target alone to finished it. Actually he sunk by flooding 25 minutes after impact as I was still deep (8K tons). Once the escort abandon the hunting, which was quite fast, I surfaced. For my second run on that convoy, I decided to do it by day for 2 reasons. First was the bad weather. It was covering me and helping avoiding the escort, right. But it was also avoiding me to do nice identification by night. Second was that I was affraid to lose the convoy because of a heading modification (I m used to it ). So I planed an interception for 3PM next day... something like 170 kilometers away from there. Got only 3 fishes left in bow so I was planing for one shot but on the more juicy target of the convoy. I decided to attack from the right one more time and went into position. By day, identification was easyer and I spoted really nice stuff in there... 2 medium tankers, some large merchant, etc... For a moment I was sad about having only 3 torpedoes bow and 3 stern. I wanted to do the closest tanker but every tanker was on the central column and I was affraid of a long shot because of 2 things. First, having my fishes spoted too early. Second, hitting another ship on the way. So I move silently into the convoy, I manage only to be beetween the first an second column, firing on the fourth one, 1000 metters away... 3 fishes, spread shot angle 2°, fast, depth 5 metters. My second fear went as expected, the two first fishes passed at less than 20 metters from a ship in the column before my target and the third one it that damn ship which was a small merchant. Still, the two others wishes were enough to do the job on the tanker and he sunk few minutes after. Same evasion move, some depth charge but not even close. 1 hour after I heard with some pleasure the small marchant sinking himself. At least he got it right! Where am I in my calcul...oh yeah! 14K tons more But I really wanted the second tanker so I decided for a third run with a full stern shot. I went right that time, planing to cross the convoy path and shooting on the tanker then running my ass on the right of the convoy. I planed to intercept it on the first light of the morning to have some beter visibility than just smoke. As the night and weather was a good cover I decided to shadow the convoy for a while on surface, keeping an eyes on his trail. And I did it right because the convoy changed his heading! I changed my interception path, went ahead full and right as planed. Few to say about that one. Went in the middle of convoy path, all stop, depth 15 metters... waiting silently, as the convoy was starting to have big hole everywhere, I did not have any issue with taking my shot. Went down as soon as the fishes were into the waters. Still I got only one impact, as it was a spread shot with small angle and at short range I was surprised but I could have been a bad torpedo. Still, surprise but not too worry about the future of my target as for the first one of my mission he was a firecracker one ^^ booom kabooooooom. I dunno what was into this tanker... 11K tons more Take my heading to Lorient after a 6 weeks patrol, a convoy for almost 50K tons and a total score of 91K tons. One of my two biggest scores I think. Went home with one stern fish and just less than 25% of my fuel. Last edited by CaptainAsh; 04-13-07 at 01:12 PM.