(note this wouldnt fit into a pm azn sorry)
to -azn_132
from -MM (OKU)
Re -ubercon Mod.
subject -major surface engagement
July 8 2007 RT / Feb,4,1942 GT
during testing of Ubercon after a week of setbacks
and delays, we were finally able to rundown a super
convoy a few hundred miles north east of Biscay.
Engaged the enemy convoy at roughly 13:15 local time. Due to nature of the engagement very few
screenies were taken, but those that were are
included herein. The nature of the attack was such
that it involved roughly a half dozen seperate engagements and disengagements with the enemy
forces.
Conditions/
throughout the engagement it was
a bright day with relatively calm seas. perfectly
for the approaching gun battle there was an
inhibiting surface fog leaving visibility at roughly
6000 metres. the final two engagements were
fought through progessively dimming twilight at
sundown.
Tactics/ Convoy was travelling due west.
approached convoy on parrallel track approaching
the convoy main body from aft and portside. convoy speed approximated to be twelve knots
using superior speed of Kruizer sub overhauled
the formation and made radar contact with the
aft and portside (relative to convoy) elements
of the heavy escort. The escort seems to have
been composed in this case exclusively of Black
Swan class Sloops. in order to neutralize the escorts, I used ubers superior speed
and auto evasive maneuvers to control the engagement and survive these normally very
formidable opponents. in the first contact I exchanged shots with five ships and came away
with by my count three sunk and two heavily
damaged,
I had used
our speed to hold the swans just outside good
visual range inside the fog, and maneuvered
in accordance with accepted surface evasion
tactics. each ship was pounded by my gunners
at extreme range and although they were returning
fire with elan they were having by the standards
of Black Swans pitifully poor effect due to the
combination of speed maneuver range and visibility
difficulties we were making for them. the result for
uber in this first contact was light damage that
would have restricted our dives to 200 m
but we were operating in only 120 m of water
so I wasnt concerned. the extreme preperations
and good skill levels of the damage control team
were highly effective in this battle throughout
and are worthy of mention.
after disengaging the two damaged escorts I moved south another thousand
metres and then turned west again at what I
approximated to be a good average range from
the convoy escorts for effective engagement
I proceeded then to continue to overhaul the
convoy on a course of 270 as escorts of the
port flank came into range of my radar due to
there maneuvering there were three in the second
engagement to facilitate there almost triangular
positions relative to me I turned north and engaged
them succeeding in sinking one and damaging one
before I turned about to draw their pursuit and
string them out for engagement one at a time.
this tactic of course worked and all were eventually
sunk
I resumed my westward course and engaged
the final flanking escorts and part of the leading
escort groups. using again maneuvering speed
range and visibility conditions to my advantage
the results of superior tactics after the third
engagement now left the convoy with half its
trailing and half its leading escorts sunk and
not a single trace of its southern escort or so I
thought.
it was now time for the fox in the henhouse
bit. My plan was to engage the main body of
the convoy from ahead right on its southern
edge in order to draw the attention of the
starboard escort group. I maneuvered into
position and layed in an evasive course directly
eastward just inside the first column and started
in as I closed them I engaged succesfully two
sloops seemingly remaining from the leading elements of the escort and also sunk three
ships tankers med and large I also damaged two
other Whale factory ships. at this point though
there were two sloops closing from the northern
escort and I cleared the evasive course and
relayed the evasion pattern south I withdrew
under heavy fire from these two as I had let
them close a bit much due to my distraction
by so many commercial targets. this was an
exciting moment as I exhcanged shots with
them prior to leaving them behind though
I left them sinking so I turned west again to
return to a position out ahead of the convoy.
this time I made for dead centre of the convoy and
started to turn east on a zig zag course again
as I got within range of the convoy itself though
I was again engaged by two more swans from the
northern force. I again reset to zig zag southwards
and repeated the process of engagement by stringing out the enemy. again succeeding in
destroying the enemy I maneuvered again for the
centre of the convoy and turned northwards with
them on their own evasive course again I was
engaged by a previosly damaged blackswan that
I had foolishly assumed sunk and although he scored no hits of his own his fire covered the approach of one of the original two blackswans
I had damaged this one was slowed but had all
guns and no visible damage on deck. Kudos to this
captain for persistence, he had dogged us down
inspite of our significantly superior speed and
it was a pithy battle as we turned south west
to evade with some regret we took him out, all
on the bridge saluted as she went down.
returning finally to the front of the convoy
we re engaged and after cutting into the
centre from the east we turned north and
slowed and the gunners set about the grim
butchery of reducing the list of allied ships
by a few dozen.
although I didnt finish off the convoy the point
had been made that it was doable, so I withdrew
this was throughout strictly a surface gun engagement no torpedo's were used.
Recomendations.
In order to facilitate the test of course the
uberconvoy was set to repeat itself often enough
that if you missed one and sat still another would
be along in two hours, although fine for testing
I feel that super convoys should be made as hard
to find as diamonds, with intelligence estimates
of their basic departure and destination and approximate line of advance but also the super convoy should using the loop function be able to
follow a wide variety of potential courses making
chasing them down an achievement.
the size of this battle and the nature of its engagement have me thinking that the whole
project is worth it, but that you should approach
convoys for uberboot and convoys for standard
subs a little differently meaning that for uber the
escort should be surface battle oriented whereas
with standard subs the escort should be asw
oriented.
This was a whole lot of fun.
we should discuss compositions and formations
of convoys if you do want to do an included
ubercon for Uberboot final.
I have many suggestions as regards what would
be effective.
stuff like amcs at the outer corners hard to sink deep draft ships
on the outside columns protecting the vital tankers and ammoships
inside the convoy from torpedo attack the attachment of a support group
(of sorts) stuff like that
either way I feel that the concept of superconvoys is great and has
a lot of potential with a little work.
Pics are here
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-8.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-7.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-6.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-5.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-4.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-3.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-2.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...9-7-2007_7.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...7-2007_7-1.jpg