Part Two
The
Seadragon, with two kills under her belt, proceeds northwest through the Celebes Sea. I'm having mixed feelings about the results I've garnered thus far. While two Japanese ships are on the bottom, I've yet to conduct a successful torpedo attack this time out.
I can't gripe much, though, as I enjoy using the deck gun. I've got plenty of diesel left to find torpedo fodder. My map shows that a Japanese shipping route slides right through the Api passage, my next patrol area. Chances of finding another ship there are good, I figure.
Sometimes, though, I can be a little impatient. As I cruise northwest at nine knots, I notice that Tarokan Island isn't too far out of my way. I've always loved the idea of sneaking into one of the smaller anchorages in the game and finding a host of AA-gun level targets...trawlers, tugboats, etc...to lay into. It's never happened, but I keep hoping, and I decide that I ought to check out the Island. You never know...
The water is quite shallow near my sudden obsession, but it's enough to stay submerged. Skies are grey and I haven't detected any aircraft in quite some time, so I figure daylight is my best bet. Slide beneath the waves, check the place out, attack if there's anything there, and escape under the cover of darkness.
The infiltration takes a while. I ease in slowly at one knot, keel almost scraping the bottom. It's tedious, honestly, but there's that hope of fulfillng my murderous ambition and becoming SH 4's number one small-craft killer.
Naturally, when I up scope, there's not a blessed thing docked at Tarokan Island.
I indulge in a little role-playing at this point. There's no in-game effect for my brief bombardment of the Tarokan docks, but it does make me feel better. I head back out towards deep water at fifteen knots, a little lighter on 3-inch shells, but happy that the virtual Japanese at TI won't feel safe for awhile.
I resume course for the Api passage when I've got some water under the boat, and reduce to cruising speed.
The next couple of days pass as I 'round Northern Borneo and start to work my way Southwest. So far I haven't been troubled by planes on this patrol, but the SD begins picking up the occasional patrol now...I begin spending most of the daylight hours submerged, creeping along and listening for contacts.
On my second day underwater, I hear something.
The sonar man, naturally, cannot hear the ship, and the little green light on the hydrophone panel isn't shining, but propeller noise is propeller noise. The contact is north of me. He's distant enough that I want to close range while I can still hear him. Figuring out his course will have to wait.
Seadragon emerges from the deep and races north at 15 knots. I could go faster, but I'm suddenly fuel conscious; Surabaya has fallen, or so the radio message says. It's a long cruise to Fremantle, and I'll have to save enough for the trip.
Several in-game hours pass, and I see nothing but empty ocean. The target is louder on the 'phones, though. Even my sonarman can hear it. It's a merchant. Medium speed. I slowly gain. I do mean slowly. The sun is rising (having been about to set when I detected my prey) when I finally catch sight of the enemy.
I swing the
Seadragon onto a parallel course and increase to flank speed. I can see that the target is a small freighter of some type, but for a little guy, he's haulin'. It takes a while to draw ahead, and I'm remembering how I spooked one of my earlier kills. I do my best to stay at a good distance from him.
Finally, I get far enough ahead that I think I can intercept him submerged. I dive, maintain flank speed, and adjust course for my intercept point. I raise the scope and am again irritated by choppy seas. I can't even see my target yet, and thus, I rely on the hydrophones to tell me when he's drawing close.
I'd intended on using the aft tubes (I seem obsessed with those, don't I?), but when I catch sight of him in the periscope, he's much closer than I'd thought. I start working out my solution, set tubes one and two for contact detonation, high speed, as shallow as they can be set. I don't have a broadside shot...his bow is closer to me than his stern. Hopefully that won't matter. I open outer doors and fire when the target passes 1200 yards.
One torpedo misses just forward of the target. The other hits...
...and what a hit it is. After the initial 'boom', the entire freighter practically disintegrates. She ripples with secondary explosions, then just sort of vanishes. I check for lifeboats. I don't see any. Not a surprise. No one's paddling away from
that.
(It's a day or so later that I read a post on this forum about lots of ships in RSRD carrying ammo...guess that was one of 'em.
)
Now satisfied with myself, I resume course for my patrol area.