Tried a drumbeat campaign this week. Started with an VIIB campaign from April 1940 - January 1941, nine patrols with a lot of successes and a LOT of time spent around Freetown, then got retired. I decided to unretire myself, as if Donitz himself pleaded for me to lead Drumbeat, due to my long-range experience of course!
So, I set SH3 commander to some 300~ days in port to simulate having been on training duties, and away we went!
Returned Oct. 41, conducted one practice patrol in the mid-atlantic in my brand new IXB which went ok. I didn't want to get damaged so after sinking three ships for 20k tons, I returned in time to leave for America on Dec. 13th. A couple days early for my historically-minded Kaleuns, but close enough!
I spent most of my first patrol outside NYC harbor bullying ships, arriving around January 9th and succeeding in my first kill January 10th. Nine more would follow.
Very little escort activity, even close to shore in shallow water. Though I did almost have an early end to my adventure when two Clemsons jumped me while I was deck-gunning a small freighter. I didn't even notice them till the shells started landing around me!
Thankfully they were not experienced crews and I was able to sneak away undetected. When I dived, they chased in the complete wrong direction. With 30m of water to play in, a ping would have meant certain death.
In another incident, an armed tugboat searched for me after I torpedoed a merchant. I snuck behind him, then blew ballast. Soon as I broke the surface my crew were on the deck gun. Poor tugboat only managed to fire off a couple of shots (one terrifyingly close to my bow) before my crew finished him off. Very satisfying, but not something I'd do again.
I missed a British ocean liner's entry into NYC harbor, which was frustrating. First one I'd ever seen in the wild, and he slipped right by me in the dead of night.
Then I lucked out: the dude left harbor the following night, this time fully stocked with goodies for the British Empire. Managed to intercept within 3km, he was REAL close to the Jersey coast during daytime, so I wasn't willing to ride on the surface.
Popped four eels at him; one lost depth and hit the sandbar, one exploded prematurely, but the two impacts struck the same cargo bay, and within minutes he was on fire and sinking. 14,000 GRT, a new record!
However our crew's jubilation did not last long. Just a few days later, I (stupidly) attempted to engage a torpedo boat at night, since I was finishing up a freighter already. Wound up losing half my highly-decorated and skilled deck gun crew, along with some 70% hull integrity. Those little zoombois pack a hell of a punch.
Nevertheless, I made it home without further incident. Ten ships sunk, including one warship, for a total of 46k GRT sunk.
My second patrol to America was an in late May, and it was an attempt to harass the Halifax convoy routes. Quite frankly this didn't go well, a lot of Allied escorts with radar popping up. This was my first time with a radar warning system which is an absolute lifesaver.
Still managed to sink 5 ships, but I was not a fan of Halifax waters. Close to shore there's a million escorts and a million planes, out in deep water I couldn't seem to find any convoys. Perhaps thats my fault for being obsessed with coastal raiding instead of experience in safer deep water action. Five ships sunk for 24k GRT.
At any rate, following the expenditure of most of my bow torpedos, I decided to not attempt to load the externals and simply rearmed at one of the Milkchuks. After I headed south in search of more active waters.
So began my foray into the Caribbean! This friends was an absolute hoot. Nailed two unescorted tankers just south of Puerto Rico. Attempted Wolfpack's attack on Bridgetown but ran into the same problem he did: there's nothing to attack!
Traveled to Curaquo to try out another deepwater port attack. I managed to sink one large tanker without much difficulty, but all the other targets were too deep in port to bother attacking.
The real fun began when I came across a fast convoy from Panama jam packed with tankers. The only escort was a single Clemson in the rear.
I positioned myself in front, and took out the lead large tanker with two stern eels. Then I swing around and scored two magnetic hits; one got the bow of a modern tanker, the other took out the engine room.
Mr. Clemson foiled my attempt to put another into the bow tanker, so unfortunately I wasn't able to follow up on the modern tanker that got hit in the bow (his speed was not affected). I did sink the guy who got hit in the engine room when he straggled behind though.
After this I started the return to home, with five torpedos left I hoped to encounter one more convoy.
And encounter I did! I ran into two ships, a cargo, and...another, in a medium-speed, unescorted convoy.
That other ship was an American ocean liner.
Why it was traveling slow in an unescorted convoy idk, kind of silly to me. That's the genius of Admiral King for you. Made it a deliciously easy target. Pumped two torpedos into the SS Hector's cargo bay. which also went down without incident.
His medium cargo friend didn't last too much longer either.
Completely dry of all but one bow torpedo that I was saving for a rainy day, I managed to pick off one more (stationary, interestingly) small tanker with the deck gun before making the long journey home to France. Eight ships sunk for 68k GRT.
All in all, it was a hell of a time. I'd never even seen an ocean liner before, so to sink two in three patrols was a pleasant surprise. It's now approaching 1943, so I'm hoping Sh3 commander retires my Kaleun soon, as I'd rather he not die. I don't intend on returning to America with him, but I might do one more Caribbean run, since I never got to explore the Gulf of Mexico.
I'm curious; I've been to Freetown, briefly in the Med (so many escorts!), the Black Sea, all around Britain, outside NYC and Halifax, and in the Caribbean.
Where should I hit next? Considering an Indian Ocean run. Is the SE seaboard (NC to Florida) very active? I might go there too.