Opinions on what I should do?

[Zero Niner]

It's Sept/Oct 1943 and I'm patrolling off the Palau Islands when radar picks up a convoy heading NW.

I intercept and manage to sink 2 merchants. However in the ensuing counter attack I suffer quite a bit of damage from depth charges - bulkhead, batteries, torp tubes, heavy flooding in the aft torpedo room, prop shafts, rudder... At one point it was all I could do to keep the sub from sinking. Heh, at one point the bow was pointing up whilst the sub was sinking lower. I could only maintain depth with a speed of at least 3 knots and I had to keep ordering the sub to surface. Coulnd't order silent running or slow speeds obviously.

After about 4 hours (game time) of pasting the escorts gave up and moved away. I surfaced and finished off whatever repairs I could. However I've a number of equipment damaged beyond repair - all the stern torp tubes, the stern dive planes, and one bow torpedo tube.

I headed for Darwin hoping that I could get these repaired but alas no. So now I have a damaged sub, and I'm wondering should I carry on with the patrol or head for Midway with 4 objectives completed but only 2 ships to show for this patrol.

Your thoughts? Hull integrity is still at 100%, crew healthy, all systems working fine except for what I mentioned above. Due to the damage to the torp tubes I have effectively 15 torpedos to expend (5 in the bow, 10 reloads).

[Falkirion]

My plan would be to return to port and repair everything. Its a bit too risky, by the sounds of it, the time it would now take you to submerge is longer, your dive depth has been drastically reduced, better to cut your losses and return with 2 ships than lose your sub and have to start over

[donut]

It's hard to figure your hull is 100% w/all that damage.Stay in deep water.Head for repair depot. You will still see action in-route. Move as fast as fuel allows at dark/nite.

I would go home and repair. I had a similiar situation and I decided to tough it out. I got killed on my next engagement because I didn't have all the capabilities of a working sub. Poor dive depth, speed, etc. Don't risk it.

[Arclight]

Get her patched up and return with avengeance.

[SteamWake]

Your lucky to be alive.

Ive been in that situation a couple of times (bow up, engines ahead flank, and still slipping backwards). Also your lucky that you can move at all. Often when the prop shafts get torn up its game over.

Take your busted ass ship home already

[Seminole]

Unless you are a hard core ded is ded gaming fellow...Save Game and continue to fight...if you find that was a mistake then reload and head for repairs.

This way you will know for certain sure wether you made the right decision. The other way you will be haunted by a nagging "if only" feeling.


This style of gaming allows you to find out exactly what the limits are.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by Seminole

Unless you are a hard core ded is ded gaming fellow.

Oh yea... heh sorry sometimes I forget others dont play that way

[badaboom]

Hmmm,tough call,With the Hull being 100% I think I would CAUTIOUSLY stay on current patrol and stay as stelthy as possible and launch attacks only in the most ideal conditions,if there is a risk of a heavy DC counter strike I'd let the target go and fight another day.

Good Luck to you skipper!If you make it back to port I'll have a nice bottle of bubbly for your arrival.

[Zero Niner]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've decided to RTB, but I'm detouring to the Celebes Sea to spend at least some of my torps. I'll be cautious though and if a target looks like trouble I'll give it a wide berth.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by Zero Niner

Thanks for the advice guys. I've decided to RTB, but I'm detouring to the Celebes Sea to spend at least some of my torps. I'll be cautious though and if a target looks like trouble I'll give it a wide berth.

If you want to continue the patrol, when you reach Midway try a refit instead of docking. I've had them repair everything EXCEPT hull damage (and you don't have any) but they may not repair 100% damage either, I don't know on that one, but unless someone has a definate answer, I would give it a try, if it doesn't work you can always hit the anchor and dock.
I only say this because I don't think Darwin has an anchor does it?? And this only works at ports with anchors as far as I know. Like I said not sure on 100% damage but your home port may fix it.

Peabody

[Zero Niner]

Darwin had an anchor - I had the usual options with the end patrol option grayed out.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by Zero Niner

Darwin had an anchor - I had the usual options with the end patrol option grayed out.

Well, now we know anyway, they won't fix 100% damage. I couldn't remember if Darwin had an anchor during the war or not. Is that in stock or a MOD? That seems like a good port to sail from later in the war, closer to most of the mission locations.

Peabody

[Zero Niner]

My mods are listed in my sig - TMO & RSRDC
I think the only ports you can be based at (as in home base) are Fremantle on the west coast and Brisbane in the east.

[Zero Niner]

Here's an update. I made my way to the Celebes Sea as I had radioed in for a patrol objective. Along the way I sank 2 merchants, one near Ambon and the other north of the Celebes. Then an ULTRA message came in - a convoy was expected transiting the area in 2 days, enroute to Rabaul from Manila.

So I waited and sure enough radar picked up a 4-ship convoy. Wary, I intercepted and determined it comprised 3 merchants escorted by an Aux Subchaser. Time for payback, I thought.

So I got ahead of the convoy, and ambushed the escort. One torp was all it took to bring it down. Then the wolf was amongst the sheep, and over the course of the next 2 hours I got the merchants.

So now I'm making my way back to Midway. Along the way, I'll pass near the Palaus, Yap, Saipan and Guam. Let's see what targets of opportunity arise. Don't think I'll be pushing my luck though.