Bagged my first carrier last night

[Justin Prince]

And it took three saves to do it. Apparently in SH 1.5 + RFB 2.0 (patched) + RSRD latest version the Shoho type is bugged. It shows a base height of 144 feet (while other carriers are in the 30-60 range), and as such the range is thrown out of whack with radar. I found by classifying it as an Unryu class with a height of 50 that the range is only about 100 yards off what radar indicates. Once I figured that trick, I was able to play as normal.

Anyway, I've been doing a career since April of '42, I did an S boat '41 career then discovered the beauties of RFB and RSRD, and my old career didn't transfer, so I played that like I was the exec. After 7 patrols on the Tarpon I was given the Drum, where on January 20, 1944 patroling the Japanese-Truk shipping lanes....

I arrived on station a few days earlier. I plotted out possible shipping lanes from Truk to various ports on the Japanese mainland on the map, and began heading down one of them.

0500 January 20, 1944: Radar contact. Two blips, 6,000 yards, moving fast. Course, NNW, bearing right down on me. Examination shows a light aircraft carrier, believed to be Zuiho, with a two stack, three turretted destroyer in the lead. Estimate speed 17 knots. I maneuver in position for a shot, evading the destroyer but yet keeping pace with the task force on the surface. It's a foggy night, and the crew doesn't even spot the ships.

0520: In position after darting out a few nautical miles, range now an estimated 2,000 yards. Still on the surface. I was remembering the surface attack on a carrier by the USS Crevalle, as recounted in Ruhe's War in the Boats. Amazingly have still not been seen.

0530: Fire a spread of six torpedoes. TDC isn't matching correctly, so I fire with two on the bearing, two one degree right, and two two degrees right, using Mk 23 torpedoes. Order a crash dive, as I do searchlights from the destroyer snap on. Order dive to 200 feet. As I dive take sighting of enemy carrier, and project possible course for a future intercept if I hit her

0535: Hear two explosions, believe enemy carrier hit. Depth charged.

I was depth chardged for a good 45 minutes, before loosing contact at 06:15.

06:20: Came to radar depth (order 45 feet). Two slow blips to the north, range about 4,000 yards.

Here's where I almost died. I forgot to check the range (OOPS) and assumed they were further out. I also didn't visual check stuff, and assumed the trailing ship was the carrier, as it had been previously. Maneuver to about a thousand yards abeam of it and prepare for setup.

0635: Finally go to bridge, note enemy DESTROYER 1,000 yards abeam of us! Holy mackerel! A miracle I hadn't been spotted. Enemy carrier in front, moving slow, listing to port. Did emergency setup with the two bow fish I had reloaded. Bearing 020, range 1,000, speed 4, depth 10 feet, fire one left one degree, one right one degree. I fire and order a crash dive. I don't expect to hit, but as soon as I let go the fish and started to dive, I saw searchlights come on. I knew I wouldn't get another chance.

0640: Two hits heard in direction of enemy carrier, depth charging begins.

0649: Carrier heard breaking up.

I was then depth charged constantly from 0640 to approx. 1040 hours, almost four straight hours. A second destroyer even joined in the fun. They kept me submerged for another six hours, even though they had run out of depth charges. Decided to run submerged until 9 the next morning, and after periscope observation and radar indicated nothing, surfaced. Log confirms: One Shoho class carrier sunk for 14,200 tons.

My realism settings are all realism options checked EXCEPT for constant map updates. I play with that because that seems historical to me, representing one of the officers marking down the bearing and range of targets coming down from radar. However I use the pencil and ruler to profect courses and ranges and the like, to help get radar to jive with the TDC seeing as there is no "Send range to TDC" button for it.

Not my best intercept, eight tubes fired for four hits, but that was the first time I've bagged a carrier on near full realism since SH1, so I was pretty happy. Only wish I played with external view so I could have watched the fireworks!