First real career in TMO and love it!

[agrims]

Thanks to all that have made this a real simulator. TMO is awesome work! I have played and updated this game since it's release, and even been playing TMO with dismal success until now. I now have figured out how to play with "great success!" I also have it on the hardest settings. 3 successful patrols from the outset of the war in a limited weapon capability porpoise class. Port call in Freemantle, and get a shiny new sub, Salmon Class! A bigger load out, not much, but more than I had. Get assigned at the beginning of March to patrol B4 for 5 days. Well, 2nd day in the PZ, and the battle in the coral sea happens. Get a radio message on the 4th day in the zone, and the carrier force pulled back to Truk lagoon. Then I look at the map and haven't seen or heard from a ship in B4, so I make way to the outer edge of the zone and wait 3 hrs. As soon as time is up, I plot the fastest possible course to Truk, being a bit careless in course, but hey, I have a war to fight, and careless can pay off sometimes. Upon arrival, 4 and a half day transit conserving fuel, readying the crew, pulling GQ, rapid dives, and the like, The remaining carrier Shokaku, and her entire battle fleet of 1 Kongo BB, 2 Takao CA's, 1 Furutaka CA, 3 Kaga CL, 1 Akizuki DD, 1 Asashio DD, and 1 Shiratsuyu DD, and support ships were still anchoring in port. I waited until all is quiet, about 12 hours, they got comfortable, weighed anchor, and relaxed. After all, how could a massive fleet type slip in such a protected harbor, with constant ariel recon? Well, I did. Periscope barely protuding out of its housing, I guided my sub into range, with the occassional pop up topside to have a look. 2 knots takes forever when you have such a beavy of prizes! Also, don't want to piss off a DD by being spotted visually sound or via radar. Apparently they forgot the torp nets, mines, and sub nets due to it being so protected naturally, and their hasty retreat from the coral sea. I hug the coast line, wait for dusk, and split the distance to the Kongo and Shokaku. Set all torps fore and aft to slow speed, mag detonator, and at a depth so close to the keel that if the ship sneezed, it would have to blow up. 4500 yards to the CV, 5000 yards to the BB. Fire all aft in a spread that will be sure success, granted no premie's, or run away fish. Under all major armorments, and one through centerline, just aft of the bridge, foreward of the stack. I wait 10 seconds, and fire all forward fish on the carrier, not as careful on shot placement as the flattops were not heavily armored like the big guns, but still a nice slow, keel grazing spread. I secure from silent running, and start my reload, scraping the keel on the sea bed, I rise to 45 feet, just barely underwater, and I make my turn to my next targets, a kuma, and a Asashio. The other DD's are way off, on the other side of the fleet, and between me and them is an island. Oh, and they are anchored still. Praying that my shots count, and that the guns are still in full battle loadout, the BB gets the first shots, it took all four, and started to slowly list to the starboard. As the last torp blast is settled, the CV goes up in a ball of flames, thank god she was already damaged from the prior battle. 3 out of four sank her, the fourth was for a good show. The surviving ships sound GQ, but stay still. I start to see the DD fire up smoke, and figure I have approx 10 minutes before she becomes a real problem. As she is starting up, I hear tube 1 ready, sir. I make my depth count, slow, 1800 yards. I want to have her see her demise for a while and think about pearl. Fire tube 1. I listen to the fish, running hot and tracking straight. Good to hear. A minute and some change, I pop up, and have a look see. As the periscope breaks the surface, I hear a blast, and this time I am close enough to feel it on the hull, and hear it again. Straight between her screws, and broke her back. She won't bother me any more. About this time, the crew must be pumped, because I hear Tube 2 ready sir, Tube 5 Ready Sir. I settle on the Kuma, and notice she is about 10 degrees to my starboard, set 2 to a keel scraper, and fire. She was in full battle load, as she went up in a ball of American fueled fury. 1200 yards, hull effects pummel the hull. The crew celebrates at the moment. I give the the order to hurry with loading out all tubes. They rush and in 15 minutes, all tubes are ready to go. I have a look see. Nothing, all ships are firing diesel, but have not ran away yet. I setup for my next victims, the two Takao's. 3000 yards. I set up 3 fore and aft tubes to the proper depth, this time, fast speed, as I don't want to risk them leaving moorage. Fire simultaneously all six fish, again praying for all to find thier mark. As they leave the tubes, I take note of how light the other CL is, and yet how deeply she is sitting in the water.... Could be still fully loaded....... I fire one fish below the keel, behind her aft turrets. One Takao turns into the fourth of july, she was a bit heavy by her draft, still loaded out. Wasted the other two by the first hiroshima. The second is a bit more persistent. She took all three happily, and listed starboard hard. The Furutaka takes one, and proceeded to nagasaki. I have one Kuma left and one aft tube. I start to swing hard starboard to make my way out of the enemys moorage. Carelessly, I fire on the Kuma, leaving the BB and CA to list hard starboard. My last torp leaves its home, and the kuma goes up. As I am leaving the moorage, I see wake forming on the bows of the remaining 2 DD's. Awwwe POOOOHHH. I pull a half crazy Ivan, hug the shore, and round the island putting shoreline, and land between me and those ticked DD's sonar and hearing. As I round the corner of the Island, the BB and CA sink, and not a moment too soon. The BB went up in a ball of fury. I guess the boilers were still hot, or the ammo went up due to the furious flames that were raging on her. The CA went unceremoniously, but she sank. The DD's are coming to my last known location, well where they though I should be. I round the island, still at 45 feet, I go all ahead flank. I give her all she has got, after all, I am now several tons lighter. 10 knots underwater! I run to the deep as fast as I can, keeping a 45 from the island to keep it between me and them. I get deeper, and go deeper. The DD's are looking for me. I pop up, they are closing on me now, but too late for them. I get to 500 feet + and dive so deep the periscope cracks. Stupid mistake. Retract it into the housing. I keep going balls to the wall, using 2 thermal layers as a cover. They try and DC me, but it doesn't work. I am too deep, and going too fast. They guess wrong over and over. Finally, They get one close enough that it damages my batteries aft. I press on, and pray the hull doesn't give up on me. Come on electric boat welded hull!!!! After 4 hours of running, they give up chase, I come up and take a peek..... All clear. I surface, set a course to Freemantle, and go swiftly into that good night. over 100,000 tons sank, just when they thought they could have a sake bomb! I endure many airplanes looking for me on my transit home. I am sure they will be looking for a failed to return report on me in the future.. I dock a Freemantle, and end my patrol. They now call me CDR in port. I guess in war time, skipping LCDR happens when you have such a lucky patrol! If I die tonight, I die a happy man, who helped out the war effort greatly.

Ohh, and can't wait to try out FOTRS when it gets released!