Backwards ships and ghosts

Floater · 10-30-05, 05:52 PM

Going through my favourite grid (BF17) in July 1942, I came across a C2 and a Coastal Merchant travelling together. Backwards. At 1kt. I tracked them for a while, and their course ended up being a kind of C shape, travelling (backwards) North to South. I thought it might be wind blowing them back, but it was a 9kts wind at 61 degrees,

It felt quite weird lining up against the reversing C2, but a single torpedo found its mark in the fuel bunkers and destroyed the ship. I let the Coastal go.

Soon afterwards, another contact. It turned out to be another C2+Coastal pair, this time almost dead in the water. And yet ... the C2 didn't exist. No locking, no information, nothing on the map. I kept the scope up at a distance for a long time, but the only evidence of its existence was through the scope or in F12 external view (< and > didn't pick it either).

So, I left. Again, I didn't attack the Coastal (for the same reason as I don't pick pennies up in the street), and I wasn't confident that I'd be credited if I attempted a manual point-and-shoot attack on the C2. Hell, I wasn't even confident I'd hit the thing properly without some help from the Weapons Officer.

Sound familiar, anyone?

Von Scheerbach · 10-30-05, 07:25 PM

YES!

I had the almost the EXACT same thing happen...at least the first part. Came upon a coastal and a C2 almost dead in the water. I was on the surface, parallel to them, but heading towards them. I moved out to about 3000m and increased speed so I could get in position to come at them at a right angle.....but then it didn't seem like I was closing all that much, so I increased to ahead full. When I finally got abreast of them, I turned towards and slowed to ahead slow, and that's when I realized they were moving backwards at 1 knot....I took them both out, though.

Never came upon the coastal & C2 that wouldn't lock, though.

10-30-05, 05:52 PM	#1
Floater Pacific Aces Dev Team Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: England Posts: 158 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Backwards ships and ghosts Going through my favourite grid (BF17) in July 1942, I came across a C2 and a Coastal Merchant travelling together. Backwards. At 1kt. I tracked them for a while, and their course ended up being a kind of C shape, travelling (backwards) North to South. I thought it might be wind blowing them back, but it was a 9kts wind at 61 degrees, It felt quite weird lining up against the reversing C2, but a single torpedo found its mark in the fuel bunkers and destroyed the ship. I let the Coastal go. Soon afterwards, another contact. It turned out to be another C2+Coastal pair, this time almost dead in the water. And yet ... the C2 didn't exist. No locking, no information, nothing on the map. I kept the scope up at a distance for a long time, but the only evidence of its existence was through the scope or in F12 external view (< and > didn't pick it either). So, I left. Again, I didn't attack the Coastal (for the same reason as I don't pick pennies up in the street), and I wasn't confident that I'd be credited if I attempted a manual point-and-shoot attack on the C2. Hell, I wasn't even confident I'd hit the thing properly without some help from the Weapons Officer. Sound familiar, anyone? __________________ Kriegstanz website Kriegstanz forum

10-30-05, 07:25 PM	#2
Von Scheerbach A-ganger Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 79 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	YES! I had the almost the EXACT same thing happen...at least the first part. Came upon a coastal and a C2 almost dead in the water. I was on the surface, parallel to them, but heading towards them. I moved out to about 3000m and increased speed so I could get in position to come at them at a right angle.....but then it didn't seem like I was closing all that much, so I increased to ahead full. When I finally got abreast of them, I turned towards and slowed to ahead slow, and that's when I realized they were moving backwards at 1 knot....I took them both out, though. Never came upon the coastal & C2 that wouldn't lock, though.