Whalin' on the Japanese

[Torplexed]

Thought I'd try my hand at submitting a patrol report. Just follow the bouncing blue dots on the map.

This is Whale's second patrol under my command. The first one to the Gilberts was something of a bust with only three small freighters bagged. Since this patrol is to Empire Waters I'm hoping it'll be a bit more action packed.



1. 0634 hours January 29th, 1943. After a 2 week journey out from Midway in mostly unsettled weather Whale gets it's first radar contact. Mutiple pips indicate a small convoy of three ships and two escorts steaming in a line northeast towards Tokyo. Submerging about 6,000 yards ahead of the convoy we successfully dodge the lead Fubuki destroyer and plant two torpedoes at close range into a modern passenger liner. As the Whale passes through the convoy's track we get two stern shots at a small passenger carrier in the middle of the convoy. Two ships down! The escorts seem a bit befuddled. One keeps it's station at the point while the other pokes about the rear of what is now an one ship convoy. Gone deep and creeping southwest Whale eludes any counterattacks.

2. 2324 hours Jan 29th. Back on the surface heading west we get another fat radar contact southeast of our position. Five blips moving NNE in a upside down 'Y' pattern with three escorts at the points of the 'Y'. Turning southeast we catch sight of a Minekaze DD leading the formation. This convoy's valuable contents consist of two large old passenger carriers. At long range we put three torpedoes in the lead liner and two in the second. Oddly the second liners sinks while the first, damaged but still steaming lurches off to the northeast. The escorts, all Minekazes regroup to flank the liner while a third remains behind to search in circles. We creep southeast until sure we are out of range and then surface to pursue the remaining liner.

3. 0930 hours Jan. 30th. After a long pursuit to the northeast Whale is forced to abandon the chase when the convoy changes course to the east. With the break of dawn and mutiple airborne radar contacts popping up we decide to let the remaining liner go and resume our course west to our patrol area.

4. 1514 hours January 30th. Crash dive to avoid aircraft. The rough weather keeps knocking the air search radar out so we found ourselves sailing blind. (anyone know a fix for this?) Start spending most daylight hours running submerged.

5. 0020 hours January 31st. Arrive in patrol area at last. Rewarded at 0214 hours by a solitary radar contact steaming west. Jogging to the north we come across a large modern composite freighter. By 0317 hours despite a difficult approach due to mammoth waves we have sank same with two torpedoes

6. 0900 February 1st. The Whale generally sail northeast towards the Kii Suido but no contacts aside from some fishing boats we don't feel worth a gun action given the rough seas. Spend most daylight hours submerged to avoid aircraft since the air search radar keeps getting knocked off the air by small tsunamis.

7. 0001 hours February 2nd. New orders from Pearl. We are to steam to a new patrol area between Okinawa and the Luzon straits. Goodbye Japan. About 0200 we pick up a new radar contact steaming northwest. Jogging northwest ourselves we catch a solitary engine aft freighter. It detonates into a spectacular fireball with just one torpedo.

8. 1735 hours February 2nd. Departing the area we hack into the Japanese Imperial Computer Network and send Tojo an e-mail thanking him for the 27,091 tons of ships we took and some lovely JPEG attachments of our recent triumphs.

According to all accounts he didn't take the news well....:p