West entrance to Truk

[Eesocks]

I got a radar reprt of a convoy heading to Truk from home waters due to arrive at the western entrance to Truk sometime am on Jan 19 1943,so head up there to try and intercept it. But there is no western entrance to Truk. Anyone know whether they mean the north entrance perhaps?

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by Eesocks

I got a radar reprt of a convoy heading to Truk from home waters due to arrive at the western entrance to Truk sometime am on Jan 19 1943,so head up there to try and intercept it. But there is no western entrance to Truk. Anyone know whether they mean the north entrance perhaps?

Hmm what mods are you running? In RSRD there is a reef and there is a western entrance to Truk.There is a north gap, a west gap, a east gap, and a south gap in the reef aka entrances. A lot of traffic comes in and out of the west entrance, some out of the south.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Eesocks

... there is no western entrance to Truk. Anyone know whether they mean the north entrance perhaps?

There is not much point to lurking at the entrance. When the enemy ships arrive at their destination, they will despawn. There is no AI code that allows them to carefully dock at any port or harbor.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by TorpX

There is not much point to lurking at the entrance. When the enemy ships arrive at their destination, they will despawn. There is no AI code that allows them to carefully dock at any port or harbor.

Actually, most do not disappear until they are a few miles inside the reef.I will patrol submerged in daylight right outside the entrances sometimes, west one mainly but difficult since added subchasers that come out each morning and patrol throughout the day.

[Armistead]

Most traffic does use the west entrance and as bubble stated, goes about another 5 nms towards the port before it despawns with RSRD. The south entrance is busy more with TF heading towards Truk beginning of the war..

[Eesocks]

I'm using TMO 2.5 and RSRDC and there are 4 deep channels to Truk on my map, one N. one NE. one SE and one S. I assume these channels are the entrances. The western part of the Atoll is all shallow reef with one large island and a couple of smaller ones. I don't see how ships could enter that way. So I went toward to west looking for the convoy but didn't contact it, which is why I thought it was maybe a typo error and it should have been the North entrance which is where I would expect them to use if they came from home waters.

[Dread Knot]

Looks like that reef is riddled with lots of entrances in real life, although I imagine most are too narrow or treacherous.

Does the game model the February 1944 Operation Hailstone raid? Would be fun to pick off escaping ships while USN carrier planes are wreaking havoc overhead.

[Bilge_Rat]

I am on a july 43 patrol just west of Truk, TMO 2.5+ RSRDC. There is a steady traffic of single merchants leaving Truk every 1-2 days heading WNW towards the Palaus. There are gaps in the corral reef.

[Armistead]

RSRD doesn't send traffic through the numerous small gaps at Truk, uses the 3 entrance. Most is the wider west entrance. Often, even coming through the south pass, the convoys escorts ram into the reefs. That is the failure, ships don't know how to go around them, so they either just reverse/forward over and over or they crash into them and sink. I don't think RSRD uses the north entrance at all, except for single merchants.

Operation Hailstone is included in RSRD, but built into seperate TF layers and not much of it.

Now, it is helpful for your sub to use the numerous gaps to enter and escape inside Truk. Escorts can't follow you through.

[Bubblehead1980]

Piannu Pass(as labeled in the map below) is the "West" entrance, convoys and TF's use that one mainly as it's the largest.

[TorpX]

DK,

That's a nice map, where did you find it?

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by TorpX

DK,

That's a nice map, where did you find it?

I found it on a diving site. Truk (or Chuuk as it is known these days) is a diver's paradise. Especially given the 140,000 tons of Japanese merchant shipping lying on the bottom of the lagoon along with a few planes.

[merc4ulfate]

Eesocks:

Normal convoy traffic with TMO+RSRD will use the PIAANU Pass entrance to come into Truk. After they are in the lagoon they will crusie into the area between Patta and Polle islands.

You can make ingress and egress through Leloma and Faleallej in the game but it is tricky with the shallow water. I have had DD's beach themselves chasing me out of there.

Are you sure your contact report was a convoy and not the Task Force which comes down to Truk from the North-West? This particular Task Force will come down that way but it will not actually enter the lagoon. If memory serves me it cruises down towards the South, South-West after getting close to Truk.

After a certain date a Task Force will be sitting in the lagoon. Some have even been Court Marshalled for making false{cough}claims in sinking them.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by merc4ulfate

After a certain date a Task Force will be sitting in the lagoon. Some have even been Court Marshalled for making false{cough}claims in sinking them.

Yes, I've heard rumors to that effect.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Yes, I've heard rumors to that effect.

Notice we haven't seen such bold false reporting since....