Shadowing own taskforce

commandosolo2009 · 05-24-11, 05:52 AM

Hello,

I've been stationed around the Carolines and my RO reported radar contact. So, my tracking party (

= me) start to track the mysterious multi-blip contact. After 6 hours of shadowing and establishing a base course, I head into an attack position 3 kms starboard the moving contact. Minutes later, I pop up periscope and start my routine.

Bearing - mark! Range - mark! nationality...

Down scope prepare to surface, prepare to surface, all ahead 2/3s blow main ballast, give me a rise on those planes, flood negative, pressure in the boat... Battlestations secure...

Imagine the frustration on shadowing an own taskforce....

Friend or Foe my *^^!!! I mean how do I know these are friendlies?

Realistic yeah, but I even opened up the map and moved mouse over AO, no reports received or faded about a US TF. W----- T------ F?????

Aviv · 05-24-11, 09:11 AM

Haha before I've done the opposite..
A big group of contacts straight ahead of me. I decided they shouldn't be Japanese because we are so close to some friendly ports. It's clear with no wind and I stay surfaced. Of course it's just my luck that I run into the Japanese destroyer escort! Fortunately I could dive deep enough and it didn't cause much problems, but I still wasted an attack on a TF.

Daniel Prates · 05-24-11, 10:25 AM

It could have been worst. In poor visibility conditions, it was not impossible to have mistaken friendlies for foes. Imagine sinking the Yorktown by accident. Imagine coming back to port, all cheerful like, bragging to your commanding officer that you sank a CV... "oh you SOB so that was you!"

Anyone knows of a real-life friendly-fire situations? Reagarding fleetboats, that is.

Dogfish40 · 05-24-11, 12:09 PM

Hey Solo,...There you are!
Yeah, we've been talking about all kinds of visibility problems and mine the past week was heavy fog. Since I don't peek I couldn't see the dang flags. Oh...they were there, you could make out the ships outline but the fog obscured all detail.
Anyway, I'm glad you didn't fire a salvo. It would be awful to get three sunk and then realise your going in front of a firing squad...

Good Hunting!

D40

Torplexed · 05-24-11, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Prates

It could have been worst. In poor visibility conditions, it was not impossible to have mistaken friendlies for foes. Imagine sinking the Yorktown by accident. Imagine coming back to port, all cheerful like, bragging to your commanding officer that you sank a CV... "oh you SOB so that was you!"

Anyone knows of a real-life friendly-fire situations? Reagarding fleetboats, that is.

The reverse was the main problem. US submarines being mistaken for Japanese ones. A fleet boat captain could be fairly confident that once in a sea area with skies controlled exclusively by Allied land based planes he wouldn't have to worry about stumbling on a Japanese task force. However, for an Allied task force an enemy submarine could be lurking anywhere.

Stealhead · 05-24-11, 08:32 PM

I do believe that one US sub was either lost or seriously damaged due to fratricide during WWII.Of course a few times US subs and aircraft also sank ships loaded with POWs but they could not have known because the Japanese did not mark transports when they where carrying POWs.The same could apply in an open war zone you could expect any naval vessel friend or foe to be dangerous(when the friend does not your present) they did have light coded challenges to try and avoid this also a US sub could "ping" a buddy but how can the buddy know that the japs did not deploy sonar and he is discovering it?

Diopos · 05-25-11, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealhead

....
also a US sub could "ping" a buddy but how can the buddy know that the japs did not deploy sonar and he is discovering it?

"Ping" in code ?

.

05-24-11, 05:52 AM	#1
commandosolo2009 Grey Wolf Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Egypt Posts: 840 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	Shadowing own taskforce Hello, I've been stationed around the Carolines and my RO reported radar contact. So, my tracking party (= me) start to track the mysterious multi-blip contact. After 6 hours of shadowing and establishing a base course, I head into an attack position 3 kms starboard the moving contact. Minutes later, I pop up periscope and start my routine. Bearing - mark! Range - mark! nationality... Down scope prepare to surface, prepare to surface, all ahead 2/3s blow main ballast, give me a rise on those planes, flood negative, pressure in the boat... Battlestations secure... Imagine the frustration on shadowing an own taskforce.... Friend or Foe my *^^!!! I mean how do I know these are friendlies? Realistic yeah, but I even opened up the map and moved mouse over AO, no reports received or faded about a US TF. W----- T------ F????? __________________ x.com/lexatnews

05-24-11, 12:09 PM	#4
Dogfish40 Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: LA Area, Central coast, California Posts: 1,023 Downloads: 827 Uploads: 0	Hey Solo,...There you are! Yeah, we've been talking about all kinds of visibility problems and mine the past week was heavy fog. Since I don't peek I couldn't see the dang flags. Oh...they were there, you could make out the ships outline but the fog obscured all detail. Anyway, I'm glad you didn't fire a salvo. It would be awful to get three sunk and then realise your going in front of a firing squad... Good Hunting! D40 __________________ *Dogfish40*

05-24-11, 09:11 AM	#2
Aviv Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Israel Posts: 132 Downloads: 237 Uploads: 0	Haha before I've done the opposite.. A big group of contacts straight ahead of me. I decided they shouldn't be Japanese because we are so close to some friendly ports. It's clear with no wind and I stay surfaced. Of course it's just my luck that I run into the Japanese destroyer escort! Fortunately I could dive deep enough and it didn't cause much problems, but I still wasted an attack on a TF.

05-24-11, 10:25 AM	#3
Daniel Prates Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Curitiba, Brazil Posts: 938 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 0	It could have been worst. In poor visibility conditions, it was not impossible to have mistaken friendlies for foes. Imagine sinking the Yorktown by accident. Imagine coming back to port, all cheerful like, bragging to your commanding officer that you sank a CV... "oh you SOB so that was you!" Anyone knows of a real-life friendly-fire situations? Reagarding fleetboats, that is.

05-24-11, 08:32 PM	#6
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	I do believe that one US sub was either lost or seriously damaged due to fratricide during WWII.Of course a few times US subs and aircraft also sank ships loaded with POWs but they could not have known because the Japanese did not mark transports when they where carrying POWs.The same could apply in an open war zone you could expect any naval vessel friend or foe to be dangerous(when the friend does not your present) they did have light coded challenges to try and avoid this also a US sub could "ping" a buddy but how can the buddy know that the japs did not deploy sonar and he is discovering it?