A very nice Convoy attack...!

[Fatbobit]

Hi guys,
...im writing this to share with you my firts "perfect" Convoy attack , that occured to me during my last game session..:

Leaving from Pearl Harbour , Dec 1942 , Gato Class Sub . My objective is to patrol the Luzon channel and engage enemy ships. So i made my way to my destination quite easily , on the way i had to hide from some aircraft patrol but nothing really serious. After few days of travel ( my cruise speed was 10 Knots ) i got to my destination and i started to follow a search pattern in the area trying to find something "tasty" .... .
Suddently i got a radio report that was giving me the position / direction and speed of a small enemy convoy ,( not so far from my actual position ) after checking my tactical map and after having calculated the aproximate direction of my target , i decided to try to intercept it.
So i started to "run" to my estimated interception point ( to be honest i wasnt really sure to get the convoy there since they change their course very often ) ; but with my great surprise , once i got there , my sonar man gave me a contact about a merchant coming from my starboard side at long range..., after few seconds another update about a warship and again another merchant....no more doubts...its my Convoy..! .
Ok..., its quite dark outside , the weather is excellent so i decide to go ahed a bit more using my surface engines but after a while i decided to go to periscope depth ...i dont want to loose the chance of a nice attack just because of a lack of patience. Finally i reached the point in which i should have the Convoy passing right in front of my "nose" at an aproximate distance of 1.300 .... showing me their port side exactly at 90° .... a dream that comes true..!!! So all engines stop...silent running ( i had my torped tubes priorly opened ) , periscope down ... now the hard part starts ... the wait..! After a while i raised my periscope to get a more precise idea of what im going to attack. Here they are..! A small Convoy , six merchants ( two large tankers , and four medium merchants , plus 3 destroyers escorting them ) , at an aproximate distance of 2300 , so i choose one target ( the big tanker ) and made all my calculations about range - speed - and AOB ( using the precious tips that i found here on the site...) and get a firing solution that was quite nice related to the situasion...but i want to wait a bit more...i want to have them exactly at 90° at a range of 1300/1400 ....show no mercy...war is war..!!! .
Time passes , and i started to get nervous ( this game gives me a full immersion feeling...my girlfriend thinks that im mad.. ) , but my patience finally has been rewarded...here she is a large tanker at 90° travelling at 10/11 knots at a distance of 1350 ..time for action...! Fire...! Six torpedos out ( trying to change a bit their angle of action ... a kind of wide open salvo ) . In the meanwhile i started to turn the sub to make my way out of the zone when suddently i see a big water column raising up from the side of my target... "torpedo impact" ..! And after few seconds another update ... "torpedo impact" ... i can see it trough my periscope , she's going down..! But i still got 4 torpedo running , and in the same time im managing to leave the zone to avoid the destroyers. I started to think that the my other "cigars" are lost in the Ocean when i got another nice update two other torpedo have hit the following Large Tanker and another torpedo have hit a small merchant...! Unbelievable...3 ships are going down in one single attack...so i thought i made my day..! But its not yet finished. While im turning the sub i realize that the destroyers seems to be a bit "dazed and confused" they are searching in the wrong section of the sea ... and suddently i realized that i still had my stern tubes loaded and ready...:hmm: ...so i sayed to myself...why not lets try it..! Periscope depth again , periscope up , range and speed calculation and fire again...4 torpedos out. Two of them missed the target , while the other two hitted a medium merchant. Another one down..!
So here it is. This is the report of one of the most exciting action that i had since i play this great game. A total of 4 ships sunk in a convoy of 6 , for a total of 40.000 tons +/- , in a single action . Meaby the most experienced commanders are more accostumed to this kind of actions but to me it was a great experience , so let me thanks again all the people who shared their knowledge here on the forum through tutorials and tips.

Ciao , and good hunting to everyone out there..!

[gimpy117]

ive had task force attacks with two fleet carriers....
had one just the other day with 2 BB's the total patrol was over 100K

[philios]

Congratulations, that is one epic acheivement. It usually takes me three or four attack runs to sink that many ships. You're right about the immersion, last night I was being depth charged and I caught myself trying to be as quiet as possible (in the real world) so the destroyers wouldn't hear me . This game really is the canines genitals.

[howler93]

Fatbobit,

Excellent work! You're absolutely right about the immersion too... I had a similar situation where it's all dark and quiet while I'm stalking a convoy, when suddenly my dog barks. I literally jumped out of my seat, spilling my glass of wine! Glad you're enjoying the experience! Oh...my girlfriend thinks I'm mad as well...although I never play when she's around. I did tell her about the time I finally found the Yamato, but although she tried, I don't think she grasped the thrill of that moment.

Good hunting to you,
Howler

[kikn79]

Good AAR!! And nice shooting!!

My wife thinks I'm completely nuts. Especially when I wrote an AAR about coming across at task force of 3 BBs 4 CAs 2 CLs and 10 DDs. During an entire night engagement I managed to sink all three BBs. Including an end around to pick off the last one. That was the most fun I've had playing any video game. I don't see many people writing an AAR like yours after playing Guitar Hero....

Chuck

What a great attack you had there - true skipper decission to have a second go with the stearn tubes aswell...


I have just taken the USS Sturgeon out of Manila on the 8th of December 1941 for a patrol in Lingayen Gulf, Outside Vigan and outside Apperi.

When leaving Vigan for Apperi my watch suddenly yelled for contacts. Submerged i counted 14 !!! destroyers and subchasers supporting a couple of tankers and merchants and a old passanger liner and one Light Cruiser of the Naka type. The bad news is that the destroyers and subchasers are running in a 14 vessel spread formation pinging away, and though while im in front of the whole convoy im going to have a hard time setting this one up....wish me luck

[Fatbobit]

Woow...guys,
thanks for your answers about the subject. Im glad we all have the same feeling about the game.
Actually i have upgraded my sub with the surface radar..., and woow everything is much more easier..! Im also trying to develop a succesful technique to sneak inside the protection perimeter that usually warships adopt to protect convoys...always trying to get the best firing solution at 90° . Today i managed to attack a convoy using my "experimetal" technique and everything went fine ( two ships down - and no contact from the destroyers ) , ill keep you updated as soon as i proof it will work 95% of times.

Good hunting out there , and show no mercy for any enemy ship...!

Ciao.
Fatbobit