Luckiest patrol ever (for me, anyway)

frenzied · 10-10-08, 04:42 AM

When I say lucky, I am speaking in terms of contacts.
I'm using RFB + RSRD with 100% realism settings, and just had a rather astounding patrol.

I decided to start a new career from Brisbane in mid-late 1943, and my first mission was to patrol south of Guam. Looking at a convoy map, I see that a convoy lane runs through there, so there should be some good hunting. Starting up the engines, and upping the TC, I head out there.
Entering the patrol area, I've barely started a patrol pattern when a call comes from the Radar operator "Two Contacts to the NorthWest, moving towards us, fast!" I quickly decide to move into position, on the theory that even if it's a pair of destroyers I can evade. The weather is a bit foggy, with night coming on, so I am standing on the bridge looking out, when a ship emerges out of the fog, heading just in front of my sub. Snapping up the Binoculars, I identify them as a pair of Japanese Light Cruisers, and order periscope depth. Very soon they are about to cross my bows, and I launch four fish at the leader, and two at the trailer. The lead CL is hit by three, and the trailer by one, with the lead quickly sinking. I decide to let the trailer go, but as I surface and watch it on radar, it is limping at a bare few knots, so I end around and finish it off with another two fish.
The rest of the Guam patrol is uneventful, but the I am ordered to patrol the Truk region. I head there, and do a quick run through the lagoon, spotting nothing but a few tugboats with guns, and take up position to the west. A couple of nights later, just around midnight, the Radar operator calls out multiple contacts approaching fast! I plot an intercept course, thinking of a night surface attack, when, looking through the binocs, an enourmous ship looms out of the darkness into my view. Ise or Fuso Battleship! Then a second shape looms up behind it, longer and flat, an aircraft carrier! No way am I doing a surface attack with all those guns about, so I dive to periscope depth and hurridly run a plot on the aircraft carrier, identified as a Hiyo class carrier. I fire all six bow torps, and then spin around to fire all 4 stern tubes, there is no way this beast is escaping! I record four hits on the carrier, all along its length, and, strangely, one hit much further away - I must have hit one of the escorting destroyers. The carrier sinks quickly, and the destroyers make a pitiful attempt at finding me, only one depth charge coming within a thousand yards.
Being almost out of torpedoes, I plot a course for home, which has changed to Milne bay. Much to my surprise, we are about halfway home when four fast moving ships are detected on Radar, and I am informed that there are three big ones! Double checking the torpedo situation, I find just what I was expecting - 4 torps in the rear tubes, 1 torp in the bow tubes, and no reloads. I order flank speed to try to set up for a stern shot. Very very soon, the ships come into sight, and I make out two Shokaku class carriers, one escort carrier, and one cruiser - no ASW ships! As I race across their bows, hoping to be undetected, my hopes are dashed when the cruiser opens fire and they start to zig-zag. I crash dive to periscope depth, and set up a solution on one Shokaku. I fire all stern tubes, recording one hit on the bow, and then spin around to fire the bow tube, which also hits the bow. Will two hits be enough? At first it doesn't look like it, as it continues to steam ahead, but the bow gets lower and lower in the water. Suddenly the front of the flight deck dips underwater, and lifeboats start appearing.

This was in October-November 1943, and the final score for the mission was a pair of light cruisers, one Hiyo class carrier, and one Shokaku carrier. This was doubly exciting because I've never so much as seen a carrier or battleship before when using RSRD, and I somehow stumbled across the path of two carrier groups in a single patrol.

Seminole · 10-10-08, 07:27 AM

That is amazing indeed. Well done Captain.

Diopos · 10-10-08, 09:53 AM

Really good!

But what did the admiralty say?
- Captain. Thank you for the cruisers and the carriers, but where are the 10,000 tons of merchants we sent you out for in the first place?

:rotfl:

SteamWake · 10-10-08, 10:13 AM

You can find these types of actions in RSRD fairly often.

Watch the flash traffic that you get, if you can make sense of them, and happen to be close enough to 'intercept' them ... well you can.

Thats one of the cool things about RSRD is that the flash traffic is more than just color text.

Still nice patroll

breadcatcher101 · 10-10-08, 10:37 AM

Where did you get a map? I got one in the box with SH3 but 4 didn't have one.

SteamWake · 10-10-08, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breadcatcher101

Where did you get a map? I got one in the box with SH3 but 4 didn't have one.

http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php?view.4902

breadcatcher101 · 10-10-08, 06:01 PM

Thanks, SteamWake. Cool, nice map.

I'm goin' down · 10-11-08, 12:59 PM

I propose that you to replace my captain, who, playing at 15% realism, has been unable to hit the broadside of a barn. On his last mission, he took two shots at a troop carrying ocean liner, and somehow managed to hit and sink a destroyer 1,000 yards to its stern. He is incompetent. On top of that he plays Bing Crosby music even though it is well known that the man beats his kids.

/s/ Admiral Befuddled

Diopos · 10-11-08, 02:04 PM

Maybe the captain is Bing Crosby's son!

frenzied · 10-11-08, 06:50 PM

I'm goin' down, there are two main tricks to hit more with torpedoes:
1: Get closer. I think the longest range shot I took that patrol was at about 1200-1500 yards, which is getting to long range.

2: Use lots of torpedoes. If the target is a decent size, like a large freighter and above, I'll fire all 6 bow tubes at it, in a spread. After all, who knows if you'll see any other ships.

A last trick is using the PK as a solution checker. Get all your data, and set target range/course/speed, then wait a little bit (the amount of time depends on the range, shorter range = wait less), and then measure/send target range+bearing to the PK again. As you do this, watch the torpedo launch angle (the bottom dial). If it stays where it is, your solution is right, if it moves, you have something wrong, and can change course or speed of target to adjust.

USS Santa · 10-11-08, 11:53 PM

damn you are so lucky

Raptor1 · 10-12-08, 01:41 AM

IIRC in 1943 much of the Combined Fleet redeployed to Truk, that could've been what you stumbled on

EDIT: But I think that was early 1943...

Well, I haven't had such luck (Especially with finding BBs, don't think I ever saw one outside port)

10-12-08, 02:43 AM

Ive seen a couple BB and CVs in taskforces but no successfull attacks yet.

Made 1 unnsuccssfull attack on a Carrier once but it was mostly just a snapshot and RUNNN AWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY

65% Realism,(Manual aiming, no map contact update, and no external view off)

I'm goin' down · 10-12-08, 06:27 AM

I have had a severe problem hitting any targets on auto targeting. The red solution light used to light up and now it does not. And the green arrow that would light up under the target when the solution was prime usually only turns yellow for some reason. If it is green I cannot see it on the screen I use which unfortunately is not this one. (Note on this laptop the word "Subsim" on the web site is tourquoise, but on the computer I use for SH4 it is white. [This computer cannot handle SH4.] I think ithe video card on the other machine is the culprit.)

Moving along..., late tonight I inserted the SH4 CD into the drive rather than playing with the version installed on the C drive. My ship embarked on a mission off of the Phillipines, and sunk two freighters with torpedos - four hits and zero misses. If this solves the problem then my crew won't have to stay up until 4 a.m. every night trying to hit something. We will see what happens tomorrow.

Just so you know how bad it has been, earlier today my ship lined up for a text book, 90 degree broadside on two freighters freighters crusing at a liesutely 5 knots in calm seas . They were practically begging for death. My crew was fired up for a kill and had the boat in position so early that they ate lunch and played a short game of poker while waiting for a double helping of "dessert" to arrive. Four torpedos at 800 yards were loosed in a timely manner. (The tension on board was palpable.) And what happened? They all missed! Our mascot, a black toy poddle with an angry disposition, laid down next to his bone and covered his his eyes with his paws! Obviously, the weaponry was faulty.
Oh well, today we run away, hoping to kick some ass another day!

__________________________________________________ _________

When Lord Mountbatten's destroyer was sunk in the Mediteranean, he and his crew went over the side singing "Roll out the barrels." No kidding! It is reported that his crew adored him. The IRA assasinated him.

SteamWake · 10-12-08, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

I inserted the SH4 CD into the drive rather than playing with the version installed on the C drive.

Ummmm.... what??? :hmm:

As far as I know the disk only contains compressed installation files, no executable.

10-10-08, 04:42 AM	#1
frenzied Watch Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 30 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Luckiest patrol ever (for me, anyway) When I say lucky, I am speaking in terms of contacts. I'm using RFB + RSRD with 100% realism settings, and just had a rather astounding patrol. I decided to start a new career from Brisbane in mid-late 1943, and my first mission was to patrol south of Guam. Looking at a convoy map, I see that a convoy lane runs through there, so there should be some good hunting. Starting up the engines, and upping the TC, I head out there. Entering the patrol area, I've barely started a patrol pattern when a call comes from the Radar operator "Two Contacts to the NorthWest, moving towards us, fast!" I quickly decide to move into position, on the theory that even if it's a pair of destroyers I can evade. The weather is a bit foggy, with night coming on, so I am standing on the bridge looking out, when a ship emerges out of the fog, heading just in front of my sub. Snapping up the Binoculars, I identify them as a pair of Japanese Light Cruisers, and order periscope depth. Very soon they are about to cross my bows, and I launch four fish at the leader, and two at the trailer. The lead CL is hit by three, and the trailer by one, with the lead quickly sinking. I decide to let the trailer go, but as I surface and watch it on radar, it is limping at a bare few knots, so I end around and finish it off with another two fish. The rest of the Guam patrol is uneventful, but the I am ordered to patrol the Truk region. I head there, and do a quick run through the lagoon, spotting nothing but a few tugboats with guns, and take up position to the west. A couple of nights later, just around midnight, the Radar operator calls out multiple contacts approaching fast! I plot an intercept course, thinking of a night surface attack, when, looking through the binocs, an enourmous ship looms out of the darkness into my view. Ise or Fuso Battleship! Then a second shape looms up behind it, longer and flat, an aircraft carrier! No way am I doing a surface attack with all those guns about, so I dive to periscope depth and hurridly run a plot on the aircraft carrier, identified as a Hiyo class carrier. I fire all six bow torps, and then spin around to fire all 4 stern tubes, there is no way this beast is escaping! I record four hits on the carrier, all along its length, and, strangely, one hit much further away - I must have hit one of the escorting destroyers. The carrier sinks quickly, and the destroyers make a pitiful attempt at finding me, only one depth charge coming within a thousand yards. Being almost out of torpedoes, I plot a course for home, which has changed to Milne bay. Much to my surprise, we are about halfway home when four fast moving ships are detected on Radar, and I am informed that there are three big ones! Double checking the torpedo situation, I find just what I was expecting - 4 torps in the rear tubes, 1 torp in the bow tubes, and no reloads. I order flank speed to try to set up for a stern shot. Very very soon, the ships come into sight, and I make out two Shokaku class carriers, one escort carrier, and one cruiser - no ASW ships! As I race across their bows, hoping to be undetected, my hopes are dashed when the cruiser opens fire and they start to zig-zag. I crash dive to periscope depth, and set up a solution on one Shokaku. I fire all stern tubes, recording one hit on the bow, and then spin around to fire the bow tube, which also hits the bow. Will two hits be enough? At first it doesn't look like it, as it continues to steam ahead, but the bow gets lower and lower in the water. Suddenly the front of the flight deck dips underwater, and lifeboats start appearing. This was in October-November 1943, and the final score for the mission was a pair of light cruisers, one Hiyo class carrier, and one Shokaku carrier. This was doubly exciting because I've never so much as seen a carrier or battleship before when using RSRD, and I somehow stumbled across the path of two carrier groups in a single patrol.

10-10-08, 07:27 AM	#2
Seminole Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,012 Downloads: 102 Uploads: 0	That is amazing indeed. Well done Captain. __________________

10-10-08, 09:53 AM	#3
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Really good! But what did the admiralty say? - Captain. Thank you for the cruisers and the carriers, but where are the 10,000 tons of merchants we sent you out for in the first place? :rotfl: __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!

10-11-08, 12:59 PM	#8
I'm goin' down Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Notify command we have entered the Grass Sea Posts: 2,822 Downloads: 813 Uploads: 0	You are hired! I propose that you to replace my captain, who, playing at 15% realism, has been unable to hit the broadside of a barn. On his last mission, he took two shots at a troop carrying ocean liner, and somehow managed to hit and sink a destroyer 1,000 yards to its stern. He is incompetent. On top of that he plays Bing Crosby music even though it is well known that the man beats his kids. /s/ Admiral Befuddled

10-11-08, 02:04 PM	#9
Diopos Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Athens, the original one. Posts: 1,226 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Maybe the captain is Bing Crosby's son! __________________ - Oh God! They're all over the place! CRASH DIVE!!! - Ehm... we can't honey. We're in the car right now. - What?... er right... Doesn't matter! We'll give it a try anyway!

10-10-08, 10:13 AM	#4
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	You can find these types of actions in RSRD fairly often. Watch the flash traffic that you get, if you can make sense of them, and happen to be close enough to 'intercept' them ... well you can. Thats one of the cool things about RSRD is that the flash traffic is more than just color text. Still nice patroll

10-10-08, 10:37 AM	#5
breadcatcher101 Captain Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 546 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Where did you get a map? I got one in the box with SH3 but 4 didn't have one.

10-10-08, 06:01 PM	#7
breadcatcher101 Captain Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southeastern USA Posts: 546 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Thanks, SteamWake. Cool, nice map.

10-11-08, 06:50 PM	#10
frenzied Watch Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 30 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	I'm goin' down, there are two main tricks to hit more with torpedoes: 1: Get closer. I think the longest range shot I took that patrol was at about 1200-1500 yards, which is getting to long range. 2: Use lots of torpedoes. If the target is a decent size, like a large freighter and above, I'll fire all 6 bow tubes at it, in a spread. After all, who knows if you'll see any other ships. A last trick is using the PK as a solution checker. Get all your data, and set target range/course/speed, then wait a little bit (the amount of time depends on the range, shorter range = wait less), and then measure/send target range+bearing to the PK again. As you do this, watch the torpedo launch angle (the bottom dial). If it stays where it is, your solution is right, if it moves, you have something wrong, and can change course or speed of target to adjust.

10-11-08, 11:53 PM	#11
USS Santa Swabbie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Denmark Posts: 9 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	damn you are so lucky

10-12-08, 01:41 AM	#12
Raptor1 Navy Seal Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Stavka Posts: 8,211 Downloads: 13 Uploads: 0	IIRC in 1943 much of the Combined Fleet redeployed to Truk, that could've been what you stumbled on EDIT: But I think that was early 1943... Well, I haven't had such luck (Especially with finding BBs, don't think I ever saw one outside port) __________________ Current Eastern Front status: Probable Victory

10-12-08, 02:43 AM	#13
Rilder Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Ive seen a couple BB and CVs in taskforces but no successfull attacks yet. Made 1 unnsuccssfull attack on a Carrier once but it was mostly just a snapshot and RUNNN AWAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY 65% Realism,(Manual aiming, no map contact update, and no external view off)

10-12-08, 06:27 AM	#14
I'm goin' down Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Notify command we have entered the Grass Sea Posts: 2,822 Downloads: 813 Uploads: 0	solution? I have had a severe problem hitting any targets on auto targeting. The red solution light used to light up and now it does not. And the green arrow that would light up under the target when the solution was prime usually only turns yellow for some reason. If it is green I cannot see it on the screen I use which unfortunately is not this one. (Note on this laptop the word "Subsim" on the web site is tourquoise, but on the computer I use for SH4 it is white. [This computer cannot handle SH4.] I think ithe video card on the other machine is the culprit.) Moving along..., late tonight I inserted the SH4 CD into the drive rather than playing with the version installed on the C drive. My ship embarked on a mission off of the Phillipines, and sunk two freighters with torpedos - four hits and zero misses. If this solves the problem then my crew won't have to stay up until 4 a.m. every night trying to hit something. We will see what happens tomorrow. Just so you know how bad it has been, earlier today my ship lined up for a text book, 90 degree broadside on two freighters freighters crusing at a liesutely 5 knots in calm seas . They were practically begging for death. My crew was fired up for a kill and had the boat in position so early that they ate lunch and played a short game of poker while waiting for a double helping of "dessert" to arrive. Four torpedos at 800 yards were loosed in a timely manner. (The tension on board was palpable.) And what happened? They all missed! Our mascot, a black toy poddle with an angry disposition, laid down next to his bone and covered his his eyes with his paws! Obviously, the weaponry was faulty. Oh well, today we run away, hoping to kick some ass another day! __________________________________________________ _________ When Lord Mountbatten's destroyer was sunk in the Mediteranean, he and his crew went over the side singing "Roll out the barrels." No kidding! It is reported that his crew adored him. The IRA assasinated him.