First at sea encounter with a Task-Force

Highbury · 01-16-06, 05:26 PM

I had seen the contact reports on my maps many times. I once even sighted one, but it was already past so no way to engage. Finally I got lucky enough to engage one.

18th Nov, 39. AN47. I was well into my patrol in my Type IIA, U-16. Had sunk the S.S. Baron Kelvin (C3 Cargo), 6685 tons and S.S. Casa Grande (Small Merchant), 2591 tons with one fish each, and also dispatched a small coastal with my flak gun.

I was starting to get fairly low on fuel (Ptrl grid AN44 can take a bit just to get to from Kiel in a IIA) so I decide to take a bit of a swing south, then head back east slowly hoping for contacts. Just as I made my eastward turn my watch crew has a sighting at 180 degrees closing. The day is perfectly clear with pool table smooth seas so I figure I'll dive and take a look to be on the safe side. Well as I peek through the glass the first thing I see is a Southampton coming straight at me but still a ways off, looks like a TF coming out of Dundee. I do a bit of slow maneouvering to give myself a side shot while I examine the make-up of the TF. there is the one Southampton, followed by a Dido, then another Southamton. These are ringed by 2 - C class, and 2 - J cass destroyers in a diamond formation. I am at a dead stop, facing what will give me a side shot at the heavies and inside the destroyer screen..

So now I have to decide where to place my 3 fish. The leading SH is going pin straight at 25kts. the following cruisers are zig zagging. (is this normal TF behavior?) I figure with only 3 torps that it would be horrible to wound one or 2 of them, and not be able to finish. So I decide that it is better to leave with something then nothing, fire 2 at the steady target. save one in case I somehow only wound him with those.

Well I am sorry to say that I have no fictional drama to add. It went off like clockwork. One in the forward magazine, one in the fuel stores and she went off like a Roman candle. The trailing escort did one circle, never gaining a sniff of me, then ran off to catch up. SH3 Commader put a smile on my face by telling me it was the classes namesake, HMS Southampton that had gone down. Odd though, that what is actually a very sucessful attack on a small Task-Force leaves you thinking of the ones that got away...

On my way home I was pleased to see a Polish Coastal who accepted my last fish amidships, was my first sighting of a Pole as well

01-16-06, 05:26 PM	#1
Highbury The Old Man Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: 51.557, -0.102 Posts: 1,311 Downloads: 177 Uploads: 0	First at sea encounter with a Task-Force I had seen the contact reports on my maps many times. I once even sighted one, but it was already past so no way to engage. Finally I got lucky enough to engage one. 18th Nov, 39. AN47. I was well into my patrol in my Type IIA, U-16. Had sunk the S.S. Baron Kelvin (C3 Cargo), 6685 tons and S.S. Casa Grande (Small Merchant), 2591 tons with one fish each, and also dispatched a small coastal with my flak gun. I was starting to get fairly low on fuel (Ptrl grid AN44 can take a bit just to get to from Kiel in a IIA) so I decide to take a bit of a swing south, then head back east slowly hoping for contacts. Just as I made my eastward turn my watch crew has a sighting at 180 degrees closing. The day is perfectly clear with pool table smooth seas so I figure I'll dive and take a look to be on the safe side. Well as I peek through the glass the first thing I see is a Southampton coming straight at me but still a ways off, looks like a TF coming out of Dundee. I do a bit of slow maneouvering to give myself a side shot while I examine the make-up of the TF. there is the one Southampton, followed by a Dido, then another Southamton. These are ringed by 2 - C class, and 2 - J cass destroyers in a diamond formation. I am at a dead stop, facing what will give me a side shot at the heavies and inside the destroyer screen.. So now I have to decide where to place my 3 fish. The leading SH is going pin straight at 25kts. the following cruisers are zig zagging. (is this normal TF behavior?) I figure with only 3 torps that it would be horrible to wound one or 2 of them, and not be able to finish. So I decide that it is better to leave with something then nothing, fire 2 at the steady target. save one in case I somehow only wound him with those. Well I am sorry to say that I have no fictional drama to add. It went off like clockwork. One in the forward magazine, one in the fuel stores and she went off like a Roman candle. The trailing escort did one circle, never gaining a sniff of me, then ran off to catch up. SH3 Commader put a smile on my face by telling me it was the classes namesake, HMS Southampton that had gone down. Odd though, that what is actually a very sucessful attack on a small Task-Force leaves you thinking of the ones that got away... On my way home I was pleased to see a Polish Coastal who accepted my last fish amidships, was my first sighting of a Pole as well