Double bubble? What would you do??

Foghladh_mhara · 09-19-07, 02:25 PM

Taskforce in sight west of Spain. November 1939. Estimated speed 18 knots. U-46 is sitting perpindicular to their course and approx 800m outside the projected path of the port escort. There are 4 destroyers fore, aft, port and starboard and another doing mad sprints on the other side of the group. Distance to taskforce about 5000m.

And in the middle? 2 Battleships and 2 light cruisers!!! One looks like the Nelson (3 big guns on her bow) and the other is possibly a Revenge class or possibly the Prince of Wales. I cant see a second stack so I dont think so but the angle is tight.

The big, big problem is that the sea is so calm and its only 1500 hours so plenty of light left. Therefore a surfaced attack is out of the question cos I only just got a new boat and I dont want to scratch it yet

I'm paranoid about even having the scope up for more than 3 or 4 secs. I'm prob being a bit over cautious but I've come straight from a career that ended in 1943 so I'm a bit nervous about escort capabilities. The second problem is that I'm only loaded with G7A's so a bubble stream could be seen in the calm seas.

My dilemma is this. I'm greedy

I naturally want to sink both Battleships. As I see it my ideal scenario is a 2 torp hit on each, dive to depth and evade. The initial hit will either knock them out (unlikely) or slow them down. If the latter occurs and even knocks a couple of knots off their speed I can follow and flank eventually. The downside is that to hit both I need to fire at the furthermost BS first and then follow with the second salvo. Best case it works, worst case however is that the wake is seen crossing the nearest BS and all ships evade. What the hell to do???

So then my fellow Kaleuns what would you do? A double tap at each and cross your fingers or a full salvo at the nearest Battleship and practically ensure a sinking? This is of course assuming the escorts dont detect me and send me to the bottom. The game is paused!!

Oh and I threw out my initial plan to put 1 eel into each of the BS's and cruisers. Seemed a little too optimistic

Canovaro · 09-19-07, 02:53 PM

Fire all four at the first battleship, then evade. That's what I would do.

Hartmann · 09-19-07, 03:14 PM

Fire all to one battleship

i was in the same situation with my ix-B boat and i fired a first salvo of 6 torpedoes to the battleship and after some time with depth charges i was able to finish her with two more torpedoes.

if you fire 2 torpedoes to each ship probably don´t cause enough damage to slow down his speed and probably they could scape.

is better one bird in the hand than 100 flying :rotfl:

TarJak · 09-19-07, 03:23 PM

I'd go along with these guys advice. Get one almost certain sinking that two possibles.

Avatar · 09-19-07, 03:43 PM

Or....
you could get gawdy and fire all four at the closest BB, then swing your stern tubes to bear on the second BB.

But be prepared to get pummeled!

wait, this may be too risky. Besides, the speed of the task force may be too much for your boat to swing around in time.

edit: nevermind, I misread that youre in a Type VII

astat333 · 09-19-07, 03:43 PM

it's what a real u-boat captain should have done in ww2.
if you want to play the simulation, go for a single BB.

if you want to fool around, try and load until you manage to get a magnetic hit onto both. :p:p

Foghladh_mhara · 09-19-07, 03:44 PM

Went greedy. 2 eels at each and down like the clappers!! 2 impacts. Lurked in the depths for a while and came back to periscope depth. End result 1 Revenge class Battleship sitting dead in the water. Put the stern eel into her and down she went. A 50% return

Avatar · 09-19-07, 03:47 PM

Hey, thats one BB out of the picture!

Congrats!

Brag · 09-19-07, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canovaro

Fire all four at the first battleship, then evade. That's what I would do.

Me too!
Don't be greedy

Brag · 09-19-07, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brag

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canovaro

Fire all four at the first battleship, then evade. That's what I would do.

Me too!
Don't be greedy

Oh well, too late. Congratahoochies, Fogh. Well done! The Vaterland is proud of you.

Hartmann · 09-19-07, 04:37 PM

Congratulations !!

A capital unit very difficult to replace in time for the war.

klh · 09-19-07, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canovaro

Fire all four at the first battleship, then evade. That's what I would do.

Ditto.

You got lucky. Greed will often leave you with no tonnage or worse - killed.

Foghladh_mhara · 09-19-07, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klh

You got lucky. Greed will often leave you with no tonnage or worse - killed.

Lucky?? Lucky!!! Kaleun Alois Janus does not deal in luck my friend. The plot was compiled with the utmost attention and carried out with the utmost flair!! If luck must play her part then it was on on the side of the perfidious Britons aboard the the Nelson who passed within a whisker of their end.

minute · 09-20-07, 04:28 AM

I've been in a similar situation before, with a TF of two Revenge BBs lined up.

Instead of firing at long range, I pushed up to flank 7knots when I was about 1.8km away. Sure, the alarm went up and hell broke loose but I was in a good position and I managed to cover about 900m before the escorts managed to close in.

The BBs were zi-zagging heavily but from less than 1km they stood no chance. I fired 2 slow torps to the closest one and two fast to the other one. Then I managed to swing a stern shoot as well before the destroyer closed in.

It caught me at 40m depth, I got some pounding, three bow tubes went out, but all torps hit. One Revenge (the one that took three hits) sunk in 10 minutes.

The second one I found in the morning dead in the water heavy listing on the starbord side. One more torpedo from the remaining tube finished her fate

09-19-07, 02:25 PM	#1
Foghladh_mhara Commander Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 473 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Double bubble? What would you do?? Taskforce in sight west of Spain. November 1939. Estimated speed 18 knots. U-46 is sitting perpindicular to their course and approx 800m outside the projected path of the port escort. There are 4 destroyers fore, aft, port and starboard and another doing mad sprints on the other side of the group. Distance to taskforce about 5000m. And in the middle? 2 Battleships and 2 light cruisers!!! One looks like the Nelson (3 big guns on her bow) and the other is possibly a Revenge class or possibly the Prince of Wales. I cant see a second stack so I dont think so but the angle is tight. The big, big problem is that the sea is so calm and its only 1500 hours so plenty of light left. Therefore a surfaced attack is out of the question cos I only just got a new boat and I dont want to scratch it yet I'm paranoid about even having the scope up for more than 3 or 4 secs. I'm prob being a bit over cautious but I've come straight from a career that ended in 1943 so I'm a bit nervous about escort capabilities. The second problem is that I'm only loaded with G7A's so a bubble stream could be seen in the calm seas. My dilemma is this. I'm greedy I naturally want to sink both Battleships. As I see it my ideal scenario is a 2 torp hit on each, dive to depth and evade. The initial hit will either knock them out (unlikely) or slow them down. If the latter occurs and even knocks a couple of knots off their speed I can follow and flank eventually. The downside is that to hit both I need to fire at the furthermost BS first and then follow with the second salvo. Best case it works, worst case however is that the wake is seen crossing the nearest BS and all ships evade. What the hell to do??? So then my fellow Kaleuns what would you do? A double tap at each and cross your fingers or a full salvo at the nearest Battleship and practically ensure a sinking? This is of course assuming the escorts dont detect me and send me to the bottom. The game is paused!! Oh and I threw out my initial plan to put 1 eel into each of the BS's and cruisers. Seemed a little too optimistic __________________ The beauty of not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise without any of the stress that might normally precede such a venture

09-19-07, 03:14 PM	#3
Hartmann Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Grid CH 26, Spain ,Barcelona Posts: 1,857 Downloads: 204 Uploads: 0	Fire all to one battleship i was in the same situation with my ix-B boat and i fired a first salvo of 6 torpedoes to the battleship and after some time with depth charges i was able to finish her with two more torpedoes. if you fire 2 torpedoes to each ship probably don´t cause enough damage to slow down his speed and probably they could scape. is better one bird in the hand than 100 flying :rotfl: __________________ But this ship can't sink!... She is made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can. and she will. It is a mathematical certainty. Strength and honor

09-19-07, 03:44 PM	#7
Foghladh_mhara Commander Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 473 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Went greedy. 2 eels at each and down like the clappers!! 2 impacts. Lurked in the depths for a while and came back to periscope depth. End result 1 Revenge class Battleship sitting dead in the water. Put the stern eel into her and down she went. A 50% return __________________ The beauty of not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise without any of the stress that might normally precede such a venture

09-19-07, 04:37 PM	#11
Hartmann Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Grid CH 26, Spain ,Barcelona Posts: 1,857 Downloads: 204 Uploads: 0	Congratulations !! A capital unit very difficult to replace in time for the war. __________________ But this ship can't sink!... She is made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can. and she will. It is a mathematical certainty. Strength and honor

09-19-07, 02:53 PM	#2
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	Fire all four at the first battleship, then evade. That's what I would do.

09-19-07, 03:23 PM	#4
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	I'd go along with these guys advice. Get one almost certain sinking that two possibles.

09-19-07, 03:43 PM	#5
Avatar Commodore Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Way out there Posts: 603 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Or.... you could get gawdy and fire all four at the closest BB, then swing your stern tubes to bear on the second BB. But be prepared to get pummeled! wait, this may be too risky. Besides, the speed of the task force may be too much for your boat to swing around in time. edit: nevermind, I misread that youre in a Type VII

09-19-07, 03:43 PM	#6
astat333 Watch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 27 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	it's what a real u-boat captain should have done in ww2. if you want to play the simulation, go for a single BB. if you want to fool around, try and load until you manage to get a magnetic hit onto both. :p:p

09-19-07, 03:47 PM	#8
Avatar Commodore Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Way out there Posts: 603 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Hey, thats one BB out of the picture! Congrats!

09-20-07, 04:28 AM	#14
minute Loader Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 87 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I've been in a similar situation before, with a TF of two Revenge BBs lined up. Instead of firing at long range, I pushed up to flank 7knots when I was about 1.8km away. Sure, the alarm went up and hell broke loose but I was in a good position and I managed to cover about 900m before the escorts managed to close in. The BBs were zi-zagging heavily but from less than 1km they stood no chance. I fired 2 slow torps to the closest one and two fast to the other one. Then I managed to swing a stern shoot as well before the destroyer closed in. It caught me at 40m depth, I got some pounding, three bow tubes went out, but all torps hit. One Revenge (the one that took three hits) sunk in 10 minutes. The second one I found in the morning dead in the water heavy listing on the starbord side. One more torpedo from the remaining tube finished her fate