My first Conte Verde liner - It "blowed up real good"

Vaux · 12-03-10, 07:43 AM

TMO 2.0, auto-targeting and event camera on. Luzon Straits, April '42, Porpoise-class boat. After successfully completing a few objectives in the South China Sea, I received orders to find and sink any enemy shipping. The orders grant me full autonomy in doing this. I headed North figuring I'd check out the Jap coast.

About 3:30 PM, the weather is clear with only a couple knots of wind, when the Deck Watch calls out "Ship spotted!". It's a Momi destroyer at a little over 5 miles. A couple minutes later, I hear "Ship spotted!" twice more in quick succession. I look through the binoculars and see not one, but two Conte Verde liners in file behind the Momi. I do some quick observations, figure a rough course for them and discover that if I simply submerge, turn 90 degrees to port and wait, I'll be in a perfect firing position.

Since conditions are such that visibility is incredible, I submerge a lot earlier than I normally would. I call for silent running. I use my sonar, and periodically quickly raise and lower my A scope to monitor the convoy's progress. I note that the convoy is moving at 17 kts... wow!

Eventually, I get lined up on the leading liner, the pip turns green and I fire all 4 forward tubes along the liner's length as it passes through my cross-hairs. I'm about 3,500 yards out, much farther than I would normally attack from, but visibility is working against me. The torps are set to Fast, Impact, and set to 15 feet. After all 4 forward tubes are cleared, I call Ahead Standard and hard starboard to bring my 3 remaining torps in the stern to bear.

At this point, I notice the liners slowing and beginning to turn to starboard. Must have seen my torp wake. Not surprising, given that the ocean looks like a billiard table, and the sun's high in the sky. I loose my 3 remaining stern torps, call for a depth of 295 and, again, rig for silent running.

Of the 7 torps fired, only one of the stern torps hit, but that's all it took. It hit right between the 2 funnels and resulted in quite a spectacular series of secondary explosions. At one point, the entire ship was obscured in a huge fireball. Within a couple of seconds of the impact, I saw the lifeboats appear in the event cam and knew she was doomed.Now to settle in for a few, relaxing, game-time hours of DD evasion.

So, was this just a lucky shot on my part, or are Conte Verdes really that sensitive? Maybe she was carrying ammo?

12-03-10, 07:43 AM	#1
Vaux Torpedoman Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 116 Downloads: 26 Uploads: 0	My first Conte Verde liner - It "blowed up real good" TMO 2.0, auto-targeting and event camera on. Luzon Straits, April '42, Porpoise-class boat. After successfully completing a few objectives in the South China Sea, I received orders to find and sink any enemy shipping. The orders grant me full autonomy in doing this. I headed North figuring I'd check out the Jap coast. About 3:30 PM, the weather is clear with only a couple knots of wind, when the Deck Watch calls out "Ship spotted!". It's a Momi destroyer at a little over 5 miles. A couple minutes later, I hear "Ship spotted!" twice more in quick succession. I look through the binoculars and see not one, but two Conte Verde liners in file behind the Momi. I do some quick observations, figure a rough course for them and discover that if I simply submerge, turn 90 degrees to port and wait, I'll be in a perfect firing position. Since conditions are such that visibility is incredible, I submerge a lot earlier than I normally would. I call for silent running. I use my sonar, and periodically quickly raise and lower my A scope to monitor the convoy's progress. I note that the convoy is moving at 17 kts... wow! Eventually, I get lined up on the leading liner, the pip turns green and I fire all 4 forward tubes along the liner's length as it passes through my cross-hairs. I'm about 3,500 yards out, much farther than I would normally attack from, but visibility is working against me. The torps are set to Fast, Impact, and set to 15 feet. After all 4 forward tubes are cleared, I call Ahead Standard and hard starboard to bring my 3 remaining torps in the stern to bear. At this point, I notice the liners slowing and beginning to turn to starboard. Must have seen my torp wake. Not surprising, given that the ocean looks like a billiard table, and the sun's high in the sky. I loose my 3 remaining stern torps, call for a depth of 295 and, again, rig for silent running. Of the 7 torps fired, only one of the stern torps hit, but that's all it took. It hit right between the 2 funnels and resulted in quite a spectacular series of secondary explosions. At one point, the entire ship was obscured in a huge fireball. Within a couple of seconds of the impact, I saw the lifeboats appear in the event cam and knew she was doomed.Now to settle in for a few, relaxing, game-time hours of DD evasion. So, was this just a lucky shot on my part, or are Conte Verdes really that sensitive? Maybe she was carrying ammo?