New War Patrol scenario

[Bill Nichols]

My first mission for SH4: "Tang Rings the Bell"

Mission Briefing:

During five war patrols under the command of Richard H. O'Kane, the Balao class fleet submarine U.S.S. Tang was credited with sinking a total of 31 Japanese ships for a wartime total of 227,800 tons. The victim of a circular running torpedo during her fifth war patrol, only eight members of her crew, including O'Kane, survived to spend the rest of the war in Japanese captivity.

On June 8, 1944, Tang slid away from Pearl Harbor to begin her third war patrol. East China and Yellow Sea areas were her destination. And her patrol was destined to be one of the great convoy-smashers of the war. Officially credited with 10 sinkings for 39,100 tons, O'Kane and her company set a record. No other U.S. submarine sank as many ships during a single war patrol. No other, in one patrol, sank a greater merchant tonnage.

Can you do better?

This is a War Patrol (not 'Quick Mission') so goes in the /Data/SinglePatrols folder.

Because this is the sixth scenario in my SinglePatrols folder, the prefix to my mission's folder and files contained therein is "WP06". If you have a different number of war patrols in your SinglePatrols folder, you will have to rename my folder (and files) accordingly.

Note: If you do change the folder/file names, you will need to open the .tsr file with Notepad and change the reference to the graphic file (#WP06 - Tang Rings the Bell.tga#) to the new name.


http://www.subguru.com/SH4_missions/...s_the_Bell.rar

Many thanks to Binky1st for his guidance in creating the patrol objectives

Enjoy. Comments are most welcome.

[Egan]

Great stuff Bill. I'm going to give it a go right now. It'll be nice to actually play a patrol instead of all the test scenarios I've been going through.

[Bill Nichols]

Right now, you don't start in port but instead just before arriving at the patrol location. I do this because there is a convoy I created based on O'Kane's patrol report. Once I get the 'spawn units' function to work, I may change my scenario to start in port, and spawn the convoy when the player arrives on station.

[Egan]

Originally Posted by Bill Nichols

Once I get the 'spawn units' function to work, I may change my scenario to start in port, and spawn the convoy when the player arrives on station.

If you haven't read it yet, read my last post in the 'Objectives, triggers and events' thread. I finally got the 'Update instance' event to work after spending days on it. I've only tried it with a search plane just now, but I'm sure it should work with anything.

[Chock]

According to the The Encyclopedia of American Submarines, Tang (SS-306) is credited with sinking 24 vessels for a total of 93,824 tons. Does anyone know if this is actually the correct figure?

[ironkross]

I haven't done a single mission yet. But since I just ended my previous career in the Java Sea I'm starting over with this mission. Thanks.

[Bill Nichols]

Originally Posted by Chock

According to the The Encyclopedia of American Submarines, Tang (SS-306) is credited with sinking 24 vessels for a total of 93,824 tons. Does anyone know if this is actually the correct figure?

I'm researching this now. I suspect the larger number (31 ships for over 200,000 tons) is based on O'Kane's patrol reports, the lower number on post-war assessment.

[Bl@ckVoid]

Post war assessment was too favourable towards Air Force. Especially for 1945 sinkings.

[jmanwell]

Originally Posted by Bill Nichols

I'm researching this now. I suspect the larger number (31 ships for over 200,000 tons) is based on O'Kane's patrol reports, the lower number on post-war assessment.

You are correct. According to Clay Blair's Silent Victory O' Kane posted 31 ships sunk for a total of 227,800 tons sunk in his patrol reports. However, JANAC credited O' Kane with 24 ships sunk for a total of 93, 824 tons.

And if you are wondering, on his third patrol O' Kane posted 8 ships sunk for a total of 56,000 tons in his report, but JANAC credited him with 10 ships for a total of 39,100 tons just as Bill_Nichols stated.

When it comes to ships and tonnage sunk for a patrol, I tend to believe the one who was there when it happened.

[Driftwood]

John D. Alden, retired Navy Commander (according to William Tuohy in "The Bravest Man") updated the JANAC figures in the 80's/90's after he had learned that the Japanese figures had been updated with more accurate data than was available to JANAC. According to Tuohy, Alden's figures are probably the most accurate. Great book by the way! Tuohy tells a great story about O'Kane and some of the more colorful Sub Skippers of that time.

[Bill Nichols]

Originally Posted by Driftwood

John D. Alden, retired Navy Commander (according to William Tuohy in "The Bravest Man") updated the JANAC figures in the 80's/90's after he had learned that the Japanese figures had been updated with more accurate data than was available to JANAC. According to Tuohy, Alden's figures are probably the most accurate. Great book by the way! Tuohy tells a great story about O'Kane and some of the more colorful Sub Skippers of that time.

Don't leave me in suspense... what are Alden's figures for Tang?

[Driftwood]

Originally Posted by Bill Nichols

Don't leave me in suspense... what are Alden's figures for Tang?

My apologies Bill, I've just returned from an anniversary trip (34 years to the same beautiful bride!.......poor woman. ) And one of the books I took along was The Bravest Man. Came back last night and today was trying to "catch up" when I came across this post. I recalled seeing this reference in the book (which I've still got a chapter and a half left to finish) and thought one of you real bubbleheads would be familiar with Commander Alden's study. I've not had an opportunity yet to do any research on Cdr Aldens' work but I will. Here's the bibliograpny information for those of you who are interested. "US Submarine Attacks in World War II," Annapolis, US Naval Institute Press, 1989, updated and revised, 1999,2000.

[Donner]

Originally Posted by Driftwood

... "US Submarine Attacks in World War II," Annapolis, US Naval Institute Press, 1989, updated and revised, 1999,2000.

Alden's 1999 revision was self-published and is EXTREMELY hard to find now. Cdr. Alden has no plans to republish his work either.

Tuohy writes in The Bravest Man that, according to Alden's latest info, O'Kane sank 27 ships. (No tonnage amounts given.)

I have a copy of Alden's original publication, but there are no "Top Ten" lists or the like. It is a straight forward day-by-day, hour-by hour listing of all US submarine attacks during WW2.

[RickC Sniper]

GOT DAMNED ZIG-ZAGGING CONVOYS!


Er, I mean, great mission Bill. Lots of fun. I got too bold and killed my crew the first try at it.




:p
Rick

[ofc]

Naval Institute Press published Alden's work in 1989. It includes a chronological listing of sub attacks, a bibliography, an appendix dealing with minelaying activities and mineplants, and an appendix listing US, Bristish, and Dutch COs of the boats listed in the book. Nothing but the facts!