Ducimus -- Again!!!

[I'm goin' down]

Up in Alaska in '42 playing TMO 2.0. Easy prey! A lone freighter doing 4 kts. Using Easy AoB I unleash two torpedoes at 3,600 yds. Both miss the nose of the target. No problem!! I am patient. At 1,500 yds., a second salvo of four torpedoes is unleashed. 4 Direct Hits. All DUDS!!! I turn off silent running so my forward torpedoes, which are now empty, will be loaded by a pissed off crew. Meanwhile, I swing the Barbarinna around for aft shots. Fire all four. Four hits! ALL DUDS!! Jesus (pardon my French)!! My second in command interrupts my screaming epithets to advise that the crew has reloaded one forward torpedo. At 800 yds., I fire it. CONTACT Amidships, immediately followed by a big explosion! Whoppee; Hee Haw!... braying like a jackass. (11 shots, 2 misses, 8 dud torpedoes, and one hit/explosion! That is a percentage so low I don't want to calculate it.)

With the target vulnerable and listing to starboard, the Barbarinna surfaces and attacks with her deck gun. Several hits, but what's this? The Nagara Maru is returning fire, and with extreme accuracy. Almost all crew are down on the deck and inside the boat, and the entire gun crew is dead at their battle stations. Replacements, all injured, scramble topside and man the deck gun. The bulkhead has been breached and we are taking on water in four compartments. The repair crew are all injured. Finally, I pull out of the fight, hoping the Nagara Maru, listing heavily and low in the water, will go down. But it is too late for me...my remaining crew who are all injured... and our boat. We go under before our target does. Game Over!

Ducimus cautioned that his freighters in 2.0 won't roll over without a fight. He wasn't kidding. (And this was my first mission since being released from my cell which I shared with Rockin Robbins, after I had accidentally sunk a US carrier at Midway!) Nice, huh?

2.0 will kick your ass one way or the other.

[Bubblehead1980]

ahh that hasnt happened to me, came close though.Was stalking a lone freighter off philippines at night for night surface attack in 1944 in a Gato.Had 4 mark `18's ready in stern tubes(last fish so could go home after 46 days on patrol) Was just ready to fire at 2100 yards when target unalerted to my presence, made a routine course change.Now I couldnt move fast but managed to get 1200 yards off his track and when ready to fire...BOOOM deck gun from enemy ship opens up, I flank all flank and open fire on them with the aft mounted 40 MM bofors HE shells(did some damage, started small fire near their deck gun and it stopped firing, killed the gun crew I suppose) so then I dove, and used the one remaining Mark 14 to blow a hole in her side, then one she was dead in water, fired two Mark 18's, lit her up but no sinking, i was low on fuel so didnt have time to hunt for other targets, expended last two into her and she went down, had a Ryunn Maru I believe it was.So yea I came close to falling prey to supposed easy lone merchant.Would be great if could give merchants "defensive" depth charges like some Japanese merchants carried.

[rein1705]

...

[Admiral8Q]

2.0 is released! Nice, I'll d/l it and give it a try!

[McHibbins]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

......Would be great if could give merchants "defensive" depth charges like some Japanese merchants carried.

That was tried by the US-Navy I think. Problem was : These vessels weren´t fast enough to get away from the explosion radius. So they were always in danger to damage themselves if using DCs.

[Bubblehead1980]

The Japanese used defensive depth charges, read about it in several books, including Clear the Bridge by Admiral O Kane.They were meant more or less to scare the subs, give them a way to fight back and maybe get lucky, it helped one ship get away from the Tang.

[BillBam]

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

I turn off silent running so my forward torpedoes, which are now empty, will be loaded by a pissed off crew.

Why are you silent running for a lone merchant?

[Keelbuster]

Originally Posted by BillBam

Why are you silent running for a lone merchant?

In TMO some merchants have hydrophones.

Originally Posted by I'm goin' down

Up in Alaska in '42 playing TMO 2.0.....bla bla bla

What is your main point, and what is the goal of this thread? Can you explain? . I guess its easy to point our fingers at others and do spell checking when your "sorry" self can`t even make a simple point, that is probably something you don`t learn in grammar school.
Maybe its a public pm with hidden message . Talking and admire yourself is a popular thing on the web , even when the material don`t belong to you directly

[rein1705]

He didn't write anything offensive, why the cow?

[Rockin Robbins]

I thought what he wrote was pure good fun!

[rein1705]

In fact i do quite enjoy reading stories such as this and posting my own so people can laugh and relate to the encounters. That's one of the reasons i love this forum.

[JoeCorrado]

I don't mind the concept of freighters being armed, but seriously- the effective range of a deck mounted machine gun was 850 yards... if you surface to engage, and remain beyond that range- you should have nothing to fear unless Duci has done something odd.

Maybe he will comment?

At first, the only machine-gun available was the Lewis gun, and in order to improve the defensive protection of merchant ships it was arranged that those Army Bren gun teams who were acquainted with the Lewis gun should give the necessary instructions to the crews...

As from 9th March, 1940, merchant ships and fishing vessels at sea between the East Coast and the mine barrage were authorized to engage by day and night any aircraft not recognized as friendly approaching them within gun range (850 yards), and aircraft were warned not to approach within 1,500 yards of ships

The Germans used captured British Lewis Guns during World War II under the designation MG 137(e)[35], whilst the Japanese copied the Lewis design and employed it extensively during World War II;[34] it was designated the Type 92 and chambered for a 7.7mm rimmed cartridge that was interchangeable with the .303 British round.[36][37]

[raymond6751]

Originally Posted by Dimitrius07

What is your main point, and what is the goal of this thread? Can you explain? . I guess its easy to point our fingers at others and do spell checking when your "sorry" self can`t even make a simple point, that is probably something you don`t learn in grammar school.
Maybe its a public pm with hidden message . Talking and admire yourself is a popular thing on the web , even when the material don`t belong to you directly

This forum is a place to comment, yes, and to share experiences. This is especially true of mission events like this. I think you owe an apology. It is your post that is out of line. You apparently point your finger a lot.

[flatsixes]

Ha! I know that feeling Goin' Down! It's like Satan's Maru's weps crew is the all-Navy Seal Team and all I've got is a sack of potatoes to throw back at them!

I swear, somewhere Ducimus must be laughing his fanny off.