The dangers of shallow water and target fixation

[Vaux]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

It sounds like the DD and the patrol boat you ran into where part of a anti-sub patrol seeing that you where in the Java Sea.

It is pretty common If I recall even in the stock game(not sure the version you are playing) to find 2 or 3 vessel anti-sub patrols in areas that are choke points such as narrow bodies of water between two land masses and pretty much every part of the Java Sea is a possible choke point so it is a good idea to be extra weary of anti-sub patrols in these areas or they might surprise you.

The thing is, after 3 separate encounters/sinkings, I'd seen nary a DD... not even a gun boat. I got complacent and started thinking that maybe the Japs thought no one would be stupid enough to operate in the area and didn't have any ASW assets around. Obviously they did allow for some idiot to try it... and that idiot was me!