GLORIOUS hunting off Florida

Tool · 06-12-08, 05:10 PM

I want to go to Florida.. but alas it is only March of 41.

Tool.

predavolk · 06-12-08, 05:34 PM

I've found another tanker alley off the Americas that might be even more productive, although the defenses are definitely tougher. More to come when (if!) I finish my patrol.

predavolk · 06-14-08, 09:18 PM

Well, here's the info. June/July 1942, I sank 18, yes 18 ships, in a radius of 30km! Where you might ask? The north entrance to Trinidad, near Port-of-Spain. It's a small channel that funnels an INCREDIBLE amount of traffic, much of it American tankers (a lot of neutral tankers too- Venezuela, who turn Ally late in the war). Including two ships sunk at nearby Barbados (Bridgetown is THE best harbor to raid- incredibly deep ALL the way in!!!), my total for the trip was 118K.

I got a lot of deck gun kills (4-5 I think), 6 tankers, 2 warships, and 12 cargo ships (mostly smaller ships, some liberties) in my IXB. The surface opposition was very light, consisting primarily of patrolling single destroyers (15% of the time), single antisub trawlers (15% of the time), and twin torpedo boats (70% of the time). Ironically, I saw a stationary trawler and went in to take it out with a close-range torpedo shot. For some reason (I got too close??), it heard me and started pinging like mad. It caught me off guard, ruined my shot, and forced me to surface and engage it with my flak guns. It was too shallow to dodge depth charges, and too maneuverable to torpedo. My twin 20mm took care of it fairly quickly, but not before it killed 6 of my men, including an experienced flak crewman, and my watch officer who had every medal but the purple heart.

But that was my own stupidity and arrogance. I should've left it or taken a longer shot. I was able to easily slip in and out of Barbados twice, under the nose of two trawlers (took out a big destroyer first time, modern tanker second time, both British). The MOST DANGEROUS hazard was easily the airplanes. I had to crash dive perhaps twelve times, was bombed almost every time, and was strafed a couple of times. By mid-cruise I would not surface without my decks awash. I think they were fighters, they often came in pairs, but no matter what they were they came screaming in- even at night, so I suspect radar. Once after I sent a patrol report, sometimes out of the blue, quite often after (or during) an attack on surface ships, so it was risky every which way.

I bragged a bit in my 100K Club thread about how this was my 3rd 100K+ patrol, but upon reaching home, it was closer than I thought. Between the pounding the little trawler gave me, close misses and strafings from airplanes, and the odd hits I took in my gun engagements (freakin' Liberty ships have an 88, a 100, and two 20's!), I ended up with 6 dead and about 35% hull integrity- my lowest ever!

The good news is that I didn't need to test it, or my new decoy capabilities (that were destroyed by the trawler!). The surface defenses were very, very soft. I was depth charged twice I think, otherwise I wasn't even detected while operating within sight of the coast. But man, those airplanes are going to be the death of me. I hope it's just that they have radar, otherwise they really are every where! Thank goodness I now have some radar detecting capability installed before my next trip!

Any how, it looks like this is a real gem of an area in mid-1942, so long as you are very respectful of the local airpower. Lots of British and US targets to be had in single, unescorted ships, and double, unescorted ships (I only saw one small convoy my whole time there, and couldn't reach it). Happy Hunting!

Schwuppes · 06-15-08, 10:22 AM

Congrats on your sucesses Herr Kaleun!

With this relentless fighting spirit we will bring them to their knees!

Oh, would you mind providing grid numbers to where exactly these hotspots are?

predavolk · 06-15-08, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwuppes

Congrats on your sucesses Herr Kaleun!

With this relentless fighting spirit we will bring them to their knees!

Oh, would you mind providing grid numbers to where exactly these hotspots are?

No problem, I'll get it next time I play (it's in the ED grid- looks like my next patrol is to EC, so Ill be right close to there again- Panama Canal maybe?). Unless someone knows where I can find a grid map online, then I'll be happy to get the exact reference number right away. But it is an easy geographical feature to find- it is the North end of the Trinidad Bay entrance, near Port-of-Spain.

I may have said this before, but the map that comes with GWX, showing convoy and patrol routes, is an absolute goldmine! Personally, that map has done me a TON of good in finding busy shipping lanes. IIRC, well before my time, there was a website that allowed Kaleuns to report their contacts. All that info was summed, and a map like this one (this very one?) was generated. In any case, I have yet to be seriously led astray by this map. And you'll notice that Port-of-Spain and San Fernando are right smack in the middle of individual AND convoy shipping lanes. The convoy lanes appear to ship out of the Southern entrance to Trinidad Bay, but I had no success waiting off that southeastern entrance for several days. The northern entrance on the other hand, was just silly busy.

Frank0001 · 06-17-08, 08:49 PM

Thanks for the update! Now we only have to send in Balz and America will surrender

06-12-08, 05:10 PM	#1
Tool Planesman Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 189 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I want to go to Florida.. but alas it is only March of 41. Tool. __________________ 309th Wild Ducks www.56thvfw.com

06-15-08, 10:22 AM	#4
Schwuppes 中国水兵 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 279 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	Congrats on your sucesses Herr Kaleun! With this relentless fighting spirit we will bring them to their knees! Oh, would you mind providing grid numbers to where exactly these hotspots are? __________________ E8400 @ 4.00Ghz standard vCore, Gigabyte P35C DS3R @ 445 Mhz, Leadtek GTX 280, 3 x 1GB Kingston DDR2 800 @ 890Mhz, 250GB +160GB HDD, Terratec DMX 6fire 24/96, Silverstone ST60F 600W, Logitech Z-5500 THX

06-17-08, 08:49 PM	#6
Frank0001 Chief Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 317 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the update! Now we only have to send in Balz and America will surrender __________________ Snipers of the Seas One eel - one Kill

06-12-08, 05:34 PM	#2
predavolk Weps Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 369 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I've found another tanker alley off the Americas that might be even more productive, although the defenses are definitely tougher. More to come when (if!) I finish my patrol.

06-14-08, 09:18 PM	#3
predavolk Weps Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 369 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Well, here's the info. June/July 1942, I sank 18, yes 18 ships, in a radius of 30km! Where you might ask? The north entrance to Trinidad, near Port-of-Spain. It's a small channel that funnels an INCREDIBLE amount of traffic, much of it American tankers (a lot of neutral tankers too- Venezuela, who turn Ally late in the war). Including two ships sunk at nearby Barbados (Bridgetown is THE best harbor to raid- incredibly deep ALL the way in!!!), my total for the trip was 118K. I got a lot of deck gun kills (4-5 I think), 6 tankers, 2 warships, and 12 cargo ships (mostly smaller ships, some liberties) in my IXB. The surface opposition was very light, consisting primarily of patrolling single destroyers (15% of the time), single antisub trawlers (15% of the time), and twin torpedo boats (70% of the time). Ironically, I saw a stationary trawler and went in to take it out with a close-range torpedo shot. For some reason (I got too close??), it heard me and started pinging like mad. It caught me off guard, ruined my shot, and forced me to surface and engage it with my flak guns. It was too shallow to dodge depth charges, and too maneuverable to torpedo. My twin 20mm took care of it fairly quickly, but not before it killed 6 of my men, including an experienced flak crewman, and my watch officer who had every medal but the purple heart. But that was my own stupidity and arrogance. I should've left it or taken a longer shot. I was able to easily slip in and out of Barbados twice, under the nose of two trawlers (took out a big destroyer first time, modern tanker second time, both British). The MOST DANGEROUS hazard was easily the airplanes. I had to crash dive perhaps twelve times, was bombed almost every time, and was strafed a couple of times. By mid-cruise I would not surface without my decks awash. I think they were fighters, they often came in pairs, but no matter what they were they came screaming in- even at night, so I suspect radar. Once after I sent a patrol report, sometimes out of the blue, quite often after (or during) an attack on surface ships, so it was risky every which way. I bragged a bit in my 100K Club thread about how this was my 3rd 100K+ patrol, but upon reaching home, it was closer than I thought. Between the pounding the little trawler gave me, close misses and strafings from airplanes, and the odd hits I took in my gun engagements (freakin' Liberty ships have an 88, a 100, and two 20's!), I ended up with 6 dead and about 35% hull integrity- my lowest ever! The good news is that I didn't need to test it, or my new decoy capabilities (that were destroyed by the trawler!). The surface defenses were very, very soft. I was depth charged twice I think, otherwise I wasn't even detected while operating within sight of the coast. But man, those airplanes are going to be the death of me. I hope it's just that they have radar, otherwise they really are every where! Thank goodness I now have some radar detecting capability installed before my next trip! Any how, it looks like this is a real gem of an area in mid-1942, so long as you are very respectful of the local airpower. Lots of British and US targets to be had in single, unescorted ships, and double, unescorted ships (I only saw one small convoy my whole time there, and couldn't reach it). Happy Hunting!