Tell us what you're up to in current campaign (lets get this one going lol)

[EddieLyons]

25 Dec 1941 00:15
132°14’E, 32°41’N.
At 00:01 lookouts reported a ship at 042, long range. Binoculars showed it to be a sail equipped fishing vessel, so I ordered speed reduced to two thirds ahead to limit our chance of being seen. A binocular sweep showed it to be just the closest of five such craft, so I ordered a dive to periscope depth at 00:09.
I had hoped to get further into the Bungo Suido before having to submerge. But now that’s out of the question. We’ll continue from here submerged, at two thirds ahead, making 4 kts. I intend to probe the channel as far as is feasible -- I figure wherever fishing boats go, there’ll be no mines!
The crew is tense, which is to be expected. What a way to start Christmas Day! At least the hydrophone is clear, so there are no patrols within range.

02:10
132°13’E, 32°49’N.
I have decided to surface. Two fishing vessels remain within sight with the periscope, but far enough away not to be a concern. I have both ahead, one off the port bow, the other off the starboard. I can be reasonably confident there are no minefields in the vicinity. I’ve reduced speed to ahead one third, course 359°, to ensure we don’t overhaul the fishing vessels too soon.
Hydrophone also shows no sound contacts, so it looks like there are no patrol vessels in this part of the channel. Surprisingly! The Japanese don’t celebrate Christmas, do they? But wouldn’t it already be 26 Dec on this side of the International Date Line?

02:45
Only one fishing vessel remains in sight ahead, at 355, so I’ve increased speed to two thirds ahead. They seem to be moving faster than I thought!

02:55
I changed course to 004°, ahead standard. This puts us on course to make a change of course about 10 NM ahead, remaining in the deepest part of the channel. However, the one fishing vessel still in sight seems to be making for a shallower part of the channel, on the west side.

03:00
Lookouts spotted another fishing vessel ahead, bearing 344 and on a NNW course. A binocular sweep showed at least three others. I’ve reduced speed to one third ahead again, but maintaining course and staying surfaced. I think we’re far enough behind to remain out of sight, while observing their course. I’ll have to rethink our plotted course if these vessels are indeed heading through the shallower part of the channel.

03:30
Have increased speed once more to two thirds ahead. The fishing boats have pulled ahead, barely within binocular view. We’re also beginning to lose the moon -- won’t be long before it sets. I had hoped to be further into the channel before losing the benefit of its light.

04:00
Have reduced speed again to one third ahead. One of the fishing boats almost directly ahead is getting too close for comfort. But, unlike the one we have been tracking, which is on course for the shallower part of the channel, this next one is much nearer to our plotted course. This is reassuring, since it might well mean there is no minefield in our path. We shall proceed with caution.

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO Update V2.0
Donation Narwahl Mod
100 difficulty, cams off, map contacts on.



18 September 1944

0000

Position 3-16 N 122-33 E in Celebes Sea, cruising on course 295 at 8.5 knots
en route to Cebu and Mindanao for special assignment. Passengers and cargo aboard.

0040 Lookouts spotted vessel bearing 073 range 5000 yards closing fast! SJ was off at time as "sweep" is made every fifteen minutes. OOD turned away at flank speed, vessel, now identified as a DD or DE, continued closing.

0041 GENERAL QUARTERS. I rushed from my cabin to the bridge.

0044 Spotted vessel closing. Large DD, possibly Shimakaze class.
Planned stern shot, but vessel began to zig and fire guns. Ordered
boat to dive, splashes close!

0046 Ordered 300 ft. Rigged for Silent Running and Depth Charge.

0050 DD roared above as NAUTILUS passed 220 feet.

0053 DC explosions. Real tooth shakers.

0055 Serious damage reported forward torpedo room. Damage Control Party
dispatched.


Damage Control Report


1. Leaks in Forward Torpedo Room, flooded bilges and resulted in about one
foot of water in compartment. DC party stopped leaks at 0100.

2. Hull damage reported forward.


3. Forward Batteries


4. JP Listening Gear


5. Forward Dive planes Transmission


6. High Pressure Air line leaks


7. Light bulbs and glass fixtures


8. No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 torpedo tubes damaged, likely non operational.



0134

NAUTILUS at a depth 350 feet, pinging and depth charge attacks continue. Due to possible hull damage, not advisable to increase depth.


0143

After last DC run, which shook boat. DD went quiet, likely above listening for NAUTILUS.
Currently at 350 feet, just waiting this skilled DD commander out....




0550 Sound contact bearing 156, closing, long range.


0600 DD hunting in area. Maintained silent running.


1312 One hour since last sound contact. Ordered periscope depth.


1320 All clear. Fog and overcast with gray skies had set in. Light chop to sea.

1324 SJ sweep, all clear.

1326 Surfaced.

1400 Inspection showed that Torpedo Tubes No. 1,2,4, all non operational, heavily damaged. Torpedo Tube No.3
damaged, but operational. Damage Control Party formed to conduct repairs.

1700 Tube No.3 repaired, operational.



19 September


1000 Began transit of Sibutu Pass Northbound.


1235 SD contact 14000 yards closing.

1237 Submerged to avoid

1900 Surfaced in Sibutu Passage.


20 September

0100 Cleared Sibutu Pass.

0108 SJ contacts bearing 210 28550 yards, two pips. Likely a patrol NAUTILUS just missed.

1300 Torpedo But No. 4 repaired, operational.


21 September


1300 Passed into Bohol Sea, NEGROS visible to port, bearing 280 at range 11 NM, MINDANAO, visible to starboard
bearing 070, range of 18 NM. Clear day, sunny, calm seas. En route to Libertad, Mindanao for special mission.


1500 SIQUIJOR ISLAND visible to to port, bearing 285, 13 NM.


1606 SJ contact bearing 278 22700 yards. Single, fast moving pip, near SIQUIJOR ISLAND, likely a patrol.


1800 Torpedo Tube No. 2 repaired, operational. No. 1 remained non operational, undergoing repairs.

2100 Approaching designated landing area, preparations for landing of passengers made.


2155 Sighted security signal.

2200 Began deploying passengers via rubber boat.


22 September

0050

All passengers designated for Spot 1 deployed ashore via rubber boat. Mission Completed.


0700 Operations at Spot 2 off Cebu not scheduled until evening of 24 September. Proceeded to Bohol Sea away from shore, submerged at daylight, completed repairs until time to proceed to area arrives.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by EddieLyons

25 Dec 1941 00:15
132°14’E, 32°41’N.
At 00:01 lookouts reported a ship at 042, long range. Binoculars showed it to be a sail equipped fishing vessel, so I ordered speed reduced to two thirds ahead to limit our chance of being seen. A binocular sweep showed it to be just the closest of five such craft, so I ordered a dive to periscope depth at 00:09.
I had hoped to get further into the Bungo Suido before having to submerge. But now that’s out of the question. We’ll continue from here submerged, at two thirds ahead, making 4 kts. I intend to probe the channel as far as is feasible -- I figure wherever fishing boats go, there’ll be no mines!
The crew is tense, which is to be expected. What a way to start Christmas Day! At least the hydrophone is clear, so there are no patrols within range.

02:10
132°13’E, 32°49’N.
I have decided to surface. Two fishing vessels remain within sight with the periscope, but far enough away not to be a concern. I have both ahead, one off the port bow, the other off the starboard. I can be reasonably confident there are no minefields in the vicinity. I’ve reduced speed to ahead one third, course 359°, to ensure we don’t overhaul the fishing vessels too soon.
Hydrophone also shows no sound contacts, so it looks like there are no patrol vessels in this part of the channel. Surprisingly! The Japanese don’t celebrate Christmas, do they? But wouldn’t it already be 26 Dec on this side of the International Date Line?

02:45
Only one fishing vessel remains in sight ahead, at 355, so I’ve increased speed to two thirds ahead. They seem to be moving faster than I thought!

02:55
I changed course to 004°, ahead standard. This puts us on course to make a change of course about 10 NM ahead, remaining in the deepest part of the channel. However, the one fishing vessel still in sight seems to be making for a shallower part of the channel, on the west side.

03:00
Lookouts spotted another fishing vessel ahead, bearing 344 and on a NNW course. A binocular sweep showed at least three others. I’ve reduced speed to one third ahead again, but maintaining course and staying surfaced. I think we’re far enough behind to remain out of sight, while observing their course. I’ll have to rethink our plotted course if these vessels are indeed heading through the shallower part of the channel.

03:30
Have increased speed once more to two thirds ahead. The fishing boats have pulled ahead, barely within binocular view. We’re also beginning to lose the moon -- won’t be long before it sets. I had hoped to be further into the channel before losing the benefit of its light.

04:00
Have reduced speed again to one third ahead. One of the fishing boats almost directly ahead is getting too close for comfort. But, unlike the one we have been tracking, which is on course for the shallower part of the channel, this next one is much nearer to our plotted course. This is reassuring, since it might well mean there is no minefield in our path. We shall proceed with caution.

Well done thus far


Which mod(s) are you running or stock game? Curious.

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO Update V2.0
Donation Narwhal mod
100 difficulty, cams off, map contacts on

After completing special mission delivering ammunition and supplies at DIBUT BAY, LUZON, proceed towards SAN BERNADINO STRAIT but with orders to avoid area until 29 October. In between orders, decided to check in on SAN MIGUEL BAY. Usually some decent ships transiting in and out of the bay, running the coast up to LAMON BAY etc.


26/27 October 1944
14-14 N 123-8E
12 miles off entrance to San Miguel Bay , Philippines


As approached SAN MIGUEL BAY on the surface at night, sticking to deeper waters in the approaches off the entrance. Detected radar signals, then SJ made contact. 1000 ton aux patrol craft coming a long. Given do not get a lot of shots to sink vessels and figured she was worth a torpedo, went to GQ
to fire one of the four torpedoes in bow tubes (load reduced to just six, four forward, to aft, on special missions)

Submerged for approach but somehow was detected. Enemy turned in and NAUTILUS lined up for a "down the throat" shot. Fired tube No.1, but apparently misjudged the range. Torpedo hit, but did not exploded, likely did not have time to arm. Rigged for depth charge, silent running, went to 200 feet.

Passed a thermal layer 185 feet, leveled off at 190 feet. This for a time helped thwart the enemy above. However, after a while seemed to locate me.
Every 10-15 minutes, makes a run on us, dropping a couple charges.

Time is 0021 27 October 1944 , have made it into deeper waters and thus currently at depth of 345 feet, with bottom at 370. A second patrol boat type (judging by the sound) is en route from SAN MIGUEL BAY to assist, as can be heard making its best speed to join in from that direction.

[EddieLyons]

25 Dec 1941 04:15
We are now visually tracking six fishing boats. Five of them are keeping to the west of the channel, with one ahead nearer the deeper part, Given their spread out disposition, they appear unconcerned about minefields. Could it be that the Japanese have none in this channel? Are they that confident in the security of their home waters? That alone would be useful intelligence for COMSUBPAC, even if we are unable to make it all the way to Hiroshima.

04:45
I have ordered ahead two thirds for a short time. We have fallen far enough behind the lead fishing boats to warrant it. So far they are holding steady on their course of about 348°. We will shortly make the first of our turns in the channel. Current course is 004°, new course, for a short leg of 5500 yds, will be 324°.

04:51
On course at 324°. Speed reduced to ahead one third to reduce closure rate on fishing boats to our west. I want to pass behind them on our next course change.

05:18
I have ordered ahead two thirds once more. On our next leg we should now pass behind the five fishing boats that are still in view. They still haven’t deviated from their course.

05:24
132°12’E, 33°06’N.
Turned to new course 282°, speed ahead two thirds.

06:01
132°08’E, 33°07’N.
Turned to new course 325°, speed two thirds ahead. We are now some 6000 yds west of the course of the fishing boats, on a diverging course. Only one remains in view -- we’ll lose sight of it soon enough. We’re on our own from here on in -- I’m surprised we have seen no sign of defences so far: no patrols, no mines, no shore emplacements.

06:35
I spoke too soon! We have spotted three fishing boats to starboard, now apparently on a converging course of about 305°. They must have changed course shortly after our last sighting. I have ordered speed reduced to ahead one third to avoid contact. Although this slows us down again, it has the advantage that I can keep them in front to pathfind any potential minefields. That’s very thoughtful of them!

09:10
132°00’E, 33°17’N.
Course 326°. I have ordered speed increased to two thirds ahead. The fishing boats are far enough ahead and all but one have crossed our bow, so we will pass astern of them again. They remain steady on their course of 305°. Are they on their way to Oita? Or Tsurusaki? Or Bepu? If so, I can expect them to make a turn to port, on a diverging course from our plotted one. But, they’ve surprised us once with a course change -- they’ll bear keeping a close eye on for the time being.

09:30
131°59’E, 33°20’N.
We are passing through the Hoyo Strait into the Seto Inland Sea. I am surprised, and grateful for it, that we have still not encountered any patrol vessels of any sort. I also have to thank our fishing boat “escort” for being most helpful thus far! Still no sign of them changing course. But we will, about 1 NM ahead!

09:45
131°58’E, 33°21’N.
We have made our turn, to a new course of 018°, two thirds ahead. We still have six fishing boats in sight, all now to port and beginning to fall behind, steady on their course of 305°.

09:50
A binocular sweep has shown two more fishing boats ahead, off the port bow. With the first light of dawn appearing, and the horizon beginning to show clearly, I’ve ordered the boat to dive to periscope depth, ahead one third to conserve battery power to the maximum. This will be slow going, but I intend to remain submerged throughout daylight hours.

09:51
We finally have a hydrophone contact! Two vessels bearing approx 245. One certainly sounds like a warship, the other perhaps not. A merchant plus escort? A periscope sweep showed only the fishing boat fleet, so our sound contact is beyond visual range as yet. Possibly in the vicinity of Bepu, given the bearing. If we weren’t on a recon op, I would be turning to track and intercept. But I’ll have to let them go. This time!

10:39
131°58’E, 33°24’N.
Hydrophone operator reports a warship bearing 225, closing at medium speed, long range. Taking a listen myself, there appears to be two warships and a merchant.

10:49
A periscope sweep shows at least one escort vessel plus up to four merchants, one of them possibly a tanker, on a course through the Hoyo Strait to exit through the Bungo Suido. Have the Japanese adopted an escorted convoy strategy? Perhaps they’re taking notice of what is happening in the North Atlantic. But, what a missed opportunity because of these damned orders from COMSUBPAC!
Plus, we’re nearly surrounded by fishing boats! It would be just our luck to get entangled in their fishing nets!

10:54
According to the Nautical Almanac, the sun should now be risen.

12:05
We’ve lost hydrophone contact with the escorted convoy. We continue deeper into the Inland Sea, probing how far we can go.

14:14
132°01’E, 33°31’N.
We have turned to new course 072°, ahead one third, remaining at periscope depth. Hydrophone contact at approx bearing 212 of a single warship. This is likely our first contact with a patrol!

14:25
Sound contact is now at bearing 205. I want to avoid using the periscope during daylight, given the number of fishing boats we have been encountering.

14:35
Sound contact now at bearing 196. It appears to be on a southerly course.

14:45
Sound contact now bearing 186, clearly showing through our own baffles. Still on a southerly course - headed out through the Hoyo Strait?

14:55
Sound contact now bearing 181, still clear through our baffles.

15:05
Sound contact still bearing 181. Clearly has changed course -- but towards or away from us? According to our charts, we have plenty of depth to play with for the next several hours at this speed, so I’m taking us a bit deeper, to 100 ft.

15:15
Sound contact now at bearing 178. Is it a bit fainter?

15:25
Sound contact now bearing 176. Definitely fainter. If he’s searching for us, he’s looking the wrong way! But I wonder if any of “our” fishing boats spotted and reported us?

15:35
Sound contact now bearing 175. Getting much fainter. The variation in bearings indicate changes in course. Is he searching? Or simply patrolling?

15:45
Sound contact very faint, at bearing 174.

16:00
Sound contact is no longer audible. Second Watch is now on duty.

19:04
Hydrophone reports a sound contact bearing 283, identified as a merchant. Another missed opportunity!

19:30
Hydrophone contact is now bearing 250, apparently on a course reciprocal to our own.

20:00
We lost the hydrophone contact at 19:55. I hope this mission to Hiroshima is worth all the missed opportunities!

20:48
132°13’E, 33°35’N.
The Nautical Almanac tells us the sun is setting. I have ordered us to periscope depth.

20:54
Hydrophone and periscope sweeps are clear. When the sky is a bit darker, we shall surface.

22:00
It’s finally dark enough, so I have ordered the boat to surface, at two thirds ahead.
We received the following Fox Traffic: HONG KONG HAS SURRENDERED TO THE JAPANESE X MANILA DECLARED AN OPEN CITY X US FORCES WITHDRAWING TO JAVA AND AUSTRALIA X MERRY CHRISTMAS X
And a Merry Christmas to you too, COMSUBPAC!

[EddieLyons]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Well done thus far


Which mod(s) are you running or stock game? Curious.

I'm using your TMO Update.

Map contacts are on. Manual targeting off. Event camera off. External camera on, but only for some "beauty" shots while cruising -- otherwise I play strictly first person. My save files include Replay, so it's available if ever I want to go back and check what happened in an action.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by EddieLyons

I'm using your TMO Update.

Map contacts are on. Manual targeting off. Event camera off. External camera on, but only for some "beauty" shots while cruising -- otherwise I play strictly first person. My save files include Replay, so it's available if ever I want to go back and check what happened in an action.

Nice! I was wondering if were using my TMO mod.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by EddieLyons

25 Dec 1941 04:15
We are now visually tracking six fishing boats. Five of them are keeping to the west of the channel, with one ahead nearer the deeper part, Given their spread out disposition, they appear unconcerned about minefields. Could it be that the Japanese have none in this channel? Are they that confident in the security of their home waters? That alone would be useful intelligence for COMSUBPAC, even if we are unable to make it all the way to Hiroshima.

04:45
I have ordered ahead two thirds for a short time. We have fallen far enough behind the lead fishing boats to warrant it. So far they are holding steady on their course of about 348°. We will shortly make the first of our turns in the channel. Current course is 004°, new course, for a short leg of 5500 yds, will be 324°.

04:51
On course at 324°. Speed reduced to ahead one third to reduce closure rate on fishing boats to our west. I want to pass behind them on our next course change.

05:18
I have ordered ahead two thirds once more. On our next leg we should now pass behind the five fishing boats that are still in view. They still haven’t deviated from their course.

05:24
132°12’E, 33°06’N.
Turned to new course 282°, speed ahead two thirds.

06:01
132°08’E, 33°07’N.
Turned to new course 325°, speed two thirds ahead. We are now some 6000 yds west of the course of the fishing boats, on a diverging course. Only one remains in view -- we’ll lose sight of it soon enough. We’re on our own from here on in -- I’m surprised we have seen no sign of defences so far: no patrols, no mines, no shore emplacements.

06:35
I spoke too soon! We have spotted three fishing boats to starboard, now apparently on a converging course of about 305°. They must have changed course shortly after our last sighting. I have ordered speed reduced to ahead one third to avoid contact. Although this slows us down again, it has the advantage that I can keep them in front to pathfind any potential minefields. That’s very thoughtful of them!

09:10
132°00’E, 33°17’N.
Course 326°. I have ordered speed increased to two thirds ahead. The fishing boats are far enough ahead and all but one have crossed our bow, so we will pass astern of them again. They remain steady on their course of 305°. Are they on their way to Oita? Or Tsurusaki? Or Bepu? If so, I can expect them to make a turn to port, on a diverging course from our plotted one. But, they’ve surprised us once with a course change -- they’ll bear keeping a close eye on for the time being.

09:30
131°59’E, 33°20’N.
We are passing through the Hoyo Strait into the Seto Inland Sea. I am surprised, and grateful for it, that we have still not encountered any patrol vessels of any sort. I also have to thank our fishing boat “escort” for being most helpful thus far! Still no sign of them changing course. But we will, about 1 NM ahead!

09:45
131°58’E, 33°21’N.
We have made our turn, to a new course of 018°, two thirds ahead. We still have six fishing boats in sight, all now to port and beginning to fall behind, steady on their course of 305°.

09:50
A binocular sweep has shown two more fishing boats ahead, off the port bow. With the first light of dawn appearing, and the horizon beginning to show clearly, I’ve ordered the boat to dive to periscope depth, ahead one third to conserve battery power to the maximum. This will be slow going, but I intend to remain submerged throughout daylight hours.

09:51
We finally have a hydrophone contact! Two vessels bearing approx 245. One certainly sounds like a warship, the other perhaps not. A merchant plus escort? A periscope sweep showed only the fishing boat fleet, so our sound contact is beyond visual range as yet. Possibly in the vicinity of Bepu, given the bearing. If we weren’t on a recon op, I would be turning to track and intercept. But I’ll have to let them go. This time!

10:39
131°58’E, 33°24’N.
Hydrophone operator reports a warship bearing 225, closing at medium speed, long range. Taking a listen myself, there appears to be two warships and a merchant.

10:49
A periscope sweep shows at least one escort vessel plus up to four merchants, one of them possibly a tanker, on a course through the Hoyo Strait to exit through the Bungo Suido. Have the Japanese adopted an escorted convoy strategy? Perhaps they’re taking notice of what is happening in the North Atlantic. But, what a missed opportunity because of these damned orders from COMSUBPAC!
Plus, we’re nearly surrounded by fishing boats! It would be just our luck to get entangled in their fishing nets!

10:54
According to the Nautical Almanac, the sun should now be risen.

12:05
We’ve lost hydrophone contact with the escorted convoy. We continue deeper into the Inland Sea, probing how far we can go.

14:14
132°01’E, 33°31’N.
We have turned to new course 072°, ahead one third, remaining at periscope depth. Hydrophone contact at approx bearing 212 of a single warship. This is likely our first contact with a patrol!

14:25
Sound contact is now at bearing 205. I want to avoid using the periscope during daylight, given the number of fishing boats we have been encountering.

14:35
Sound contact now at bearing 196. It appears to be on a southerly course.

14:45
Sound contact now bearing 186, clearly showing through our own baffles. Still on a southerly course - headed out through the Hoyo Strait?

14:55
Sound contact now bearing 181, still clear through our baffles.

15:05
Sound contact still bearing 181. Clearly has changed course -- but towards or away from us? According to our charts, we have plenty of depth to play with for the next several hours at this speed, so I’m taking us a bit deeper, to 100 ft.

15:15
Sound contact now at bearing 178. Is it a bit fainter?

15:25
Sound contact now bearing 176. Definitely fainter. If he’s searching for us, he’s looking the wrong way! But I wonder if any of “our” fishing boats spotted and reported us?

15:35
Sound contact now bearing 175. Getting much fainter. The variation in bearings indicate changes in course. Is he searching? Or simply patrolling?

15:45
Sound contact very faint, at bearing 174.

16:00
Sound contact is no longer audible. Second Watch is now on duty.

19:04
Hydrophone reports a sound contact bearing 283, identified as a merchant. Another missed opportunity!

19:30
Hydrophone contact is now bearing 250, apparently on a course reciprocal to our own.

20:00
We lost the hydrophone contact at 19:55. I hope this mission to Hiroshima is worth all the missed opportunities!

20:48
132°13’E, 33°35’N.
The Nautical Almanac tells us the sun is setting. I have ordered us to periscope depth.

20:54
Hydrophone and periscope sweeps are clear. When the sky is a bit darker, we shall surface.

22:00
It’s finally dark enough, so I have ordered the boat to surface, at two thirds ahead.
We received the following Fox Traffic: HONG KONG HAS SURRENDERED TO THE JAPANESE X MANILA DECLARED AN OPEN CITY X US FORCES WITHDRAWING TO JAVA AND AUSTRALIA X MERRY CHRISTMAS X
And a Merry Christmas to you too, COMSUBPAC!

Interesting read. Keep it up

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO Update BH V2.0



After 15 great patrols in NAUTILUS SS-168 from December 1941- November 1944, was sunk by "Friendly Fire" , a US John C. Butler Class Destroyer Escort
off Morotai on 5 November 1944, en route Brisbane via Mios Woendi to end the 15th patrol.


Started a new career, want to tested out some things did in 1944 for the upcoming TMO Update V2.0. I was assigned USS BARB SS-220. I was happy with this. Since January 1944 was before Fluckey was her CO, I looked up and used the name of LCDR JR Waterman. Will edit the file to reflect Fluckey's taking command in April 1944 when appropriate.

Assigned to Area 8(one of the new patrol orders I added to campaign) , a real hot zone at this point in war, looking forward to getting there .



3 January
______________


1300 Underway from Pearl Harbor in accordance with COMSUBPAC Operation Order 06-44.

1336 Exited channel and rendezvoused with BARB's escort, PC-461.

1515 Escort detached.

1530 Dive. Dive time 45 seconds. Will conduct drills to improve time.

1545 Surfaced

1550 En route Midway Island.


4 January
______________

En route Midway

0700 Dive. Improved time to 40 seconds.

0715 Surface

0900 Gunnery Drill

1000 Emergency Drill

1300 Dive

1305 Torpedo Fire Control Drill

1400 Surface



5 January
______________


0700 Dive

0730 Surface

1000 Crash Dive drills. Submerged in 38.9 seconds.

1015 Surface


6 January
______________

En route Midway


0630 Dive

0700 Surface



3 January
______________


1300 Underway from Pearl Harbor in accordance with COMSUBPAC Operation Order
06-44 with PC-461 as escort.

1515 Escort detached.

1530 Dive. Dive time 45 seconds. WIll conduct drills to improve time.

1545 Surfaced

1550 En route Midway Island.


4 January
______________

En route Midway

0700 Dive. Improved time to 40 seconds.

0715 Surface

0900 Gunnery Drill

1000 Emergency Drill

1300 Dive

1305 Torpedo Fire Control Drill

1400 Surface



5 January
______________


0700 Dive

0730 Surface




7 January
______________


0630 Dive

0700 Surface

0800 Docked Midway Island
Topped off fuel and stores.

1300 Departed Midway

1400 Dive

1430 Surface

1445 Course 270 to AREA 8


8 January
___________

En route to patrol area.
Course 271 degrees. 14 knots.

0645 Dive

0700 Surface

[EddieLyons]

25 Dec 1941 22:49
132°22’E, 33°3’N.
Soundings show only 65 ft under our keel! Our charts are not the most up to date, because of Japanese secrecy in the last 20 years, but if the shallows between here and Hiroshima are like this, it might well be impossible to reach our goal and complete our mission. And I’m reluctant to use our sounder too much in case it gets picked up by enemy hydrophones. At our current speed (8 kts) on the surface, we could be at Hiroshima before dawn. Our charts, if they are reliable, show a couple of deeper areas where we could hole up submerged on silent running during daylight. A hydrophone record of shipping in and out of port would be valuable, in addition to our photo recon objective. But given the shallows and narrows we have to navigate to get there, I’m sceptical of our chances of success. Any further encounters with fishing boats, merchants or, worse, patrols, could find us in water too shallow to submerge. We’d be a very large tin fish in a very small barrel!
We have another hour-and-a-half until our next course change. I’ll consult with my XO and nav officer at that time before I decide whether to proceed or not.

26 Dec 1941 00:45
We are at 132°35’E, 33°42’N, the last reasonably deep point on our charts before we would need to proceed into the narrows and shallows for the rest of our route to Hiroshima. Weather remains calm and clear. Visibility is good. Both for us and the enemy! Bad weather would be to our advantage, but the barometer is steady.
Although we have encountered no further patrols, merchants or fishing boats, that surely cannot last. The lack of depth in the shallows, plus the lack of room for manoeuvre in the narrows, reduces our chances to remain undetected in the event of any such encounters. We would not last for very long so deep into enemy territory thereafter.
After consulting with my XO and NO, I have decided to reverse course, to make our way back out of the Inland Sea. Being able to probe this far into the heart of Japanese waters in itself provides valuable intelligence. Our fuel bunkers are over 60% full, so we have sufficient reserves to loiter in the enemy’s home waters and wreak havoc on his shipping. We’ll spend as much time as possible on the surface tonight at ahead two thirds, but will have to spend daylight hours submerged once again. Tomorrow night, under cover of darkness, we shall endeavour to pass back out through the Bungo Suido. Then we can get down to business, and hopefully bag a late Christmas present or two for the crew, to make up for the lousy Christmas Day they have just had!

02:05
Hydrophone has picked up a contact at bearing 118. Sounds like a merchant to me. Faint, but the water here is too shallow to dive for a better fix. We’ll track it as best we can.

02:25
Hydrophone contact is at 120, seemingly parallel to our course. This could get interesting …

02:45
Hydrophone contact now bearing 132. Lagging behind, so going slower than our 8 kts.

03:05
Hydrophone contact now bearing 140.

03:30
Hydrophone contact now bearing 154.

03:35
Given the contact we have been tracking, I have decided on a change of plan. At ahead two thirds on the surface, it would be conceivable to make it through the Bungo Suido before dawn. That would allow us to lie in wait for this merchant out in open water -- assuming it is headed that way, rather than to one of the ports on the western shore of the Inland Sea.
To expedite our passage, I’ve ordered ahead standard, at least for an hour or two. It’s more risky, but as long as our lookouts are alert, we should be able to avoid contacts, just like last night. Plus, now we can be confident that Bungo Suido is clear of minefields. That makes it more plausible to make the passage at a higher speed.

04:40
We are approaching our turn towards the Hoyo Strait, at 132°01’E, 33°31’N. Hydrophone has detected a warship bearing 350; not in visual range with binoculars. I have ordered us to dive to periscope depth, ahead two thirds. Course currently is 247°; after the turn we will be on 198°.

04:47
Warship hydrophone contact now bearing 348. Appears to be moving southwards, so towards the Bungo Suido. That should place us in his baffles before long. If he is heading out through the Bungo Suido, we can follow him through. If we have to remain submerged, we can’t make it through before daylight. So we would have to stay down for the next seventeen hours, until after sunset.

04:55
We have made our turn towards the Hoyo Strait.

04:57
Warship contact now bearing 018. Still heading southwards.

05:00
A quick periscope sweep shows the enemy warship within visual range, just off our starboard bow. Not enough light to attempt to identify it. It does appear to be steady on a course through the Hoyo Strait. We shall remain submerged for now, waiting for its range to increase. Then I shall reassess whether it is feasible to surface. In the meantime, my SO is tracking it, and I have ordered ahead one third to conserve battery power.

05:16
Surprise, surprise! My SO has separated out a merchant hydrophone contact on the same bearing as the warship. A quick periscope check shows that the shadow I saw previously is not the warship, but the merchant! This changes the paradigm! I’m going to surface and shadow this merchant. The warship is not a concern at present -- it is still heading away, and the merchant should provide some cover for us.

05:25
We are on the surface, ahead two thirds, course 198°. The target is off our starboard bow, heading NE into the Inland Sea. I have identified it as the Kiturin Maru, 6800 tons. This is too good an opportunity to miss! I am setting up to attack!

05:39
The target is on a course of 064°. I have turned to 138° to attack. Tube one flooded and ready.

05:41
Tube 1 fired!

05:50
Damn the torpedoes! Tube one missed, or was a dud. Whichever, it alerted the enemy crew, who caught us in a spotlight and opened fire with smallarms and 20mm cannon. So much for merchants being unarmed! I have broken off the attack, and turned north towards deeper water at flank speed, submerging to periscope depth as soon as we were on course. This will have stirred up a hornet’s nest, to be sure!

06:06
I am manoeuvering to a new attack position, this time submerged. The target is doing only 4 kts. We are at ahead standard, doing 7 kts, closing the range. I have him trapped between me and the south shore of the Inland Sea, so he has little room to do anything to escape, apart from a bit of zig-zagging.

06:16
Tubes 1 and 3 fired at 1600 to 1700 yds range. Both missed!
I’ll try once more before breaking off, and concentrating on surviving the response that’s bound to arrive!

06:27
I’ll have to have my chief engineer check out the remaining torpedoes!
Tube 2 proved to be a dud! Tube 4 missed - that was my fault; I misjudged the turning rate of the target. He manoeuvred smartly out of the way, even though I had closed to close range.
But, finally, the Tube 1 reload did the job! Set to contact influence, shallow depth and high speed, I fired at almost point blank range as he turned away. The ship exploded and sank in a couple of minutes. Our first kill of the war. Now to survive the inevitable response!
I am heading deeper into the Inland Sea, in anticipation that the enemy will expect us to try to slip out through the Bungo Suido pronto. We will lie low throughout the coming daylight hours and hope to make it through once nightfall comes again.

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO Update V2.0

USS Barb SS-220
January 1944
Area 8


26 January
_______________

TORPEDO ATTACK NO.3


0608 SJ contact bearing 343 27,340 yards. (Ship Contact No.3)

0610 Ordered course 309 Speed 20 kts to close contact.

0615 Multiple pips indicated convoy. GENERAL QUARTERS-TORPEDO-SURFACE

0633 Convoy course estimated 142 Speed Estimate 8 knts.
Eight pips total, six vessels with two escorts, one forward, one rear.

0649 Sighted convoy bearing 087 10,170 yards.

0656 Contact Report Sent.
Convoy Sighted 28-43N 133-00E
Estimated Course/Speed
139 degrees at 8 knots

0658 Lead Escort appears to be Chidori Class Torpedo Boat

0700 Received reply to contact report. X ATTACK X


0719 Approached convoy 3500 yards off track, lead escort sweeping along path.
Several tense moments as waited for him to pass by so could close in for attack.

0741 Fired Tubes 1,2,3,4,5,6 (two per target) at three mid sized AK in port column

0742 During torpedo run, convoy began turn for what appeared to be routine
:44 zig, causing torpedoes at forward and rear target to miss.

0743 Torpedo impact! Two torpedoes hit the middle AK. Large fires and a secondary explosion followed.
:01

0743 During BARB's turn away from convoy, received gunfire from merchant vessels as well as illuminated by searchlights
:15 star shells. Trailing escort, identified as a Minesweeper/Type A Shimushu Escort, already
in the midst of his "sweep" due to the convoys regular zig, began closing on BARB,
firing several rounds from deck gun. BARB was racing away, but the escort was keeping pace.

0745 Observed Chidori Class escort now rushing to join the pursuit. Several shell splashes landed well ahead and well astern.

0746 With the closest escort keeping pace, obvious could match BARB's speed. Ordered
engines put into overload with governors tied down (AHEAD EMERGENCY Ability)
BARB was soon at a surace speed of 22.8 knots, pulling away from the Shimushu Escort.
However, it appeared Chidori escort, which BARB could not outrun,
increased speed and was closing.

0755 Both escorts 3500 yards astern, but slowed and began search patterns, apparently convinced BARB had submerged. This was confirmed when both dropped depth charges, while BARB disappeared into the night.

0815 After opening distance, set course to end round convoy for follow up attack
before dawn if possible. Torpedo reload ordered.


0900 Escort rejoined convoy, one other remained in area of attack searching (Radar indication)


0933 Brought stern to bear for approach. Readied tubes 7,8,9,10.

0950 Fired tubes 7,8,9 2000 yards.

0952 Torpedo impact! All three MK 18 torpedoes hit as aimed.

0954 AK sunk in less than two minutes at 28-33N 132-55E. Chidori heading BARB's way BARB raced away at best speed.

1009 With dawn in just over a hour, secured GQ. Ordered stern tubes reloaded and moved ahead for follow up submerged attack at dawn.

1030 Dawn. SD contact 21200 yards (Aircraft Contact No. 5)

1032 Series of explosions above, astern. Aircraft apparently observed BARB,
no damage.

1100 Periscope Depth. Observed flying boat (EMILY) 7000 yards astern bearing 176/ Ordered 150 feet. (Aircraft Contact No. 5)

1300 Depth 60 ft. Extended SD mast to check area.

1331 SD contact 12000 yards, steady. (Aircraft Contact No. 6)
Ordered 150 ft

1421 Several explosions distant, astern, reverberated throughout the boat.
Enemy aircraft depth charges likely source.

1500 Periscope depth. Raised SD mast.

1504 SD contact 28000 yards closing (Aircraft Contact No.7)

1505 Ordered 200 ft.

1510 Convoy likely out of our are by this point, decided to remain submerged until night fall due to persistent air cover in area.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by EddieLyons

25 Dec 1941 22:49
132°22’E, 33°3’N.
Soundings show only 65 ft under our keel! Our charts are not the most up to date, because of Japanese secrecy in the last 20 years, but if the shallows between here and Hiroshima are like this, it might well be impossible to reach our goal and complete our mission. And I’m reluctant to use our sounder too much in case it gets picked up by enemy hydrophones. At our current speed (8 kts) on the surface, we could be at Hiroshima before dawn. Our charts, if they are reliable, show a couple of deeper areas where we could hole up submerged on silent running during daylight. A hydrophone record of shipping in and out of port would be valuable, in addition to our photo recon objective. But given the shallows and narrows we have to navigate to get there, I’m sceptical of our chances of success. Any further encounters with fishing boats, merchants or, worse, patrols, could find us in water too shallow to submerge. We’d be a very large tin fish in a very small barrel!
We have another hour-and-a-half until our next course change. I’ll consult with my XO and nav officer at that time before I decide whether to proceed or not.

26 Dec 1941 00:45
We are at 132°35’E, 33°42’N, the last reasonably deep point on our charts before we would need to proceed into the narrows and shallows for the rest of our route to Hiroshima. Weather remains calm and clear. Visibility is good. Both for us and the enemy! Bad weather would be to our advantage, but the barometer is steady.
Although we have encountered no further patrols, merchants or fishing boats, that surely cannot last. The lack of depth in the shallows, plus the lack of room for manoeuvre in the narrows, reduces our chances to remain undetected in the event of any such encounters. We would not last for very long so deep into enemy territory thereafter.
After consulting with my XO and NO, I have decided to reverse course, to make our way back out of the Inland Sea. Being able to probe this far into the heart of Japanese waters in itself provides valuable intelligence. Our fuel bunkers are over 60% full, so we have sufficient reserves to loiter in the enemy’s home waters and wreak havoc on his shipping. We’ll spend as much time as possible on the surface tonight at ahead two thirds, but will have to spend daylight hours submerged once again. Tomorrow night, under cover of darkness, we shall endeavour to pass back out through the Bungo Suido. Then we can get down to business, and hopefully bag a late Christmas present or two for the crew, to make up for the lousy Christmas Day they have just had!

02:05
Hydrophone has picked up a contact at bearing 118. Sounds like a merchant to me. Faint, but the water here is too shallow to dive for a better fix. We’ll track it as best we can.

02:25
Hydrophone contact is at 120, seemingly parallel to our course. This could get interesting …

02:45
Hydrophone contact now bearing 132. Lagging behind, so going slower than our 8 kts.

03:05
Hydrophone contact now bearing 140.

03:30
Hydrophone contact now bearing 154.

03:35
Given the contact we have been tracking, I have decided on a change of plan. At ahead two thirds on the surface, it would be conceivable to make it through the Bungo Suido before dawn. That would allow us to lie in wait for this merchant out in open water -- assuming it is headed that way, rather than to one of the ports on the western shore of the Inland Sea.
To expedite our passage, I’ve ordered ahead standard, at least for an hour or two. It’s more risky, but as long as our lookouts are alert, we should be able to avoid contacts, just like last night. Plus, now we can be confident that Bungo Suido is clear of minefields. That makes it more plausible to make the passage at a higher speed.

04:40
We are approaching our turn towards the Hoyo Strait, at 132°01’E, 33°31’N. Hydrophone has detected a warship bearing 350; not in visual range with binoculars. I have ordered us to dive to periscope depth, ahead two thirds. Course currently is 247°; after the turn we will be on 198°.

04:47
Warship hydrophone contact now bearing 348. Appears to be moving southwards, so towards the Bungo Suido. That should place us in his baffles before long. If he is heading out through the Bungo Suido, we can follow him through. If we have to remain submerged, we can’t make it through before daylight. So we would have to stay down for the next seventeen hours, until after sunset.

04:55
We have made our turn towards the Hoyo Strait.

04:57
Warship contact now bearing 018. Still heading southwards.

05:00
A quick periscope sweep shows the enemy warship within visual range, just off our starboard bow. Not enough light to attempt to identify it. It does appear to be steady on a course through the Hoyo Strait. We shall remain submerged for now, waiting for its range to increase. Then I shall reassess whether it is feasible to surface. In the meantime, my SO is tracking it, and I have ordered ahead one third to conserve battery power.

05:16
Surprise, surprise! My SO has separated out a merchant hydrophone contact on the same bearing as the warship. A quick periscope check shows that the shadow I saw previously is not the warship, but the merchant! This changes the paradigm! I’m going to surface and shadow this merchant. The warship is not a concern at present -- it is still heading away, and the merchant should provide some cover for us.

05:25
We are on the surface, ahead two thirds, course 198°. The target is off our starboard bow, heading NE into the Inland Sea. I have identified it as the Kiturin Maru, 6800 tons. This is too good an opportunity to miss! I am setting up to attack!

05:39
The target is on a course of 064°. I have turned to 138° to attack. Tube one flooded and ready.

05:41
Tube 1 fired!

05:50
Damn the torpedoes! Tube one missed, or was a dud. Whichever, it alerted the enemy crew, who caught us in a spotlight and opened fire with smallarms and 20mm cannon. So much for merchants being unarmed! I have broken off the attack, and turned north towards deeper water at flank speed, submerging to periscope depth as soon as we were on course. This will have stirred up a hornet’s nest, to be sure!

06:06
I am manoeuvering to a new attack position, this time submerged. The target is doing only 4 kts. We are at ahead standard, doing 7 kts, closing the range. I have him trapped between me and the south shore of the Inland Sea, so he has little room to do anything to escape, apart from a bit of zig-zagging.

06:16
Tubes 1 and 3 fired at 1600 to 1700 yds range. Both missed!
I’ll try once more before breaking off, and concentrating on surviving the response that’s bound to arrive!

06:27
I’ll have to have my chief engineer check out the remaining torpedoes!
Tube 2 proved to be a dud! Tube 4 missed - that was my fault; I misjudged the turning rate of the target. He manoeuvred smartly out of the way, even though I had closed to close range.
But, finally, the Tube 1 reload did the job! Set to contact influence, shallow depth and high speed, I fired at almost point blank range as he turned away. The ship exploded and sank in a couple of minutes. Our first kill of the war. Now to survive the inevitable response!
I am heading deeper into the Inland Sea, in anticipation that the enemy will expect us to try to slip out through the Bungo Suido pronto. We will lie low throughout the coming daylight hours and hope to make it through once nightfall comes again.

Well done.


i am enjoying this as don't believe I've ventured into those waters since stock game a decade ago lol.

[EddieLyons]

26 Dec 1941 06:40
My NO has provided the coordinates for the sinking of Kiturin Maru: 132°03’E, 33°27’N.

06:45
I have ordered ahead one third and a new depth of 150 ft. Course is 359°. Now we wait it out.

09:05
We have been running north for two and a half hours, gaining 6 NM from the sinking. I have ordered a course change to 065°. Hydrophone shows no sign of a response yet from enemy forces.

10:45
Sunrise according to the Nautical Almanac.

14:00
132°12’E, 33°37’N.
We’re over 14 NM from the sinking, and still no response. Are the IJN asleep?

14:35
132°13’E, 33°37’N.
I have ordered a course change to 270°.

15:09
Hydrophone has detected a warship bearing 263, long range.

15:30
Sound contact now bearing 207. On a course opposite to ours. My SO is tracking it.

15:47
Sound contact now bearing 170, still increasing range. I’ve ordered my SO back to normal sweep.

16:00
Hydrophone contact lost on warship.

16:21
New sound contact bearing 122. Sounds like the same warship to me, obviously searching for us. My SO is tracking this contact.

16:30
Contact now bearing 102, closing, medium speed. I have ordered silent running.

16:40
Contact bearing 060, moving away.

17:00
Contact now bearing 026, moving away. Most of First and Third Watches are sleeping. That’s good -- I’ll want them well rested and alert for tonight!

17:37
Contact lost bearing 018. I have secured from silent running.

18:08
Soundings show only 65 ft under our keel, so I’ve ordered a new depth of 100 ft.

19:10
I have picked up the warship on hydrophone again, bearing 005. The SO cannot yet distinguish it -- he clearly requires a lot more experience or training!

19:15
Contact now bears 014. Appears to be moving northwards.

19:40
Contact now bearing 028.

20:10
Contact now very faint at bearing 040.

20:30
132°02’E, 33°37’N.
Depth under the keel is down to 62 ft. I’m changing course southwards to deeper water. New course 195°. The Hoyo Strait is about 18 NM ahead. Sunset should be in a few minutes. It should be dark enough by about 21:30 to 22:00 to contemplate surfacing.

20:36
Sunset, according to the Nautical Almanac.

21:00
Hydrophone has picked up an indeterminate contact at 355. We shall proceed with extreme caution -- it might be a stationary enemy just listening for an unsuspecting submarine! I shall bear away to westwards a little to open the range to this possible contact. If necessary, I shall stay submerged at silent running -- we still have over 50% of our battery capacity, but the air is getting a little bit stuffy, with CO2 reading just above 30.

21:20
The possible hydrophone contact is bearing 310 from our new course. Projected, that puts it directly in line with Hoyo Strait. Have the Japanese stationed a picket there? I guess we’ll find out!

22:00
132°00’E, 33°35’N. I am coming to periscope depth.

22:03
Our anomalous hydrophone contact has become clearer -- I do believe we have an enemy submarine in our vicinity, bearing 275, which is no longer in line with Hoyo Strait. I’ve ordered silent running.

22:15
Our “friend” now bears 256, apparently moving eastwards relative to us. I am returning to our plotted course, at 188°, hoping to move through his baffles.

22:32
Contact now bears 277, slowly increasing range.

22:45
Contact now bearing 258.

23:00
Contact now bearing 251, getting fainter. He might be coming about. The next few plot lines on the chart should show that.

23:15
Contact now bearing 245. Faint. No other contacts - it sounds clear ahead.

23:30
Contact now bearing 243. Very faint. He has definitely changed course, possibly coming back towards us. I have ended silent running.

23:37
131°59’E, 33°32’N.
I have conducted a periscope sweep -- clear! Apart from our “friend” there are no hydrophone contacts. I have ordered the boat to surface, ahead full, course 188°!

23:45
Weather is still clear and settled. Pity. I could have done with a storm right about now!

27 Dec 1941 00:40
131°59’E, 33°19’N.
We are passing through the Hoyo Strait. We made our turn to a course of 325° at 131°58’E, 33°21’N. In the moonlight I have spotted a shore emplacement on the island on the west side of the Strait, and another on the mainland beyond. No sign of activity at either one. Perhaps we’ve caught them asleep? I’ll maintain ahead full until we've gained more range.

01:00
I have ordered ahead standard, to conserve fuel and make us a little more stealthy.

01:05
A binocular sweep shows no sign of enemy vessels ahead, or any pursuit from behind.

01:50
132°08’E, 33°07’N.
We have turned to a new course of 112°. At this rate we should be out of the Bungo Suido in about two hours. These waters were infested with fishing boats when we last passed through here. There’s no sign of them, now. Perhaps bringing the war to their home has put some fear into their hearts!

02:23
132°14’E, 33°04’N. Changed course to 184°.

02:27
Hydrophone contact ahead. Warship bearing 351, long range, constant distance. I knew this was too good to last. But, we are in good shape, with batteries recharged above 80%. We have detected only one warship, so we should be able to avoid him.

02:44
I have spotted two distant ships in binoculars, bearing 350, long range. I have ordered periscope depth and silent running. We proceed with utmost caution from here.

02:50
The enemy is patrolling the centre of the entrance to Bungo Suido. I have ordered a change of course to 214°, to the west side of the channel, to maximise our separation from them, and a new depth of 120 ft.

03:09
One warship is closing our position, slowing down. I have ordered all stop.

03:18
Hydrophone contact bearing 032, medium speed, closing.

03:20
Active sonar! Ahead flank, hard to port! New depth 200 ft.

03:23
We have taken major damage from multiple depth charges - flooding, forward batteries -- much more. I have blown ballast to halt our sinking.

03:28
We are being attacked again!

03:29
Multiple close depth charges. I have blown ballast again to control sinking.

03:33
Active sonar again. We are sinking. I have blown ballast for a third time! Flank speed gives us only 2 to 5 kts. I am attempting to reach shallow water to abandon ship. But we are under attack for a third time!

03:37
Another six depth charges, but no further damage.

03:38
Blown ballast for a fourth time. We don’t have much compressed air left! More active sonar! Making only 2 kts at flank speed.

03:42
We are sinking again.

03:43
I have blown ballast for a fifth time!

03:45
We are under attack again! Making only 1 kt at flank speed.

03:48
We have struck the bottom. Depth 260 ft. Still alive! I have ordered all stop. Latest attack was only one relatively distant depth charge!

03:51
Forward torpedo room is pumping out water. The forward dive planes transmission is shot. The enemy is attacking again, directly overhead. Four depth charges that stirred us a little, but otherwise no new damage.

03:57
We are under attack again. Only three depth charges, no further damage. Depth gauge shows 270 ft.

03:59
More active sonar. Hopefully we are now mimicking a big rock! My NO reckons we are at 132°12’E, 33°00’N.

04:03
Five more depth charges, but no damage. We are probably too deep! But he knows we’re around here, somewhere.

04:06
More active sonar. My crew is holding up well. Several injuries, mostly minor, but no fatalities. Water is being pumped out of the forward torpedo room. Forward batteries are under repair, but that is a slow job. We had some flooding in the control room earlier, but that has been pumped out. It looks like the forward part of my boat took the brunt of the damage, but all bulkheads are intact. Biggest concern is that our compressed air is down to only 18 per cent, and slowly decreasing. We must have a slight leak somewhere.

04:07
Five more depth charges. A little shaken, but no additional damage.

04:09
Active sonar.

04:11
We are under attack again. Only two depth charges nearby, and three further away.

04:15
Active sonar. We are under attack again. Only three depth charges, two somewhat distant, one closer, but obviously not deep enough.

04:19
More active sonar.

04:20
Another attack.

04:21
Massive explosion nearby. Damage taken …

[CTD]


NOTE: Unfortunately, at this point I had a CTD. Rather than returning to a save file, I regard USS Nautilus as lost with all hands, 27 Dec, 1941.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by EddieLyons

26 Dec 1941 06:40
My NO has provided the coordinates for the sinking of Kiturin Maru: 132°03’E, 33°27’N.

06:45
I have ordered ahead one third and a new depth of 150 ft. Course is 359°. Now we wait it out.

09:05
We have been running north for two and a half hours, gaining 6 NM from the sinking. I have ordered a course change to 065°. Hydrophone shows no sign of a response yet from enemy forces.

10:45
Sunrise according to the Nautical Almanac.

14:00
132°12’E, 33°37’N.
We’re over 14 NM from the sinking, and still no response. Are the IJN asleep?

14:35
132°13’E, 33°37’N.
I have ordered a course change to 270°.

15:09
Hydrophone has detected a warship bearing 263, long range.

15:30
Sound contact now bearing 207. On a course opposite to ours. My SO is tracking it.

15:47
Sound contact now bearing 170, still increasing range. I’ve ordered my SO back to normal sweep.

16:00
Hydrophone contact lost on warship.

16:21
New sound contact bearing 122. Sounds like the same warship to me, obviously searching for us. My SO is tracking this contact.

16:30
Contact now bearing 102, closing, medium speed. I have ordered silent running.

16:40
Contact bearing 060, moving away.

17:00
Contact now bearing 026, moving away. Most of First and Third Watches are sleeping. That’s good -- I’ll want them well rested and alert for tonight!

17:37
Contact lost bearing 018. I have secured from silent running.

18:08
Soundings show only 65 ft under our keel, so I’ve ordered a new depth of 100 ft.

19:10
I have picked up the warship on hydrophone again, bearing 005. The SO cannot yet distinguish it -- he clearly requires a lot more experience or training!

19:15
Contact now bears 014. Appears to be moving northwards.

19:40
Contact now bearing 028.

20:10
Contact now very faint at bearing 040.

20:30
132°02’E, 33°37’N.
Depth under the keel is down to 62 ft. I’m changing course southwards to deeper water. New course 195°. The Hoyo Strait is about 18 NM ahead. Sunset should be in a few minutes. It should be dark enough by about 21:30 to 22:00 to contemplate surfacing.

20:36
Sunset, according to the Nautical Almanac.

21:00
Hydrophone has picked up an indeterminate contact at 355. We shall proceed with extreme caution -- it might be a stationary enemy just listening for an unsuspecting submarine! I shall bear away to westwards a little to open the range to this possible contact. If necessary, I shall stay submerged at silent running -- we still have over 50% of our battery capacity, but the air is getting a little bit stuffy, with CO2 reading just above 30.

21:20
The possible hydrophone contact is bearing 310 from our new course. Projected, that puts it directly in line with Hoyo Strait. Have the Japanese stationed a picket there? I guess we’ll find out!

22:00
132°00’E, 33°35’N. I am coming to periscope depth.

22:03
Our anomalous hydrophone contact has become clearer -- I do believe we have an enemy submarine in our vicinity, bearing 275, which is no longer in line with Hoyo Strait. I’ve ordered silent running.

22:15
Our “friend” now bears 256, apparently moving eastwards relative to us. I am returning to our plotted course, at 188°, hoping to move through his baffles.

22:32
Contact now bears 277, slowly increasing range.

22:45
Contact now bearing 258.

23:00
Contact now bearing 251, getting fainter. He might be coming about. The next few plot lines on the chart should show that.

23:15
Contact now bearing 245. Faint. No other contacts - it sounds clear ahead.

23:30
Contact now bearing 243. Very faint. He has definitely changed course, possibly coming back towards us. I have ended silent running.

23:37
131°59’E, 33°32’N.
I have conducted a periscope sweep -- clear! Apart from our “friend” there are no hydrophone contacts. I have ordered the boat to surface, ahead full, course 188°!

23:45
Weather is still clear and settled. Pity. I could have done with a storm right about now!

27 Dec 1941 00:40
131°59’E, 33°19’N.
We are passing through the Hoyo Strait. We made our turn to a course of 325° at 131°58’E, 33°21’N. In the moonlight I have spotted a shore emplacement on the island on the west side of the Strait, and another on the mainland beyond. No sign of activity at either one. Perhaps we’ve caught them asleep? I’ll maintain ahead full until we've gained more range.

01:00
I have ordered ahead standard, to conserve fuel and make us a little more stealthy.

01:05
A binocular sweep shows no sign of enemy vessels ahead, or any pursuit from behind.

01:50
132°08’E, 33°07’N.
We have turned to a new course of 112°. At this rate we should be out of the Bungo Suido in about two hours. These waters were infested with fishing boats when we last passed through here. There’s no sign of them, now. Perhaps bringing the war to their home has put some fear into their hearts!

02:23
132°14’E, 33°04’N. Changed course to 184°.

02:27
Hydrophone contact ahead. Warship bearing 351, long range, constant distance. I knew this was too good to last. But, we are in good shape, with batteries recharged above 80%. We have detected only one warship, so we should be able to avoid him.

02:44
I have spotted two distant ships in binoculars, bearing 350, long range. I have ordered periscope depth and silent running. We proceed with utmost caution from here.

02:50
The enemy is patrolling the centre of the entrance to Bungo Suido. I have ordered a change of course to 214°, to the west side of the channel, to maximise our separation from them, and a new depth of 120 ft.

03:09
One warship is closing our position, slowing down. I have ordered all stop.

03:18
Hydrophone contact bearing 032, medium speed, closing.

03:20
Active sonar! Ahead flank, hard to port! New depth 200 ft.

03:23
We have taken major damage from multiple depth charges - flooding, forward batteries -- much more. I have blown ballast to halt our sinking.

03:28
We are being attacked again!

03:29
Multiple close depth charges. I have blown ballast again to control sinking.

03:33
Active sonar again. We are sinking. I have blown ballast for a third time! Flank speed gives us only 2 to 5 kts. I am attempting to reach shallow water to abandon ship. But we are under attack for a third time!

03:37
Another six depth charges, but no further damage.

03:38
Blown ballast for a fourth time. We don’t have much compressed air left! More active sonar! Making only 2 kts at flank speed.

03:42
We are sinking again.

03:43
I have blown ballast for a fifth time!

03:45
We are under attack again! Making only 1 kt at flank speed.

03:48
We have struck the bottom. Depth 260 ft. Still alive! I have ordered all stop. Latest attack was only one relatively distant depth charge!

03:51
Forward torpedo room is pumping out water. The forward dive planes transmission is shot. The enemy is attacking again, directly overhead. Four depth charges that stirred us a little, but otherwise no new damage.

03:57
We are under attack again. Only three depth charges, no further damage. Depth gauge shows 270 ft.

03:59
More active sonar. Hopefully we are now mimicking a big rock! My NO reckons we are at 132°12’E, 33°00’N.

04:03
Five more depth charges, but no damage. We are probably too deep! But he knows we’re around here, somewhere.

04:06
More active sonar. My crew is holding up well. Several injuries, mostly minor, but no fatalities. Water is being pumped out of the forward torpedo room. Forward batteries are under repair, but that is a slow job. We had some flooding in the control room earlier, but that has been pumped out. It looks like the forward part of my boat took the brunt of the damage, but all bulkheads are intact. Biggest concern is that our compressed air is down to only 18 per cent, and slowly decreasing. We must have a slight leak somewhere.

04:07
Five more depth charges. A little shaken, but no additional damage.

04:09
Active sonar.

04:11
We are under attack again. Only two depth charges nearby, and three further away.

04:15
Active sonar. We are under attack again. Only three depth charges, two somewhat distant, one closer, but obviously not deep enough.

04:19
More active sonar.

04:20
Another attack.

04:21
Massive explosion nearby. Damage taken …

[CTD]


NOTE: Unfortunately, at this point I had a CTD. Rather than returning to a save file, I regard USS Nautilus as lost with all hands, 27 Dec, 1941.

Ahhhh almost made it, but that is the nature of the beast I really enjoyed the patrol reports on this, kept it interesting. I think the Inland Sea areas may be too lightly defended in early war. I mean, I wanted it to reflect when Japan beefed up against submarine incursion as war went on, so in later periods its much more difficult but may be too lightly defended, esp in terms of mines controlling traffic. Something I will work out. I left it a lone because I assumed like me, most people just disregarded those orders. Again, you kept it interesting.


I hate you CTD but that does happen when sitting on the bottom sometimes, in stock or mods. Devs were idiotic in not designing it where subs can set on the bottom. They take hull damage and being depth charged when on bottom san "sink" you into the seafloor which will eventually cause a CTD.


Again, really enjoyed the reports though.


What is next? New career? Same class or boat/time period or moving on ?

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO Update V2.0
100 difficulty, cams off, map contacts on.

I had to start career over due to discovered defect in damage model while at sea which involved removing the mod and making changes, so had to scrap the saved game.

Started over, with BARB SS-220 again.
Same time period, same area.

___________________________________________



USS Barb SS-220

19 January
____________

En route to patrol area.
Course 271 degrees Speed 14 knots
Curiously, no aircraft contacts as transited North of Wake
and Marcus Islands last few days. Can only surmise
recent carrier air strikes have neutralized the increasingly isolated
islands as air bases. However, we remain alert for contacts.

0940 Dive

1001 Surfaced



20 January
____________

En route to patrol area.
Course 271 degrees Speed 14 knots

0945 Dive

1005 Surfaced

1233 Spotted vessel bearing 333 16202 yards (SJ range)
off Sofu Gan. Possible picket or weather vessel.
Spotted Sofu Gan. (Ship Contact No.1)

1234 Dive

1236 Depth 150 ft. Speed 6 kts
closed target on course 245.

1239 GENERAL QUARTERS-TORPEDO

1348 Periscope depth.
Course 198 Speed 2.5 kts
Observed a weather tug/picket anchored 5200 yards SE Sofu Gan.
Continued approach for torpedo attack.

1357 Periscope depth 64 ft. As scope was raising, three large explosions to port rocked BARB.
Spotted BETTY speeding along at 300 ft, climbing. Apparently
BARB spotted during approach. Ordered 200 feet. No damage reported.
Vessel fired at our periscope as went down. (Aircraft Contact No.1)

1402 While at 200 ft, aircraft depth charged BARB again. Charges exploded above.
Ordered 300 ft. Tug heard underway on sound.

1450- Attempted to rise to periscope depth several times for attack on tug.
1700 However, aircraft remained in area preventing this. Tug was underway and maneuvered
out of range.

1705 Secured GQ.

2234 Surfaced



21 January
____________

Course 265 degrees Speed 10.5 knots
until dawn, increased to 14.5 knots
until night fall.


0936 SD contact 18228 yds. Night flyer closing, fast!
(Aircraft Contact No.2)

0939 Series of large explosions heard, astern.
Given still dark and not likely BARB was sighted,
likely that aircraft equipped with radar.


1113 Just after dawn, came to periscope depth.

1130 Surfaced

1539 SD contact 19950 yds closing, fast!
Dive
(Aircraft Contact No.3)

1542 Depth 150 ft.


1544 Explosions of depth charges/bombs audible through hull,
not close. BARB really stirred the hornets nest as
believed radar equipped aircraft dispatched to search by day
and night for submarine contact off Sofu Gan. This
is slowly our transit and it is regrettable we were contacted
before entering patrol area.

1600 Turned to course 180 4 kts submerged
until dark. Course change meant
to confuse enemy searches.

2146 Periscope Depth. SD mast extended.

2230 Surfaced



22 January
_____________

En route assigned area.
Course 220 Speed 10 kts


0000 Entered Area CORRIDOR I adjacent to our
assigned area.

0300 Increased speed to 15.5 kts.


0500 Turned to Course 260 10 kts


0901 Spotted surfaced submarine bearing 096
at 6500 yds. Appeared to be GATO Class,
Likely TRIGGER as transiting her assigned
area. Unable to exchange recognition signals,
turned to course 180 at flank speed
to put her astern. (Ship Contact No.2)

1103 Dive

1133 Surfaced

1135 Course 261 Speed 14 kts.



23 January
_____________


0000 Entered Area 8, began North-South
patrol line along suspected shipping route.


0010 Seas picked up. Strong chop but not heavy. Clear skies, low moonlight,
Winds at 17.50 kts direction 114 degrees.