Stories and Patrol Logs + Screenshots and Videos (merged)

[Armistead]

I'm stuck in Brisbane, how did I get here. At first I was given command of a pigboat to deliver supplies to Tulagi. However, caught during the invasion my ship and crew did it's part and sunk two CA's during the battle of Savo Island.

We returned to base expecting the highest honors and rewards. What did we get, a 3 day leave and told to head back to patrol. I had expected one of the new Fleetboats, but given a
older Salmon. I deserved better. So, this is todays Navy.
Maybe it was my past. Twice I had been called to the mat for so called abuses, once sent to the shrink. The Doc said I endured severe tribulations over a relationship with a domineering mother. Still they held over me a series of misadventures that earned me the highest number of demerits in the history of the academy, but my father has connections.
My love life in question, I was about to marry a beautiful nightclub singer. With my looks and charm Rita adored me. We met long ago when she was trying to get a role in one of my fathers movies...Oh, my father, the big shot director. I know he didn't love me. He left my mother young for a even younger woman.
As I left for patrol, I looked at Rita on the bed..

I'll miss her, but I promised her my love and safe return. She told me to do my duty at all cost, die for my country if need be. The phone rang.."Father", you're here, I thought you were in New York.." Father said he had come to tell me goodbye and goodluck.
We left for Patrol with a load of toilet paper for the marines. Father and Rita saw me off. We dropped our supplies and was told the japs were coming back in force. We refitted and was sent North.
We arrived on station and searched for a week, when we got faint heavy screws north.

My men had done it again, we had found the Jap TF headed for the Solomons. We knew our carriers were coming from the Santa Cruz area. We got off a report and planned our attack.


At about 8000 yards they zigged and turned away.
We chanced a long range shot at a Kongo BB.

The Kongo saw the torps and turned away. It wouldn't have mattered as the torps ran out of juice..just too long of a shot.

XO reported batteries almost dead. The sun rising in the dawn, I surfaced to try to get around. They were going fast at 17kts.

We were sighted by DD's and driven down. My XO was sweating bullets and thought we should stay down. I knew they weren't with me, but we headed deep and away to calm their nerves.

We came up later and tailed. We chased all day falling behind. We lost the TF on radar several times. Enemy escorts often came back and chased us away,..we were losing time.


We chased all day and into the night, trying to keep up, trying to figure the zig pattern, for over 400 nm's we chased, slowly working around.

Later that night we had worked to their flank, when they turned SE towards us, a perfect setup.


We had penetrated the escort screen. We had the entire jap fleet dead to rights...I took aim at the nearest flattop..We would shoot at 1000 yards...



We left go all four at 1000 yards.. He turns and one misses, but the others will hit..Sonar reports early explosions..we waited..not one hit, all PREMATURES...argh...all this for nothing.

I set up on the other carrier aft, a longer shot at 3500 yard, but maybe a few hits..ALL were duds and prematures..
"Load the damn tubes." I screamed.
No escorts near. I turned hard, one more shot at the fleeing carrier. The men loaded it fast.
Bearing, Range, Fire...10 seconds later an explosion in my face..another torp failure...
"What's wrong with the torps!" I yelled.
I want to surface and blast them with my DG..
"Battle Surface" I yelled, as I loaded my 45.
Next thing I know my XO relieves me of command.
I call him the yellow coward he is. What, here comes the Doc.." What's the syringe for Doc..noooo" I feel a needle go into my butt.
I fade out to the sound of depth charges muttering.." The torps, those damn torps.."
Days later I find myself being escorted off my sub...I know I'm right. "I'll get you all" I screamed as the guards took me away to a mental hospital.
"Those da da damn torps"

I hear the charges. I explain to the court what happened..."It was the damn fish" I screamed.
Oh, they had all their papers and reports, assuring me the torps worked perfect. They said I had ruined the perfect attack..My men turned against me.
I explained my report, about the torp failures.

They wouldn't listen. They asked me over and over about settings, range. They wouldn't listen..I click my silver balls in anger...

These Admirals, they sit on their arses and condemn me. I told the court what I thought.
"It was the damn fish I tell you.."

After six months in therapy. Rita left me for father. My mom came to Brisbane to support me. I was given command of a minelayer, and you know the rest of the story

[Diopos]

Well, desk jobs are not that bad after all!!!

[Flopper]

Originally Posted by TH0R

Happens some times after using high TC. Just save and reload the game and you will be fine.

Good to know, thanks!

[Fincuan]

Finishing off a tanker with a stern torpedo...


... which clearly finds its mark


Every u-boat commander's dream, escorted by eight destroyers


Luckily I'm not in a u-boat but Admiral Graf Spee:

[sckallst]

Op Monson - My New Favorite

Left Wilhelmshaven on 7 Jan 1940 in U-41, new skipper of a new Type IX boat. Ordered to coast of Spain/Portugal. A number of contacts on the way to first patrol area, but being a new skipper I am very careful in my application of rules of engagement. Have a number of neutral ships dead to rights, but let them pass as they are neither clearly inbound to elligernet ports or otherwise suspected of carrying contraband.

After unsuccessful hunting off Spain, ordered to Western Approaches. Again, very careful about ROEs. Finally catch a convoy in Western Approaches, but press too hard to close in very clear, calm conditions and catch the eye of destroyers escorting convoy. Try to reestablish contact after sunset, but unsuccessful.

Finally bag a 6800 ton English tanker sailing alone, but no other action to speak of as weather really hampers spotting and radio contacts sadly lacking. Run diesel reserve down to 25% and set NE'ly course for home from my final seach area in Grid AM 54. Fear my first cruise may be my last.

Finally get an inteerceptable radio contact, so I take a ten hour detour to attempt an intercept despite poor weather. Again can't find her, so readjust course to get back on original homebound route.

THEN, IT HAPPENED.

At high noon, about 150 km NW of Stornoway on course 225, in 15m seas and light fog, lookouts spot a ship bearing 224. Swing the binos around to take a look. My God, shes' just a huge sillouette. Then trailing, another that the boys haven't called out yet, no more than a few thousand meters away. They look to be headed straight east toward Scapa Flow.

Battle stations! Order the rudder over hard left, dive to 'scope depth and hope to get in position for a snap shot. Then I get the ID: A QE-class BB is in the lead, and following is the HMS Hood. Chance of a lifetime.

Get a range and a quick eyeball estimate of AoB. No time to get a good speed estimate. I guess 15 kts. They'll be passing my bow at right around 1000m. The lead BB is past before I'm really ready to shoot, but that's OK, I want the Hood. I can tell I'm a little off with my AOB estimate when I shoot, and I just hope that the impact detonators on my Type IIs will work, even though I'm not going to have an optimum torp track angle to the target. Let loose with all four bown tubes, popping them off individually in hopes of giving myself a decent spread on teh target. Then get down and turn to follow, hoping I'll have a wounded duck to clean up.

First torp: DUD. I'm angry, but then I realive that my shoot-from the hip solution was good. Since I was firing back of target to front with my spread, I think I should get some more hits.

Second torp: DUD. Crap.

TORPDO IMPACT!!! I jump out of my chair.

I hear the fourth one miss on my way back to surface. Hood still steaming away, but by time I get back up, I see she is slowed (which I figured on the fourth miss), and in fact listing heavily to starboard. She's nearly dead in the water. THE QE-class is angry, turning in a wide, fast circle. "Dumb move. Maybe I can get a stern shot at her," I think. First things first, though. Set course directly for Hood. and scream at the boys to reload the bow tubes.

Tube 1 is ready about 30 seconds and she's empty again.

Tick, tick, tick. Being overly cautious, I don't get to see the massive explosion that follows, but I hear it. My excitable sonarman claim the target is destroyed, but I have to verify. Popping up quickly, I do see a might scondary explosion, and then the pride of the Royal Navy is no more. I pop off both stern tubes in a hopeful shot at teh other battleship, but hit nothing. I don't care, I get as deep as I can in teh relatively shallow waters and resume my course for home. I'll surface after dark.

10 February 1940
Grid AM35
58.9 N 7.4W

There lies HMS Hood.

Don't spot a single ship on the trip home. Don't care. Thankfully I don't spot any planes either. Pull up to the dock in Wilhelmshaven on 16 Feb 1940. Awarded Iron Cross, First Class. Get a Theoretician and two Master Diving Officers in my promotions.

Request to rename U-41 'Bismark' denied. Orderd back to coast of Spain, depart on 17 March 1940. Here we go again.

My greatest ever moment in SHIV.

[aergistal]

Leaving the land behind and moving into the moonlight while listening to Vangelis - Light and Shadow from 1492: Conquest of Paradise.
The music and the sea at night make up for an eerie experience.

[badaboom]

Fantastic shot!!

[TH0R]

Originally Posted by badaboom

Fantastic shot!!

+1

August 1 1942 Captain M. Vinther took command of the newly build USS Guardfish and took it on a shakedown cruise from PERL to MIDWAY. The journey was uneventful but a learning experience for the lesser experienced in the crew.


USS GUARDFISH under way


August 5 - Ready to set sails from MIDWAY. We got the new SJ radar module installed and can not wait to see what that will bring us. The TDC also got a Nisgeis update and will need to thorough look over on this cruise.

We are ordered to patrol the EAST CHINA SEA with departure later today.

The crew was happy to start the engines and pull out of MIDWAY - its a frigging dump with insects and nothing ells.


USS GUARDFISH leaving midway


We sat course directly for SOFU GAN. No ships sighted and only a few aircraft's that touched our SD radars limit. All times we dived in good time and order and continued submerged for a couple of hours before resurfacing.


A beautiful pacific morning


August 17


Approaching Sofu Gan

1625 hours: Sofu Gan in sight. We closed up to take the radar calibrations for the stadimeter and to get some "postcard" photographs of the rock and to let the crew take a swim. After an hour with bathing around the rock the crew had had its fun. We needed to get some parts of the boat cleaned up and get ready for dinner.



1800 hours: SJ set showed a contact tracking south and after an hours tracking it was decided to be on heading 153°T at 10 kts and being either a Taihosan Maru or a Kinposan Maru. Its track shows that its properly running on the Tokyo-Truk sea-lane. Great if we can sink this likely reinforcement cargo ship for the forces in Guadalcanal where our marines are now fighting.

1900 hours: Dove to periscope depth. Range is now 6nm on bearing 070°. We are setting up for a 90° AOB shot like Dick O'Kane showed me in the bar at Midway.

1925 hours: ID established. We all agree that this is a 3300 ton Kinposan Maru. We will shoot two torpedoes on her.

1946 hours: Two torpedoes were shot with an offset of 1° left and right from centreline. Range was around 2000 yards. One torpedo ran in front of the target and the other behind it. BLAST! And to top the wasted torpedoes the Maru has now started a wild zigzag.

2130 hours: Apparently the former zigzag was in fact only a course change to 132°T and a speed change to 11,5 kts. We are now in pursuit and lining up for another attack

2211 hours: Hurrah out of 3 torpedoes shot all three impacted with big explosions as a result. The Maru sunk with all hands on Lat. 29°27'E Long. 142°08'N


The sinking Maru from the bridge and through the binocular

We have now sat course for the East China Sea....

[Chubster]

Hi Armistead....totally of topic but are you using a scope mod in those shots and if so which ?

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Chubster

Hi Armistead....totally of topic but are you using a scope mod in those shots and if so which ?

Maxoptics
I run SCAF seperatly, changes measuring points to funnels and decks.

[Admiral8Q]

USS Perch.

March, 1942

Rough weather has hit, but I guess we're overdue and presumed lost!

Perhaps this is not the best place to post this, or maybe the very best place..

Back in the early 1980's, USS Silversides was docked at Navy Pier in Chicago. At that time, since museum revenues were very low, they allowed Boy and Cub Scout groups to "rent" the sub for overnight 'camp outs'. My Cub Scout Pack was able to get one of the openings, and what has always been one of the most treasured memories of my (long ago) youth unfolded. The museum staff that ran us through those wonderful 48 hours were all veteran USN SS class submariners, including 4 men that were WW2 combat patrol vets.

I was assigned a top rack in "Hogan's Alley" portsided amidships, and we got lectures and demonstrations of the various deck weapons, replicas of boarding party weapons, and how the boats operated during the war. The storytelling was incredible. The instructions for flushing a toilet (port-a-johns on pier, plumbing was not to be used as WW2 boats used methods the EPA would have a cow over!) was bizarre, facinating, and too cool for a kid of 8 or 9. That was just the beginning, all evening long, we got "hands on" instructions, and tales from these guys. Why they called them Pigboats, why NOONE volunteered to clean bilges EVER, how torpedo attacks/gun attacks/watchstanding took place. Later, one of the guys who had been an officer during WW2, went, step by step, how the attack party conducted tracking and eventual attacks on enemy shipping. (One thing that never left my mind, I always wanted just once to really see the "Is Was Computer" being used, or be the guy responsible for it, though why escapes me now!)

After dinner, and that wonderful lecture, a watchlist was made up, and I drew the Midwatch (dropped to a 2 hr walkabout with one of the museum staff and one of the fathers). The old guy that took us about the boat was a vet from WW2, who served aboard (I think, this was 30 years ago (Or more! ). I would give much to remember his name. I know he was a torpedoman...) the USS Kingfish. As we walked the decks, he allowed the two younger people with him to pick his brain on his war experiences, and what it was really like to sail one of these ships of war toward an uncertain future and into the heart of enemy waters. His stories, while told with humor and nostalgia, told starkly the true story men like him wrote, all too often in blood, in history of mankind.

Sadly, the City of Chicago refused to assist the Silversides Museum in maintaining the boat and her mooring. She was forced to move across Lake Michigan to Michigan. Heaven forbid that Chicago have a famous retired US Navy vessel moored to NAVY PIER... biga** Ferris Wheel is great, but never something to tell today's generation why the pier was named, who it was named for, WHY we must remember their sacrifices , no no no... It did however, cement my path to serve in the USN when I was old enough. (Note: I managed to pick the single engineering rating NOT assigned to the Silent Service, Damage Controlman, who spends their life keeping a ship from sinking, so getting assigned to one that sinks on purpose was not in the Navy's realm of ethics! )

Also part of my youth, though not as telling, is growing up with U-505 "tied up" to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/u-505/ . I have been able to tour that boat more than once, both as a kid, and with kids of my own. When I got to actually play a Type IX in SH3, it was so much more real to me, having actually been aboard one! Conducting an attack as skipper of one of these boats, having walked the decks of one, the memory, even sitting here in my truck NOT playing, literally raises gooseflesh for me!

I can not encourage enough, anyone who is interested in these boats, the men that sailed them, and the games SH3 and 4 (as a trucker, I don't have internet every night, so no SH5 for me ), go to Chicago, see U-505 (moored at the Museum of Science and Industry) and/or to Muskegon, MI and visit USS Silversides (SS-236). Walk the decks, see with your own eyes, feel the history of these two boats. IMHO, every single time you boot the game will be so much more, as it has been for me. I can't wait to find out what boat BuPers assigns me! I don't know how I'd feel without these experiences, but I can tell you, with them, every mission, every patrol on SH3 has been like a kid on Christamas!

And, even 30 years later, I can still remember the smells, sounds, feel, of my night aboard the Silversides.

(Downloading SHIV from Ubisoft as I type... can't wait to go on my first patrol! Johnny come lately I guess, but RL kept me from gaming since before SH4 came out! )

[Admiral8Q]

Werehamster, that is an awesome story! Thank you for sharing it! I wonder if your kids will be interested in submarines. I hope you will enjoy SHIV as much as I am!

[Chubster]

Stumbed across this wee convoy on the 27th Feb 1942 off Java...sods law I only had one torpedo left after finding and sinking three heavy cruisers which were also in the area to the west a few days earlier..

There are even more than you can see here....