I know it's just a game, but my nerves are shot!

[Rob Jacobsen]

It’s March of 1943, and I left Brisbane in my brand-new USS Balao on another agent-insertion mission—again to Osaka, where I was previously depth-charged to death after delivering my agent and then trying to escape for 17 hours crawling through the shallows, hunted by two destroyers with all the time in the world.

Now I have to go back!

En route on March 11, heading NNW through the Solomons, I deck-gunned a Medium European Composite freighter at 04:31. We were bow to bow, and she got within 400 yards before finally going down with massive explosions. Two days later, 490 nm NW of Rabaul at around 14:00, I torpedoed a two-ship convoy of a Medium Old Composite Freighter and a Medium Old Split Freighter, two torps each, finishing the latter with two shots from my deck gun.

Then came the big morning convoy on March 17 heading NNE at 9 kts around 360 nm NW of Saipan. It had six or seven merchants (tankers and freighters) and five escorts. I ran at flank at distance along its port side to make an end-around approach. The lead escort was far ahead, and I thought I had a good head-on approach when I turned into the path of the convoy. Unfortunately, it was broad daylight and a calm sea, so I could only get a visual on the destroyer before I had to go to PD; I couldn’t send a contact report. I dropped to about 160 feet and killed the engines so that the escort would pass me, and I could rise in its baffles. But it picked me up and began turning behind me. I rose to PD and got off four torpedoes, two each at a Large Modern Tanker and a Medium Old Tanker, killing both. The first went down at 10:20. The second lingered until 10:33.

I went deep at flank, slowed for escort passes, turned west by slow degrees, and was finally able to gain enough distance to surface and report the convoy. That done, I plotted my course to Osaka for my agent-insertion mission. However, a reply to my report came in: “ULTRA X CONTACT ESCORTS ARE TO BE CONSIDERED PRIORITY X CLEAR THEM UP FOR FOLLOWUP ATTACKS X.”

I paused the game and then did a subsim Internet search with clammy hands to see if that meant what I feared it did. Yes, I had to reengage and tangle with the escorts I’d been fleeing! Didn’t HQ know what we’d just been through? Well, three destroyers already had my scent, so I turned to face them. The lead Fubuki took two torpedoes down the throat at 11:13. I hit the second one at 11:16 with another two torpedoes—lucky strikes at close range with an AOB of about 20 degrees to port. The third loitered a bit and then returned to the convoy.

A popup told my that the task was complete (“Inflict losses to convoy escorts”).

Great. Now I just have to drop off another G*d-dang agent in the same place that got me killed!

Followup: I made it. Heavy rain and pitch darkness got me in, past an attentive gunboat, and I escaped the same night. Back outside the bay, in the deep water again, I sighted two outgoing convoys and reported one. I was instructed to sink enemy merchants.

I sank two and crippled a third, a Split Freighter, which then sat dead in the water, listing heavily to starboard with seawater washing its deck from bow to stern. I circled around slowly to finish it with my deck gun, having spent my last eight torpedoes (four bow, four stern) in the initial action. The rest of the convey regrouped and moved on. At about 3,000 yards from the still-floating target, I raised my scope, swept around, and saw—what’s this!—a destroyer sitting with its engines stopped and men at the guns and depth-charge racks. With its engines off, it hadn't shown up on sonar. It was only a few thousand yards from me, just watching and listening. I closed a little more on the crippled target and then waited out the escort. After a long spell, it restarted its engines and headed off in the direction of the convoy. When it was safely out of range, I surfaced and finished off the freighter, which changed my task from “incomplete” to “complete.” (The two torpedoed and sunk merchants hadn’t been enough.)

After-action report: I was initially surprised that in my convoy attack after the Osaka insertion, I had only been able to sink two ships and cripple a third with eight torpedoes. After all, it was dark, the sea was calm, I had a good setup on several freighters, I was undetected, the convoy was not speeding or zig-zagging, and I was certainly close enough not to miss. I later realized that although I had good torpedo men at their stations, I had supplemented them with non-torpedo men—including watchmen who had been injured days earlier when I didn’t clear the bridge fast enough while diving beneath a merchant (that also cost me an AA gun and some radar damage). Further, everyone was fatigued from the nail-biting insertion mission. I will henceforth weigh my crews’ health and fatigue more heavily when contemplating whether to track or attack.

[Moonlight]

Moral of the story is don't phone home and you won't be told to do any missions again that could end your career.

[Rob Jacobsen]

Originally Posted by Moonlight

Moral of the story is don't phone home and you won't be told to do any missions again that could end your career.

Ha! I thought that I'd get a break if I sent a patrol report showing zero torpedoes before sending a contact report. Unfortunately, I think HQ doesn't care if I have only a machine gun left. Those folks will sometimes order me to engage no matter what. Thankfully, I've often been told to RTB at my discretion.

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by Rob Jacobsen

It’s March of 1943, and I left Brisbane in my brand-new USS Balao an another agent-insertion mission—again to Osaka, where I was previously depth-charged to death after delivering my agent and then trying to escape for 17 hours crawling through the shallows, hunted by two destroyers with all the time in the world.

Now I have to go back!

En route on March 11, heading NNW through the Solomons, I deck-gunned a Medium European Composite freighter at 04:31. We were bow to bow, and she got within 400 yards before finally going down with massive explosions. Two days later, 490 nm NW of Rabaul at around 14:00, I torpedoed a two-ship convoy of a Medium Old Composite Freighter and a Medium Old Split Freighter, two torps each, finishing the latter with two shots from my deck gun.

Then came the big morning convoy on March 17 heading NNE at 9 kts around 360 nm NW of Saipan. It had six or seven merchants (tankers and freighters) and five escorts. I ran at flank at distance along its port side to make an end-around approach. The lead escort was far ahead, and I thought I had a good head-on approach when I turned into the path of the convoy. Unfortunately, it was broad daylight and a calm sea, so I could only get a visual on the destroyer before I had to go to PD; I couldn’t send a contact report. I dropped to about 160 feet and killed the engines so that the escort would pass me, and I could rise in its baffles. But it picked me up and began turning behind me. I rose to PD and got off four torpedoes, two each at a Large Modern Tanker and a Medium Old Tanker, killing both. The first went down at 10:20. The second lingered until 10:33.

I went deep at flank, slowed for escort passes, turned west by slow degrees, and was finally able to gain enough distance to surface and report the convoy. That done, I plotted my course to Osaka for my agent-insertion mission. However, a reply to my report came in: “ULTRA X CONTACT ESCORTS ARE TO BE CONSIDERED PRIORITY X CLEAR THEM UP FOR FOLLOWUP ATTACKS X.”

I paused the game and then did a subsim Internet search with clammy hands to see if that meant what I feared it did. Yes, I had to reengage and tangle with the escorts I’d been fleeing! Didn’t HQ know what we’d just been through? Well, three destroyers already had my scent, so I turned to face the second one at 11:16 with another two torpedoes—lucky strikes at close range with an AOB of about 20 degrees to port. The third loitered a bit and them. The lead Fubuki took two torpedoes down the throat at 11:13. I hit then returned to the convoy.

A popup told my that the task was complete (“Inflict losses to convoy escorts”).

Great. Now I just have to drop off another G*d-dang agent in the same place that got me killed!

Followup: I made it. Heavy rain and pitch darkness got me in, past an attentive gunboat, and I escaped the same night. Back outside the bay, in the deep water again, I sighted two outgoing conveys and reported one. I was instructed to sink enemy merchants.

I sank two and crippled a third, a Split Freighter, which then sat dead in the water, listing heavily to starboard with seawater washing its deck from bow to stern. I circled around slowly to finish it with my deck gun, having spent my last eight torpedoes (four bow, four stern) in the initial action. The rest of the convey regrouped and moved on. At about 3,000 yards from the still-floating target, I raised my scope, swept around, and saw—what’s this!—a destroyer sitting with its engines stopped and men at the guns and depth-charge racks. With its engines off, it hadn't shown up on sonar. It was only a few thousand yards from me, just watching and listening. I closed a little more on the crippled target and then waited out the escort. After a long spell, it restarted its engines and headed off in the direction of the convoy. When it was safely out of range, I surfaced and finished off the freighter, which changed my task from “incomplete” to “complete.” (The two torpedoed and sunk merchants hadn’t been enough.)

After-action report: I was initially surprised that in my convoy attack after the Osaka insertion, I had only been able to sink two ships and cripple a third with eight torpedoes. After all, it was dark, the sea was calm, I had a good setup on several freighters, I was undetected, the convoy was not speeding or zig-zagging, and I was certainly close enough not to miss. I later realized that although I had good torpedo men at their stations, I had supplemented them with non-torpedo men—including watchmen who had been injured days earlier when I didn’t clear the bridge fast enough while diving beneath a merchant (that also cost me an AA gun and some radar damage). Further, everyone was fatigued from the nail-biting insertion mission. I will henceforth weigh my crews’ health and fatigue more heavily when contemplating whether to track or attack.

Well, I'm always careful to stress it submarine simulation, not a game. Games don't generally provide the feeling you've described. I also find this unique to submarine simulations. Not sure if you're running stock, mods etc. so experiences can vary depending on set up. Peak of intensity in this sim for me is when have been under water for 12+ hours under depth charge attack, pushed to limit of boats diving depth, batter power low, running out of fresh air, Holding on, doing best to slip away. That, and night surface attack, especially when getting inside a convoy on surface, running about causing havoc, dodging being rammed, gunfire etc . (TMO)

[Rob Jacobsen]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Not sure if you're running stock, mods etc. so experiences can vary depending on set up.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm running stock, knowing nothing about how to use mods. I would love to add them, but I find the process a little unclear and intimidating. I don't want to ruin my game by, for example, putting the data files in the wrong place. I also installed my program in the Program Files (x86) folder, which I have read is the wrong thing to have done. So I play on in my simple setup and just watch in distant envy as people post videos of their enhanced game play on YouTube!

And yes, I agree. This is much more than a game. Thanks again, sir.