I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES! (help!)

[romelus]

first, overview. i'm a noob playing my first sh3 game. after cursing my IIA for not having a deck gun and only 3 tubes for months, i finally saved enough to buy a VIIB

gleeful about my new ride and intent on finding some juicy targets, i headed toward an english port again (the one below scapa, can't remember name right now)

just before i entered the narrow channel leading to port, i ran into multiple merchant and military ships. i submerged to periscope depth, and started attacking a C3 cargo. maybe it's got titanium coating, but it took 3-4 hits to finally sink it. i also spent a long time submerged as there were always DDs circling about.

long story short, i now have 3 bow torps left, and 1 aft torp that i cannot reload because it's external. my battery is less than 20%, so i decide to sneak away so i can surface.

i move away from the c3 wreck, suddenly i see a sight that will scare any noob


oh crap, maybe that c3 contained churchill or something, but it looks like the entire royal navy is after me! i have low battery and they are moving FAST! i decide to take a peek to see what's coming, then dive


OMG! it's a battleship! i've never even seen a convoy or even a light cruiser before! it's a damn battle group heading out to sea! (btw the first ship is a c class DD)

panicking, i dive to 20 meters first. when the BB is near a good angle, i decide to go up to periscope depth and let loose my 3 torps, my low battery be damned. For the fatherland!

being the inexperienced punk captain i am, it takes much longer to ascend than i thought. by the time i could look through my periscope, i couldn't believe my eyes!


my GAWD! 2 battleships! and the second one is right in front of me! the BB is moving fast at 21 knots, and i only have seconds to react

i save my game

time to get some help (trust me i tried before i came here, before i could finish checking the magnetic depth setting on my lagg ridden screen the BBs slipped away )

what's the best option given the very limited time i have? i have 3 torps loaded, the angle is not ideal but not the worst either. there's no way i can chase them. i'm chugging along in silent mode and the battle group is moving at 21 knots

also, am i going to live after i attack? my battery is very low... what should i do? :hmm:

[romelus]

oh btw, it's dark and visual is bad. i know aiming at the turrents are good if i want to cause a magazine explosion but i can't see the turrents in darkness. i probably have to fire at the midsection. should i use magnetic fuse (takes time to set) or just use impact? the wind is 7 knots. are 3 torps enough to sink a BB?

[digitizedsoul]

You need to do a rapid snapshot.... start with your fastest torp's, make SURE they are set to fast speed to reduce the chance of that 21knot target maneuvering around them, and fire.

Spread all three along the length of the ship if you can, try using the arrow as a centerline indicator. You don't know if he will zig, zag, or just stay straight so account for all three.

[danurve]

Well, if your over 21 I suggest to start drinking heavily.

Ok, ok, you say you have at least 1 external, maybe two left over?
Try a triple .5 spread shot aim forward of her bow as you might shooting at a fast DD. Mark her position on the map. If you hit luckily you can disable her while you sneek away. Your battery is less then 20% .. arrrrrr no cake for you. match her course from your position, go to MAX depth 2 knots. Stay there untill you have no choice but to surface. When you do try to be out of her ranges, while you recharde a tad reload your externals, track her down and finish her off with a better aob.

[Gildor]

If you fire at the battleship at that angle, make sure you do a magnetic shot. The travel of the torp under the hull will give a better chance of detonation.

A impact shot would prob just bounce off at that angle.

[Der Schatten]

"Be more agressive!"
(Bad things always happen to me when I let my batteries get below 50%....but for a shot at that......I'd take it like the others stated, go deep and get out of the neighbor hood quietly,,,,,,comeback later with a reload and some battery juice.....20% will last longer than you think, but not much room for error.....ahhhhh, I'd love to have this problem! I'm in the middle of weeks of 15 metter wind, rain and no visibility.....sitting next to a wounded merchant who just will not sink, I have no torpedos left and only a few deck gun shells......sooner or later the wind will slow down and I can sink this bugger and go home!)

Geeze...............I love this game!

[romelus]

i'll try the salvo shot with all 3 bow fishes. i have only 1 aft external fish. i take it that once a ship is disabled but not sunk, it will stay there? i don't want to go away and come back to find that the BB has disappeared.

as for evading after the attack, i have less than 29 meters to dive as this is near a port. oh man i hope i can get away to recharge...

i have the save game if someone else wants to play with this scenario. vanilla 1.4

[Pevs86]

I say surface and shoot it out with them, it's the only chance you have :P

Failing suicide, I had a similar situation in the Med. and managed to hit one of the BBs prop shaft, fortunatly the escorts left it alone and I was able to sink it from a safe distance come nightfall.

Either way, best of luck and post results

[romelus]

1st try:

fired the full salvo at midsection of BB. all three hit. ship not immediately sunk. stupidly i watched the torpedo impact before diving. DDs pinged me (first time i heard these awful pinging sounds...). depth charge, i was hit. heavy flooding, critical flooding. then

2nd try:

fired the full salvo at estimated forward gun turrent. all torps passed underneath the BB! might be a freak wave but what the hell. quit game to write this

now going back for 3rd try

[romelus]

i did it!!!

i take the salvo shot at the estimated forward turrent position



i dive immediately. first torp passes under the BB again but 2nd and 3rd torps hit, and the BB is destroyed right away must be a magazine explosion

now the hard part, getting away



instead of trying to turn like i did the first time. i go straight ahead at 31 meters. only 2 meters under the keel. lots of pinging attempts and my stealth meter flashed red several times, but the depth charge never came i slither away at 3 knots



finally i surface and high tail it out of there. sank a merchant with my leftover aft torp before returning to base



woohooo! my best haul so far! thanks for the help matey

[robbo180265]

Brilliant read and well done matey, the drinks are on you

[GT182]

Romelus, congrats on sinking a battleship. They are scarce to see, but seeing 2 at once and nailing one is great. You did good and to make it home too.

[IRONxMortlock]

Nice work!

Pretty balsy attack though. I didn't realise you were in such shallow water. With only 20% battery remaining I probably would have cursed my luck and let that one go.

Once you get the hang of the game I recommend you install GWX. It really does turn a good game into a great game. I also found that when I switched to playing DiD (dead is dead) I got a lot more out of the game. This means no reloading a saved game when something doesn't work out or you die. This helps no end in immersing you in the game world.

Have fun!
________
AnnaXoX

[Brag]

Good shooting --you buy the drinks

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice read there Romelus Pics to.