HMS Rodney (but no Del Boy!)

[[SJ]nailz]

I started a new career, as my previous one in the Indian Ocean came to an abrupt "The War Ended" ending. So I chose a nice new VIIb, sailing out of Willhelmshaven, turned on some of the more accurate features in SH3 commander, namely crew transfers and career length, fired it up with the only realisms not checked being the 2 for targeting.


My first patrol, AM69, took ages to get there, even at X4096, due to the VIIb's rediculous lack of fuel! Where's my IXd2!! Did my 24, and sailed home, a couple of contacts on the way home, but out of 4 torps fired, 4 were duds After that debacle I gave up and sailed back to port for some R&R.


My second patrol was in AL38, I got a convoy report when I was just south of Rockall, before I got to my grid, and made the executive decision to go after the known convoy, instead of pootling about in the open ocean, like patrol 1. I checked the contact mark on the map, the speed, the heading, drew lines on the map, used the knots/KMH chart to figure out were they should be, and hit "Ahead Full"... here we go...

After 24 game hours, I was ready to give up, when "Schiff beschmutzt". I was about 15Km out, behind and to their port side. Keeping my distance to no less than 15Km I skirted along side them, and gradually the full extent of the convoy became clear, 3 fat tankers, a gaggle of medium merchants, one v&w escort, and right in the middle of the bunch, HMS Rodney! 36000T of Battleship! I waited 'till nightfall, closed to 6Km on the surface, then dove to PD, closed to 3km and let 4 rip. 1 torp' hit Rodney well forward, the other 3 hit a large tanker the other side of her, sinking it. The escort swung round in my direction, so I dove to 160m, made a 125 degree turn to starboard, hit silent running, and waited out the depth charges.

After what seemed hours, the escort gave up and shot back off to the convoy, I surfaced, and again shadowed the convoy, this time on their starboard side, by the time I got in front of them, the first rays of sunshine were breaking the horizon, so I turned broadside to the convoy, ahead slow, and crept in, from this side there was 2 lines of ships between me and SS Rodney, but I was determined to sink her! Hitting the TDU screen, I selected a 4 tube salvo, 12m depth, magnetic, high speed, and closed, and closed, and closed...

Peeping through the scope I saw a chance to fire, a gap, not huge, but big enough I hoped. So I fired the salvo. Having no more "fish" left I again went deep & quiet, turning NE, practically reversing the convoys route, asking my sonar man for constant warship updates, the escort was on my tail, but I was deep, too deep to fore a stern torpedo. Then...

"Torpedo Impact!" "Torpedo Impact!" "Torpedo Impact!" "She's Going Down!" "Torpedo Impact!"

Down she went, but this time the escort was really peeved, I counted 50+ DC's, took a lot of damage, at one point I thought it was over, 3 compartments flooding, and I was going down, the crew panicing, down I went to 205m, I blew the ballast, water spraying everywhere, before my crew plugged the leaks. Then I was worried I was going to surface! But I did it! 1 less battleship to take pot-shots at my Kreigsmarine brothers-in-arms!

[frau kaleun]

Congrats!

[Jimbuna]

SINK EM ALL!!

[Oberon]

You plonker!

[ryanglavin]

I love it when the torpedo recorder says Torpedo Hit, even after the target you hit is sunk.

I'm impressed.
Great job!
AND, with high realism settings!
(Makes a BIG difference).

[[SJ]nailz]

I've been playing this game since it first came out, and always on high realism, I actually don't like the event camera...


I've just started getting into the captains log editor on sh3 commander, will be posting some up soon...

[Sub146]

Nice story.