Mixed Bag of a Patrol Report and Thanks

Singed · 04-07-10, 10:28 AM

Running 1.5 with RFD and RSDC, plus the mod that puts back some of the map contact stuff (not ready to fly without it yet).

Still quite new to this game, but since so many people's posts have helped so much I thought I'd share a little.

Ran my fourth patrol in this campaign last night, my first out of Pearl Harbor in a brand new Gato. I had plenty of prestige from a very successful but massively chaotic first patrol out of Manila so I added the air search radar and swapped around a few crew members before heading out.

My patrol assignment was the passage at the northeast corner of the Celebes sea, quite a long haul from Pearl. I think my radar operator nodded off at a bad time or maybe the Japanese pilot was flying real low but the call was "plane sighted, short range".

I ordered a crash dive and started dragging my bridge crew to Hogans Alley, sadly I was a little too slow, 2 dead on the bridge, many wounded and more damage than I'd ever taken before, critical flooding in the forward torpedo room, major flooding in the control room, more systems broken than operational and a strong desire to not emergency surface and invite more holes in my sub which was now sinking like a rock.

<This is where the thanks come in>

I ordered periscope depth but was still sliding downward, back 2/3ds, back standard and finally back full to start dragging myself slowly upwards. I put a bunch of my best mechanics and electricians on DC to get things under control Long story short, we survived, repaired and went on our way.

Thanks who whoever posted the awesome damage control tutorial, reading it saved me this time.

I began surface patrols back and forth through the strait, no plane sightings so I was confident in staying surfaced during the day, submerging occasionally to check sonar but coming up with nothing until I had completed the assignment and was starting towards Darwin to refuel.

Finally a contact! It was night time so I decided on a surface attack and I had a good position to set up a DOK attack (my first in combat, first in RFB), so I started plotting him and used the 3 minute rule to get his speed. Once in position, about 950 yards off his track, I slowed to 1kt, set up my shot and my fish (low speed, relatively shallow, contact detonation), when he crossed the TBD, I could only make out the splash off of his bow and his rooster tail, so I fired one just behind the bow, one amidships and one more ahead of where I assumed his stern would be. Three fired, 3 hits and miraculously in RFB, 3 detonations!

Just over 10K tons of large modern tanker hit the bottom.

Thanks to RockinRobins for the DOK tutorial video and the printable setup index cards.

Picked up another 5.5 or so tons worth of freighter off of Saipan on my way back to Pearl with another DOK setup, surfaced at night in pretty foul weather.

Overall a mixed bag. It was a long way to go for 2 ships and just over 15 tons, but that still makes a successful patrol I can be happy with. Successfully used new (to me) tactics that worked and worked well. Took major damage and lost a couple of crew members, but still completed my mission and got the boat home. If I wasn't hooked before, I am now.

Hope you guys realize this, but all the work you all have put in to your tactics and posts are kind of like basic and advanced training for new players who bother to read them and very much appreciated.

04-07-10, 10:28 AM	#1
Singed Sailbad the Sinner Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 106 Downloads: 126 Uploads: 0	Mixed Bag of a Patrol Report and Thanks Running 1.5 with RFD and RSDC, plus the mod that puts back some of the map contact stuff (not ready to fly without it yet). Still quite new to this game, but since so many people's posts have helped so much I thought I'd share a little. Ran my fourth patrol in this campaign last night, my first out of Pearl Harbor in a brand new Gato. I had plenty of prestige from a very successful but massively chaotic first patrol out of Manila so I added the air search radar and swapped around a few crew members before heading out. My patrol assignment was the passage at the northeast corner of the Celebes sea, quite a long haul from Pearl. I think my radar operator nodded off at a bad time or maybe the Japanese pilot was flying real low but the call was "plane sighted, short range". I ordered a crash dive and started dragging my bridge crew to Hogans Alley, sadly I was a little too slow, 2 dead on the bridge, many wounded and more damage than I'd ever taken before, critical flooding in the forward torpedo room, major flooding in the control room, more systems broken than operational and a strong desire to not emergency surface and invite more holes in my sub which was now sinking like a rock. <This is where the thanks come in> I ordered periscope depth but was still sliding downward, back 2/3ds, back standard and finally back full to start dragging myself slowly upwards. I put a bunch of my best mechanics and electricians on DC to get things under control Long story short, we survived, repaired and went on our way. Thanks who whoever posted the awesome damage control tutorial, reading it saved me this time. I began surface patrols back and forth through the strait, no plane sightings so I was confident in staying surfaced during the day, submerging occasionally to check sonar but coming up with nothing until I had completed the assignment and was starting towards Darwin to refuel. Finally a contact! It was night time so I decided on a surface attack and I had a good position to set up a DOK attack (my first in combat, first in RFB), so I started plotting him and used the 3 minute rule to get his speed. Once in position, about 950 yards off his track, I slowed to 1kt, set up my shot and my fish (low speed, relatively shallow, contact detonation), when he crossed the TBD, I could only make out the splash off of his bow and his rooster tail, so I fired one just behind the bow, one amidships and one more ahead of where I assumed his stern would be. Three fired, 3 hits and miraculously in RFB, 3 detonations! Just over 10K tons of large modern tanker hit the bottom. Thanks to RockinRobins for the DOK tutorial video and the printable setup index cards. Picked up another 5.5 or so tons worth of freighter off of Saipan on my way back to Pearl with another DOK setup, surfaced at night in pretty foul weather. Overall a mixed bag. It was a long way to go for 2 ships and just over 15 tons, but that still makes a successful patrol I can be happy with. Successfully used new (to me) tactics that worked and worked well. Took major damage and lost a couple of crew members, but still completed my mission and got the boat home. If I wasn't hooked before, I am now. Hope you guys realize this, but all the work you all have put in to your tactics and posts are kind of like basic and advanced training for new players who bother to read them and very much appreciated.