Fire my sonar man??

[chazsi]

Has this ever happened to you?

I'm on patrol in the North Sea. I submerge to give hydrophones a listen. I hear a faint contact of slow screws at 230 degrees, but he says "No Sound Contact."

I make my heading 230 degrees and surface at "ahead flank." After 25 minutes I submerge to get another listen. Still "No Sound Contact." But I hear the screws quite a bit louder. It's definitely a Merchant and it's at 359 degrees.

I surface and I'm ahead flank speed for about 15 minutes this time. Submerge for a listen. "No Sound Contact." THESE SCREWS ARE LOUD NOW. HE'S GOT TO BE CLOSE.

I hit the sonar man in the back of the head, "Unclog your ears, son. You're going to get us all killed."

I proceed ahead flank speed but at periscope depth. Continually checking with Mr. Sonar I continually get "No Sound Contact." I'm getting ticked off and ready to ram a torpedo suppository into him.

"Report to the aft torpedo room for medical treatment, Harvey."

His screws are LOUDER THAN EVER. I can hear them without muting the television which I usually do when using sonar.

I'm about ready to order ahead flank once again when what do I see in the scope? A medium cargo vessel (Norway) off my port bow. He's at 1300m.

"I said get to the aft torpedo room, Harvey!"

It is a shame I cannot surface and deck gun him to the bottom, but it's EARLY in the war, he's all lit up, spotlights on his flags and I don't want the penalty.

Boy am I glad he wasn't a warship of some type.

So...... fellow captains...

... what to do with Harvey when he waddles back from the aft torpedo room?

Anyone else ever had such a blatant miss from hydrophone?