SHCE Loss of the Piranha January 1945 Yellow Sea
 

The US Navy ComSubPac encouraged aggressive behaviors of their submarine captains. This also placed their boats well into harm's way. The USS Piranha was sent to patrol the Yellow Sea; between mainland China and what is now Korea. The Yellow Sea's average depth is only around 144 feet. Not an easy place to hide a submarine that's longer than a football field. The USS Piranha was on patrol January 1945 and intercepted a IJN medium convoy about 200 miles ENE of Shanghai just after sunrise in heavy fog. Good conditions for the boat. The attack was pressed and 2 large merchants were sunk, and a heavy tanker crippled when a patrol craft's sonar detected the Piranha. One stern torpedo stopped that attack, and the Piranha headed North to escape and finish the tanker, when another patrol craft found the now surfaced boat and shelled her. Damage was not enough for the captain to finish his last attack on the damage tanker, and fired his one forward tube at 1400 yards out, then crash dived to periscope depth. In the fog of battle, the captain, whose boat had been loaded with 2 different torpedo types- the older MK 14 that tended to run too deep, and the newer, wakeless and improved Type 18-2, set the depth for his last rear tube to 4 feet and fired on the approaching patrol craft. The torpedo was a MK 14, not the the 18-2, and went below the attacking ship. The steering gear was damaged, so evasive maneuvers were limited. Captain set the boat's depth to 82 feet, engines full astern, hoping to pass under the attacker, fire one last forward tube, and then escape. He had done this before successfully, and it was their only chance at survival. As the Patrol craft passed overhead, they had set their depth charges shallow, and, unfortunately, the Piranha was lost with all souls like the other 22% of US submarines lost during WWII.

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Nice AAR:up:. Is it a vanilla scen of SH or a scenario you build ? In this case, would be interessant to get it.

Thank you, Welk2. :)

No, I was playing career mode. This was my 9th? patrol with my Elite crew. They saved our butts many times over. I should never have surfaced prematurely. I thought the fog had me covered, but alas it was still daylight. Bummer. :(

Would be great to create a specific scenario for this "battle":03:

Cool, front page material.

SS Finback, on her 2nd patrol- 10th for its captain, was sent to the Yellow Sea. I'm starting to hate the Yellow Sea. Came across 3 merchants with 6 DD escorts, and intermittent land based air cover. I debated making the attack, but realized I needed to be the aggressive Captain that was given the Finback in October 42. I came up from 80 feet 600 yards out from the first merchant. I fired 3 fish from the bow tubes, planning to save the rest for the 6 DDs. 2 of the 3 were duds. I fired one more at the tanker running away - dud. Grr. All 6 DDs were racing towards me. 5 minutes of dodging them, and the aircraft, left 2 DDs sinking, and we were OK. A 3rd fish, a perfect shot (knowing low angle shots are better with these torpedoes) -another dud, so I fired last stern tube and 25 seconds later the call that its sinking. 3 down and now hard to port, full astern brings tube 1 to bear, I fired, a good shot, just as an aircraft drops it's bombs and we are gone.
Sad thing is, if I played this as a game, I would not have attacked, but I played in character. Duds probably killed too many boats. ☹