TMO Update BH V2.0+patches
USS Paddle - 12 Jun, 1944, 31 July, 1944. 7th Patrol
Destination: North-East Hookaido - patrolling and anti-shipping actions.
After I calm voyage, the USS Paddle arrived to her destination for 25 days of anti-shipping actions.
The first days were spend patrolling near Kushiro with heavy weather conditions. Only a few hours at surface and the rest submerge.
Second area, after a few days, more southwest, calmer weather but no targets or contacts.
COMSUBPAC after 10 days declared mission completed and assign Area 4 as the nest destination for the USS Paddle!
Uneventful travel to the area; after a few days, only light escorts detected.
Decided to go South and them Southwest. Convoy detected!
Storm weather and 0 visibility. Intercepted the convoy and decided to attack on surface using the radar to detect and plot my solution.
The escorts were not aware my presence so near the ships. Fired all bow tubes, manage to score a merchant.
Then the escorts did awake and force the USS Paddle to dive, they manage to pin-point my location with that weather.
After a few hours of depth charging, they lost me when order 400 ft depth.
Second part of the patrol, on that area was of boredom...
In one occasion, a single ship was detected by sonar, merchant, travelling East, slow speed. Manage to intercept and fire 2 torpedos. One missed because of error on the speed+ship evasion manoeuvres. The other passed under the ship
?!!! Then, plane detected and a destroyer...
The ship escaped, I crash dive to avoid the plane. After coming to periscope depth again, the destroyer was searching for me. Decided to engage and:
He still keep going at fast speed... we got to love those toyota engines...
But he decided to go way.
After more days of Notting and going to the last part of Area 4 before leaving, I detected a destroyer and decide to go away. The ship was travelling slow, possible the destroyer that I had engaged before.
On moving away from it, Radar pick up something relatively near. Put the binoculars and saw 2 huge things coming from the light horizon fog.
A task force of 2 heavy cruisers with an escort.
Decided to attack using my last bow torpedos and with my aft tubes and reserves still to use, didn't think more. Reported find, orders to inflict heavy damages.
They were zigzaging, speed was estimate of 20,5 knts. NE route, I was SE +/-, almost 90º.
I switch of my radar and at one point the escort stopped! The cruisers continue their zig-zaging. I shot all my bow torpedos at around 3000 yards and turn 90 degrees to shoot my aft tubes.
2 hits on the first one and one hit on the second one. The first one became dead on the water, the second one only later did the same.
Then the escort did come back to life and chase me, had to dive and since he was going on a strait path to my derriere, silent speed and went for bow shot.
Tube 7 was already loaded and the destoyer didn't move from his path. solution ready and at 600 yards, Fire...
And forgot to set the depth of the torpedo to its slowest valour and the torpedo goes under the ship... but since I had changed to influence it did exploded near the propellers. The destroyer lost it high speed but still manage to socre some hit on me.
Damages were always minor to medium and deal with. My top speed underwater was 5, since my batteries were not charged when I pick up the task force.
Even so, at 370ft, 1 knt silent running, he lost me and I manage to get way. After a wile I went to periscope depth and saw both my targets dead on the water and had 3 torpedos left. 2 to the second crusier and the last to the first.
one down
I shot my last torpedo and he decides to go the other way, possible to see something... I forgot to click 2 times on the bering...
Spotted the escort at long range, so exit route at 2 knts, ESE, 100 ft.
After 3 hours had to surface to charge the bateries!
After reaching Pearl, Promoted to Commander and got the Navy Commendation Medal!