Stories and Patrol Logs + Screenshots and Videos (merged)

[Armistead]

Life of Wern, Chap. 1

It was a long way back to New York. Due to some failures on the part of the crew I was to take back a pigboat to New York to train others in things that could go wrong. We pulled into a full moon over the lady...strange things usually happen when we pull into a full moon port.



My XO Wern had been gone for a few days.

"Where's Wern" I asked..

"Capt., he's out at Maggie's house of carnal lights." said Tambor laughing.

Good ole Maggie, what a wonderful woman. You could get 3 girls and breakfast in the morning for $50.00. if you used the secret knock..5 then 3. I figured I would go find Wern. Possibly someone told him the wrong knock.

Well, Wern was riled, but after two months at sea, I expected the crew to have a lil fun. Normally Wern wouldn't pull this crap. Wern was from an old biblical sect that believed in polygamy and having concubines, so when tipsy, the more girls the better. He had some doctrinal reasoning why it was OK, but I didn't care, this is the navy, girls are for fun.

He often complained of a bad back at sea, so in port he was easy prey for a snake oil salesman's cure all hooch-juice and didn't take much to get Wern drunk. Once drunk, his mental facilities dulled, someone like Wern didn't belong at a place like Maggie's, but his mind was set, his loins afire, he was on his way.

Wern walked through the alley in the dark of night hearing the light moans coming from the trucks on the side street.

"Cheap sinning SOB's, he thought to himself, "won't even pay for a bed", what's wrong with peoples morals these days."

He rang the bell at Maggie's and gave the 3-3-1 secret knock that our C.O.B. Tambor had told him. Maggie opened the door.

"Can I help you sailor."

"Er, well, I need a bed and some company" said Wern why blushing.

"Well, all my girls are busy tonight, come back tomorrow." replied Maggie.

Wern got pushy.."I've been out to sea for two months, please Maggie"

After long debate, Maggie explained to Wern the girls were busy. She saw Wern was riled and drunk. Old Salts know Maggie's a businesswoman, always ready to make a buck off those less wiser souls. She explained to Wern that she had no girls available, but if he had an open mind, she could promise him pleasures only known in Singapore.

"Come in and buy some drinks why I explain it to you" said Maggie.

Even Maggie's water downed booze was too much for Wern. Maggie got several drinks into Wern
why she explained to him the deal.

"Look Dear, you have an open mind and I promise you pleasure, only $50. Now go upstairs, second room on the right, in there will be a chicken on a table. Just grab it by the wings and do your thing. When it starts flapping it's wings, it will be the best experience you've had."

When you're drunk and Maggie is holding your hand, it's hard to say no. Old Wern stone drunk
now said

" I'll do it."

Upstairs he went. He grabbed that chicken. You have to know Wern on the sub, when he puts his mind to a job, he puts his all into it. Let's just say the story goes, Wern put his all into this job.. Wern moaned why the chicken clucked,
around the room doing the deed on floors, table, etc...When he was done, he had killed the chicken. He walked downstairs with the dead chicken and showed Maggie.

"Sorry, I killed your chicken" said Wern.

"No charge for the chicken." replied Maggie.

Wern made it to the cheap motel and fell dead asleep as the sun came up. He woke up, feeling a lil ashamed about the chicken he saw laying next to him. He had to have a few drinks.
Wern got riled again and decided he would go back to Maggie's for a girl tonight. When he arrived, there was a line at the door. Finally he rang the bell and gave the knock and Maggie opened the door..

"It's me again." said Wern.....

"Me who." said Maggie

"Me, from last night, you know.." Wern made a lil cluck sound to remind her
.
"Oh, is that you, I'm sorry, the lights not good, come on in and buy me some drinks.."

Wern had drinks with Maggie and explained his need for a girl..

"Sorry Wern, the girls are all busy again, but didn't you have a good time last night."

"Well, yes I did, actually a real good time." said Wern why looking shyly at the floor.

"That's my boy." said Mag..."I love men with open minds."

Wern was set on a woman for tonight, but again Maggie explained all the girls were busy.
She again told Wern that even better pleasures were in store tonight if he had an open mind,
that he could see things only a few ever see, only $50...

"I'll do it" says Wern.

"OK Dear, follow me" Maggie takes him upstairs. She opens the door.

Several benches were lined up with men of all types. Maggie sat Wern down. She stood up in front of a curtain and explained to the men.

"Behind this curtain is a see through mirror. When the curtain opens, you can see through it,
but those in the other room can't see you. The show tonight...two beautiful lesbians.

Now, watch the show and enjoy, they can't see you. No one knows what goes on in here, feel free to be openminded here, get excited, twaddle with or amongst yourselves...enjoy"

Well, Mag turned the lights down and left,the curtain opened. One woman was waiting and another walked in. A lil timid at first, they finally got it on. The crowd cheered and loved it. Wern had to admit he was getting excited.
He could hear funny sounds coming from the people in the dark room around him. He knew what he was supposed to do, so he watched, not believing what he was seeing.

Old Wern, finally into the show and enjoying himself nudged the fellow next to him..

"Hey fellah, this is a pretty good show isn't it..."

The fellow replied....

"You think this show is good, you should've been here last night and watched that guy screw that chicken..."

[Armistead]

THE LIFE OF WERNHER, CHAP 2.

I finally found Wern at Dirty Joe's Motel and Grill. Wern opened the door. He was right pale.
"You alright Wern, you got a chicken feather stuck to your lip."

Wern brushed it off....." long nights Capt. Maggie can teach you things there that my high school biology teacher didn't know was anatomically possible."

I restricted Wern from Maggie's. Some of those girls are old pro's and could look at your ships identification shoulder tab and tell you the names of your COB's back to WWI.

Wern spent most of his nights back home never figuring out the precise steps for removing a Playtex Living Girdle, I thought the girls at Maggie's too much for him. Wern's only direction in life before the navy was trying
to find a place to sleep out of the rain.

Most don't know Wern is the son of a Rear Admiral, one of those desk jockey types back in Washington. I had been forced to take Wern on boat and make a man of him, make his father look good.

He had been promoted and moved from boat to boat, somehow now my XO. I asked Wern why he joined the navy. He said some girl in high school said he would look "cute in a sailor suit".

"I hope she laid you on prom night" says I.

"Oh, no captain, I stayed home that night studying the dictionary." says Wern.

Back to our barracks, a dung hole of a freighter, I waited for the call to get my arse chewed out by some Rear Admiral. I'm in trouble now. So many great patrols and to have a new sub ruined and sent state side ain't a place for a sub skipper. Oh well, great day for chipping hammers and paint scrapers.

I reflect back to our last patrol. Was is the vodka breathe whores in wool bloomers the crew got mixed up with in Darwin before patrol.
Some unknown STD that effects not only comprehension, but simple common sense or could one dumb XO ruin us all. Still, if I told the truth about Wern, made his father look bad,it would be worse.

Reflecting back, the problems all started with Wern on watch. I remember Tambor telling me Wern was topside on watch with Wolfez.
"You dumb sonofva*****" I yelled, I don't care if he is the XO, watch him, Only one thing worse than an idiot on watch is idiots... "Paired up"

Our Navigator said it would be OK, that we were still 500nm's from any possible enemy plane contacts.

I went topside anyway.

Worried about bombing runs by made by "DAFP'S" (dumb *** friendly pilots}, Wern held the signal light. Lookout called "plane", it was friendly. Wern flashed the signal. The plane turned into us seemingly to make a run... "Crash Dive" I yelled. We didn't get under, BAM,BAM....A new Balao damned near ruined.



The US pilot that bombed us later stated that the flash signal Wern gave was incorrect, instead of our sub number and code, the message read

"U.S. pilot, your mom mates with circus monkeys."

Getting under, I noticed water rushing in.
Are we holed or what I don't know. I asked
Tambor did he shut the main induction, he replied with a firm "yes." Wern then stated
he shut it when he came down last from topside.
Crap..."Wern, you opened it after Tambor shut it."



The boat damn near sunk, we work. I chewed Wern out and gave him a toolbox and told him to fix all the leaks coming from the head in the varmint pit {aft battery} and to clean up the crap on the floor why at it.

We finally got the sub under control and headed back to port for repairs .

I awake for my shift and took a sip of coffee."sonofva*****, taste like shiat.."

Upon further inspection, the reason it tasted like shiat was because it was full of shiat. After damn near flooding the ship Wern had replaced the wrong valve directing the refuse for the head through the coffee percolator valve.I ended up with a bacterial blood infection and suffered digestive rejection from both ends. The Doc put half the crew in the bunk. I couldn't function. By navy rules, I gave the boat over to Wern. He was book smart, a busy body, certainly he could plot? I told him to plot course for base as I ran to the head. We were only a few hundred miles
from base, certainly nothing worse could happen.

Sitting on the head half asleep, crapping more liquid than solid, when "WHAM". I was thrown off the head into the floor as refuse spilled all over me. I first thought we had hit another ship. Wern opened the head door knocking my front teeth out and screamed "we had run aground."

"an unmarked reef in the shallows?" I asked.
as I wiped my own waste and blood from my face...

"No", says Wern, "we hit an island right in the middle of the damn ocean."

Someone backed emergency just in time not to be stranded on this remote place eating monkey jerky until someone found us.

"WTF", I yelled at those watching Wern for me. "How did you let him run us into an island"
The lookout reported the island and Wern said "hold course", that we would miss it.
"We don't ask questions sir, we follow orders..." .

We limped into port. No one was there to meet us. I had expected a chewing out at the dock. We simply had a note stating.

"Do not come on land, switch to this POS pigboat and get back to New York Harbor via the south pole shipping lane.

Signed.
Get of my F'in Island today."

So here we are finally back. I was sent to the higher ups. I could hear an Admiral chewing out some poor skipper before me. My turn.
Let's just say as I lay here reflecting in my pigboat bunk as rookie Navy Pilots drop PDC's {practice depth charges} on us in shallow water, I hate this navy, nothing could make me hate it worse, nothing.

The cook brings me my morning paper. I couldn't believe the headlines.

"Admiral son receives "Medal of Honor" for saving ship why it's captain sleeps."

Front page, a picture of Wern shaking hands with the President himself..



and sent to New Construction for a new sub,
"sonofva*****"


Bam Bam Bam.....Damn PDC's..

[merc4ulfate]

I was off the coast of Borneo over on the east side. I know there is some traffic through there. There is a spot not to far north of Balikpapan there has a shallow draft with a few deep holes here and there. I was sent to patrol not to far from there and got bored so I cruised over to the shallow areas. Sometimes I just like to watch traffic on radar to see the paths the average traffic is taking.

I set over a hold about 300 feet deep on the surface. This way I can go deep if anything bad should happen. I sat and watched the radar traffic on a few single ships, noticed their average course and got to that area to be ready to fight if something good came along. I like to wait for capital ships ... I love sinking carriers and battleships when I can. A convoy came through consisting of three destroyers and seven merchants two of which were large tankers and two passenger liners.

Well I love nothing more than sinking troop carriers ... something about screaming bodies in the water that just make my day. I took out to set myself so as they approached I would be ready about 600 yards off their track ... I like it close. I took out the troop transports first then the tankers. It was a miserable day and visibility was down to my eyelashes. I watched the radar and saw the destroyers heading my way and lined my set about 900 yards from where I estimated they would circle. They get predictable ...

I took the first two out fairly easy but the third one gave me a run for my money. I chased him ... they hate that and he chased me finally getting a stern tube at 450 yards. I like them to get close because I noticed at 450 yards they do not have enough time to maneuver away from the fish. Doing it this way I normally do not have the fish set on contact just in case its a bit off.

I sail off take out the remainder of the ship still near by with my deck gun and the 40 mike mike ... now I decided this might not be a bad place for an ambush. I park myself next to a wreck dropping down to 78 feet when planes came around other wise I just waited for more shipping hoping to use the wrecks as obstacles since they were all in the path of the channel of traffic they were using.

I waited for some time and got nothing ... a few days actually then I saw a ship not to far south west and went after it ... sunk it with the gun and noticed something really strange on the map. All the wrecks .... now had icons for ships. Not only that but some of them were moving. I went after a destroyer and we went at each other head to head ... he died. There was no wreck on the map nor was I given credit for a kill. I tried a merchant same thing.

It seems that the ships after a few days came back to life and while they could be sunk there was no credit given for killing them again. It was like killing ghost. I on the other hand received plenty of damage for my futile effort.

Has anyone ever noticed shipping coming back to life? I guess most kill and leave but I like to experiment once in a while. Did me hanging around cause them to respawn after I was out of range?? This was a career mission. I tried it with a single mission and the same thing happened. Have any of you other skippers experienced this before?

Merc4ulfate

[Armistead]

[CDR Resser]

Those are really great shots, Armistead.

[WernherVonTrapp]

I especially like that last pic Armistead. Is that the Nagato? That seems to have a lot more detail than most of the BB models.

Here's a few more shots of my encounters in the Pacific:

[Armistead]

Yep, the Nagato, really like it, it explodes over and over. I loke your second shot

Here, my last patrol, I'll call it.

Supply Drop.



Wolfpack leaves Midway

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Supply Drop.

You could lose a lot of crew that way, you know.

Nice shots.

[WernherVonTrapp]

I didn't know the USN used Comfort Girls.

Then again, I didn't know they gave out rings at the holocaust either.

[AJ94CAP]

[Sailor Steve]

Nice start!

And if I haven't before, WELCOME ABOARD!

[AJ94CAP]

Thanks for the welcome Sailor Steve. It's good to finally be here. I've had the Silent Hunters for years now but haven't gotten around to joining here until recently.

Anyhow, here's one more for tonight.

[Armistead]

[Armistead]

[AJ94CAP]

Nice ones Armistead! I like the one of the shoreline.

Here's a couple more.