Thanks Brad, good stuff! Also sounds like you are winning the war singlehandedly for us, careful or you'll make the carriers and BBs useless.

Compared to SH3 and the Atlantic, the hunting grounds in SH4 are a real treat. The Western Pacific is literally crawling with convoys and task forces. I should take a screen shot of that.

 

You have to cover much longer distances to get anywhere, but they've increased the available time compression and the USN fleet boats have a lot more speed and fuel.

14 May 1942: We departed from Midway late in the evening to begin a long transit westward.

 

26 May 1942: Early in the morning we received orders to proceed to a patrol area off Honshu (Japan), near Tokyo. In mid morning, we saw a pair of enemy merchants. However, they spotted us before we could dive, and took evasive maneuvers in an effort to escape. We managed to put two torpedoes into each of them, a large modern tanker and a large composite freighters. A pair of H8K aircraft soon arrived, and quickly dumped their bombs off to the west, more or less where we had been spotted earlier. We surfaced and sank both damaged ships with the 4 inch gun.

 

27 May 1942: Midway through the morning, we were attacked by a pair of H8K aircraft. Their bombs missed us, and one aircraft immediately broke off its attack and continued southward. The other made a couple of more passes before also breaking off to the south. Aircraft sightings became more numerous as the day went on. We were now within 250 nm of Tokyo. Late in the afternoon, we came under attack from three G4M Betty aircraft. We crash dived to avoid this threat.

 

28 May 1942: Before dawn, we were about 116 nm south of Yokosuka. We came upon a small enemy convoy, but they were too far away and moving too fast. Later in the morning, we encountered three Fubuki class destroyers escorting what looked to be two large merchants. These were soon identified as a large old passenger carrier and a huge European liner under Japanese flag. We approached and struck both merchants with two torpedoes each from about 1,100 yd. The torpedoes impacted broadside. The passenger carrier went down quickly. We put a third torpedo into the liner from about 600 yd, whereupon she was wracked by a huge explosion and rapidly sank. No lifeboats were observed, and we escaped to the north.

 

The destruction of a passenger liner carrying Japanese troops.

 

Later in the afternoon, a pair of H8K aircraft attacked us. We killed one of them with the twin 20mm, and damaged the other. In the evening, we finally reached our patrol area, less than 60 nm south of Tokyo. There was continued heavy air activity.

 

29 May 1942: In the afternoon, we spotted a large composite freighter traveling alone. After an immobilizing shot with a torpedo, we sank the target with gunfire. An hour later, we spotted another large composite freighter. This target appeared to be armed, and we hit it with two torpedoes. Enemy aircraft soon arrived on the scene, dropping bombs and hindering us from completing the engagement. Later, with the target listing heavily to starboard but still afloat, we surfaced and engaged with gunfire. We expended nearly all of our high explosive ammunition, but destroyed the target. Immediately afterward, we received a report from COMSUBPAC that Japanese naval forces were heading toward Midway. Late in the evening, after dark, we spotted a small composite freighter and a medium composite freighter traveling together, and torpedoed both. The smaller ship was in obvious distress, and sinking, but we surfaced to use the 4 inch gun to finish the larger vessel.

 

A gun engagement in the moonlight.

 

30 May 1942: During the night, we received a report of a large convoy departing from the Tokyo area, but we had no hope of catching up. We did, however, locate a small composite freighter, and sank it with gunfire without expending any torpedoes. Later we saw a large composite freighter, which we torpedoed from about 1,000 yd. There was a huge explosion and resulting serious fire, and the target sank quickly. We then received a radio report of a new convoy, this time heading north. We made contact with this group about two hours later. The convoy was being escorted by three Mutsuki class destroyers. During the engagement, we sank six ships: two large composite freighters, two medium composite freighters, a small split freighter and one of the Mutsuki tin cans. We stayed submerged until dawn when the remaining ships and warships had moved off. In the afternoon, we spotted a medium composite freighter but we had no torpedoes remaining and only a little high explosive ammunition. Nevertheless, a few well placed 4 inch rounds along the waterline and she succumbed. Our assigned patrol now complete, we turned for home.

 

31 May 1942: Heavy enemy air activity continued as we headed east away from Japanese territorial waters. We spent most of this day dodging and diving to escape air attacks.

 

1 June 1942: Beautiful weather today, with calm seas. Little air activity and no ships sighted.

 

4 June 1942: In the evening we received news from COMSUBPAC that a major naval engagement was ongoing in the vicinity of Midway, now about 1,450 nm to the east.

 

7 June 1942: Before dawn broke we encountered a Japanese task force group heading west, away from Midway. With no torpedoes remaining, we avoided engagement and passed within 4,000 yd of two Maya heavy cruisers, a Takao heavy cruiser and a Minekaze destroyer. An hour later, we were attacked by a D3A1 Val dive bomber, suggesting the presence of a Japanese carrier in the area. We suffered no damage, however, and never saw a carrier. In the evening, CINCPAC advised that Japanese forces had landed in the Aleutians.

 

14 June 1942: We returned safely to Pearl Harbor before dawn.

3 July 1942: Departed Pearl Harbor, enroute to a patrol in the East China Sea.

 

17 July 1942: We were attacked by a lone H8K aircraft today, but its bombs dropped well behind us.

 

18 July 1942: Shortly before midnight, we received word of a large convoy heading south in our direction.

 

19 July 1942: When we located the convoy, it looked to be escorted by five Mutsuki class destroyers. We engaged anyway, sinking a large composite freighter and one of the Mutsuki warships, and crippling three other merchants. We stayed submerged until the remainder of the convoy had moved off. Three hours later, we surfaced and engaged the remaining ships with the 4 inch gun, sinking a medium composite freighter, a large composite freighter and a medium split freighter. We sustained some minor damage as one of the merchants was armed, and returned fire, but this was quickly repaired.

 

20 July 1942: In the afternoon, we were attacked by a G4M Betty aircraft. We damaged it, but then another appeared. We crash dived to avoid its attack.

 

Map of activity in the Western Pacific.

 

21 July 1942: Before dawn, we spotted a medium split freighter and a large composite freighter. We torpedoed both of them, and then finished them with gunfire. Late in the afternoon, we encountered a convoy moving northeast, about 115 nm east of Manya (Okinawa). During the engagement, we sank a Mutsuki destroyer, two medium split freighters and a medium composite freighter. That night, while running on the surface in the midst of thick fog and rain, we were surprised by an Akizuki destroyer. Well aimed shots from our stern gun inflicted serious damage before the enemy ship could respond, and we sunk her.

 

22 July 1942: During the night we passed through the Okinawa archipelago and reached our patrol area in the evening. We soon received a report of a nearby convoy. Though we had very few torpedoes remaining, we approached. It appeared that there was only a sole escort in close proximity to the merchants, with maybe two others considerably distant on the flanks. We sank the leading Mutsuki destroyer with our last torpedo at about 1,500 yd. We then surfaced and engaged the merchants with our gun, sinking a small composite, a large split freighter, two small split freighters, a medium split freighter. We also sank both of the remaining Mutsuki destroyers before finally running out of ammunition for the 4 inch gun.

 

24 July 1942: With very little other activity in this area, we turned for home by mid afternoon.

 

28 July 1942: We passed safely out of Japanese controlled waters before dawn.

 

1 August 1942: In the evening we were advised by COMSUBPAC that Operation Watchtower would kick off in six days in the Solomon Islands.

 

7 August 1942: During the night, we arrived at Midway for refit. Before morning, we received word of the start of Operation Watchtower.

7 August 1942: We departed Midway in the evening.

 

10 August 1942: Enroute to conduct a raid of the enemy occupied port at Wake Island. In the afternoon, we were attacked by an H8K aircraft but its bombs fell wide.

 

11 August 1942: Late in the afternoon, we arrived in the vicinity of Wake, where an Asashio destroyer was patrolling as sentry. We attacked and sank this destroyer with a single torpedo from less than 400 yd.

 

The final moments for an Asashio class destroyer.

 

There were several enemy merchants berthed in the harbor, but the water was quite shallow and guarded by several coastal guns emplaced in well protected bunkers. We penetrated as deeply as we dared, and loosed torpedoes at the nearest targets. We damaged a large composite freighter and two large tankers but could not get any closer. Around midnight, with no moonlight to give us away, we surfaced and finished these targets with the 4 inch gun. We had to run at flank speed out of the harbor as the coastal gun batteries woke up. We sustained only minor damage in making our escape.

 

16 August 1942: During the night, we arrived in the vicinity of Saipan, intent on conducting another port raid. Once again a lone destroyer was acting as sentry, this time a Fubuki. Our first torpedo missed, but the second - a Mk 10 - struck aft. Although it started a fire, the destroyer was still running. We fired one of our stern torpedoes, and again achieved a hit but still did not sink the enemy tin can. The Fubuki then moved off to the north. Later it returned from the east, and a third torpedo sunk her at less than 600 yd.

 

We then attacked the harbor, sinking a small tanker and a small split freighter before surfacing. A pair of small gun boats quickly began to return fire, but we sunk one of these with a torpedo and the other with our gun. Our gunfire then sank a medium split freighter, another small tanker, a small composite freighter and a sub chaser.

 

Raid on Saipan.

 

Before dawn, a second Fubuki destroyer was spotting headed north toward Saipan at high speed. This warship we sank with a stern torpedo at about 700 yd.

 

We then approached the nearby port at Tinian, where we sank a medium composite freighter with a torpedo and a few 4 inch shells before being driven off by enemy fire.

 

During the morning and our egress, we were attacked by a pair of G4M aircraft but sustained no damage. In the afternoon, we were attacked by an A6M2 Zero, and though we brought it down with the 20mm, its wreckage fell partly across our aft deck and damaged the main gun. An hour later, we shot down a second Zero.

 

Late in the afternoon, we received word of a small convoy headed southeast in our direction. While attempting to intercept this convoy, we came under combined attack by Zero and Betty aircraft, and this time sustained moderate damage. We had to break off our attempt to attack the convoy to repair the damage.

 

Coming under air attack, an unpleasant experience while exposed on the surface.

 

3 September 1942: While enroute to friendly waters, we received news from CINCPAC in the evening that Japanese forces in New Guinea had been beaten by the combined efforts of American and Australian forces.

 

11 September 1942: Returned safely to port at Pearl Harbor at midday.