AAR- Shadow the Boomer

[Silent Hunter UK]

Herman, Freek and I got together yesterday evening for a game of Shadow the Boomer, created especially for the community's favourite databsase, the Players DB.

 

This is a three-sided scenario, with the US, UK and Russia.

 

I took the USA, mistakenly thinking it had the boomer. I found myself in command of an early model Los Angeles SSN, La Jolla. My mission was to find a "Delta" boomer and shadow it. ROEs permitted engagement only if I was fired upon.

 

In a hurry to get into the location and thinking, clearly incorrectly, that I could run deep at 14 knots without being detected, I headed south. Suddenly, I detected two torpedo contacts, USET-80s. I launched back on bearing only.

 

I'd detected surface vessels, including "Grishas" and "Pauks". I launched torpedoes at them, using their wire-guided capability to avoid hitting fishing boats (I may well have hit some though).

 

Noticing I had Tomahawks on board, I decided that since Herman (playing the Russians) had launched on me, I proceeded to launch all of them at targets in Severomorsk, wrecking the Northern Fleet Command base and probably the submarine pens.

 

I proceeded to move rapidly about, changing depth, and EMCON frequently. I used my Harpoon AShMs on some of the Russian ships and fired several torpedoes at a sub before sinking it (clearly the Tigerfish is better than the Mk 48). I headed for the exit, then checked my orders and discovered that I had to sink the SSBN to win. I headed back, but never found it.

 

A "Bear" or "May" air-dropped a torpedo on me and got close, but I decoyed it.

 

Down to my last two torpedoes, I headed west to leave. With one more fired, I decided that I couldn't win, as had the others.

 

With that, we called it a game. A no-score draw if you will, except the Northern Fleet was badly damaged..

[FreekS]

Here is my side of this AAR!

Yesterday Silent Hunter, Herman and I met to play "Shadow the Boomer"; a three-side playable submarine scen for PlayerDB.

 

Silent Hunter played a USN Los Angelos-class, I had a UK Trafalgar, and Herman played the Russian Delta IV that exited the harbour with heavy escort.

 

At the start of the game, I had neutral contacts only (mostly fishing boats) and I approached Severomorsk harbour sprinting and drifting. During one of my drifts I detected an unknown submerged contact which seemed to be close and stopped. This could be an SSK, and as my orders were to shadow the Delta without being detected I spent nearly 2 hours creeping away and around him. I had a bearing and blade-count on the Delta, but no localisation.

 

Suddenly I heard distant torpedoes in the water; something was shooting and I heard a Delta running at 24 knots. Another submerged contact was detected ahead, and yet another one was detected running away later - sounded like a 688.

 

When the torpedoes had stopped the SSK behind me was gone, as was the unknown sub contact ahead. The Delta was still moving at 8 knots and as the bearing did not change I settled down to a 2 knot drift thinking he was coming my way. The 688 was back also, firing TLAMs to try to suppress the Bear-Fs and occasionally shooting at an escort. It seemed to be about 15nm off.

 

Some hours later I had a clear position on the Delta, it was 6nm ahead of me, turning left to course 339 and moving at 6 knots. I got in his baffles and closed the distance at 9 knots untill I was 2nm behind the boomer andcould monitor his course and speed.

Suddenly sonar called out "Torpedo, Topedo, Torpedo". Two torpedo contacts were detected at the same bearing as the the Delta. I reacted automatically, firing 3 Spearfish (yes the 81 knot ones!) - one more than the number of decoys a Delta can fire at a time. The I turned and ran.

 

My spearfish killed the Delta and the Delta-s UUSET were moving at 29 knots and cound be outrun. I set course to my egress point and was awarded victory later.

 

It was great to really get into the baffles of a boomer undetected! Herman later told me he was shooting at the 688 and never had any indication another sub was shadowing him!

 

Freek

[CV32]

Thanks for the AAR's, guys.

 

It was great to really get into the baffles of a boomer undetected! Herman later told me he was shooting at the 688 and never had any indication another sub was shadowing him!

 

Like I said in my post at Matrix, this part is pretty cool! Stumbling around in the proverbial dark with a penlight, hehe.

[Silent Hunter UK]

Good job, Freek! I never even knew that's what you were doing. I only picked you up later.

[Herman]

Great AAR. The perspective from my side as little different.

 

I ordered my SSBN to clear the harbour at maximum speed. I wanted to get out as fast as possible and then close in on my deployment point at creep speed in hopes losing any potential snooper. I followed orders and stayed on surface behind my accompanying icebreaker when sonar reported a torpedo in the water!

 

Evidently, a Victor III on patrol had mistaken me for an enemy SSN and opened fire with a Type 65-76 torpedo. I immediately dove and deployed a noisemaker. The decoy drew the torpedo away. There certainly would be a reckoning in the Severomorsk Submariners Club when we got home.

 

I managed to reach the seabuoy and dove according to orders. I could hear a Los Angeles-class sub cruising around at 19kts. He was engaging someone that I did not detect. It could have been one of the diesel submarines assigned to the area, but I had no idea where they were. Unfortunately, the SSKs did not kill the American submarine.

 

I set course for my second assigned position while keeping a wary eye out for the Los Angeles sub. As I was nearing my second patrol point, the data to the American boat firmed up and she was about 10nm away. I didn't have any SS-N-15 Starfish or SS-N-16 Stallions available, but I thought that a long-ranged USET-80 torpedo shot might at least send him running in the opposite direction and allow me to escape.

 

As soon as I fired the two torpedoes on Bearing-Only-Launch, sonar reported transients behind us! The Trafalgar had been shadowing me for quite some time and mistaken my torpedo attack on the Los Angeles as an attack on him, so he opened fire with his Spearfish. I tried to turn my torpedoes onto the newly detected contact, but the Spearfish struck before I had the chance. I guess I should have pulled a Crazy Ivan earlier.

[Silent Hunter UK]

Herman and I got together for a rematch, on a modified version of this scenario, to playtest it for Freek.

 

I played the Russians, this being my first game with a SSBN ("Delta IV" in this case., with Herman playing the US SSN.

 

I had to get out of Severomorsk and past a certain point- my forces could attack me...

 

I stayed on the surface to the diving point, then dived, while my tug returned to port.

 

I decided to adopt a Cold War tactic for boomer groups, with the Victor going active and drawing attention to itself. Perhaps I should have moved it further away. I launched BOL torpedoes and noticed my first torps were wire-guided. That class shouldn't be. Being a gentlemen, I chose not to utilise that feature for the rest of the game.

 

I sprint-drifted with the SSBN, but eventually lost my SSN to torpedo fire. I did, however, sink a UK SSN and a Norwegian SSK.

 

When I realised I couldn't reach station on time and make ViConds, I chose to creep the whole way. However, I was located and Herman launched on me. I should have gone to real-time as a game bug prevented a BOL launch before I went to the bottom.

 

Herman also failed to make his ViConds by leaving the area in time, therefore this was a draw.

 

Thanks to Freek for hosting and thanks to Herman for a brilliant game.

[Herman]

SilentHunter and I reversed positions for this latest re-match of, "Shadow the Boomer".

 

 

I was now commanding a Los Angeles-class sub looking for a Russian SSBN. I approached the area cautiously and at moderately low speed. Lots of contacts appeared and I was able to classify many of them. A small KPUG was detected consisting of Grisha and other corvettes. Since they were heading away from me, I should be able to pass behind them.

 

 

As I moved in, sonar suddenly reported a contact and it was CLOSE! It was less than 2nm away and moving further. I was sitting nicely in its baffles, but it could turn around at any instant. I decided to fire while the enemy was likely blind and ordered firing point procedures for tubes one and three. Soon, two Mk 48 torpedoes were on their way. The run time was short and I was rewarded by an explosion.

 

 

Unfortunately, this action alerted the enemy of my presence and I sonar soon reported a 'sea of torpedoes'. There were at least 5 enemy fish out there. The enemy could not know my precise location, but he was conducting 'reconnaissance by fire'. Although I didn't not believe them to be much of a threat, the had the unfortunate effect of causing that corvette group to turn in my direction to evade the torpedoes. They were getting dangerously close so I had to set up firing point procedures for two of them. A pair of Mk 48s ended their flight.

 

The enemy torpedoes also revealed the presence of HMNS Kobben as well as HMS Trafalgar. They were close enough to force them to activate their sonar and evade. Both submarines were caught by the massive Type 65 torpedoes. My own sub survived a close encounter by releasing a decoy.

 

 

As things settled down, I resumed my hunt for the Boomer. I kept my speed below 10kts and listened carefully. Sonar reported a contact that was subsequently lost, so I knew that I was probably in the general area. After more searching, I decided to gamble and go active. If the Russians could use unusual tactics, so could I. On the second sweep, a solid contact appeared. It was less than 2nm distant. I immediately ordered three Mk 48s fired on it and cut the wires before turning and running in the opposition direction. The five inch room was all prepared to drop noisemakers and decoys when a thunderous explosion was detected. The boomer was now dead. I set course for my egress point, but failed to arrive in the time set by my orders. Thus, the game ended in a draw.

 

A fantastic game, SilentHunter. Thanks for the match and thanks to Freek for the use of his server.

 

Anyone looking for an MP game can drop a line here or look for us on HarpGamer pHp chat room or the HG mIRC chat room.