New Scenario For Testing: 2KW Sub Strike, 1976

[Coiler12]

My first CMO scenario in a while, this has you trying to sink an American carrier group (that includes a hypothetical BBG) with just a few North Korean diesel subs. Good luck! [:'(]

[BDukes]

A lot of nervous energy with active sonobuoy detections and knowing when to dash, pop-up, and listen/illuminate. Sea state helps[:)] I failed miserably but did manage to detect the BB before my last Romeo got bagged. Looking at the log looks like Mk.46s bagged all my subs.

I'll be coming back to this one, probably at least a half-dozen time before I score a win. Nice one, Coiler[:)]

Mike

[Coiler12]

Any more thoughts/comments on playing this, or do you think it's ready for community submission?

[AndrewJ]

I tried this one out this afternoon.

Playthrough

My subs headed S, starting to get an idea of the enemy positions by a combination of ESM and sonobuoy contacts. I got within the sonobuoy pattern, and even got a sniff of a helicopter radar, which implied I was close to the ships, but then the imperialist lackeys seemed to vanish, perhaps fleeing south? My bold captains kept up the (very slow) chase, alternately snorkelling and diving as aircraft radar came and went. Despite one close call, where the S11 actually spotted a plane in the night, the Americans didn't see us, and soon we had them cornered in the south-east of their patrol zone. Alas, the fortunes of war began to turn. Cornered dogs will bite! The S-10, in the centre, was first to fall to a homing torpedo, when an unlucky active sonobuoy fell right on top of her. S-11 did better, cleverly dodging out of another string before she could be caught, but she too fell to a torpedo which came out of nowhere an hour later.

This left only the S5, on the western arm, urgently seeking the enemy before they could escape. Turning on her radar, she got three solid contacts on slow-moving enemy ships, 14 miles away to the SSE. The crafty captain dove and closed on the enemy, with dwindling battery and looming deadline. An hour later, slowing to take another observation, he gently ascended, only to hear the deadly whir of an incoming torpedo. The smashing blow stung the S-5's tail, and at maximum speed and emergency blow she surged to the surface. Hatches flung open, radars clicked on, and there were the six enemy ships, lit in the gleams of the afternoon sun! Robotic helicopters hover over the noble sub, dropping their torpedoes in the rough seas, and the enemy battleships tear the waters around her with shell splashes. "For the eternal glory of the Korean Fatherland!" shout the crew, as with brilliant speed they salvo their torpedoes at the foe. Moments later another torpedo strikes, and the gallant crew, every man a hero, gladly goes to their glorious rest!

Alas, the range is extreme, and the foe turns to flee, and each torpedo in turn runs out of fuel and falls harmlessly to the seafloor. The three heroic subs now rest on the seafloor, and the enemy patrol over their graves.


Assorted observations

This one will not be easy! The Koreans have to close on a carrier group embedded in a nest of sonobuoys, while it's travelling at a stealthy 5 knots, and listening with its 35 nm and 40 nm sonars. That's tough. I guess you'd have to get lucky and park right on the group's path at speed 0 to make it in.

At first I could get an idea of where the planes were, but not the ships. It wasn't until I started tracking the helicopter radar that I started to make real progress. I liked the speed of the Romeos, which could maintain 9 knots on snorkel without draining their batteries. No such luck with the Whisky, which drains its batteries anywhere above 5 kts. I even had them on the surface at one point early on. My last-ditch BOL shot with the Whiskey didn't quite make it, despite attempts to dodge the torps by surfacing. (Early Mk46s had a depth limit to keep them from engaging surface ships by accident. The British had this problem in '82 when Brilliant's Lynx's Mk46 went harmlessly under the surfaced Santa Fe. Not simulated in CMO, alas.) Being sunk by DASH robotic helicopters was pretty cool though. I can't recall that happening in any other scenario. So, even though I got stomped, I enjoyed the scenario very much.

I didn't see any major hiccups.

The carrier group's path is sort of a chevron shape. Had you actually intended it to be a box? I managed to catch the group at one sharp corner, where it was turning about and re-organizing.

At the start, all your units are facing due north at full stop, which looks a little artificial, but that's just a cosmetic thing. Maybe a variety of southerly courses at periscope depth, receiving orders by radio would look nicer?

Thanks again for the nice scenario.