|
Post by crushedhat on Feb 11, 2024 3:17:58 GMT
March 1942
The Allied cause looks dire as they lose the Dutch East Indies. The US Asiatic Fleet is no more. The remaining submarines of COMSUBAF, though based in Australia, now fall under the operational control of COMSUBPAC.
Patrol Assignments: Sardine (rodmod) Java Sea – thru Mar 42 Sealion (ChefEd) Java Sea – thru Apr 42 Snapper (silentwolf) China Sea – thru Apr 42
In Harbor (Freemantle, Australia): None
These are two-month patrols, so patrols ending in Mar 42 are due 17 Feb 2024 and patrols ending in Apr 42 are due 24 Feb 2024, unless circumstances force an earlier return. All Boats will end their patrols in Freemantle, Australia. Any Boats more than a month overdue without notifying the admin (crushedhat) will be declared “Lost.”
|
|
rodmod
Submarine Commander
Posts: 33
|
Post by rodmod on Feb 11, 2024 21:03:10 GMT
Submarine Name: USS Sardine Patrol: #2 / Feb - Mar 1942 Patrol Assignment: Java Sea Successful Patrol: Yes Number of Freighters Sunk: 1 / 4 Number of Tankers Sunk: 0 / 0 Number of Warships Sunk: 0 / 0 Number of Capital Ships Sunk: 0 / 0 Total Tonnage Destroyed: 2,600t / 17,200t
Refit Time: 1 month, ready May 1942.
Award Requests: Battle Star (2), SCPI (2)
Patrol Narrative:
Sardine departed Freemantle for her second war patrol at the beginning of February 1942. The Japanese Empire is victorious everywhere, and the Asiatic Fleet is firmly on the defensive. A new line has been established in the NEI, but Allied forces in the area are weak.
Tourville’s patrol area was in the Java Sea—once again to interdict expected Japanese invasion traffic. The rest of February was uneventful however, with no sightings. The crew were at least grateful for a functioning air conditioning system in the sweltering heat.
On the late evening of 8 March, Sardine was on the surface South of Borneo. Amidst patchy mist and fog, the lookout spotted a small freighter under escort. It was likely supplying Japanese invasion forces on the island. Submerging and then moving into close range undetected, Tourville fired a full bow spread. All four fish hit the enemy ship, but disturbingly, only one of them exploded. However, this was enough to sink the freighter.
The escort knew his business and retaliated with an accurate depth charge pattern. However, he eventually gave up and, after picking up the freighter’s survivors, sailed away. Coming to the surface as dawn broke on another hot and humid day, Sardine’s crew soon noticed the boat trailing a long oil slick. The leak could not be repaired, so Tourville aborted the patrol and set course for Freemantle.
The transit to Australia was uneventful, and Sardine arrived at Freemantle in the third week of March 1942 to be taken into dockyard hands.
(Freighter of 2,600t sunk by torpedoes)
|
|