Back in the water!

[Nefaro]

Oh, yeahhh.

That's what I thought - sneak in and surface in sight of an enemy port, in broad daylight, that will likely have destroyers patrolling about.   

Fun, fun.  And did I mention deadly, too?  :P

[MarkShot]

Just got back from apartment hunting and looking at furniture.  After 30 years, starting our lives from scratch again.

Well, I was thinking of making a daytime approach at RD at 1/3.  The RD should give me a long warning on patrol boats while minimizing my profile.  If it doesn't work I can abort.

I hope to try soon.  I still get some other work I need to get done first.

[MarkShot]

08/30/42

07:07 - Started our approach at RD.

09:34 - AC!  Dive!  Heard distant explosions.

11:35 - AC again!  Bottom the boat and wait two hours.

13:40 - Harbor patrol spotted and also pinging away.  Continuing to close.  4nm to port.

(need a break; hard on the nerves; two destroyers in spitting distance; less than tablespoon of water to dive in; visible from any harbor air patrol)

[MarkShot]

08/30/42 15:11 - 2 destroyers pinging away just off the bow by a few hundred yards.  Still trying to get in closer for the recon photos.  It's going to really bad news if they find us.

[LongBlade]

08/30/42 15:11 - 2 destroyers pinging away just off the bow by a few hundred yards.  Still trying to get in closer for the recon photos.  It's going to really bad news if they find us.

I'm on the edge of my seat. This is a case of "go big or go home." :)

[MarkShot]

It's more a case of "go big or don't ever go home".

I don't think I can get in with the two destroyers.  The only option would be to sink them which is not  all that easy.  But there is a patrol plane circling overhead which then likely depth charge us.

I am going to try to circle around.  Although I am concerned about turning the boat broadside to their active SONAR.  On the other hand, if I back out first and come back in, there may not be enough breathable air left to get back out!

Personally, I would not give us very good odds.  This may be first and last photo recon I attempt.

[MarkShot]

17:45

We got our Kodak Moment!

Right full rudder!  Let's get the H*ll out of here!!!  (maybe we can sprint on the surface after night falls or maybe we can just use the rebreathers)

[MarkShot]

20:00 - trading some battery to get fresh air, ahead 2/3s



20:04 - Periscope depth; oh, glorious night!





20:06 - Radar depth; destroyer patrolling at 18,000yds.  Surface!  Surface!  Surface!





20:07 - Head for deep water; ventilate; charge batteries - GOODBYE KEELUNG!!!

[MarkShot]

And good riddance!

[LongBlade]

Dude, I was on the edge of my seat. Great fun.

[MarkShot]

Man, you don't know what the meaning of naked is until you have two pinging destroyers circling 300yds off your bow and a patrol plane circling overhead with just 50' of water above the deck and 60' water below the keel.  If one of your planesmen sneeze, you'll broach and die.

I would say that this was muy macho.  The only thing mas mucho o estupido would have been to try to take out the two destroyers, sink as many anchored ships as possible, take the photos, and sail off into the sunset.  For that you either get a citation or a purple heart.

PS:  After Spanish being so important in the USA ... no one here speaks it.  So, I am going to throw in un poquito here and there.

[LongBlade]

PS:  After Spanish being so important in the USA ... no one here speaks it.  So, I am going to throw in un poquito here and there.

iAy carmaba! iLos tacos son muy delicioso!

[Nefaro]

Quienes las putas, amigo?  No tengo mucho dinero.

That had to be a good feeling, pulling that photo recon off.   Those can often be a tough nut to crack - I warned you!  ;)

[MarkShot]

Tacos or whores epitomizing the "gringo stereotype" ... oh, well.

You know it is nice to be 13,000 miles away.  The 20 million illegal Mexicans in the USA is unimportant, the black/white race issue is unimportant, the crumbling insurance/health care situation is unimportant, social security is unimportant ...

What's important is PRC & ROC relations, disputed islands with Japan, and a local recension, and an overheat real estate market.  I say Chinese real estate is in a bubble, but my wife disagrees, because  she sites cultural aspects that make Chinese real estate investment less likely to collapse than in the West.  Chinese for hundreds of years of have seen real estate as the primary investment vehicle.  They really don't believe in stock markets, commodity futures, municipal bond funds, mutual funds, etc ...

[Nefaro]

Tacos or whores epitomizing the "gringo stereotype" ... oh, well.

You know it is nice to be 13,000 miles away.  The 20 million illegal Mexicans in the USA is unimportant, the black/white race issue is unimportant, the crumbling insurance/health care situation is unimportant, social security is unimportant ...