To : CO SubRon 1M & ComSubPac
From : Lt Kim Ronhof
CO USS Archerfish (SS-311)
Subject : Patrol report cycle: 11
SubRon 1M
PZ: Southern Japan P.Sector: All
TDC: Manual
Realism : 109%
Crew experience: Elite
Number of Warships sunk: 0
Number of Merchants sunk: 3
Warships tonnage: 0
Merchant tonnage: 19763
Total tonnage: 19763
Total Janac tonnage: 19763
Date/Time Location Description Tonnage
Types of Warships sunk :
Types of Merchants sunk:
102101 JUL 1944 Pos:33-20N 134-15E Armed Merchant Cruiser 7072
102102 JUL 1944 Pos:33-19N 134-14E Oil Tanker 7385
102105 JUL 1944 Pos:33-19N 134-13E Large Freighter 5306
Patrol Narrative:
011630 JUL 1944 departed Midway with a full load of mark 18 torpedoes
080230 JUL 1944 arrived at patrol area SJ-7
100245 JUL 1944 Radar contact with escorted merchant convoy
0430 attacked convoy after passing under the DD screen, targeted a big tanker - firred 3 mark 18 torpedoes at 1200 yards distance - all missed.
Must have assessed the tankers speed wrong.
Even though we used mark 18 wake free torpedoes they must have been spotted - as all 6 escort started pining. Dived deep 350 feet under a thermal layer.
100715 Radar depth - observed escorts behind us the convoy had tken refuge in a bay the escort where placed in a semicircle around it.
Started a long detour around them to come in from north east behind the escort screen.
102040 Surfaced and trimmed the boat down now performed an attack firing bow and aft torpedoes at 4 merchants - aft torpedoes only fired after 3 torpedoes missed. Had to finish off 2 off the targets with the deck gun as we ran full speed out.
Then stared the return journey to Midway.
No damage to the boat or crew torpedo usage 13 mark 18 torpedoes.
Lt Kim Ronhof
CO USS Archerfish
