[Maui]

I'm in my second career (this time using RUB 1.45 and NYGM damage) and had my first encouter with a task force. But there seemed to be one or more "bugs" with the task force and I wondered if anyone has experienced anything similar.

Shortly after leaving base (Kiel, May 1940) I received a radio report of a stationary task force amongst the coastal islands of Norway. Since I was two days away I didn't expect I'd actually end up making it there in time to find it, but since I had yet to battle a task force, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. My first surprise is that it remained stationary for the full two days until I arrived at the scene (first sign of a bug?).

What I found was 4 destroyers guarding 3 troop transports. Due to the extremely shallow water that did not give way for at least 30 clicks and the islands which limited my escape routes, I decided that though I was going to give it a go, I expected there was a great chance it would end up being a suicide mission (despite it being so early in the war).

I let 5 fish loose (3 at one transport, 2 at another) from almost 3K away, and quickly turned tail in anticipation of 2, 3 or 4 ASDICs soon to be searching this wide puddle for me. One of my targets must have been at too great an angle-- one of the transports went down, but the other was unscathed. But that leads to...

Bug 1(?): On impact only one of the destroyers budged. And even then, it was less of a search (I didn't hear a single ASDIC ping), but more of a repositioning. He roamed for about 15 minutes, then shut down again. No other ship moved at all. This can't be right, can it?

After relaoding the tubes, I set up for my next attack. (This is when I saw the results of my first attack... the "sunk" transport was still there burning since it had so very little water to "sink" into). 5 more torps fired, again only 1 of my 2 targets hit/sunk. Again only 1 destroyer did a pathetic "search"

After my second attempt I had to retreat for a good while to get the external torps. Since nightfall (or extended dusk due to late spring at a high latitude) was only a few hours off, I decided to wait even longer and try a much bolder firing position to make sure my last 2 torps hit the last transport. Probably 8 hours later I finally crept back toward the task force I had, by this point, plotted in detail on my map.

Bug 2: When I got in position and raised my scope toward where the transport should have been sitting only 1K away, there was nothing. Not even the burning wreckage of the 2 that had "sunk". Eventually I found 2 of the destoyers still in the postions where I had plotted them, but the 2 others, plus the 3 transports (dead or alive) were completely MIA. After nearly giving up, I finally spotted some smoke on the horizon. On my way to investigate, I finally spotted the remaining transport and one of the destroyers. Neither appeared to be moving, but were now 5K or so further north than they had been. Since there seemed to be only 1 destoryer to worry about, I quickly set up and fired my last 2 torps, watched them both hit but not sink it, and then retreated (I decided that using my NYGM powered deck gun in plain sight of a destroyer was not a smart idea).

As I was leaving, the full scope of what had happend to the task force became clear: the smoke I saw was from one of the destroyers. It had drifted ashore and was now burning. I then realized that the burning destroyer and the other destroyer near the transport I had just torpedoed were still in the exact positions I had plotted them relative to the transport. Apparently all 3 had become unachored and were just drifting north. And as I headed out to open sea, I also eventually passed the 2 transports I had "sunk"... now more than 10K from the location they went down. They seemed to be drifting faster and in a slightly different direction that the other 3 drifters, but they were still spaced from each other at the same distance they were when I first attacked.

So... anybody else ever see anthing like this? Is this a bug in the game itself? Or with Rub or NYGM damage?

[deckard]

did you loaded a save just before this happend?
thats a known bugg, and it casuing ships to forgett their orders.
sometime you can spot this when you make a save close to land.

[TAW_CZAREJS]

I can't speak for the drifting, but I too found this task force. I don't know for sure, but I believe this group represents the British/Allied Norway invasion fleet so it should stay stationary. When I found it, it never moved. I got in real close and hit the three transports. 1 sank the others were only damaged. I pulled back to reload and as I did, I caught a glimpse of Luftwaffe planes attacking the fleet! First time in a year and a half of playing I ever saw friendly aircraft attacking. By the time I returned the destroyers and the rest of the transports were sunk. Those flyboys really stole my thunder