Battlestations: Midway/Coup de Grace

Primary Objectives

• Sink the USS Enterprise

Secondary Objectives

• Sink the USS Denver

Hidden Objectives

• Sink the USS DeHaven

This map is tough. Very tough. If a silver medal is enough for you, then all you have to do is dive to keep your periscope raised and watch for anything - plane or ship - to come close, then dive to depth level 4. Keep at depth level 4 until you're on top of the Enterprise, then get underneath it and fire torpedoes up at it to sink it. Sinking the Denver and the DeHaven, however, make the mission a lot harder.

Complicating this mission are not only destroyers, but also PT boats (which are immune to torpedoes) and every submariner's nemesis - the dreaded PBY Catalina. It's armed with sonar and depth charges, and is more than capable of ending your mission with extreme ease single-handedly. What was once the most worthless unit in the game is now the deadliest on the map.

Additionally expect the Catalina to have backup in the form of Dauntlesses and Avengers armed with depth charges. Unlike a destroyer's charges, these ones can hit you on the surface and cause unreal damage right off the bat. It is even possible for them to get lucky and drive a depth charge past depth level 2 and straight to depth level 3 - which sinks you in one hit if you're at that depth.

The Approach

Fortunately for you, you have two submarines - the I-25 and I-26 - to aid you in this mission. They start in the northwest and southwest respectively. The Enterprise has already been identified for you on the map, so if you want to end the mission quickly you can.

At the start, get both submarines moving, and have them both make a beeline for the Enterprise. Raise the periscope of I-26 to spot and track a destroyer to the east of I-25, a Catalina, and several bombers headed out to I-26. Have I-26 crash-dive to crush depth to avoid these threats and head straight to the Enterprise.

Using I-25, set a course for the USS Gilmer and perform the head-on attack to sink this threat quickly. With the Gilmer out of the way, you can try to surface and sink some of the enemy PT boats with your deck gun and machine gun (fortunately the AI will not attempt to torpedo you while surfaced - remember that subs can be torpedoed while surfaced!) but keep an eye out on the tactical map for destroyers, or worse - planes. Crash-dive as soon as you spot them.

Around this time, have I-26 look around for the USS Denver. If you can spot it, change course and engage the light cruiser. Ensure the cruiser's destruction with four torpedoes in her hull, but once you make the shot chances are the enemy will wise up to your presence and try to eyeball (yes, the computer can cheat and sink you with planes without using sonar) a depth charge hit - so make your first spread count.

Sinking the Enterprise

Once you've sunk the Denver, the only thing left should be the Enterprise and the DeHaven - which is a Fletcher-class destroyer and should be close to the Enterprise. I-25 should spot it shortly and perform the head-on attack to sink the DeHaven and complete the hidden objective.

Once the DeHaven is no more, you can try and sueface to engage the last PT boats as you close in on the Enterprise. If you don't want to risk anything, surface for less than a second for some air before diving down to depth level 4 - use the camera to look up, and position yourself directly under the Enterprise. The Enterprise is longer than you are, so you should be able to completely cover yourself. The idea is to get under the Enterprise and fire torpedoes straight up into her hull - while simultaneously using her as a shield against her PT boat escorts as well as her own depth charge-equipped bombers. Sink the Enterprise to end the mission!