Your ship is on night time patrol in the Western Approaches to the English Channel along with three other destroyers. Your mission is to intercept any German ships who are trying to reinforce their island garrisons or who are trying to attack Allied shipping near the Normandy beach head. Patrols like this have run into German "T-boats" or fast torpedo boats, armed trawlers, destroyers, and minelayers. Your ship is running without lights, in line with the other three destroyers. Your lookouts are on full alert and your radar operators are scanning for air or sea contacts. After four quiet nights on patrol the sense of urgency is fading. About three o'clock in the morning your radar operator reports four ships moving towards you, bearing starboard 150 degrees, range twenty four kilometres.

All of your ships quietly move to action stations. The gunners are ready. The gun covers are off and the turrets swung around. The torpedo tubes are swung into position and the torpedoes are armed. Even the rapid fire 20 and 40 mm guns are ready. The radar operator tells the captain that the unidentified ships have not changed course. They do not seem to know you are there. Your captain checks the daily English Channel traffic report. No Allied ships should be in that area, especially ones headed away from the French coast and towards you. None of the lookouts can see anything but thirty minutes later your radar operator announces that the ships are in range of your guns. Your lead destroyer fires star shell flares, lighting up the unidentified ships. The bright light lets you identify the ships - two German minelayers escorted by two T-boats. The minelayers will have cannon, they are fast, and you should expect that they have just left a trail of mines behind them. The T-boats will be a bigger problem. They are smaller, faster, and carry enough torpedoes to sink your entire patrol. Watch out for a torpedo run! If an T-boat heads straight for you and then suddenly turns away it means he has just launched his torpedoes. Your captain opens the battle with his four 4.7 inch guns. Your lookouts try to keep a close eye on the T-boats in case they make a move. Just as your guns prepare to open fire a German star shell burst overhead. They know you are there!