Iron Nest Mission 8 Guide: Rock of Gibraltar

Iron Nest Mission 8 Rock of Gibraltar is a night ambush with rules of engagement: a heavy cruiser lies moored in the harbour, and High Command has ordered her destroyed on time — not early. The mission is also the campaign’s cleanest lesson in two skills at once: chained position fixes, and leading a moving ship.

Quick Answer: Mission 8 Rock of Gibraltar

• Verified on build/version: Source-checked 2026-09-12. The cited mission record does not publish a game build number, so no version is claimed here.
• Fixed rules: “DO NOT FIRE” until the stated time window opens; no reconnaissance imagery — including shell impact photography — is available while the cruiser’s batteries stand; the cruiser requires AP; sinking her lifts the harbour’s anti-aircraft cover and restores aerial recon; an optional intercept follows, with the vessel’s course and speed provided for lead calculation.
• Random or run-specific data: All grids, bearings, distances, and the intercept vessel’s identity and crossing grid come from the current operation.
• Starting resources: 150 requisition and 10 powder charges are listed in the mission record; the roster lists 6 entities with 1 armored target.
• Gold conditions confirmed by the mission record: Measured Fire Star (ally kills ≤ 0), No Quarter Cross (kills ≥ 9), Unaided Fire Distinction (no aerial recon, kills > 18), Austere Service Medal (requisition spent ≤ 10).

1. Hold Fire Until the Window Opens

The orders are underlined in the original: “DO NOT FIRE until after the stated time. By then, only the designated survivors will be on shore leave.” This is a scripted constraint, not a suggestion — use the waiting time to build the full firing solution so the first shot after the window is already correct. Forward observers can be requisitioned during the wait if you want more on the cruiser’s location.

2. Chain the Fix: Alpha to Bravo to Cruiser

With no imagery available while her batteries stand, the cruiser is located by a measurement chain from the initial field intelligence:

1. Reference Point Alpha: bearings from both spotters.
2. Reference Point Bravo: distance from Alpha plus a bearing from one spotter.
3. The cruiser: distance from Bravo plus a bearing from the other spotter.

Plot all three links from the current run’s values before the window opens. Because no impact photography is available, you cannot correct from splashes — the chained fix is your targeting, so a sloppy early link costs AP shells, not just time.

3. AP for the Cruiser, Then Recon Comes Back

The ordnance note is one line: “Armour-piercing required.” Once the Rockingham is destroyed, the mission states the harbour’s anti-aircraft cover lifts and aerial reconnaissance is restored. The primary objective is complete at that point; you may stand down.

4. Optional: Lead the Strait Intercept

The optional task is a moving-target problem with the numbers supplied: a vessel is due to enter the strait between two stated grids at a stated time, steaming a stated course at 9.7 knots — and the record converts that for you (0.10 km per 20 seconds; 1.00 km per 3m20s; 3.00 km per 10 minutes). Compute where she will be when your shell lands, not where she is when you fire. The intercept window closes: if she clears the strait, the record treats it as a noted failure of the optional task, not of the mission.

Mission 8 Medal Conditions

• Measured Fire Star: Gold with ally kills ≤ 0.
• No Quarter Cross: Gold with enemy kills ≥ 9.
• Unaided Fire Distinction: Gold with no aerial recon used and kills > 18.
• Austere Service Medal: Gold with requisition points spent ≤ 10.

Common Failures

• Firing before the window. The no-fire time is explicit; the cover story is the point of the mission.
• Expecting splash corrections. Impact photography is disabled while the cruiser’s batteries stand — verify the chain before firing.
• Using HE on the cruiser. AP is the stated requirement.
• Aiming at the ship instead of the intercept point. The speed conversions are in the mission text; lead the shot.
• Chasing the optional intercept with the wrong mindset. Missing it does not fail the operation.

Sources / References

• Iron Nest DB — Rock of Gibraltar mission record — Operation 8 resources, roster, fire-window order, Alpha/Bravo/cruiser fix chain, AP requirement, recon-restoration rule, vessel data, and medal thresholds.

Update Log

• 2026-09-12: Published the source-checked Mission 8 walkthrough. Fix values and vessel details remain run-specific; the lead-calculation method is the reusable part.

Previous: Mission 7 — The Gorge. Next: Mission 9 — Dead Reckoning.