Had to sign up after all these years of reading subim and vent (in a good way)


October 1939
Near British Isles, Daytime, wind 15m/s, good visibilty


Found myself right in the middle of a large convoy path in my Type 7.
It had ships from at least 3 different nations (allied & neutral)

With a Revenge class battleship right in the center of the convoy with 2 destroyer escorts (found that out later), mind you I still have orders from the Führer not to engage British capital ships... But the temptation is too high!

I position myself very close to it's path (in hindsight too close) and hope that the forward sweeping destoryer just barely misses my periscope.

I'm nervous as the battleship lumbers slowly closer and I'm cursing this weather and the dud magnetic torps I keep hearing about. I can't wait any more and fire 3 magnetic eels at +1000m right under it's belly.
Against odds, all 3 detonate and the battleship goes down fast!

I dive in mid convoy and wait for the right time to pop up again.
As I listen to hydrophones I can only detect one destoryer.

Hell with it! I go peri depth and see he is sweeping about 1000m behind me... Perfect!
I raise hell with my engines, trying to bait him but it doesn't work. I don't have time, only choice is to surface and hope the shells miss. They thankfully do! Another magnetic on the way, under the keel!
Stopwatch goes over the estemated time, just as I'm about to crash dive the torp goes off at the stern.

I now see the ships ahead of me and another destoryer heading through the convoy straight at me. Dangerous, but the best chance I got to take him out! Time to play chicken with 2 more magnetics as shells start flying past me. I fire off first at about 1200m... First dud? Missed? No time! I launch the second as he is 700m away. I give up and crashdive just as he goes up in flames!

With 6 eels and more than enough of 88mm shells left, I get to work on unarmed allied ships. Wish that damn weather would ease up though!
I start ruthlessly attacking the ships, trying to take out as many as possible as fast as possible as we are quite close to the British shores.

I literally felt like a wolf going through a herd of sheep and picking off the weakest prey. It wasn't as enjoyable as I though it would be. Especially their last ditch efforts at ramming me. Those I couldn't finish off, I hoped the weather takes care of their damaged hulls.

After 11 years this sim with GWX can still scare the **** out of me.
I don't remember why I bought it back in 2005 (having never played any subsim before it), but I do know why I still keep playing it!

Having worked up to enabling no map contacts and no external view, really makes you visualise and constantly trying to assess the situation you are in.

And while i'm no expert on this compared to some of you here I'm really suprised how much I have learned about this period in time and the paticular warfare.

Feeling 1/millionth of the terror those poor souls felt back then...
Testament to this Sim and the men who served in these war machines.

Thank you!

Welcome aboard!
 

Good to learn you're enjoying your GWXperience http://i.imgur.com/7CYwRtL.gif

I always join the flotilla that has the type 7b available right away and head for the area W. of Gibraltar strait. Then I just sinking ships and heading to Cadiz when I need to resupply. I have patrols that average 6 days each and there are so many ships passing through the area early on that are not in convoy. It's April 1940 and I just finished an 8 day patrol ~133k tons. I am using GWX 3.0 and found the sweet spot for those Large Merchants. Set torpedo to run at 5m and fire at the front of the ship, (there are two little funnels that stick up in front, I fire at a point right between them. The ship almost always goes down head first in 15-30 minutes tops. Rarely does it take longer.) I have all the renown I'll ever need for upgrading my boat as soon as the French Ports become available and level my crew up to elite status well before then

Khm, little to revive the topic
Night, duty officer reported that he saw the shadow of the back board
Gun group was lifted on alert and shoot the enemy, medium transport, from distance of two miles
http://prikachi.com/images/81/8775081T.jpg

Suddenly we were literally inundated with projectiles It turned out that submerged ship from us, there is another heavy transport that taking advantage of the darkness and flames from the other ship, managed to take us on sight
http://prikachi.com/images/80/8775080N.jpg

The battle was hot, even after the first few shots, it turned out that transport can be teeth But our gunner managed to deal with it, bursting into flames, trudging to the bottom
http://prikachi.com/images/83/8775083j.jpg

In the morning we plunged and receivables peleng to different targets, but nothing that worth, for now
http://prikachi.com/images/84/8775084B.jpg

Currently west of Ireland after being transferred to the type IX.

Received a radio contact of a convoy just northwest of us. We are on intercept course. Should make contact in 10 hours.

The worse feeling is the wait. I know it is in a shipping lane, but the lane is turning towards Britain. This convoy could be anywhere in 10 hours. I can't stand burning fuel with the idea I may not see a convoy!

This is my crew's first convoy in 4 patrols. I just know they are up to the task.

U-47. Patrol 4, November 1939.

Port raiding, Dover and Dunkirk. Took out a Southampton at Dover, using 2 torpedos at close range.

Set course for Dunkirk. Encountered an Aelybryn merchant while enroute. Attack commenced. Target stopped by torpedo but did not sink. Use of gun interrupted by incoming enemy ASW ship. Stepped back until the enemy ceased searching. Returned to target and fired 1 round. Target sunk. Back on course to Dunkirk.

Arrived Dunkirk at night. Sailed on the surface under cover of darkness into inner harbour by the eastern entrance. Observed ships in port and targeted a large British tanker, a French large troop ship, a French medium C2 cargo ship, 2 V&W destroyers and a French Bourrasque destroyer.

Attack interrupted by passing Tribal destroyer. The Tribal was targeted before continuing the main attack.

http://i66.tinypic.com/6tlo28.png

All targets sunk. Left Dunkirk before noon.

1 torpedo left and almost full on gun ammo. Setting course for the east coast of Britain. Enemy task force reported north west heading south east. Unable to attack. Attempting intercept for sight report.

Patrol 5. Started mid February 1940. Mid March now. After the last patrol I was given the opportunity to try out the IXB. Got some more men and set out. So far I have to admit I prefer the higher submerged speed, longer submerged range and shorter diving time of the VIIB and although the IX carries about 150% of the torpedo load of a VII, I'm not sure if this is one to keep.

Cruising the Mediterranian to give the boys a break from the grey, rainy atlantic. Visited the port of Gibraltar to deliver Berlin's best wishes to another Southhampton there, alongside a Tribal and an A class destroyer. Stumbled across a very small French convoy of 3 escorted by a lone minesweeper and got a large merchant and a C2 cargo ship.

Weather was great the first 3 weeks but turned for the worse. Got a radio message about a small convoy. Intercepted and found a rare sight, a German 4 ship convoy. By now the wind was 14 m/s and clouds were rolling in. Hours after we waved them off, a heavy storm hit us and it has been going on now for 2 weeks.

Almost got rammed by a French large merchant in a 2 ship convoy. We were less than 10 meters apart when she sailed past me. Surprisingly neither she nor her company spotted me in the night and heavy fog. Turned hard starboard to hide in the fog and took a parallell course at full speed and got into attack position. She was hit under the keel at short range and stopped but it took another torpedo to her boiler room and almost an hour for her to go down. Her company was a small merchant I let slip away.

Headed back to the strait hoping for better weather but the storm is still going. I took up a spot near Morocco at 60 meters waiting for traffic.

A large convoy is coming in from the west. Zero visibility. There are more than one warship there. It looks like they will pass not far from my spot. Intend to shadow until weather clears up or I can get more information on those warships. If they are British, they are probably headed for Alexandria, about 2 weeks away.

They got closer and it turned out they only have one escort, class unknown. The other I picked up were probably patrolling the western entrance.
The convoy is a 9 by 9 with an extra 2 ship southern column. Got in between the 2 southernmost columns. Too dark to see the ships to the south but north there are 2 Aelybryn class merchants and a medium C2 merchant. Moving into position to see the 2 remaining columns.

This may be the biggest disappointment yet. They took a sharp turn north and are now headed for Gibraltar, only a few hours away. I am not in position to attack. If they really are going for Gibraltar then I will call Berlin and have them level that town once and for all.

So that one didn't go well. Convoy scattered, some went to Gibraltar, others went separate ways. Going to try to find a lane west of the strait where distance to nearest port will give me the time I need, and hopefully better weather. Down to 66% fuel. There is a supply ship up north but I think I'll find some targets for the remaining torpedos then go back to Wilhelmshaven. Been out for a month now and there is still 2 weeks to get back, including getting through the channel.

Weather finally cleared up as I reached Ireland. The wind is medium but the waves are high. Strange. Going around to the north into the Irish sea for some revenge after the vacation fiasco in the Mediterranian. All storm and no play makes Due a dull boy.

Caught up with 2 C&D destroyers north of Ireland, Got the lead from 6.700m. His buddy was not happy. Crawled south and west and around him until he left and got to a safe distance an hour later.

Caught British 2 merchants during the night and used the deck gun on them. 1 round left now. The first one was reportedly going medium speed but if so then medium is relative. The smoke from her funnel was at near 20 degrees. She took some 10-15 shells while the other shells went far off courtesy of the 8 m/s wind and 3 meter waves. The last one, a small merchant caught one in her fuel tank I believe. She broke in two.

Running low on fuel now. 50% left but if I can stay around the entrance to the Irish sea then I'm fine and the remaining 10 torpedos should find some work. Plan is to stay put at the doorstep out of the main lane then head back after I've run out of torpedos, go around Ireland then the channel. Alternative route around the Shetlands but it's a longer trek near Scapa Flow. Would need to go outside the Hebrides too.

Would be nice if I reached the channel at night with good weather. I'm getting seriously homesick now more than a month into this patrol.

And i think that your crew begins to be thirsty from drinking dehydrated water ! :rotfl2:

How they manage I don't want to know. In the 6 weeks they haven't touched the food. I swear the bananas and steaks are still untouched. Is this boat still fully manned?

EDIT:
Lucky shot. I overestimated the speed of this La Cordillera merchant, aimed for the bridge up front from around 1100m, missed by about 25 meters towards the bow. The silly girl drove herself down to a crawl. Still took the last shell from the deck gun, and a bunch of shells from the 3.7 before she made up her mind and sunk.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/atta...1&d=1462473909

This ended on a rather intense note.

Decided to take the northern route home, around the Hebrides and the Shetlands. Left the Irish Sea with 2 torpedos. North of the Hebrides I received a contact report on a large convoy heading towards the strait between the Hebrides and Scotland at 7 knots. Not too far away and in my general direction, I intercepted and made contact around 6 in the morning. Weather was very good with little wind and low waves, excellent visibility. It was still dark. I went decks awash for the watch crew to scan for trouble. Depth under keel around 124 meters.

I must have been tired. I only spotted the lead destroyer and what I assume was a 4 by 4 convoy, or possibly 4 by 5. Picked what looked like a British tanker in the second column from 3500 meters and took up attack position for a 90 shot at 3750m, both torpedos set to impact at 4.5 meters.

Time to impact a little over 3 minutes I backed off towards the 4000 meter mark, depth set to 110m.

First torpedo hit and destroyed the target. 2nd torpedo hit the wreck. Within 1 minute the hydrophone man called out incoming destroyer. I forgot to do the scan for flanking escort! No more than 2 minutes after, the destroyer started pinging us. Silent running and continuing a slow descent towards 110 meters. Within 3 minutes the lead destroyer came up and they began triangluate me.

Now started 1 1/2 hour of cat and mouse game. Frantically trying to determine which one was pinging to turn the narrow side towards him all while trying to keep an overall western and northern direction, away from the passing convoy. They must have been as tired as I was. They depth charged 100-300 meters from me. At first. Then one of them got lucky and damaged both periscopes, the radio antenna, and flak gun 1.

I then decided this was no good and it was time to try something new.
Staying at 110, as soon as the pinging stopped for his attack run, I went flank to 80 meters hoping his depth settings were accurate and that the 30 meters would do the trick for me. Apparently it did so from there I stayed at the current depth and as soon as they stopped pinging I flanked to 110 again. Back and forth between 80 and 110.

Somehow I managed. The convoy had traveled further into the strait and about 90 minutes after the attack, both destroyers turned around to catch up with their convoy. I waited another 30 minutes before surfacing.

Luckily, the damage wasn\t bad and the repair crew had it all patched up in record time, which was good. The sun was well up now and I was expecting spotter planes any moment.

A look at the fuel status and the planned route told me I could afford full speed around the Shetlands and back to base. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Spotted 2 lone merchants at 15000-16000 meters but did not pursue. Priority was to get this boat home.

Successful hunt it was!
Greetings !

Thank you. Yeah it went rather well albeit a little long. 110,000++, 18 merhants and 4 warships. But I'll be damned. One of the last merchants in the Irish Sea took 3 torpedos before she went down. First one lit her on fire and had her speed down to no more than 0.2 knots... for the next 12 hours!! I swear that boat was possessed. Burning for 12 hours and refusing to stop. The second torpedo hit the boiler room and shut down the engine. By now she was a heavy smoker but she still refused to sink. Had to withdraw for a couple of hours due to passing destroyers. On returning I was cursing like an abominable sailor. Finally, on the 3rd torpedo, she gave up. In the meanwhile I did a C3 and another merchant, that took 2. After the first hit and she still was going, I was almost shouting. 2 possessed ships in the lane of passing destroyers, this was getting silly and infuriating. Luckily she only took one more or else I would have hired their constructor on the spot.

Now a return to Africa. Grid just off the strait of Gibraltar. Wonder how the bars on Gran Canaria are.

When you have a closer look at the ships' zones, it's sometimes astonishing how bad they are simulated ! This results in totally unreal behaviour.

See here : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=225467