U 11 Type IIB 1939/2019
 

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years ago ...

Left W'haven on Sunday, 26 November 1939 for Third War Patrol in Qu.AN26 (East of Shetlands and Orkneys).

Good weather and seas while in area of operation and during outbound and return voyage.

During outbound transit, shot down one Swordfish airplane and took the pilot prisoner.

Strong enemy air patrols in area of operation. Good weather facilitated in shooting down of 6 more airplanes (2 Swordfish and 4 Vickers Vildebeest), due east of Scapa Flow.

During entering Lerwick naval base for reconnaissance, ran aground in the outer harbour basin and suffered damage to the pressure hull.

Returned to W'haven on Saturday, 9 December 1939, having sunk 2 merchants for 3553 BRT, 1 steamer of 7447 BRT damaged, 7 enemy aircraft shot down and 1 pilot taken prisoner.

Torpedo hits: 3
Torpedo failures: 2 Eto understeered and one of them misfired too late.
Crash Dives: 6

One of the two Torpedoman's Mates had to be hospitalized and was replaced by a Diesel Machinist's Mate 2cl. The Control Room Fireman 1cl. was transferred to another Uboat and had to be replaced as well.

Received orders for Fourth War Patrol:
- Patrol area Qu. AN 79 (Mine laying operation)
- Departure scheduled for 11 January 1940...

U 11 Type IIB 1940/2020
 

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years ago ...

Left W'haven on Thursday, 11 January 1940 for Fourth War Patrol in Qu.AN 79 (Mine Laying Operation: Contaminate harbour of Dover with TMB).

Good weather and seas while in area of operation and during outbound and return voyage. Very good aircraft visibility.

Medium enemy air patrols but heavy surface vessel patrols in area of operation and during transit.

Successfully laid 9 TMB in entrance to inner harbour basin of Dover. Southampton Class Cruiser and several destroyers in Dover harbour sighted.

Afterwards, sank two steamers with the two remaining Ato.

While on return voyage, had to crash dive from approaching aircraft during morning dawn and hit the ocean floor in shallow waters. Pressure hull slightly damaged but no further damage from the bombs dropped by the airplanes.

Returned to W'haven on Thursday, 18 January 1940, having sunk 2 merchants for 8986 BRT and a successful mine laying operation.

Torpedo hits: 2
Torpedo failures: None
Crash Dives: 1

My Chief Master Boatswain was sent to Officers Training School and was replaced by a Boatswain 1cl.

Received orders for Fifth War Patrol:
- Patrol area Qu. AN 73
- Departure scheduled for 15 February 1940...

U 11 Type IIB, 3rd patrol, Nov./Dec. 1939
 

I tried a couple of things during the 3rd patrol:

1. I entered Lerwick naval base at night for reconnaissance and wanted to send a contact report via the h.sie Wolfpack Mod, to see if the harbour would be attacked by German Airplanes. However, my contact report was never sent. I guess, it actually only works with convoys in open waters. I also wonder, if the German planes would have attacked at night anyway ...

2. I torpedoed a unarmed steamer but it didn't sink. So, I positioned myself right next to it, to attract enemy airplanes to drop bombs on my position, perhaps, hitting the steamer instead and sinking it. I did this for a whole day and the planes actually scored one direct hit on the steamer but it still didn't sink. After being damaged by close falling bombs after submerging each time, I had to leave the area with darkness falling and the air attacks ceasing ...

Any of you having similar experiences?

Kapitan,

"I positioned myself right next to it, to attract enemy airplanes to drop bombs on my position, perhaps, hitting the steamer instead and sinking it".

And your crew didn't tie you up, weight you and throw you overboard?

Lucky you.

David I:Kaleun_Cheers:

Yes, for sure! I thought, I'll give it a try ... didn't really work, though ... :arrgh!:

Wanted to see what happens
 

U cruiser, U-847 8 months on patrol.
Got the order to stand down, and the message I was expecting to see, the "my u boat men, 6 years of war lie behind you, an overwhelming material superiority, bla bla bla", came in on the correct day. Then I thought, let's see how long I can stay out here...
I discovered two new things.
You can sail around the world on the sh3 vanilla map. Always wondered if that was possible. Just no harbours past Indonesia. No Tokyo Bay, no pearl harbor, etc.
And I discovered that if I was at sea, when the clock read "July 1, 1945, 00:01," hours, the game automatically kicks me back to the desktop.
Starting a new career on an older system, and we'll see how it goes...

NYGM, August, 1943, Type VIIC
 

Intercept a convoy approx 900 kms SW of Iceland. Early afternoon. Submerged I get into the middle of it, fire all five torpedoes. Two of them after diving to thirty meters and returning to periscope depth to allow a merchant to pass overhead.
Four hits; one large cargo (two torpedoes) and one small merchant sunk, one other cargo damaged. (one torpedo each).
Get down to 80 meters when the payback starts showing up. Maneuver down to 220 meters where after a bit I'm hit.

Serious damage; flooding in the control room and bow quarters. Both scopes, rwr, deck gun, forward deck, radio and hydrophone destroyed. Minor damage forward torpedo room.
Massive hull damage; red on the Hsie colored indicator.
But engines and batteries undamaged !

Immediately blow tanks several times, ahead flank to get up before the hull gives way. Luck ! We make it.
Along the way, get flooding under control, release some BOLD, and start repairs on what can be repaired.
No need to worry about noise now. Want to abandon the boat, but can't without a radio.

So I decide to hug the surface instead. Maybe get under their detection arcs. No other choice with the hull damage.
Level off at twenty meters, silent running, one knot. Don't want to go to periscope depth even though it may be better for the hull; don't want to risk a broach.

Where I spend the next several game hours dodging a few destroyer runs as I try to escape in the opposite direction.
BOLD releases, ahead flank maneuvering, one knot ahead otherwise. I can't dive with my hull damage and I can't surface for a run from them with them so close let alone no scopes to take a look, no hydrophones to help tell where they are.

Another attack run, my last BOLDs. Still no more damage as the BOLDs and flank speed maneuvering are doing the trick, making the depth charges miss. Unable to change depth though. Alternating 90 degree port or starboard; one attack I'll do port, the next starboard.
They're also having a hard time pinpointing me; under their detection arcs ? Satisfying to hear them drop depth charges on my BOLDs.

Finally, it seems I'm in the clear. Should be dusk according to the clock. I wait a few more hours until midnight to be sure, going one knot the entire time. They have radar, but maybe they won't be able to visually see me.
With a little luck, they went back to their convoy. Or they're still overhead. Waiting.

Roll the dice.

Surface ! Be prepared for immediate ahead flank.

Nothing. I'm all alone.

Vent the boat, engines all stop while some minor internal repairs take place.
Come daylight, I'll all stop again to do some external repairs.

Assuming we make it to then; I should be at the far end of their range for any Iceland aircraft but never know.

While the diesels are undamaged, I choose no more speed than ahead slow.
Don't know how much of a pounding the hull can take, even surfaced.

Should be an interesting sail back to Lorient; can't go to crash depth in case aircraft show up.
Plan on going to twenty meters if that's the case. But with my rwr gone, visual spotting is all I have, so I work my best watch crew as much as possible.

On the way ! Long slow sail ahead. BdU will most likely assume the boat lost with us having no radio contact. But the crew is confident, morale is high after already miraculously dodging death.

Wow, what a breath taking read !!!


What exactly is the "Hsie colored indicator"? I have the Hsie Mod installed but I'm not sure what you mean with that ...


And how about the "abandon boat with intact radio"? Is that some kind of mod that can be installed?

Thanks Kapitan ! Very fun and interesting patrol so far. Currently 800 kms east of Brest. So far, so good. Taken twelve (!) game days to get this far.
To answer your questions:

- Hsie's colored hull integrity indicator replaces the standard percentage text that indicates your hull's status with a colored square instead, with four different colors indicating different levels of hull integrity.
However each color covers a range of damage status vs. an exact percentage like the standard number display shows.
You know your hull is damaged, but not the exact amount of damage.
Highly recommended. http://www.mediafire.com/file/onuzzw...%2529.rar/file

- The "abandon boat" function comes with Stiebler's patch, which requires Hsie's patch.
To use, one first gives an "abandon boat" order, but then one must surface and then send an "abandoning boat" radio message and then dive again.
It can be difficult to actually use at times; i.e., if your radio is destroyed can't be done and there is rarely time to send the radio message once one surfaces before the escorts blast your boat and end the game anyway. But at least Stiebler has provided the chance.
The AOD version worked much better, but that one came with the game via it's developers.
Stiebler did an excellent job with at least providing a possible option to something that should have also come with the game in SH3 but didn't.

Hsie's patch: http://www.mediafire.com/file/27tcm2...ch-Kit.7z/file But I guess you already have that installed.

Stiebler's patch: http://www.subsim.com/mods1/nygm/Stiebler4C_V16B1.7z and this link gives the current patch options selector. Use this options selector, not the one in the Stiebler patch link above nor the one in Hsie's patch kit.http://www.subsim.com/mods1/nygm/Hsi...lector_V16C.7z

Both patches are highly recommended as they add many great options to the game. Since you're running GWX let me know if you need help installing anything, as Stiebler also provided an easier install method for the patches for GWX. NYGM already has all the editing work done.
Here is Stiebler's GWX patch file.http://www.mediafire.com/file/430u1e..._V16B1.7z/file

U-553 Update. August 27th, 1943. Approx. 500 kms west of Brest.
 

Return voyage to Lorient going well so far. Eleven days into the return voyage.
Aircraft spotted at times, but we're able to get under before they spot us. No attacks.

900 hours. Running submerged during a storm. Glad for the storm; keeps aircraft grounded and gives the crew a much needed rest. Thank God the batteries and engines were undamaged. Twenty meters depth.
Suddenly the sound of high speed screws ! An asw patrol or a capital ship ? ! Hope it's a capital ship.....
With the hydrophones and scopes out, there was no other notice of their approach.

1030 hours. It is an asw patrol. Somehow dodge multiple depth charge runs the last hour and one half; same tactic as before, flank speed, change course. I cannot change depth with the hull the shape it's in. Out of BOLDS long ago.
Must be multiple destroyers; the attack runs happen to quickly for it to be only one.

Hope the storm is still raging to help our chances.

Then it finally happens. We're hit yet again.

One electric and one diesel destroyed, other of each bank seriously damaged. Compressor seriously damaged. Stern torpedo room has minor damage. Chief estimates 36 hours minimum to repair.
We have no means of propulsion. But there is no flooding thankfully. Repairs crew immediately put to work. Noise be damned.

Another abandon ship scenario, the order is given, but without a radio we can't. We may try anyway.

1122 hours. For some reason the enemy is no longer dropping charges. They are still doing runs, but no attack.
We're at zero knots. The repair crews are making plenty of noise. Could they not be able to hear us, or are they out of fireworks ?
Over time the ship slowly sinks due to no forward motion. Each time at 30 meters we blow tanks to get back up to 20 meters depth.
I dare not take the boat deeper.

Which will happen first ? The enemy gives up, or we run out of compressed air ?

I've always said "that being hunted is as fun as hunting"

Yep, been a blast. I'll post more later, but it appears the escorts have left.

Continuing repairs for now. Wish I could post some shots but I have no where to host them at.

@ John Pancoast:

Wow, what an account!!! Hope you will make it back home ...

Thanks for the information on "Colored Hull Indicator" and "Abandon Ship Mod".

Sounds very intriguing but I think I will stay with what I have:

Running CCoM10.0 and GWX3.0Gold with un-moded h.sie-patch over SH3-Commander. Meaning, that I have no Hull Integrity Indicator/Display whatsoever, and I have to actually do a test dive to find out how deep I can go. With experience, I can just about guess how deep that can be, depending on what kind of damage I sustained in the past.

I have the game installation running very stable on CCoM and GWX right now, so, I don't want to risk messing things up by adding any further mods, except via JSGME.

So, for the "Abandon Ship" Option, I will just use the SH3-Commander option, after being sunk ;-)

Many thanks and Happy Hunting!

That sounds like a good plan. Stable is good in SH3 ! I'd forgot about that surrender option in Commander. Glad you mentioned it.

I think I'll just end this patrol with it; in an actual scenario like mine above that is what really would have been attempted.

U-553 Final Update
 

Applied the SH3 Commander surrender option. Thanks again for the reminder Kapitan !
I play dead is dead, and I think that is a more realistic option than my reports scenarios, especially after the second round of damage.


Loss of a very experienced crew, but I got to spend the remainder of the war in Scotland, so got that going for me !


Great fun regardless !