Originally Posted by frau kaleun (Post 1307844)

I am still playing at 18% realism while I get the hang of how to sink as many ships as possible and still get home alive. Which probably explains how I manage to sink so many damn ships, lol. Thank you Mr. Triangle! :/\\k: :O:

Originally Posted by Grim Nigel (Post 1306055)

U-969 (VIIC) 4th March 1941 Patrol 6. (87% realism with manual targeting)

So far U-969 has been very lucky patrolling the North Western areas of Grid BF. It seems to be a choke point for all kinds of incoming and outgoing ships and convoys. We have kept as close to deep water as possible, it seems that RN patrols in the area are gradually increasing over the months.
Correct identification is also vital due to many neutrals passing through the area too.

After reaching our assigned patrol grid we picked up radar signals almost right away! Initially I had thought it might just be another DD patrol, but this time I decided to dive and check out what was going on in more detail. What luck! We picked up well over 6 merchants with DD escorts, heading right toward our position from approx 20nm eastward. After spending some time listening and and gradually plotting their movements and discovering more and more merchants, we worked out their general course and speed.

Even more luck! we only needed to move another 2nm South to place our boat right in their path! After taking some time to decide on an attack strategy while the boat moved toward position I decided I would once again try and get inside of the convoy and attack from the middle ( hopefully picking off the biggest targets before the escorts zero'd in on our position )

Turning the boat toward the oncoming convoy, we counted about 20 merchants and 4 escorts. Putting the boat into silent running we slowly made our way toward them along a path that would put us in the centre of the convoy and went to about 30m depth. Then came a slow and painful wait as they drew closer and we kept close attention on the escort positions. Ready to call out a crash dive as soon as we suspected our cover was blown.

Luck was still with us! We passed right into the centre of the convoy, we went to PD and raised the scope just above the water. I then saw something I had not seen before! Half of the ships and at least one DD was on fire and showing blackened impacts from shells. A couple of merchants we listing badly from torpedo strikes but they all seemed to have the damage under control and was making steady speed along thier course.

Panning the scope around I picked out 2 potential targets, Lucky again! 2 Ore Carriers! Setting up the TDC for a 90 degree shot and setting the bearing to 30 degree starboard. We still hadnt been noticed! It was a clear day and calm seas...
Waiting until the first Ore Carrier reached the scopes 30 degree mark, then fired... no time to waste, I reset the TDC for another shot at the second Ore Carrier, swung the scope, waited a few seconds... and thats when I head the HUGE explosion. The first target had been hit, and then the pings started. We fired at the second Ore Carrier and crash dived...

As we made our way to about 120m at flank there followed a lot of depth charges but again our luck held out, the first few detonated near the stern, the boat was badly shaken but took no damaged. By the time we had levelled out the depth charges were being set too shallow and they all detonated above us.

I wasnt about to relax or get cocky, I had my crew to think about and their lives were my responsibility, I was going to get each and every one of them home. So we remained at depth and silent running. We had scored hits on 2 of the largest ships in the convoy (which sunk within half an hour), I was satisfied and decided we should wait for the DD's to give up the search for us and let the convoy pass. I knew for certain that other boats in the area would pick up the convoy and they too could get a share of this prize.

A few hours later the convoy had passed Westward into the distance and all the remained in the area was a single DD that was still trying desperately to located us. It was all just a matter of time and within the next hour that too had given up and took off to catch up with the convoy.

So now we have surfaced to recharge batteries and continuing our patrol until we have no torpedo's left. Lets hope our lucky streak stays with us for the next encounter!

Originally Posted by frau kaleun (Post 1307844)

I use SH3 Commander which generates the patrol logs. It randomizes the tonnage somewhat. I can look at the logs (or even edit them) in Commander, but what I've started doing is opening the patrol log file in my career folder in My Documents and just copying the info, then I paste it at the end of a Wordpad file I made to keep a running record of my patrols. I have to edit out a bit of "programming text" and move some bits of info around to get the format I like, but since all the info is there I don't really have to type anything out.

The ship names and info also come from Commander, via a Ship names.cfg" file that Sailor Steve updates with additional info about once a month. It's awesome!

I play with GWX3 Gold, and right now I have these other mods as well:

I am still playing at 18% realism while I get the hang of how to sink as many ships as possible and still get home alive. Which probably explains how I manage to sink so many damn ships, lol. Thank you Mr. Triangle! :/\\k: :O:

Oh but you know I tried that thing of locking on the target but then moving the crosshairs of the 'scope right over the bow of a ship and THEN firing, and it worked! THREE TIMES! Boy they sure do go down fast when they get their keel all blowed up right up there in the front like that.

Originally Posted by Snestorm

18%?! Look at all that tonnage!

How about bringing it up a few notches?
Your tonnage figures say that you are MORE than ready.

Besides, the higher the "Realism", the more Renown.
Isn't it time for SH3 to give you a pay raise?

Oh! Your new avatar is cool.

Originally Posted by Henry Wood

Oh boy! You sound like a Kaleun after my own heart. I am hopeless with the torpedo calculations so I also love Mr. Triangle! I have been reading your posts with great interest and I would like to thank you for listing all the mods you use. This is a great help to people like me who kind of know how to play the game but are not sure which mods to use.

Originally Posted by Paul Riley (Post 1308318)

Nice attack :up:
Thats the way I like to attack convoys if possible,from within,like a true wolf!

Originally Posted by Paul Riley (Post 1305067)

Tonight's events so far

4th Sept '39
19:19
Ran into a filthy storm moving through AN46-AN42,waves coming right over the top,visibility poor
20:00
Forced to dive for the duration of the night,will surface when light to recharge

Day 5
08:31
Recieved an SOS from SS Bosnia,45 deg 29' North / 09 deg 45' West.Continued on to PZ
13:01
SOS signal,SS Pluvoise stopped by German UBoat operating from 39 deg 42' North / 09 deg 10' West
14:01
SOS Royal Sceptre,no further information
15:10
Picked up a sound contact bearing 36 deg heading roughly NNE,broke out at max speed to investigate.Sound checks every 15 mins until target aqquisition.If hostile I plan to shadow target until nightfall then commence attack surfaced from a range of approx 1000-1500m,depending on immediate visibility.Attack will be made facing away from the strong SE winds.No mag tips to be used.If attack fails due to poor conditions will break off and report contact in to base.Torps must be conserved as much as possible,we have only 4 left.

Originally Posted by Grim Nigel (Post 1310231)

U-969 (VIIC) 5th March 1941 Patrol 6. (87% realism with manual targeting)

After our previous success morale on the boat was high, we had only been at sea for six days and had expended all but 3 forward and 1 rear torpedo's. We had just sunk a lone coastal freighter when to our suprise a contact report came through.
According to the report a large convoy was making its way NNE about 120nm to our SW doing 7 knots. I rushed to the plotting table and began to make calculations, hoping we could make it before the convoy changed course or left us too far behind.

Lady luck was once again with us. We had a good chance of making it to an intercept point about 20nm ahead of the convoy in only 4 hours.
Ordering ahead full we turned and headed along the intercept course.
When we arrived at the determined point, we submerged to check the convoy was still heading along its expected course. We should only have been roughly 20nm ahead and easily within hydrophone range. The calculations paid off, we picked up the escorts first and over the next few minutes bagan to acquire many merchant contacts.

Again I decided to test the boats chances and try another attack from the inside of the convoy. As the convoy drew closer we went to silent and dropped to 30m depth (I heard stories of boats loosing their towers to the keel of merchants passing overhead, so tend to be cautious in close proximities)
All was going well, the convoy drew closer, the escorts seemed to be oblivious to our presence, untill only 6 or 7 hundred metres from the convoy... the pings started.
I cursed to myself, somone must of dropped a spanner in the engine room again, one of the escorts must of been a little closer than we expected and heard our boat. Ordering a crash drive we headed for 120m depth, dropped a Bold and changed course slightly as we made our way down into the dark murkeyness.

I was praying that our luck hadnt run out, maybe we had tempted fate too many times and was trying to work out what I did wrong on this approach, perhaps 2 knots was too fast considering how close the escorts were to us. Depth charges rained down, but it seems the Bold saved our necks and confused the DD's allowing us to slip away.

The zig-zagging convoy began to pass above us. We were running deep and silent, we had at least 2 DD's frantically searching for us. There wasnt much time to decide. At this speed we couldnt make it to PD in time to target any ships before they passed our position. I had 2 choices, let the convoy go and sneak away, or say to hell with it, order flank speed and fire everything we had at whatever we could find and worry about the escorts later.

I carefully noticed the positions and distances of nearby escorts and made some mental calculations. Could we make it up to PD before the DD's were on top of us? The chances were slim.. but even a slim chance is better than no chance.
Yelling like a madman to boat was put into action, blowing ballast and going to flank... damage crews manned their stations and I set the TDC for the first probable shot using what data I had available.

Our soundman tracked the nearest DD as we made our way to PD at a good 7-8 knots. I was nervous and knew this would be risky, the boat was screaming out its position to all listening hostiles and we were along for the ride. By the time we had reached PD, I raised the scope and turned it sternward... sure enough the nearest DD was hot on out tail and closing fast. Every second counted, I estimated we had only 1 minute at the most before that damned escort would send us to Hades.

Panning the scope I saw that the convoy had almost passed us completely, only the rear-most merchant were still ahead of us but closing fast toward our 90 degree limits. I wasnt going to loose any speed to slow down to buy more time, we would need that speed in the next few seconds. Panning the scope starboard I picked out a good target, a nice fat ore carrier ( 3rd one this patrol! ) and fired 2 torpedo's the moment it reached our firing mark.

I turned and checked on the position of the DD chasing us... we still had a good 30 seconds. Panning the scope to port, the only target available, a tramp steamer and I only had 1 forward torpedo left. In the race against the DD on our tail I set the TDC up for another shot and fired.
Checking again the position of the DD, all I could see was bow spray and a large pointy chunk of metal heading right toward us.

Ok, it was time to quit laughing in the face of doom and crash dived. Heading down to the usual 120m depth, dropping a Bold on the way and going silent when levelled. There follwed a few depth charges, but it seemed like the escorts were captained by rookies, they circled near where I deployed the bold, not once did they even re-aquire our position and allowed us to slip away. All of our torpedo's had found their mark and sent both the ore carrier and steamer to davy jones.

So once the convoy and its escorts had passed into the distance less than 2 hours later, we surfaced and decided to head back home after only 6 days at sea!
Although I had one torpedo left in the rear tube, I always keep one just incase we run into something on the way home.

End of patrol 6 :
Patrol results|Crew losses: 0|Ships sunk: 6|Aircraft destroyed: 0|Patrol tonnage: 29985 tons

Total ships : 28 for 156437 tons

Originally Posted by frau kaleun (Post 1308724)

I just wish I could find some warships to sink! I get contact reports and occasionally one shows up on the hydrophones, but always too far away and going too fast in the wrong direction for me to catch up to.