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Karl-Heinz 10-09-15 07:32 PM

Really enjoying the game. Had a couple of crew either offed by partisans or arrested for drunkenness. Just an incredibly immersive game. I still haven't gone to manual torpedo calculations, but fun just the same. Currently sniping a large convoy in a IXB.

KingOfNothing22 10-13-15 06:15 AM

U-53
 
It's a long one!

 
30/09/1940
07:00 - AN96 - Departed Kiel at 22:41 and have just navigated Kiel Canal. Proceeding to the North Sea. Weather is partially cloudy with a slight north-easterly breeze. Heading 265°, speed 10kn.

31/07/1940
10:00 - AN91 - Entering the North Sea, no incidents as of yet. Orders are to proceed to AM19. Strong westerly gales, sea 6. Course 319°, speed 7kn.

01/08/1940
07:00 - AN3453 - No incidents to report. No changes in weather. Course 317°, speed 7kn.

14:10 - AN31 - Conducted alarm drill and deep-dive test. Boat was submerged in under 30 seconds and held out at 180m. Weather unchanged, course and speed remain unchanged.

02/08/1940
11:00 - AN2353 - Strong southerly gales. Sea 7. Heading 330°, speed 7kn.

03/08/1940
07:10 - AF7688 - No incidents. Weather partially cloudy with moderate north-westerly winds. Sea 6. Course 287°, speed 8kn.

04/08/1940
07:00 - AF7573 - Weather is clear with strong south-westerly gales, sea 7. Course 247°, speed 8kn.

05/08/1940
09:00 - AN11 - Weather is poor. Heavy rain, strong west-north-westerly gusts, sea 7. Visibility is nil. Heading and speed unchanged.

06/08/1940
07:30 - AM34 - No change in weather. No change in heading and speed.

07/08/1940
05:24 - AM26 - Spotted a large trawler. Unable to attack due to weather conditions. Visibility is down to 1km. Continuing to patrol area. Course 249°, speed 6kn.

08/08/1940
09:35 - AM18 - No changes in weather. Heading 250°, speed 9kn.

09/08/1940
18:20 - AM19 - Patrol area reached, adopting a ladder search pattern. Weather is still atrocious. Course 270°, speed 8kn.

10/08/1940
07:00 - AM19 - Continuing patrol in assigned area, no change in weather. Course 091°, speed 6kn.

11/08/1940
07:05 - AM19 - No incidents. Rain has stopped, west-north-westerly gales. Sea 7. Course 271°, speed 7kn.

12/08/1940
07:00 - AM19 - Cloudy, moderate southerly winds. Sea 5. Course 270°, speed 9kn.

13:25 - Received report of convoy in AL36 travelling north-east at 10kn. Moving to intercept - heading 012°, speed 16kn. No change in weather.

13/08/1940
05:46 - AM13 - Should be within range of the convoy, no visual or sound contacts as of yet. Course 298°, speed 12kn. Weather unchanged.

06:52 - Weather has improved. Partially cloudy, light north-north-westerly breeze. Sea 3. Course unchanged, speed 7kn.

14/08/1940
08:40 - AM1353 - No success in finding convoy, no further reports received. Abandoning hunt. Orders to proceed to AM17. Heading 211°, speed 7kn. Weather clear and still. Sea 2.

15/08/1940
07:05 - AM1775 - Reached new patrol area. No incidents. Partially cloudy, light north-easterly breeze. Sea 4. Course 029°, speed 7kn.

16/08/1940
04:02 - AM1756 - New orders from BdU to proceed to grid AM51. Weather clear and still, sea 2. Course 117°, speed 8kn.

23:55 - AM43 - Sighted ship, identified it as a neutral hospital ship travelling west. Continuing on course to AM51.

17/08/1940
03:45 - AM4326 - Spotted and attacked a large merchant. Conducted a submerged attack firing two T1 torpedoes with magnetic pistols from 1,100m. One hit, one miss - fired a third T1 from 950m also using magnetic pistol. Hit causing it to sink for 8,379GRT. Lifeboats observed. Continuing to AM51.

08:13 - Arrived in AM5111. No change in weather. Course 124°, speed 7kn. 11 torpedoes remaining.

18/08/1940
06:47 - AM5197 - Picked up a radio signal 25km away from our current position. Moving to intercept. Course 134°, speed 14kn.

07:59 - AM54 - Sighted vessel, identified it as a cargo/passenger type. Approached at full speed before slowing to engage with deck gun. Sank for 2,234GRT. Lifeboats observed drifting east.

19/08/1940
07:00 - AM5115 - Weather clear, light westerly breeze. Sea 2. Course 061°, speed 7kn.

23:56 - Picked up another radio signal around 100km south-east of us, believed to be travelling east-north-east. Moving to attempt to intercept.

20/08/1940
06:09 - AM52 - Spotted 2 vessels whilst intercepting the radio signal. Intended target was cargo/passenger type travelling east-north-east. Second was a coastal freighter travelling west. Attacked the first with deck gun. After several hits below the waterline, turned to attack the second also with the deck gun. The second sank quickly for 1,869GRT. Turned back to the first which was now stationary but not sinking. Dived and fired one aft T1 torpedo from 500m causing it to sink for 2,226GRT. No lifeboats from either boat. Returning to AM51.

21/08/1940
06:50 - AM5154 - Report of convoy in grid AM0213 travelling south-east at 8kn. Moving to intercept, expect contact in around 10 hours. Course 080°, speed 17kn.

10:17 - AM5139 - Spotted lone ship off starboard beam. Initially planned on letting it pass in favour of continuing towards the convoy but it was moving towards us - decision taken to move in and attack with deck gun. Due to convoy speed and distance intercepting should still be possible.

10:48 - Identified vessel as tramp steamer. Sunk for 2,109GRT. Continuing on intercept course, heading 076°, 17kn.

14:50 - Spotted escort ship. Diving to periscope depth to observe and carry out hydrophone check.

19:39 - Slipped into convoy at silent speed at around 18:10. Torpedoed and sank two medium tankers for 8,888GRT each, both hit with two T1 torpedoes. Attempted a fifth shot on a large merchant but torpedo failed to explode, possibly due to ship zig-zagging. Forced to dive deeper as escorts closed in, took minor damage to forward deck from a depth charge. Turned about during one attack which appeared to throw off the escorts as all further attacks occurred well aft of us. Escorts turned away at around 19:00 at speed. Surfaced at 19:35, carrying out deck repairs and reloading torpedoes. 3 fore torpedoes left, will shadow the convoy and attempt a night attack.

22/08/1940
00:54 - AM53 - Deflected off course by a destroyer. Currently unable to locate convoy.

05:14 - Sighted convoy. Moving in to attack.

08:14 - Sighted by escorts while moving into position. Fired a salvo of three fore torpedoes into the convoy. No hits, convoy has dispersed. Depth charged for two hours, no damage taken. One aft torpedo remaining. Informed BdU of intentions to return to Kiel.

10:13 - Message from BdU - "Return to Kiel denied. Proceed to BF54 and await further orders." - Heading 275°, speed 7kn. Weather clear with light fog. Light north-easterly breeze. Sea 3.

23/08/1940
17:01 - AM5457 - No incidents. No change in weather. Course 249°, 7kn.

24/08/1940
09:22 - AM4994 - Course 195°, speed 7kn. Diesel fuel reserves down to below 50%.

25/08/1940
07:30 - AM7687 - Sea 6. Course 170°, speed 5kn.

19:01 - AM7988 - Sighted Granville type freighter. Fired aft torpedo from 460m at shallow depth then surfaced and finished with deck gun for 4,754GRT. Continuing on course, sea now 4.

26/08/1940
08:12 - BE3656 - Weather partially cloudy. Light southerly breeze. Sea 4. Heading 171°, speed 7kn. BdU order us to continue to BF54 despite having no torpedoes.

27/08/1940
07:40 - BF1795 - Heading 110°, 7kn.

28/08/1940
07:18 - BF43 - Weather overcast, sea 5. Course 110°, speed 6kn.

09:49 - New orders to proceed to BF64, further orders will be given on arrival.

29/08/1940
07:53 - BF54 - Course 097°, 6kn.

30/08/1940
08:15 - BF64 - Reached assigned grid. Awaiting further orders. Heading 022°, 6kn.

31/08/1940
08:00 - BF64 - No new orders received. Sent another request to put in to a port. Course 270°, speed 6kn.

01/09/1940
00:39 - BF64 - Received orders to put into St. Nazaire and informed this is now our home base. Heading 067°, speed 12kn.

07:15 - Docked at St. Nazaire. Patrol ended.

Patrol results:

Total ships sunk: 8
Total tonnage: 39,346
Total aircraft shot down: 0
Days at sea: 35

Promoted to Oberleutnant zur See
Awarded Iron Cross Second Class, U-Boat Badge and U-Boat Front Clasp

KingOfNothing22 10-15-15 11:17 AM

U-53
 
Short and sweet...

 
09/09/1940
17:17 - BF65 - Escorts have just turned away 18km from St. Nazaire, departed at 16:08. Weather is overcast with a light northerly breeze, sea 3. Our orders are to make our way to BF15. BdU are advising we zig-zag out due to enemy submarine and air activity in the area. Mean course 245°, speed 7kn.

10/09/1940
13:00 - BF64 - Still zig-zagging. Mean course unchanged, 7kn.

11/09/1940
00:15 - BF58 - Have changed course to 287°. Weather partially cloudy with strong westerly winds, sea 5. Speed 6kn.

12/09/1940
14:02 - BF46/BF43 - Sea now 6. 264°, 7kn.

13/09/1940
15:00 - BF1769 - Weather is clear, sea 6, north-north-westerly gales. Heading 024°, 6kn.

18:59 - BF1817 - Report of convoy in BF16 travelling west, speed 8kn. Moving to attempt to intercept - course 049°, 10kn.

14/09/1940
03:56 - BF15 - Spotted convoy at around 01:45. Dived and moved into position. Known to have two other boats - U-64 and U-104 - in contact with same convoy. Observed flashes on the horizon at around 02:10. U-104 had been caught on the surface and was being engaged by escorts, lost contact with them. U-64 forced to turn away by other escorts who were now astern of the convoy. Took advantage of this and moved inside the convoy. Fired all 5 of our torpedoes in quick succession - 2 each fired at ore carriers and aft torpedo fired at a medium cargo. All but 1 fore torpedo hit their targets. First ore carrier was damaged, second listed to 45° and then sunk for 8,817GRT, medium cargo sank almost immediately for 5,382GRT. Managed to sneak out astern of the convoy while escorts attempted to locate us to no avail. Torpedoes have been reloaded, surfaced and now shadowing convoy. Have broken off contact from U-64.

17:02 - BF17 - Made second attack on convoy. Fired at two more ore carriers - the first was undamaged after torpedoes exploded prematurely. Second was hit by both torpedoes and sank for 8,819GRT. Escorts attempted to depth charge us, managed to escape unharmed. Fore tubes reloaded with 2 remaining, plus one fore and aft external reserves. Will attempt to reload these when well away from the convoy. Attempting to leapfrog convoy and make one more night attack. Course 180°, 9kn. Weather clear, north-north-westerly gales, sea 6.

15/09/1940
02:15 - BF41 - Loaded external reserves. Overtook convoy and then attacked a large merchant with remaining fore torpedoes. Two hits, sunk for 8,588GRT. Headed east to avoid escorts and managed to locate a straggler. Identified as a tramp steamer, sunk with aft torpedo for 1,958GRT. Staying down at 30m, planning to surface at dawn. Course 047°, 2kn.

16/09/1940
09:00 - BF15 - Back in patrol area. No change in weather. 027°, 7kn.

12:44 - Have decided to return to St. Nazaire having used all but one torpedo. Course 160°, speed 6kn.

17/09/1940
17:50 - BF54 - 112°, 10kn. Weather is clear, light north-westerly breeze, sea 3.

18/09/1940
BF6455 - 087°, speed 10kn.

19:42 - Arrived in St. Nazaire. End of patrol.

Patrol results:

Total ships sunk: 5
Total tonnage: 33,564
Total aircraft shot down: 0
Days at sea: 10

Awarded Iron Cross First Class
Transferred to U-221

Hambone307 10-16-15 01:14 AM

June 5, 1942

Two days into the first partrol of U-465.

We set sail from Norway on the 4th, orders to patrol the Iceland-England gap. Shortly after arriving in our AO, we got a report of a large convoy heading south towards Scapa Flow. We changed course to intercept; Estimated intercept is 15:45 Hrs.

Approximately 3000m off the predicted course, we went to periscope depth and waited. After waiting about an hour, our sonarman notified us of approaching sound contacts. He identified multiple merchants and a few escorts at which point I directed our weapons officer to raise attack scope. I scanned the horizon and saw approximately 20 plumes of smoke from the merchants, the nearest of which appeared to be aflame. I saw the lead escort, a V&W class on a course of about 180 that would take it past us at an estimated 6000m. Once the lead escort passed, I chose my targets and set up for an attack. The first target was to be a large merchant, calculated to be at a range of 4500m on a course of 170. Due to moderate seas, we set depth of our two loaded Type 1s to 4m, pistols set for impact. Tube doors were opened and two torps were let loose set for minimum spread.

The second target was identified as a medium merchant. We set one TIII for impact detonation at a depth of 4m and let it loose.

The third target was a second V&W class at approximately 2500m tracking 185. Our last bow tube containing a TIII was set for magnetic detonation, depth 3m and let loose; timed so it should detonate at the same time as the first two torps.

All torpedoes were running hot, straight, and normal according to our sonarman and stopwatches were set as we set course to 270, depth 40m so we could withdraw to shadow the convoy and reload bow tubes.

After five minutes, the boat fell completely silent. The only noise coming from the heavy breathing of the crew in anticipation of the telltale *thud* from the torpedoes detonating. Time slowed down as we hit the eight minute mark. My weapons officer leaned over to me and said "they should have hit by now". I told him to wait and that our watches could be off. After ten minutes, we still heard nothing. At that point, our sonarman called me back to his station. "Sir, screws increasing in speed, I think they saw the torpedos." I cursed under my breath and told him to monitor the escorts.

After fifteen minutes we heard the telltale thud of the torpedos detonating. But it didn't sound like it should have. There was no secondary explosions, nor screeching of metal. Our torpedos completely missed and the thud we heard was them detonating after running out of fuel. Everyone looked at one another, some of them cursing the torpedoes, others questioning if they did anything wrong while setting up the torpedos for attack. Before we could start assessing what went wrong, we heard the telltale *ping* of the escort's sonar. I ordered our depth 90m and hoped that the escorts would not find us.

After 5 agonizing minutes, we heard one of the escorts hit home. We were being pinged and our sonarman told us that he was approaching fast. We changed course to 300 in hopes that, if he was setting up for a run, he would miss. We heard the escort go right over us and heard the *plop* of charges being dropped. "hold fast men!" I said, "These will be close!" And boy, were they close. The first charge detonated off our port side, rocking the boat violently. Valves burst open from the pressure and the lights flickered. The second charge burst off of our starboard side, shattering lights and throwing everyone off of their feet. We heard the third charge bounce off of the top of our boat and roll down the side. "My god this is it" my helmsman muttered. The third charge never went off and we breathed a sigh of relief.

While the escort was setting up for another run, I called for a damage report, and change of course to 195, hoping to keep us in the escorts baffles. The damage report came back and was better than I expected. We had minor damage to the fore batteries; leaking water was shorting out one of the banks, and my electricians were fast at work to fix it. The Bow torpedo tube seals were leaking as well and were being worked on. My sonarman quietly called out "two more escorts closing fast!" "Hold on boys, this is going to be a rough ride" I said to my crew. The two escorts crossed over us and dropped their charges.

These had to be experienced crews, because those two runs almost did us in. My navigator was thrown up against a bulkhead, knocking him out cold, several other crew members were also severely injured. Damage reports came in from all over our boat. Port electric engine was out of action, our diesels were knocked off of their mounts, port and starboard driveshaft seals were leaking badly, aft battery bank was knocked out and was leaking acid, aft dive planes were jammed, flooding reported in bow torpedo room and crew quarters, aft battery room and engine room. Two of our torpedos were knocked loose from their storage and crushed the legs of one of my torpedo men. We started to lose depth control and began to sink.

As my crew worked feverishly to control the flooding and regain depth control, I watched the depth gauge plummet. 100m, 125m, 180m, 200m; It seemed as if this would be the end. Creaking and groaning of steel began to fill the air as we hit 230m. I ordered to blow ballast. Our boat kept sinking. "Blow ballast!" I shouted again. We kept filling the tanks with air until the pressure gauge was in the red. After what seemed like an eternity, we started to rise after hitting 300m. I told our sonarman to find those escorts. Amazingly, our hydrophone was still working and he reported that the escorts were moving away, back towards the convoy! We managed to slow our ascent and leveled off at 50m, waiting for the convoy to move out of range, hoping that all three escorts went with them.

I ordered periscope depth, and we hobbled our way there only to find that both attack and observations scopes were flooded. I took the gamble and ordered to surface. The horizon was clear and we began to assess the external damage. Our boat looked like a VW in a hailstorm with all of the crumpled metal. Our deck gun was hanging off of it's mount and our AA gun was gone. We managed to get the batteries working enough for some slow maneuvering and signaled an SOS. After 20 hours of working to restore what systems remained to operational status, we were met by U-451 and were towed back to home waters.

Upon arrival at base, the dock crews stared in awe of the damage we sustained and were seen muttering among themselves and pointing. Our boat was scrapped and I was summoned to the admirals quarters for the whipping of a lifetime.

*Moral of the story, this game can really be cruel for a new crew and always leaves me coming back for more! Nothing is better than a game that provides great suspense and the ability for the player to use his/her imagination!

Aktungbby 10-16-15 08:23 AM

Encounter'd six vessel convoy/w 3 escorts-all destroyers. Sank four incl one tanker. Two dud eels. Just off continental shelf of NW Ireland. Heavy Sunderland air-cover and destroyer escorts are alert. Shifting to S. of Ireland through Irish Sea West of Isle of Man for reported convoy traffic. Six eels left. No damage.

KingOfNothing22 10-18-15 09:02 AM

U-221
 
Happy times indeed! Our first patrol in a new VIIC.

 
18/10/1940
13:34 - BF65 - Departed St. Nazaire at 12:15. Escort ship has just turned about. Boat has been loaded with 14 T1 torpedoes, 220 88mm shells for our deck gun and 1,000 20mm rounds for our single flak gun. The boat has also been fitted with MAK 800 batteries and a KDB hydrophone. I suppose we'll see if the stories of its extreme vulnerability are true. Course 245° travelling at cruising speed. Weather is good - partially cloudy with light fog. Gentle north-easterly breeze, sea 3.

19/10/1940
09:00 - BF5579 - 280°.

12:35 - BF5498 - Conducted an alarm drill and deep-dive test. Crew performed well but boat took just over 30 seconds to get under. Then took her down to just below 180m without incident, all valves and seals held.

14:15 - BF5486 - Carried out a second alarm drill. This time the crew reacted much quicker and the boat was down in 27 seconds.

20/10/1940
01:40 - BF4529 - 280°.

23:28 - BF41 - Radioman picked up a radio signal in BE69, moving in to intercept.

21/10/1940
04:54 - BF4443 - Located vessel and identified it as a British cargo/passenger steamer. Attacked it with our deck gun, sinking her for 2,399GRT. Spotted a lifeboat in the water. 190 88mm shells remaining. Returned on course to BE61, 292°.

11:47 - Radioman has detected another radio signal, this time in BE68. Making our way to investigate.

19:25 - BE6678 - Spotted two ships - a large merchant and coastal freighter. Submerged and attacked from 1,500m firing 4 fore torpedoes. Aimed 3 at the large merchant and the 4th at the coastal freighter. All but one found their target. The large merchant began sinking quickly for 11,865GRT and the coastal freighter soon followed for 1,869GRT. Numerous lifeboats and survivors in the water. Surfaced and continued heading to patrol area. 314°.

22/10/1940
09:20 - BE6219 - 313°.

12:26 - BE6135 - Arrived in patrol area, 270°.

23/10/1940
09:00 - BE6173 - West-south-westerly gales, sea 6. 180°.

24/10/1940
09:04 - BE6155 - 270°.

15:50 - BE6118 - Spotted a cargo/passenger type travelling alone. Submerged and got into position, fired one aft torpedo hitting the bow. Shadowed her for an hour before firing a second which failed to detonate. Surprisingly, and to our frustration, the ship has not slowed despite the damage taken. Not wanting to risk wasting more torpedoes and not being able to use our deck gun due to weather conditions we've been forced to let her go.

25/10/1940
10:00 - BE6152 - 090°.

26/10/1940
08:56 - BE6176 - 269°. Sea is 7.

16:10 - BE61 - Report of a convoy in BE62 travelling north. Joining in the hunt despite poor sea conditions. Travelling 029° at HF.

27/10/1940
00:31 - BE38 - Sighted convoy off our starboard beam. Moving into attack under the cover of darkness.

02:12 - Successfully attacked convoy! Picked out two large cargo vessels as our targets. Fired a salvo of 2 at each from 5,000m, 0.5° spread. The first was not hit after both torpedoes failed. The second was hit by both torpedoes taking massive damage to her port quarter and beam. Dived and continued closing in while reloading last 2 remaining fore torpedoes. Fired them at the other large cargo from 1,700m this time both hitting her port beam. Sunk respectively for 8,254GRT and 8,253GRT. Dived to 50m aware of escorts searching frantically for us. Waited while travelling at KF. No attacks made on us, possibly due to rough weather making it more difficult to locate us. Slipped out to the east and waited for contacts to fade. Surfaced at 02:10. Have decided to commence return passage having only 2 aft torpedoes left. Travelling 117° at LF.

10:16 - BE38 - Report of another large convoy in BE63 travelling west-south-west at 8kn. Decided to attempt to locate it in spite of weather and only having limited aft torpedoes.

28/10/1940
10:53 - BE65 - No contact with convoy. Doubling back for around 75km before continuing on return passage.

15:20 - BE65 - Detected single freighter while carrying out a hydrophone check. Intercepted and successfully attacked. Granville-type freighter, sunk with 1 torpedo for 4,708GRT. Commencing return passage.

29/10/1940
11:08 - BF44 - 094°. Sea still 7.

30/10/1940
08:55 - BF46 - 094°. Overcast with east-south-easterly winds. Sea 6.

31/10/1940
09:25 - BF55 - 097°.

01/11/1940
07:17 - BF65 - 20km off St. Nazaire. Awaiting arrival of escort ship before heading into port.

09:48 - Put in to port. End of patrol.

Patrol results:

Total ships sunk: 6
Total tonnage: 37,348
Total aircraft shot down: 0
Days at sea: 15

Awarded German Cross.


UKönig 10-18-15 02:57 PM

U 802 encountered an American task force consisting of 1 'casablanca' escort carrier and 4 'buckley' destroyer escorts, just south of Iceland.

Two DE broke off from the carrier to intercept U 802 and with 2 lucky shots, we sunk both.

Broke the surface to take up pursuit, and one of the remaining DE picked us up on radar and turned back to engage. Quickly dove to PD again and fired a shot from tube 3, which missed. But the escort made a fatal mistake as he was passing on our port side which put him directly in line with our only seeking torpedo. 3 escorts down. Tubes being frantically reloaded. Surfaced again to take up pursuit. The 4th and final DE turned to engage. Dove to PD for the 3rd time in 15 minutes (starting to feel like a dolphin here), and when the moment was right, let him have it. No escorts remain.

Surfaced again to deal with the carrier. Torpedo loaders out on deck trying to get our fish from the external lockers. Hanging back a bit from the carrier, working out what his next move will be. Got into range and managed to score a hit, but only on the portside prop. As soon as we hit him, he cranked up the speed to about 14 knots on the remaining shaft. Played porpoise with the carrier for a few minutes. He scored a few hits on our boat with his aft mounted cannon which discouraged us from surface pursuit. But when he turned into the wind and launched his fighters, we decided at that point to abandon the chase as it had become far too dangerous. In the end, we (wisely, bitterly) let him go.

U 802 now has some serious leaks owing to damage of the pressure hull. Deep diving is out of the question, and our further combat worthiness is in some doubt. We are currently approaching the convoy lanes off of Newfoundland, but with battle damage and few torpedoes, the decision to return to base is looking more attractive by the hour.

The hunt continues (but not for long, methinks)...

Aktungbby 10-18-15 03:22 PM

South East of Greenland. Beaconing convoy to alert 'rake" of U-boots further east to close in. Large Halifax convoy with at least six escorts incl two destroyers appear very alert. The Need to communicate position not helping my 'Itchy neck sydrome'! Convoy commander must be new or inept; several merchantmen and tankers are straggling, failing to keep formation and are easy targets. Seas are heavy; I will have to approach submerged to avoid eels broaching and steady the cross hairs, I am at port rear of convoy on base of course 80. New VIIC handling well: minor engine repair.:salute: Visibility is low under 4,000 meters. Rake is slim following previous wolfpack operations; only 3 boots on station; one is reportedly Kretschmer; so hope for success-I can 'play up' under the master's eye perhaps; When cleared by BdU of beacon-duty, will try to head the convoy an commence eel launchs. Those two destroyers are worrisome.

KingOfNothing22 10-19-15 08:45 AM

U-221
 
A close call...

 
20/11/1940
02:10 - Departed from St. Nazaire on our 5th patrol. Travelling 245° at cruising speed. Standard loadout - 14 T1 torpedoes, 220 88mm shells and 1,000 20mm rounds. Our mission orders are to proceed to AM34, just north of the Scottish coast. Expecting plenty of aircraft and warships rather than convoys, we will see in time. Weather is clear with a slight north-easterly breeze, sea 2.

21/11/1940
09:18 - BF4633 - 277°. Sea 3.

22/11/1940
06:11 - BF1769 - Detected a radio signal 24km away. Moving to intercept.

07:13 - Sighted vessel. Got in close at periscope depth to attack only to ascertain it is a neutral vessel. Calling off our attack, much to the disappointment of the crew. Returning on course but staying down for the time being as to not give away our presence. 304°.

23/11/1940
00:52 - BF1148 - Radioman has detected another signal this time in BF17, believed to be heading NNW. Doubling back to intercept.

10:48 - Made contact with two vessels in BF14 - a coastal freighter followed by a medium cargo. Attacked simultaneously from around 1,000m. Fired one at the freighter and two at the medium cargo all set for magnetic pistols. All hit exploding under the keel of each ship as intended but the desired effect of breaking their backs was not achieved. Freighter still sank quickly for 1,870GRT. The medium cargo took almost an hour longer to sink after we also engaged with the deck gun. Sank for 3,861GRT. Lifeboats observed amongst surface debris. Returning to course, 340°.

24/11/1940
00:27 - AM8775 - Attacked a tramp steamer with our deck gun and sunk for 1,957GRT. 170 shells remaining. Heading 000°.

04:59 - AM9743 - Attacked coastal freighter with deck gun and sunk for 1,871GRT. 355°.

25/11/1940
13:57 - AM5133 - 030°

26/11/1940
09:01 - AM3571 - 053°

13:49 - AM3522 - Detected a signal 60km west of us. Moving to intercept, 245°.

18:17 - AM2666 - Located a pelagic trawler and attacked with deck gun. Sunk for 888GRT. Continuing to AM34 - 055°.

27/11/1940
09:10 - AM3335 - Heavy rain and heavy fog. ESE winds, sea 4. Visibility is extremely poor. 057°.

28/11/1940
12:06 - AM3445 - Been in patrol area for around 24 hours. No change in weather. 090°.

29/11/1940
11:43 - AM3473 - 090°.

16:42 - AM3488 - Task force in AM38 travelling ENE. Will move in to intercept.

23:32 - AM36 - Unable to locate task force, returning to AM34. Conditions still poor.

30/11/1940
21:25 - AM34 - Report of convoy leaving Scapa Flow and moving west. Moving to intercept. 139° at HF.

01/12/1940
05:11 - AN1541 - Located convoy and launched attack at around 03:20. Attacked 5 ships all at close range, sinking 4 - 2 Granville type freighters for 4,707/4,708GRT, 1 small freighter for 2,255GRT and 1 medium cargo for 4,801GRT. Small freighter spotted us and opened fire with small arms, took minor damage. Dived as destroyer was closing. Depth charged taking serious damage. Forward batteries completely destroyed with severe forward deck damage. We were already close to the bottom (a mere 89m down) when flooding caused us to fall to the bottom. No crew injuries. Able to carry out sufficient repairs and get us off the seabed by blowing the ballast. Continued at limited speed while destroyer continued attempting attacks, eventually losing it. Surfaced as soon as possible and now heading back to St. Nazaire.

02/12/1940
09:48 - AM2492 - 266°.

03/12/1940
09:08 - AM2784 - 232°.

04/12/1940
09:53 - AM4927 - 188°.

05/12/1940
09:00 - AM7951 - 180°.

06/12/1940
12:15 - BE6353 - 120°.

07/12/1940
09:47 - BF4552 - 098°. Overcast, sea 5.

08/12/1940
09:37 - BF5489 - 098°, sea 6.

09/12/1940
09:24 - BF6461 - 072°.

13:04 - Docked at St. Nazaire, end of patrol.

Patrol results:

Total ships sunk: 9
Total tonnage: 26,918
Total aircraft shot down: 0
Days at sea: 20

Awarded the Knight's Cross

KingOfNothing22 10-22-15 07:06 AM

5th March, 1941 - 21:03 - BF 6462
My first command and wartime patrol. U-221, a new Type VIIC boat. Thankfully my crew is made up of mostly experienced men, some of whom have several patrols under their belts. We left St. Nazaire at 18:30. Ideal as it means we have the cover of darkness to help us get out. We're zigzagging all the same - there's been a lot of Tommy submarine activity lately, especially up near Lorient. We're going at full speed while we clear the shallow waters and after that we'll cruise at around 10 knots. Our mean course is 235°. Our orders are to go to AL95 - apparently it's an area where several merchant and convoy routes either merge or cross paths, so we should get plenty of traffic. Weather is clear, visibility is good. Winds 2 NE, sea 1.

8th March, 1941 - 18:30 - BE 6372
We've just received word of a convoy in BE 39, about 130km away from us, heading ENE at 7 knots. Mettin, our navigator, has plotted an intercept course that should get us in range in around 10 hours. If all goes well we'll arrive just ahead of them with them off our port side. Now heading 052° at G.F.

9th March, 1941 - 02:38 - BF 1747
The closer we get to our intercept point the worse the weather seems to become. Winds 5-6 W, sea 6, very heavy swell. Our speed is reduced and our visibility is somewhat reduced by the spray. Attacking is going to be a lot harder if we find them, especially with torpedoes apparently running deep as it is.

07:09 - BF 1479
We did it, we sank our first ship! A large tanker for a juicy 13,752GRT. We were lucky and managed to intercept the convoy right where we wanted while it was still dark, allowing us to slip the front and starboard escorts with relative ease. We dived and managed to work our way into the middle of the convoy. After sighting the tanker we picked it as our target and moved into an attack position. All four bow tubes flooded and ready, though I only planned on firing two at her. We fired our first two from 950m, bow angle of 090°. Perfect positioning, in theory. Both of them appeared to hit but we couldn't observe any damage to her. I took the decision to fire our remaining two, the angle 100° or so. They both hit her too. The third hit exploded under her keel, breaking her back and splitting her in half - what a sight! We then turned our attention to potential targets aft of us. Our initial target was going to be a nice, fat ore carrier but the convoy had started to zigzag and we calculated her range to be 2,220m. Not a chance. I had to settle for a small merchant instead. Fired our stern torpedo from 700m, bow angle 080°. We waited well over a minute... Nothing. "Time's up. Did it miss?! Surely not at this range!" quipped my 2 WO. Torpedo failure perhaps? The calculations should have been right. Maybe it failed to explode, or it ran too deep as so many have been reported to do. "Nothing we can do now." I said, before ordering we dive to 40m and turn to 270°. The escorts had finally woken up and were beginning to hunt for us. Not fully awake, it would seem, as after an hour of them circling we heard them turn away and move back towards the convoy. We're currently reloading our torpedoes but as the convoy is in shallower waters and zigzagging I've decided not to press any further attack. Surfacing in around an hour if there are no further incidents.

We were able to get a photo through the periscope of our unsuspecting victim while moving into position.
http://i.imgur.com/iRb8qSs.png

K-61 10-22-15 11:18 AM

I think we have some budding authors here, judging by the highly entertaining patrol reports I read here. :salute:

UKönig 10-22-15 01:56 PM

I agree!

I can't personally explain the appeal of the U-boat and the Atlantic war, except that maybe in a past life....

In any event, I grew up in a Navy family and my hometown of Halifax was heavily involved in operations against the Germans, in both world wars. For me, I take a kind of 'perverse pleasure' in fighting for the other side, as it were.

I said before a few years ago that in NS, we were raised to regard the Germans as traditional enemies, not with outright hatred exactly, but with extreme distrust, so for me, joining the virtual Kriegsmarine is a stab at that animosity. As is my half-German wife.

Like most of us here on this forum, we seem to have an unhealthy devotion to the subject matter, and as such, I try to write my patrols into quasi-sounding real life events, because it is so involving.

Just my 2 bits.

KingOfNothing22 10-22-15 02:30 PM

:salute: Writing things up makes the game a lot more entertaining for me, it feels like I can immerse myself in the role of a u-boat skipper to a much greater degree too.

I was inspired by this thread to give it a go and I've spent the last few weeks writing patrols up in different ways to try and strike the right balance. I think I've found it now, styling it more as a Kaleun's personal journal with key events instead of a KTB with something for every single day of the patrol, not to mention the occasional photo! Either way as long as I'm still playing SH3 and people are still reading them, I'll still be writing them up and posting them. It's great being able to contribute to this fantastic community :) :subsim:

UKönig 10-22-15 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingOfNothing22 (Post 2352911)
:salute: Writing things up makes the game a lot more entertaining for me, it feels like I can immerse myself in the role of a u-boat skipper to a much greater degree too.

I was inspired by this thread to give it a go and I've spent the last few weeks writing patrols up in different ways to try and strike the right balance. I think I've found it now, styling it more as a Kaleun's personal journal with key events instead of a KTB with something for every single day of the patrol, not to mention the occasional photo! Either way as long as I'm still playing SH3 and people are still reading them, I'll still be writing them up and posting them. It's great being able to contribute to this fantastic community :) :subsim:

Hear, Hear! :yep:

KingOfNothing22 10-22-15 04:52 PM

11th March, 1941 - 20:07 - AL 9597
Arrived in our assigned grid. No activity as of yet and no change in the weather.

16th March, 1941 - 11:37 - AL 9582
Fifth day in our patrol area. No contacts. Nothing. Winds 6 E, sea 7.

18th March, 1941 - 08:01 - AL 9581
Finally received new orders - head NW to AK51. Weather is partially cloudy, excellent visibility, winds 5 N, sea 2.

20th March, 1941 - 05:06 - AL 7133
Sunk our second ship! This time it was a coastal freighter for 1,869GRT. We thought it odd to find such a small vessel this far out. Unescorted, too. Straggler from a convoy? Maybe. We approached her at full speed on the surface before slowing to engage her with the deck gun. We scored 8 hits above and below the waterline. I ordered a temporary ceasefire to allow them time to evacuate the ship before continuing to fire. After another 10 rounds there were several massive explosions wiping out the bridge and most of the upper deck. She sank within minutes after. We saw a single lifeboat drifting in the water but despite my ability to speak English, we did not engage with them. Continuing to our new patrol area.

22nd March, 1941 - 21:26 - AK 5199
Arrived in new patrol grid. Heavy rain, visibility is poor. Wind 2 ENE, sea 3.

23rd March, 1941 - 00:08 - AK 5168
Received two reports of convoys - on in AK 01 heading ENE and the other in AK 29 heading WSW. As the second convoy is closer and heading in our direction I have decided to attempt to intercept it in spite of bad weather.

03:26 - AK5132
Improvement in the weather. Visibility is now up to around 7km.

08:40 - AK 5135
Attacked the enemy convoy at around 04:30. We began by sneaking into the centre columns and firing at a ceramic-type liner, followed immediately by another large tanker. Our luck was in, all four torpedoes found their mark. Both began to sink quickly. Shortly after we attacked an ore carrier with our stern torpedo, again scoring a hit. Aware that one hit on such a vessel was not enough I ordered our remaining bow torpedoes to be reloaded while moving us into position for a second attack. With one of the torpedoes reloaded a short time later we fired at the ore carrier. Another hit, we couldn't believe our luck! As we got our last bow eel loaded we attempted to target another tanker, since they catch fire so easily. To our disappointment this one failed to explode. I ordered us to dive to 80m and we managed to give the escorts the slip yet again. We have 2 reserve torpedoes left but we're waiting for better conditions before we can reload them. Ship tonnages were 12,392 (liner), 12,959 (tanker) and 9,108 (ore carrier). Adding this to our previous kills takes our total so far to 50,090 - phenomenal! I've decided to begin our return passage to St. Nazaire, provided BdU do not have other ideas for us.


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