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Update U-47 (U-42 was a typo in last post)
September 4th 1939.. Grid AN11 Crash Dived on spotting aircraft.. stayed down and quiet for a few hours then surfaced and continued on.. September 5th 1939.. Grid AM 34 BDU Contact report of Task Force in AN15 heasing ESE Speed 18kts. No chance of intercept. September 8th 1939 Arrived in patrol area AM18.. Stormy raining with medium fog. Running out of sick bags. Will remain on station. (edit) Update.. Scratch one freighter.. Ore carrier Sunk AM18 08/09/39 13:23 8083 tones Weather has now turned to foul to hunt effectively. |
After months of shore leave, the game keeps attracting me so i'm back again...
Friday 1st of september 1939, 1.43 am, U-51 a type VII-B is slowly leaving Wilhelmshaven. War has not begun yet... Our mission is to patrol western approaches... 07SEP39 AM53 We intercept and attack an enemy convoy escorted by 2 destroyers. We fired 4 torpedoes aimed at 4 different ships including a 8.000 tons tanker in the middle of the convoy. Despite a distance of roughly 4.000-5.000 m, the attack was successful with three ships hit and all of them sank minutes later... SH3 commander shows no tanker but an ammunition ship sank and two medium merchants. 07SEP39 AM53 Convoy HG-1 was attacked by U-51 in AM53 north of Ireland. The uboot fired 4 torpedoes, hit and sank three ships and left the scene undetected. 13h47 SS Ramona Nell, medium merchant 20, 6.159 tons 13h48 SS Radbury, medium merchant 16, 3.904 tons 13h49 Escaut, ammunition ship, 6.085 tons 08SEP39 AM57 14h15 Lookouts detected a ship on a northern course, close examination shows an england medium merchant. We fired one torpedo on a surface attack which hit forward. We shelled the boat and eventually sank it. 14h15 SS Kingsbury, medium merchant 16, 3.905 tons 13SEP39 AM94 We headed South to the celtic sea and St-George's channel to hunt target of opportunity. After 3 days and 3 nights a british ore carrier was torpedoed. We got 2 misses or duds and 4 torpedoes were fired to sink the 8.000 tons cargo. 21h08 SS Thalthybius, ore carrier, 8.169 tons 18SEP39 At 8.00 the hydrophon officer told us that fast warships were approaching. A quick sweep confirms this information. Mnutes later smokes are seen on the horizon going roughly towards us. Three Southampton class light cruisers in line rushed on a 90° course, steaming at high speed. We set up an attack on the second and the third as they pass 1500 m in front of us. speed: 30knots! attack on the second ship has to be abandonned and we fired 2 torpedoes to the last cruiser. first torpedo is a straight runner (i don't know what went wrong with tdc), luckily the second torpedo found its mark and hit the ship amidships. Machines stopped for a few seconds then start again but the ship slow down and develop a list to port. At 9.00 the cruiser sank. The 2 remaining cruisers left the scene without looking for survivors. 18SEP39 A small task force consisting in 3 light cruisers HMS Birmingham, HMS Glasgow and HMS Sheffield was going back to Loch Ewe after an exercice patrol in the north atlantic. While steaming at 30knots on a non-zigzaging course, the last ship of the column the HMS Sheffield was torpedoed and sunk by U-51. The torpedo hit amidships, ripped a 30ft hole in the port side and knocked down main electrical power. With pumps off, the flooding became soon uncontrolable and the ship sank within 10 minutes. HMS Birmingham and HMS Glasgow didn't attempt to save survivors for fear of another attack by the u-boot (which happened in WW1 when RN lost HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy and HMS Hogue all sank by U-9). They radioed position and beaconed nearby ships to the sinking. Despite this there were only 259 survivors of the 700 people crew onboard. 9h00 HMS Sheffield, Southampton lightcruiser, 10.725 tons 27SEP39 AN11 10h51 Intercepted and sank lone merchant with torpedo and gunfire. SS Polydorus, medium merchant 34, 3.498 tons 30SEP39 AN34 11h11 Intercepted and sank polish large merchant with our last torpedo, sea state prevented us to use deck gun. Eventually the ship sank 1 hour and 15 minutes after the attack. SS Umtali, large merchant, 8.846 tons 01OCT39 10h03 U-51 docked at Wilhelmshaven after its first patrol. 8 ships sunk for 51.291 tons including the 10.725 tons HMS Sheffield |
So I decided to get out of my area and head down south.
I have arrived west of Gibraltar. The weather is still really bad I seem to be stuck in a a permanent storm. |
CG9583 is my favourite spot. Mentioned previously, two merchants escorted by one asw trawler is quite common. Just watch out for Vichy French traffic which Ive sank before checking their id. :(
Heading back to Halifax, Azores then S Ireland to use up my last ten torpedoes. :) |
I haven't checked in for awhile, and it's because my campaign may well be dead. The computer I usually play on (at work) won't power on any more. The boss has simply handed me one of the other computers to work with.
My last great exploit was taking on a convoy. I was finally getting the hang of it–how to squirt around the edges and how to sink ships. My tactic is to target the biggest ship and to salvo it with 2 steamers at about 0.5º spread. It's not the one-torpedo-one-ship motto I had previously adhered to, but when you sink a 10,000 ton merchant with 2 torpedoes you feel that you're doing well. At any rate, I got triple unlucky. Normally I was undetected, but I surfaced at what I thought was a safe distance only to find that the weather had changed. At 11,500 two frigates spotted me and opened fire. Rather than outdistancing them on the surface, I crash dived and at 40m turned 30º to port and switched to silent running. The bottom was only about 90m. You would figure at that distance the time it takes them to go 11.5 km would have me safely out of detection range, but one of them got in a lucky ping and both of them started following me. A few minutes later two more joined the hunt and I was in serious problems. I almost evaded them twice by going to full speed in a straight line for about 30 seconds (while getting pinged) and then turning 40º to port and going silent. They lost track of me twice and I was able to get my TC up to 64 to head off, but when they fanned out they found me again... twice. The third time they got in a lucky depth charge and destroyed 3 out of 4 of my front torpedoes. :/\\!! Fortunately I figured out that you can pull the torpedoes back out and load them in other tubes. I finally slipped away and surfaced some 12 km from the three escorts who had given up and were heading back to the convoy at medium. The fourth was the lead escort and had long since returned to his position at the front of the convoy. At 18 knots I roared around the escorts and headed back towards the vulnerable convoy at full speed. I got back to where I figured it should be, but I couldn't find it. I went to periscope depth and manned the hydrophone myself. I thought I heard something at bearing 320º and so I surfaced and headed that way at full speed. Another 20 km found me at periscope depth again listening. I went another 6º port and roared out on the surface at 18 knots. Then I hit paydirt. Ship spotted and I was on the starboard flank of the almost unprotected convoy. Throwing caution to the wind I set a waypoint that would take me through the middle of the convoy and manned the deck gun. At medium range my gunner opened fire, and I swear it was like WW3 on the deck. Every ship in the convoy opened up on me plus the lead frigate, but with my bow on I presented a difficult target. I fired until I was out of shells and then crash dived headed straight for the tail of the convoy. I got pinged immediately, but I slipped away by going ahead full in the direction of the convoy and then turning 40º port and going silent. It was none too soon as my hydrophone officer informed me that the three trailing escorts were coming up fast on the convoy. I got some really cool screenshots, but they may never be seen unless the other computer starts working again. About 10 minutes after I slipped away from the escorts, I got the "She's going down!" text and a 10,000+ cargo ship showed up on my captain's log. Deck guns work. I've installed the game again on the new computer, and I'm restarting from 1939. Wish me luck. |
So on the 18th September I made for home with one torpedo left in the stern tube.
Here is my Patrol Log.. 2.9.39. 1533 Patrol 1 U-47, U-Flotilla Wegener Left at: September 2, 1939, 15:33 From: Kiel Mission Orders: Patrol grid AM18 8.9.39. 1323 Grid AM 18 Ship sunk! Ore Carrier, 8083 tons 11.9.39. 1426 Grid BE 36 Ship sunk! Ore Carrier, 8084 tons 17.9.39. 1545 Grid CG 95 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 1968 tons 2227 Grid CG 95 Ship sunk! Ore Carrier, 8085 tons 18.9.39. 0052 Grid CG 95 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 1969 tons 0109 Grid CG 95 Ship sunk! Large Merchant, 10617 tons 1624 Patrol results Crew losses: 0 Ships sunk: 6 Aircraft destroyed: 0 Patrol tonage: 38806 tons:arrgh!: As for those vessels.. I should not to shoot at. What would happen if one did shoot at one of these ships?:oops: |
I think they treat you as an enemy vessel for 24 hours.
:rolleyes: |
After nearly 3 years real time, it's time to finish this patrol.:doh: Life happens I guess. And man am I rusty.
Korvettenkapitän Franz Tromller commanding U-96. Spring in the North Atlantic, what wonderful weather. The only good thing about it is the escorts are as blind as we are. Managed two attacks on one convoy, but that was about it. Oh well, better luck next time. CAPTAIN'S LOG 19.4.41. 1338 Patrol 5 U-96, 7th/13th Flotilla Left at: April 19, 1941, 13:38 From: St. Nazaire Mission Orders: Patrol grid BE62 25.4.41. 0549 Grid BE 34 Ship sunk! SS Port Denison (Ore Carrier), 7816 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 69. Crew lost: 67 0607 Grid BE 34 Ship sunk! SS Sea Flasher (Large Cargo), 7792 tons. Cargo: Paper Products. Crew: 57. Crew lost: 45 1958 Grid BE 29 Ship sunk! SS N. C. Monberg (Tramp Steamer), 1713 tons. Cargo: General Cargo. Crew: 24. Crew lost: 6 2002 Grid BE 29 Ship sunk! SS City of Lichfield (Small Merchant), 2574 tons. Cargo: Iron Ore. Crew: 66. Crew lost: 66 28.4.41. 1259 Patrol results Crew losses: 0 Ships sunk: 4 Aircraft destroyed: 0 1 torpedo left Patrol tonnage: 19895 tons Yep, definitely rusty. Not to mention this time I was sent to the desert of the North Atlantic. Korvettenkapitän Franz Tromller commanding U-96. The weather was better this patrol, part of the time anyway. Good enough to reload externals. Not much to say except the crew performed admirably, the boat had attack scope issues, and Hudson airplanes are tough to shoot down. Received a message mid patrol that we are now at war with Russia. Other than that, a few wild goose chases burned up all my fuel so I was forced to return home. CAPTAIN'S LOG 2.6.41. 1603 Patrol 6 U-96, 7th/13th Flotilla Left at: June 2, 1941, 16:03 From: St. Nazaire Mission Orders: Patrol grid EK74 14.6.41. 0642 Grid DU 17 Ship sunk! SS Dumra (Passenger/Cargo), 2233 tons. Cargo: Passengers. Crew: 126. Crew lost: 2 16.6.41. 1204 Grid DT 99 Ship sunk! SS Abinsi (Passenger/Cargo), 2225 tons. Cargo: Passengers. Crew: 235. Crew lost: 98 4.7.41. 1525 Patrol results Crew losses: 0 Ships sunk: 2 Aircraft destroyed: 0 7 torpedoes left Patrol tonnage: 4458 tons I have now received orders to report to Kiel for training duty. I'll miss being at sea. http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/...pse372f342.jpg |
Comeback
It was more than one and a half years, since I left U-50 (VIIb) to rot in Kiel harbor, cracked into morsels after it's legendary first patrol, when it sunk the british battleship... HMS Ramilles at the mouth of Dover. - It was too long ago... Well, I returned, and finished two patrols since. So: Excerpts of: "Letters from the Conn." Autobiography by D. Wolf Part XVI.: Jesting around Not mutch to tell about the 2nd patrol of U-50. The Commander realised that how rusty is he's manual engagement skills, after those months ashore, and that merchant ships are unnaturally tolerate to torpedoes these days. Especially that U-50 managed to torpedo a second Granville, hit it two times (magnetically) under the keel by 1 meter, and the bastard still managed to flee, with two big holes on it's hull... Rough waters, no gun. It even managed to get out of sight. Never sank. Also hit a Small Merchant with one torpedo, then Rammed its sinking bow diagonally on 14-15 knots about five times, still remained afloat, so U-50 left about half a day waiting. Never sank. Remainder of the events consisted some luck, with an especially miraculous series of 3 Swordfish attack planes shot down by my flak gunner. (Interesting, in GWX- He must be a lucky guy) 20.3.40.1156 Patrol 2 U-50, 7th/13th Flotilla Left at: March 20, 1940, 11:56 From: Kiel Mission Orders: Patrol grid AF59 23.3.40. 0504 Grid AN 24Ship sunk! SS Maja (Large Merchant), 11741 tons. Cargo: Mail/Packages. Crew: 75. Crew lost: 40 31.3.40. 0947 Grid AN 11 Ship sunk! SS Alwaki (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons. Cargo: Machinery. Crew: 108. Crew lost: 22 1015 Grid AN 11Aircraft destroyed! Swordfish 1017 Grid AN 11Aircraft destroyed! Swordfish 1017 Grid AN 11Aircraft destroyed! Swordfish 3.4.40. 0608 Grid AM 52Ship sunk! SS Empire Commerce (Small Merchant), 2249 tons. Cargo: Coffee. Crew: 55. Crew lost: 51 4.4.40. 1034 Grid AM 53Ship sunk! SS Gauntlet (Medium Cargo), 4339 tons. Cargo: Military Vehicles. Crew: 35. Crew lost: 11 1212 Grid AM 53Ship sunk! SS Vital de Oliveira ( (Passenger/Cargo), 2092 tons. Cargo: General Cargo. Crew: 185. Crew lost: 29 10.4.40. 0840 Patrol results Crew losses: 1 dead Ships sunk: 5 Aircraft destroyed: 3 Patrol tonnage: 25128 tons __________________________________________________ ___ Unfortunately the Commander realised at the end, that Norway was only declared as Enemy on our way back home... We sank two, or three ships, which were neutral until 2 more days... Some bad looks given by the BdU, I had.... Part XVII.: Morals of a butcher... At may, 1940, Kiel's repair team managed to patch up the U-50 again, and we were out on open waters for the third time. Arrived at given coordinates, near Trondheim. Found no enemy activity there, this time of the war. Patrolled with heavy Hydrophone coverage, found nothing. For days, many days. When we received radio notification about the Allies started to evacuate from Dunkirk. ... After a discussion with our navigator, I decided to risk the voyage, and the U-50 left the Norvegian coasts. We reached Dunkirk harbor uneventfully, right on time to see the first Luftwaffe attacks. Managed to slip into the crowded harbor, despite the daytime, just to get noticed seconds later. I don't want to discuss it further, all felt like a mad rampage in a kindergarden. To simplify it down, after our first four hit, (2-2 torpedoes on two troop transports) and the Luftwaffe attack, the harbor was too crowded with flaming wrecks, for the many patrolling destroyers to enter... One of them sunk trying, and colliding with a wreck. U-50 fired at many targets, list below what went down... In a secluded dock we surfaced to finish off the burning SS Highland Brigade, a large troop ship with cannon fire, as only outer torpedo reserves left.. Tough we were protected from the many destroyer's fire inside the dock, one of them managed to achieve two angled hits on the bow, while we finished off the SS Highland Brigade. Nothing serious, as it seemed. Then, while going to submerge, I found my second watch officer and weapons expert, and one of the members of the watch lying motionlessly on the tower wall. Air pressure injury from the shell hit. They were immediately taken below, but died on our way leaving Dunkirk. The whole expreience was a nightmare, water is 15 meters deep inside the harbor, so all our target's only sank a little, but with the higher hit line, and with the Luftwaffe attack waves, they burned out faster... Very few survivors. And my two dead man... Once we left Dunkirk, (managed to slip past the remaining destroyers) We surfaced, began repairs, and I decided to load the two remaining outer reserve torpedoes, and at least sink a destroyer, to score a -military- target after this mindless slaughter. Accompanied by two british destroyers, a lusty frenchie cached my eye, with three chimneys. All of them was floating near the harbor, motionless, in a row, possible reinforcements, and acted as mobile AA platforms against the LuftWaffe, when I left. On our way back, -heavy- fog descended on us, visibility very low.. I doesnt managed to locate the french one, those tree destroyers left, they werent present at the coordinates I marked when I saw them. Solely by ear, my hydrophone man managed to get me two more targets, two moving destroyers. One of them spotted us, but too late. Sank both with the two last torpedoes. 17.5.40.0435 Patrol 3 U-50, 7th/13th Flotilla Left at: May 17, 1940, 04:35 From: Kiel Mission Orders: Patrol grid AF59 3.6.40. 1044 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! Troop Ship, 7223 tons. Cargo: Troops. Crew: 254. Crew lost: 10 1052 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! Troop Ship, 7224 tons. Cargo: Mail/Packages. Crew: 279. Crew lost: 131 1124 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! SS Durban Castle (Large Troop Ship), 24160 tons. Cargo: Mail/Packages. Crew: 941. Crew lost: 592 1233 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! SS Highland Brigade (Large Troop Ship), 24899 tons. Cargo: Troops. Crew: 418. Crew lost: 359 4.6.40. 0917 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! HMS Witherington (V&W classes), 1188 tons. Crew: 115. Crew lost: 23 1005 Grid AN 87 Ship sunk! HMS Kipling (J&K classes), 1690 tons. Crew: 240. Crew lost: 158 6.6.40. 0029 Patrol results Crew losses: 2 dead Ships sunk: 6 Aircraft destroyed: 0 Patrol tonnage: 66384 tons /Way back home, the name of Dunkirk vanished from the map O_o no marking left for it at all. On closer view, the harbor outline was there, but no marker for the town anymore... On the next patrol, on the place of red Dunkirk appeared the blue, german Dunkirche :D I'm still amazed by GWX3.0, all the time/ Received the Iron Cross First Class, and the crew many Second class, and submarine badges, but we all stood there with a grim face. We was all thinking about the death of our officer, and man, and with the feeling, that a routed, fleeing army, and civilians shouldn't be exterminated like this. The unspeaken question remained: Do we made some significant step at least, or we just taken some part of the mindless butcher from the LuftWaffe...? After these events, and alot of hours in depressed drinking, we eventually trashed the whole Kiel Naval Hotel, bit of a siege situation emerged when the collared dogs of military police arrived, we had a fierce discussion, two policeman were stabbed on the arms, and once on the ribs, luckily wasn't went through. Perpetrator unknown. One of our men was shot on the left shoulder, that ended the parley. With miraculous psychological foresee, the BdU decided not to give the volk, and the press any letdown about the fresh "heroes" of Dunkirk, and all of us released after hours in custody. High ranking men threatened all the crew, that if any of this information slips out, we were transferred to Labour Service. No matter, enough years passed since... Still, the may, and the start of june of 1940 means a very bad memory. The U-50 had some miraculously fast change of damaged parts, and we were off again... |
Only time ive seen troop ships was off Norway heading ESE with a serious escort. Five troops in line astern but just could not catch them even with a risky, diesel damaging, flank speed, 8 hour end around.
Anybody wrote a mod that actually makes the sonarman detect faint screw sounds and then bother to report it? Travelled to Curacao this patrol with large spells underwater(40m/2kts/2hrs)and he never hears a thing. Hes a specialist top ranked petty officer with 14 patrols and 1EK. Any help greatly appreciated my fellow Kaleuns! :D |
My sound men can hear up to 20km, sometimes less, depending on sea conditions or not having a KDB installed or the contact happens to be in my baffles/wake at the time. Their rank, awards etc., don't seem to make much of difference.
Perhaps, you might have to take a listen yourself every so often (Key "H") ... |
When im at the station I can hear contacts well over 20km. Its just sometimes I check myself after a few hours letting him listen and theres a medium range contact closing so loud you can hear it on minimum volume. Is he asleep....?
I want a mod so when theres a reasonable loud contact he tells me EVERY time. Im the captain. Not the soundman. :rolleyes: |
On my 5th Patrol, Feb 1940. Just broke into Blyth and took out a Black-Swan class, ASW Trawler and a Small Depot Ship. First game I am playing with manual aiming and not dead yet!
:salute: |
I don't quite get it with the soundman - I have a qualified, decorated and very experienced Petty Officer but he will often report "No Sound Contact" when I ask him to follow a ship that I can hear quite clearly on the Hydrophones. Then again, he sometimes reports and can follow contacts that I can barely hear . . .
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Thats my point. Inconsistency. Drives me to despair. Surely someone can mod it so whenever theres a sound contact I get notified as Kapitan. Otherwise there is no point having a soundman on station. :banghead:
Just nipped into Curacao in Aug '42 and not much there except for two Clemson, one ASW trawler and an armed tugboat. :confused: Cannot wait for the TIV..... :D Riccardo. U-501. 11th Aug, 1942. |
Happy New Year Indeed!
29 December 1939:
Departed Wilhelmshaven under clear skies and fairly calm seas. 31 December 1939: Apologies to the crew that we're not home partying for New Year's. 1 January 1940: As a special concession, I broke out a bottle of Napoleon cognac I'd hidden away and each crewmember was given a couple fingers in their mess cup. Rang in the New Year with a toast and rousing rendition of "Auld Lang Syne". Toward morning, about 0430, lookouts sighted a warship off to starboard, approaching fast. We dove frantically, rigged for silent running, and I looked through the periscope, hoping we were in at least partial attack position. The sight in my periscope was something out of a dream: Southampton-class CL...UNESCORTED! And U-45 is in PERFECT attack position, with the range less than 2,500 yards! Fired three torpedoes and prayed fervently... Target's lookouts sighted the torpedoes and she switched on searchlights and commenced evasive maneuvers, evading one torpedo, but the other two hit, one in her rudders and props, and the other in the port engine room, causing several internal explosions and mortally wounding her. Everyone managed at least one look through the periscope before she sank stern-first with several more explosions following. All I can say is somebody must live right...Happy New Year indeed! (Signed) -Hossel |
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Only up to 1942 so no operation Torch yet. Plenty off Norway in 1940... :(
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Will definitely keep that in mind...thanks! Might have to make a pass along that coast en route to the Atlantic on U-45's next patrol.
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