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Aktungbby 06-15-15 01:35 AM

welcome back!
 
Kip336! :salute: after a two year silent run!

Kaptlt.Endrass 06-15-15 11:46 AM

Back in the saddle (or on the deck?) after a long time, started a new career, and here's what I got so far.

First off, patrolling grid AN16 off of Scapa Flow in early 1940. I just received my new U-boat, a Type VIIC that, for some unknown reason, retains the title of U-1, my Type IIA.

Anyhow, we finish our mission, having only sunk a Coastal Merchant and a C3 cargo. I decide to go take a stab at the harbor defenses. As we approach on the surface (it's about 0000 hours), we spot a V&W class coming up on our port side. We dive, he passes, and we eventually resurface. Later, we run by a C&D destroyer, who just so happens to pass into our stern firing arc.

Well, I think every destroyer captain in Scapa was having none of that. But I never was pinged once. I took out all of the destroyers as they began to leave only minutes after arriving on scene, then snuck into Scapa, unsure of more defenders, only to find it completely empty.


More recently, I had a monster patrol. Now based out of St. Nazaire as part of the 7th Flotilla, we were given orders for AM14, north of the Rockall Banks. It is mid-'41, right there in the Happy Time.

Boy was I happy. Ran into 5 large lone merchants, all of whom were put under with either surface action or torpedoes. Then, as we moved our reserves in as we passed the southern tip of Ireland, we ran into a convoy, no warning.

Having no torpedoes in the tubes and only 89 rounds of 8.8cm HE left really could not be more inconvenient. This convoy was MASSIVE, easily 10 ships by 6 rows, only guarded by an ASW trawler, which we sank with gunfire (risky, but worth it).

Promptly picking the largest targets we could find (a T3 and an intermediate tanker), we matched our speed with the convoy, reported it, and opened fire as every hand we could spare reloaded the tubes. The gramophone was playing Westerwaldlied (one of my favorites) and we finally managed to sink our targets and damage a couple others with the Flakzwilling.

Came out of that one with over 53000 tons of shipping sunk, 2 Iron Cross Second Classes, one First Class, 10 U-boat Front Clasps, 2 U-boat War Badges, a promotion, and for me, a promotion to Lt. Sr.

And my love was rekindled.

Zosimus 06-16-15 07:14 AM

:up:

That's what BdU meant when it said, "Be more aggressive."

UKönig 06-17-15 01:51 PM

December, 1944
The rickety old U-73, the Bull of Scapa flow emblems on the conning tower, with us since 1940, are now fading away because of the length of time we are forced to spend submerged, reliant on the snorkel, has been finally kicked out of its berth at Saint Nazaire. Our changing military fortunes and a certain dockside reputation, that, in many societies would be considered "negative" (looking at you, 2 Watch Officer!), got us "reassigned" a new port of call. Henceforth, we are to operate with the 11th Fleet out of Bergen, Norway, and we'll let the French take their stinky port back. We left them a little going away present anyway...

So now we operate from Norway. I love Norway. I've always wanted to go, but as a civilian, I never had time for it. Now we pretty much live here. The locals are ...tolerant, but, they have a slightly different regard for us than the French ever did.

Our patrol was to take us into the convoy lanes just south of Iceland. The NORTH North Atlantic. Never really did like that area. Too cold. I never envied the Captains that operated on convoys through spitzbergen island, either, *shudders*. Anyway, we had a spate of good weather, and being the pirate that I am, stayed on the surface. With all the radar/electronics our lagging industry could provide, going full choke. The only things we lacked were flashing lights or siren sounds, although there was the typhon horn...

The First Watch Officer was on duty that day, I was on the bridge with him, leaning against the bulwark, looking aft at my AA crew (we won't make *that* mistake again!), casually having a smoke (because I could) when my reverie was shattered by the radar operator calling out a contact. Seems our little fuzz-buster started chirping, and it got him all a flutter. Had to share it. Radar warning huh, I thought, and passed the order to fire on all targets. The 1WO, instantly searching the skies. I checked the time, 05:30. Pretty nice sun rise all else aside. Nothing? No, still nothing. Does anybody hear anything? "What?, asks the Exec, "over the sound of the diesels?"
"Nevermind"
Down below, a shift change was in progress. I have arranged aboard my boat, that the aft quarters is not for the Petty Officers alone, but for the engine room crew, of all ranks. The higher ranks getting, of course, the best lodging first. I want them closer to their duty station, in case of emergency. They also act as the damage control party, because they know best the reason and meaning behind most, if not all of the pipes, handles, valves, and wheels on this tub. And lately, they've been getting many chances to ply their knowledge...
The cook has just finished serving up breakfast to the on going engine room watch, and the stewards are to soon serve the retiring watch, so that there will be less need to fuss between compartments when everyone is ready to eat. Unfortunately, it is also being served in the bow compartment to the retired watch in their respective areas. The Officers and I have already been taken care of, which is why I am on the bridge now, having a smoke. The kid really needs to learn how to cook Navy Eggs (I shudder again).
Five minutes goes by, nothing. Then suddenly, there they are! Four Sunderlands, incoming. Aft. At speeds that long lost lovers suddenly reunited could only dream of. Pfft, I think. Sunderlands. We've dealt with them before. Very well, I might add. I send the Watch Officer below and direct the gunners myself. The first one gets into range and the AA team earns their pay. Scratch one. A hail of incoming fire makes me change my mind a moment later and I yell out "Alarm!!!"
Bells...Bells for breakfast. Not a good combination. I turn and head for the hatch when a massive explosion rocks the boat.
The blast forces the boat down at an even steeper angle, spilling all the coffee, tea, plates, crew, into one big pile. Yeah, breakfast time really isn't the best one for the alarm bell.
When I awoke, I found I was lying on the deckplates in the control room. Oh, nobody get the Captain a pillow or blanket or anything...jerks.
I also found we are down at 70 meters...barely. The explosion that forced me bodily into the hull had also killed my AA team, and destroyed everything on the tower, and our 88!
It was right around then that I called a meeting of the crew and told them that I was never actually trained as a U-boat captain. That I got my commission because of a few favors owed to my father, from members of the government, whom shall remain nameless -you know who you are!
The only way I was able to prevent a mutiny was to remind the crew of what their uniforms looked like back at the base. You know, the ones the ladies can't seem to keep their hands off of? You guys never did thank me for that. What's a mistake or two? I see the crew nodding their heads in agreement, looking at each other, with smiles on their bearded faces, as they picture themselves in full kit, with women pawing at them - yes, these women got paid still, but, who cares, anyway. It worked. A round or two from the "secret stash" helped heal some bruised egos as well.
I ask for a damage and then an inventory report. The damage is serious. There is a pretty big leak in the galley. The cook has to empty a bucket of water into the diesel bilge once an hour as part of his regular duties now. And the leak is under some pressure, so it doesn't always spray out in a stream, and frequently splashes him in the face. I smile with justice when I think of it and his "cooking" even now.
The radio is totally destroyed as well, which is good, because it saves me the trouble.
"How many torpedoes do we have on board?"
The answer is swift. "All of them, Sir"
"What?"
"All of them..? Sir? ..."All the torpedoes are still on board"
"Ok. Look. Here's what we're gonna do. I'm just gonna 'forget' this little incident, and I will edit the war log to reflect something a little more noble." I order the weapons officer to fire off a few torpedoes, as evidence backing the story I am concocting, and retire to my bunk to come up with something half ways believable. When I am happy with my drafts, and accepting inputs from the crew so to ensure their complicity with the plot, (the captain may go down with the ship, but I won't go alone!), I end our patrol and return us to base. Oh well, we will be back for Christmas now, a lot of the crew were griping about that. It's pretty important to Germans, although I never held much interest. But, like a lot of other things, traditions last, last even longer than ships. In any case I'm telling the crew that we will get a better boat as a present for the new year. For surely they would just junk this thing. Why repair it? Right?

sublynx 06-19-15 03:51 PM

the 24th of December, 1942. 1110 hours.

Radio message from U 413: = Convoy BE2958 230°T 10 knots =

neural 06-23-15 01:27 PM

U-123
Patrol 8
August 14, 1941

Following new orders from BdU I decide to engage the single escort in a small convoy directly. Due to bad weather we can get very close. We fire 3 torpedoes, 3 hits. The destroyer sink within minutes in the storm. No survivors.

We are now shadowing the convoy. Seems like there's at least one large merchant among them....

Zosimus 06-23-15 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neural (Post 2323495)
U-123
Patrol 8
August 14, 1941

Following new orders from BdU I decide to engage the single escort in a small convoy directly. Due to bad weather we can get very close. We fire 3 torpedoes, 3 hits. The destroyer sink within minutes in the storm. No survivors.

We are now shadowing the convoy. Seems like there's at least one large merchant among them....

Be more aggressive.

Kip336 06-29-15 12:53 AM

BD75, large convoy, WSW 6knots. Two escorts
high seas, moderate visibility
Intend on attacking escorts, then wait for weather.
U-336

UKönig 07-07-15 11:08 AM

Got tired of ole U-73 and decided to put her away. The war was over (pretty much) anyway so I have no regrets.

The end came around March 1st 1945. U-73 was patrolling the North Sea. On a whim (as is usual with that guy) the Kapitän decided to raid the British city of Hartlepool. U-73 found 4 tankers (3 large and 1 small) and sank one large and the one small because they were better placed for side on shots. The other 2 ships were well protected by the pier walls and would require a trick shot from the pattern runners, of which I am none too fond.
U-73 sank a V&W class destroyer on patrol outside the anchorage. I had raised the scope for a quick view of the situation, when a flight of bombers spotted the mast. That in turn called the attention of the destroyer, and he made right for our estimated position. We sent a torpedo his way, and after a runtime of 1'35" a loud explosion. Up scope in time to see a fireball bursting out of the forward magazine, and the ship assume an immediate nose down attitude. Crew falling off the decks or being flung into the waters, a few managed to begin lowering life boats, others tossing rafts over the side, a bloody mess.
It was when U-73 was on its way out from Hartlepool that our end came. A Short Sunderland in a flight of four got a lucky hit on the stern which disrupted the trim and forced the stern out of the water. We had only made it about 2-3 km from the harbour proper so it was still pretty shallow. Once the stern came up, and the location fixed, the other planes began to attack. Damage quickly began to mount so the only thing left for us was to abandon ship. Blow ballast!! Emergency Surface!! The uncomfortable irony was that the survivors of U-73 (the whole crew less the 1WO) were picked up by the same trawler fleet that rescued survivors of the destroyer we sank. That made for a rather awkward ride back to Hartlepool, where we were later sent off to a British PoW camp...

shotbywolf 07-08-15 01:13 PM

holy hell
 
me and my type 9b u-16 have just hit the mother load while on our way to st john canada to steal some maple syrup around aj 70 early into night we got a convoy north bound going 8 knots in storming seas while scanning the convoy the first ship to enter my sights was a single flower class closely followed by a large merchant followed by HMS ****ING RODNEY i immediately saved and i am now trying to get into position to sink escorts ill try to keep you all updated by it seems our we have bug sabotage to our ability to reload and repair the ship (it keeps saying i am but it never actually reloads or repairs the damage )

Zosimus 07-16-15 11:00 AM

November 16, 1942. 8:16 A.M.

Fired a two-torpedo salvo at HMT Aquitania, which was traveling in convoy. Both torpedoes hit. Less than a minute later we heard a secondary explosion and heard the order to abandon ship. We dived to 208 m and were not detected by ASDIC.

Continuing to follow the convoy, which is inbound.

Zosimus 07-23-15 02:40 PM

February 9, 1943
Five ships sunk
52,193 tons
Patrol terminated early.
Shelled.
DC
Damaged.

20000 Leagues 07-24-15 07:19 PM

Just finished a career from August 1939 to May 24, 1945. Not overly realistic, but I wanted to see if I could pull it off in GWX. Started off in Wilhelmshaven in the 2nd, commanding a VIIB. Then I went to Lorient and commanded an IXB and then an IXD2. I had many excellent patrols and many close calls. This career was the first time I ever brought a boat home under 30% hull integrity. A good portion of that damage happened while duking it out with planes in the Bay of Biscay, literally just outside of Lorient. I didn't know the hull was in that shape until I reached port. (100% realism). Some of my tactics are a little aggressive for a sub skipper and I lost many good men. One patrol in particular saw one officer, two petty officers and five sailors dead. There were a few patrols where I was just plain lucky to make it back.

In 1942, I transferred to the 10th and was eventually attached to Operation Monsun in Penang. I found that I missed the action of the North Atlantic and in 1944, transferred to the 11th in Bergen, where I thought I'd finish out the war. I also took command of an XXI for the first time (My favourite is IXD2). After two patrols I found convoys scarce and airplanes a plenty and transferred back to the 10th. When I transferred, I was assigned to Lorient. One patrol later my base was changed to Penang. So, I set out for Penang in my XXI. I know. You're thinking "Gott Himmel!!". But I did make it without the presence of milchkuhe. As it turned out, the XXI has an impressive submerged range. I was easily able to stretch my diesel.

Once I reached Penang, I was immediately sent to Jakarta, where I cruised around Australia and attacked a few convoys. On March 7, 1945, we set sail from Jakarta and found a convoy about 800 clicks south of Port Moresby. We sunk all of the escorts and eight ships. Knowing I wouldn't make it to Jakarta and back out to sea before the war's end, I ported in Rabaul. I didn't need fuel, but I had no eels. I also knew that my boat would be stocked with nothing but TI gas torpedoes.

We set sail from Rabaul April 26, 1945, and on May 6, stumbled into a convoy just off of the southeast coast of Australia in the Tasman Sea. I was almost certain that we wouldn't survive an attack on the convoy using TI's this late in the war. I stalked the convoy, took out the escorts and scored five hits. I was hoping for more hits, but most of my eels were used fighting the escorts. As I floated just under the surface watching a large tanker and a large merchant burn, I received the news that we had surrendered and the war was over.

Once the tanker sunk, I set a course to travel all the way around Australia and up to Jakarta. Although it was a long war, I wasn't quite ready to give up command of my U-Boat. By the time we hit Jakarta it was May two-four (the Canucks will get that) and the war was well over. I was immediately retired at Jakarta and then assigned to the 5th in a training capacity.

On to the next battle,

Herr 20,000 Leagues

UKönig 07-25-15 11:35 PM

U-802 is on its 4th patrol, and is currently off the coast of Cuba (en route to Key West). This old IXC has been getting the long range treatment lately. The first 2 patrols took us off Capetown, SA, and the 3rd was to the Caribbean. The 4th was back to SA, grid GR99. Once that was over, we headed back to Aruba and to the oil ports of Curacao.

So far, U-802 is turning out to be the death ship. On every patrol since the first one, we have lost at least 2 crew, killed by enemy action. Usually while trying to satisfy my lust of shooting down aircraft. (the log book tells a different tale).

But it's also allowing massive tonnage hauls. At this moment, we have 4 tubes loaded forward, and both aft, and one more reload for tubes 5 and 6 to boot. We are running low on AA and DG shells, so that could be a problem. But to our credit, have also shot down a nice selection of aircraft, from P38s to TBFs to PBYs. And we discovered that the 20mms are useful against PT boats. We were being harassed by PT 98 off the coast of Curacao. He started closing on bearing 195, so we started slowing down to let him get in range. That's good to know because I hate trying to hit PT boats with the 88mm. Usually the shots go over the target because it's so low in the water. U-802 will continue its patrol into Key West, and we will take it from there...

Rambler241 07-26-15 06:06 AM

PT & British MT boats succumb to starshell also (the only use for them IMHO). Between 4 and 6 hits on the waterline does it nicely, though I have once sunk one with just 2 shells (I do the deck gunnery myself). I prefer to keep 20mm ammo for aircraft, if possible, and one of my flack gunners is allowed to do his stuff (much better than I can). I'm running 2 campaigns, one started in 1939 at Wilhelmhaven (now transferred to Brest), and these small fast boats are no great problem, apart from the difficulty hitting a fast-moving target. In the second campaign, starting 1943, it seems they've been upgunned, and can cause hull and (repairable) superstructure damage, if you're unlucky. In that campaign, I only attack if they're a serious inconvenience, or possible danger. If the boats actually launched any torpedoes, as they would in RL, that would make them an entirely different kettle of fish to cope with.....

UKönig 07-27-15 11:59 AM

U-802 spent 2 months on patrol and returned to base in Nov. of 1942. Half the boat was in shambles and some of the crew had been killed, one man badly injured, would later recover. 59,000 tons in the locker. One torpedo in tube 6 left. Our incursion to Key West resulted in 2 destroyers (clemson class) and one small tanker (4260 tons) on the bottom. One DD was patrolling and one was at anchor. The one on patrol took two eels before sinking. Just as well, because by this point, it was the last week of September and we had pretty much just about as much as we wanted from the tropics. I wanted to shoot off as much as I could so I could return to Lorient, feeling like something was accomplished. U-802 will spend 30 days in dry dock, being refitted and repaired (damage was significant). The Captain was promoted to Oberleutnant z. S. and the Leitender Ing. was awarded the 'knight's cross of the iron cross'. for his valorous duties while on patrol -too numerous to mention, the man really deserves that medal.
U-802 is standing by for patrol orders, probably for the start of December.

shotbywolf 07-30-15 05:35 AM

disappointment
 
in my most recent carrier my crew have done great to patrols with over 20k gross tons this last patrol was really bad thought we managed to sink not one not two but three allied ships after a patrol of of spain's coast we did manage to get into gibraltar where the big beast nelson was sleeping only to find we had wasted all but one of our torps on friendly ship most being duds :nope: :/\\!! ( im going to beat the crap out of whoever made those torps twenty hits and only maybe ten detonations ) however that last shot hit nealson just under her number two turret almost directly on her keel she had a thirty degree list last i saw and no escorts were any where near me so in an attempt to come back for nelson i hauled rear towards thalia and found a large merchant on the open sea alone so we closed in under cover of darkness and storm shot her facing gun off and sank her after our rearmament and repair at thalia we are now on course for gibraltar for a battleship we MUST SINK this is u-123 we will see you kaulens in the depths. :salute:

shotbywolf 07-30-15 06:42 AM

and some more disappointment why not
 
i am now convinced someone back in port gave me training torps because at a range of exactly 175 meters i launched two TWO full salvos of torpedoes into nelson who for whatever reason was still in the exact same place and every last torpedo didn't go of some even kinda half assedly went off after hitting the bottom which didn't do any damage nor did it even wake the crew from their bunks so i made a very ballsy move we waited till late into the night where we could barely see our own ship and surfaced partially only to be met with every gun aboard nelson firing at us after we hit bottom we repaired what we could we lost the hydrophone the conning tower (yeah the whole thing as well as both scopes ) thank fully we did live but the small depot ship behind us well it became two ships than a sunken fortress then i had a stroke of brilliance we slowly maneuver behind the wreck and surfaced for a full ten minutes nelson whaled on that poor wreck we managed to get one torp back before we became a space craft so i intend to be a scum bag add some new mods in than restart from the last base we where in we will get that battleship period u- 123 out :/\\!!:/\\!!:/\\!!:/\\!!:/\\!!

Zosimus 07-30-15 07:13 AM

I believe that torpedoes should not be fired at ranges less than 300 meters. They have a minimum arming distance.

shotbywolf 07-30-15 07:16 AM

really
 
oh my god i im going to go head butt a wall i just wasted so many torpedos


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