Davy Jones' locker.
I never thought it would happen, but I guess I've gotten pretty decent at manual targeting. For a while I thought I must be the worst in the world, but after hours and hours at the practice area, now most of my eels hit. Boom, boom, boom!
So this patrol, I got cocky and decided to cut right through the English Channel on my way to the patrol area. I had dodged a couple of warships that I had spotted in between Dover and Calais, ignoring the merchants around there as well.
Then, on Feb. 12, 1940, close to the English coast between Brighton and Folkstone:
In the course of just over 2 hours as dawn approached, in 3 seperate attacks, I send a British tramp steamer, a French small merchant, and a British small freighter to the bottom, and I'm feeling good. As I'm high tailing it to the southwest at full speed, just minutes after sinking my last target, my crew spots yet another ship. This time it's a single large merchant, heading west. I stay on the surface, charging my batteries and plot an intercept course and get his course and speed.
Around 9:30 a.m., the sun is up, and I'm running parallel on the surface and just ahead of his track at 2000 meters, I turn in for a 90 degree bow shot. Right about then, my crew spots a warship approaching fast from behind me. I dive, and it takes me about 3 minutes to get in firing position. I fire my last 3 bow eels, and turn and head southwest again. All 3 hit the target, but by now the destroyer is close.
Long story short, it's now 12:30, and after 3 hours I can't get this guy off my back. I've taken two wild (blind) stern shots at him, and missed. The only eels left on the boat are external, and all my scopes are damaged. I've taken damage in almost every compartment, and I can't seem to shake this guy. I have power, and I can still manuver the boat. I don't dare go below 40 meters, as I'm quite close to the bottom already.
Is there any hope? Is it possible that he'll run out of dc's? I've went fast, slow, straight, in circles, in every direction, but this guy is on me like glue. I tried laying on the bottom, but started taking damage.
I'm out of ideas. Maybe that shortcut wasn't such a good idea.
Any suggestions?
EDIT: Now it's 1:35 p.m., and there's another warship approaching. I assume it's not the Bismark.