(Story) U-104 - Page 7

VONHARRIS · 08-17-13, 01:05 AM

Well , it looks like the "Lucky Halibut" didn't bring any luck.

Seriously now , I am sorry for what has happened to you.

But , do continue writing your story , it is very good.

MantiBrutalis · 09-16-13, 06:00 AM

19th March 1941, afternoon, Bay of Biscay

Imagine water. Just water. Most of you picture a blue liquid, yet pure water is colourless. A glass of water isn’t blue. Water in a bathtub isn’t blue. Water in rivers may come in a lot of different colours, but most rivers aren’t blue. Yet rivers feed seas and oceans, and those are mostly blue. Why?

Oceans, seas and bigger lakes have two reasons to be mostly blue, and neither was their choice. The first one is a matter of optics, which can be described in a long and tiresome way, including terms like wavelength, molecules, scattering and other science-y stuff. Let’s just say optics and be done with it. The deeper the water the bluer the colour. The other reason of this blue lies above the water – the sky. A clear sky is blue, most of the day, thanks to a similar optical trick. Bigger bodies of water reflect this blue, making them more blue. Blue, what a colour! A calm, pleasant thing.

Now imagine the Atlantic on a sunny afternoon. Blue water, blue sky. A soothing sight. Yet this world of blue is a battlefield. A vast battlefield on which the course of human history is being decided. The blue of the Atlantic has witnessed many, many battles in recent months, still even more will come.

Very near the edge of this blue world, in the Bay of Biscay, a different colour makes its way just between the cold blue of the sky and the colder blue of the seawater. A tiny speckle of grey heads back to its home on the French coast once again. It may be a peaceful sight, but this grey thing, looking so little in the vast Atlantic, is one of the combatants on this battlefield.

On closer look, this German U-boat, a fierce metal beast, isn’t as small. Over thousand tons of steel, fuel, men and their few belongings, courage and pride. A watchful observer can tell that there is something different about this U-boat’s crossing of the Bay of Biscay. Firstly, there are the two British comrades of the young German men. A very strange sight in these times, men of these two nations being so friendly to each other. Secondly, this U-boat, the U-104 “Lucky Halibut”, traverses the Bay a bit differently. In these calm waters, it banks a bit to its right side. In the left fuel tank of the Lucky Halibut, the diesel fuel is being slowly drained by the boat’s engines while being properly replaced by saltwater. On the other side, no fuel at all floats above the water as it should – there is only water in the right tank. This weight unbalance causes the U-104 to tip by just a few degrees to the side – still enough to irritate some men. It also makes course corrections a bit more frequent than usual.

Still, the wounded Lucky Halibut plunges toward the port a Lorient, eager to return to the blue battlefield and make its mark in the Second World War.

MantiBrutalis · 09-22-13, 12:36 PM

Diary of Manfred Bollmann, 20th March 1941, 19:10, U-104 “Lucky Halibut”, Bay of Biscay.

Four days ago we have left the lovely harbour of Las Palmas. There, we discovered three ruptures in the right fuel tank, which leaked fuel through the outer casing into the sea. That left a bit of a trail when travelling or surface and even worse, rather big pools of floating diesel at places of our dives and resurfaces. Our chief engineer, Peter Zeisller, wasn’t sure if we’d be able to repair the tank without dismantling it or how reliable would such a temporary repair would be. On top of that, the boat would have to be dry-docked once we return to Lorient either way. The captain decided that the best way to deal with it would be to just empty the fuel tank and head straight home. He seemed certain BdU would agree with him.

Because the fuel tanks are meant to receive diesel and not to deliver it, the operation was a bit awkward and took a few days. Most of the crew wasn’t needed on the boat for the time, so we used the first day of our visit to get rid of the rest of our spoiled food and restocked fresh rations for the trip home. For the rest of that time we took a shower and borrowed some proper clothes for a visit of Las Palmas. Those few days were so refreshing, it seems like there are 20 degrees all year at the Canary Islands.

Once the damaged fuel tank was empty, we set off back home. Shaved, clean, our matresses turned to the clean side and our boat “spacious” (since we dropped all the canned food and loaded fresh food for only a week), we were quite a happy bunch. We had a calm sea all the way home, which made our light list to the right stand out (and a bit weird). But the captain ordered to maintain the boat as light as possible, so we could race back to Lorient as fast as this beast can, so no trimming the weight distribution by addition saltwater… The British duo prepared some of their culinary magic, which helped since our cook isn’t very good.

Everyone was happy with our situation now except the captain. He loathes the fact that we’re returning home not at all like heroes from the battlefield, but as a group of tourist, clean and well fed, with only a few ships hunted down. On top of that, BdU won’t be very happy with his log once we arrive, our captain yet again disobeyed a direct order – this time he tried the magnetic pistols for the torpedoes. Things like that are the reason why he doesn’t have the Knight’s Cross yet. And he’s well beyond the hundred thousand tons, which is generally accepted as the proper amount for the decoration.

We have a few more hours to go. The crew already started to make their plans, since the repair of the Lucky Halibut will take a few more days than usual. Only thing I am afraid of now that we’ll never see our British friends again. Maybe it’s better to not know what will happen to them…

MantiBrutalis · 04-17-15, 07:03 AM

Ah... This feels like 10 years ago. My life has changed quite a bit in September 2013. And the Lucky Halibut had to stay dry-docked as I went to play some other games after all that chaos settled. I do remember getting the U-boat urge a few times, but I never managed to get my corrupted SH3 running... till now.

Took more than 5 hours to make SH3 resurface from the depths of errors, widescreen issues, black skies and freezes. But it is back. And boy does time fly when you're trying to hunt a cargo ship protected by a destroyer on 100% realism. Hours are lost again to listening to the sea, watching the skies for planes and using geometry to make that one bloody eel hit its target. I'm currently playing a "learning" career in a much smaller boat than the U-104, in the Mediterranean, which I've never done before.

I'm still missing a mod or two I had back then, but can't figure out which ones. I think I had ship's names and cargos listed in the patrol log...

The Lucky Halibut will be undergoing repairs at least a bit longer. The continuation of U-104's story depends on few thing:
1. Me relearning all the bits a skipper needs to know, as well as hitting ships without map markers on.
2. Finding the rest of the mods I used back then.
3. The save working. If not, I might sort of simulate it.
4. Me rereading the entire story, because I forgot most of the characters and events. I may even edit all the grammar issues, as my English progressed a bit more.

And one of the most important questions: Are people here at Subsim even interested in reading the rest of U-104's adventure?

UKönig · 04-17-15, 09:52 AM

I would be interested in reading further your U-story. I am sort of writing a few chapters here and there of my own captain and crew.
It brings the subject to "life" a little bit more, and I draw inspiration from other players and their adventures.
So please... continue.

MantiBrutalis · 05-10-15, 05:31 AM

I believe I do not have the time for this story at the moment. It used to be very time consuming, and quite often I spent more time writing it and researching all the historical info than playing the game (not necessarily a bad thing, I love getting lost while googling history). Also I went and finally tried what is it like to be part of a Flotilla. But hopefully I'll get back to this one day.

Aktungbby · 05-10-15, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MantiBrutalis

It used to be very time consuming, and quite often I spent more time writing it and researching all the historical info than playing the game (not necessarily a bad thing, I love getting lost while googling history). Also I went and finally tried what is it like to be part of a Flotilla. But hopefully I'll get back to this one day.

WHAT!!!! I'm not the only one!

04-17-15, 09:52 AM	#95
UKönig Captain Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 495 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I would be interested in reading further your U-story. I am sort of writing a few chapters here and there of my own captain and crew. It brings the subject to "life" a little bit more, and I draw inspiration from other players and their adventures. So please... continue. __________________ Because I'm the captain, that's why!

08-17-13, 01:05 AM	#91
VONHARRIS Konteradmiral Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Greece Posts: 1,992 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 0	Well , it looks like the "Lucky Halibut" didn't bring any luck. Seriously now , I am sorry for what has happened to you. But , do continue writing your story , it is very good.

09-16-13, 06:00 AM	#92
MantiBrutalis Planesman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pilsen, Czech Republic Posts: 183 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	19th March 1941, afternoon, Bay of Biscay Imagine water. Just water. Most of you picture a blue liquid, yet pure water is colourless. A glass of water isn’t blue. Water in a bathtub isn’t blue. Water in rivers may come in a lot of different colours, but most rivers aren’t blue. Yet rivers feed seas and oceans, and those are mostly blue. Why? Oceans, seas and bigger lakes have two reasons to be mostly blue, and neither was their choice. The first one is a matter of optics, which can be described in a long and tiresome way, including terms like wavelength, molecules, scattering and other science-y stuff. Let’s just say optics and be done with it. The deeper the water the bluer the colour. The other reason of this blue lies above the water – the sky. A clear sky is blue, most of the day, thanks to a similar optical trick. Bigger bodies of water reflect this blue, making them more blue. Blue, what a colour! A calm, pleasant thing. Now imagine the Atlantic on a sunny afternoon. Blue water, blue sky. A soothing sight. Yet this world of blue is a battlefield. A vast battlefield on which the course of human history is being decided. The blue of the Atlantic has witnessed many, many battles in recent months, still even more will come. Very near the edge of this blue world, in the Bay of Biscay, a different colour makes its way just between the cold blue of the sky and the colder blue of the seawater. A tiny speckle of grey heads back to its home on the French coast once again. It may be a peaceful sight, but this grey thing, looking so little in the vast Atlantic, is one of the combatants on this battlefield. On closer look, this German U-boat, a fierce metal beast, isn’t as small. Over thousand tons of steel, fuel, men and their few belongings, courage and pride. A watchful observer can tell that there is something different about this U-boat’s crossing of the Bay of Biscay. Firstly, there are the two British comrades of the young German men. A very strange sight in these times, men of these two nations being so friendly to each other. Secondly, this U-boat, the U-104 “Lucky Halibut”, traverses the Bay a bit differently. In these calm waters, it banks a bit to its right side. In the left fuel tank of the Lucky Halibut, the diesel fuel is being slowly drained by the boat’s engines while being properly replaced by saltwater. On the other side, no fuel at all floats above the water as it should – there is only water in the right tank. This weight unbalance causes the U-104 to tip by just a few degrees to the side – still enough to irritate some men. It also makes course corrections a bit more frequent than usual. Still, the wounded Lucky Halibut plunges toward the port a Lorient, eager to return to the blue battlefield and make its mark in the Second World War.

09-22-13, 12:36 PM	#93
MantiBrutalis Planesman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pilsen, Czech Republic Posts: 183 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	Diary of Manfred Bollmann, 20th March 1941, 19:10, U-104 “Lucky Halibut”, Bay of Biscay. Four days ago we have left the lovely harbour of Las Palmas. There, we discovered three ruptures in the right fuel tank, which leaked fuel through the outer casing into the sea. That left a bit of a trail when travelling or surface and even worse, rather big pools of floating diesel at places of our dives and resurfaces. Our chief engineer, Peter Zeisller, wasn’t sure if we’d be able to repair the tank without dismantling it or how reliable would such a temporary repair would be. On top of that, the boat would have to be dry-docked once we return to Lorient either way. The captain decided that the best way to deal with it would be to just empty the fuel tank and head straight home. He seemed certain BdU would agree with him. Because the fuel tanks are meant to receive diesel and not to deliver it, the operation was a bit awkward and took a few days. Most of the crew wasn’t needed on the boat for the time, so we used the first day of our visit to get rid of the rest of our spoiled food and restocked fresh rations for the trip home. For the rest of that time we took a shower and borrowed some proper clothes for a visit of Las Palmas. Those few days were so refreshing, it seems like there are 20 degrees all year at the Canary Islands. Once the damaged fuel tank was empty, we set off back home. Shaved, clean, our matresses turned to the clean side and our boat “spacious” (since we dropped all the canned food and loaded fresh food for only a week), we were quite a happy bunch. We had a calm sea all the way home, which made our light list to the right stand out (and a bit weird). But the captain ordered to maintain the boat as light as possible, so we could race back to Lorient as fast as this beast can, so no trimming the weight distribution by addition saltwater… The British duo prepared some of their culinary magic, which helped since our cook isn’t very good. Everyone was happy with our situation now except the captain. He loathes the fact that we’re returning home not at all like heroes from the battlefield, but as a group of tourist, clean and well fed, with only a few ships hunted down. On top of that, BdU won’t be very happy with his log once we arrive, our captain yet again disobeyed a direct order – this time he tried the magnetic pistols for the torpedoes. Things like that are the reason why he doesn’t have the Knight’s Cross yet. And he’s well beyond the hundred thousand tons, which is generally accepted as the proper amount for the decoration. We have a few more hours to go. The crew already started to make their plans, since the repair of the Lucky Halibut will take a few more days than usual. Only thing I am afraid of now that we’ll never see our British friends again. Maybe it’s better to not know what will happen to them…

04-17-15, 07:03 AM	#94
MantiBrutalis Planesman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pilsen, Czech Republic Posts: 183 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	Ah... This feels like 10 years ago. My life has changed quite a bit in September 2013. And the Lucky Halibut had to stay dry-docked as I went to play some other games after all that chaos settled. I do remember getting the U-boat urge a few times, but I never managed to get my corrupted SH3 running... till now. Took more than 5 hours to make SH3 resurface from the depths of errors, widescreen issues, black skies and freezes. But it is back. And boy does time fly when you're trying to hunt a cargo ship protected by a destroyer on 100% realism. Hours are lost again to listening to the sea, watching the skies for planes and using geometry to make that one bloody eel hit its target. I'm currently playing a "learning" career in a much smaller boat than the U-104, in the Mediterranean, which I've never done before. I'm still missing a mod or two I had back then, but can't figure out which ones. I think I had ship's names and cargos listed in the patrol log... The Lucky Halibut will be undergoing repairs at least a bit longer. The continuation of U-104's story depends on few thing: 1. Me relearning all the bits a skipper needs to know, as well as hitting ships without map markers on. 2. Finding the rest of the mods I used back then. 3. The save working. If not, I might sort of simulate it. 4. Me rereading the entire story, because I forgot most of the characters and events. I may even edit all the grammar issues, as my English progressed a bit more. And one of the most important questions: Are people here at Subsim even interested in reading the rest of U-104's adventure?

05-10-15, 05:31 AM	#96
MantiBrutalis Planesman Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Pilsen, Czech Republic Posts: 183 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	I believe I do not have the time for this story at the moment. It used to be very time consuming, and quite often I spent more time writing it and researching all the historical info than playing the game (not necessarily a bad thing, I love getting lost while googling history). Also I went and finally tried what is it like to be part of a Flotilla. But hopefully I'll get back to this one day.