Just Brilliant !

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Von Due

Hood apparently came back to life ... Managed to sink her a second time on the same patrol.

If you don't use SH3 commander, then you will be able to sink her 4 or more times during your career ...

Originally Posted by Von Due

And the British Destroyer Society is having a congregation here as well.

Originally Posted by Von Due

Now with the V&W gone, I might get a clean shot on Hood (again) and watch what the escort is going to do about it. With luck they will do nothing. Or I could trundle off heading for home, 150,000++ tons logged. Not bad for a patrol.

Always attack ! And even if you are sunk, you are in shallow waters, so your crew will be able to be rescued ! ... But did you think about mines ??

Originally Posted by Von Due

Nelson and Illustrious but they are not going to be easy. Need to get up real close and that's where 5 destroyers are waiting.

If they are waiting, then they are anchored, so they won't move to hunt you ...

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

If they are waiting, then they are anchored, so they won't move to hunt you ...

That's a valuable piece of info. Unfortunately they still seem very capable of cueing this ASW trawler in on me, if memory serves me right and there are a few of those.

As for the searchlights, I was 3000 meters away, decks awash when I dove 90 minutes before sunrise. It was a concern but I gambled and it payed off with nice pics and slightly better approach speed.

Sun has risen now and I'm attempting a 0.45 knots 25 RPM scouting for nets around the last two biggies.

I just hope these destroyers are all listening.... I really need to stop gamble at some point.

EDIT
Adding to the searchlight bit. I have spent 3-4 hours observing from a distance their search after I hit the first two and they seem obsessed with searching a small-ish area, eyeballing it I try to stay away from that area with about 2500 meters safety distance.

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

... But did you think about mines ??

Truth to be told, I almost forgot all about those and I never saw any in game. Are they visible or are they just instant-kill zones in the game world? Only on a couple occations when crossing the bay after Rodney did I scan the waters but nothing appeared miney. As for the entry, I hugged the southern shores no more than 500 meters away from land, again, never saw any mines. Perhaps I was lucky, perhaps they weren't there. I don't know.

[Von Due]

This is nervewrecking. Entered their sonar range at 0.45 kts. Estimated time across the area 1 hour 30 minutes. Got so close to the wreckage of Rodney I could hear the metal skreetchy sounds through the hull. Expecting pings any moment and those creepy sounds for 20 minutes can make a foul mouthed sailor take to the bottle.

Spotted one net and now I know the first destroyer that is using sonar. First one is a listener, but the second about 150 meters away is searching. Backed away rrreeeaaaal slow while turning my bow towards him. They stopped pinging but if an ASW is on its way then there is trouble.

Trying to plot a route with minimum exposure. If land is just 100 meters further in than the map shows then there might be an opening wide enough to slip an envelope through.

... I need a cigarette. 12 minutes of vague pinging, not good enough to get a fix on me but the ASW moved in and depth charged an area nearby. Not close enough to be a threat but still. Pinging has stopped for now. I'm not even halfway there,

[Von Due]

Time to retreat to a safe distance. Can't get around the net without them pinging me. Now warships are moving in from the north. My money on destroyers wanting to join the party. Ok, a new plan is needed.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Von Due

Are they visible or are they just instant-kill zones in the game world?

No, they are visible underwater ...

Originally Posted by BrucePartington

While waiting for the last kill to go down ... I decided to take a closer look at the ship and look for damage visual effects. Suddenly I noticed something odd, very faint, in the background. Can you see it?

Originally Posted by Von Due

Perhaps I was lucky, perhaps they weren't there. I don't know.

I think you were lucky ... But do you play with a supermod ?

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

No, they are visible underwater ...
I think you were lucky ... But do you play with a supermod ?

Thanks for that info. Yeah must have been. Playing with GWX3 + a few other mods.

Widescreen MaGui v3.4-SA
WideScreen MaGui v3.4-SA FIX for GWX v3
TMT v2 (GWX3 version)
GWX - 16km Atmosphere
GWX - Enhanced Damage Effects
GWX - Late War Sensors Snorkel Antennas
GWX - VIIC41 Player Sub
J_to_Z_Class_mod
J_to_Z_Class_visual_fix
guns_UK
Merchant_Fleet_Mod_3.2
Filter and Clock

Again, I have neer seen any mines. I always start with the 2nd flotilla out of Wilhelmshaven and although I was hit by something once on my way out (suitable reward for ignoring the buoys I suppose) which I thought was a mine, I have never seen any in game.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Von Due

Thanks for that info. Yeah must have been. Playing with GWX3 + a few other mods.

There are minefields in GWX 3.0. So watch out when leaving Loch Ewe !!!!

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

There are minefields in GWX 3.0. So watch out when leaving Loch Ewe !!!!

I'll look out for them for sure! Also found out colliding with a net is totally harmless, IF I travel well below 1 knot, more like 0.3 knots. Question then do I have time for that?

Ok, so got rid of the menacing looking floating dock for some additional 20 something thousand. Unless I get some heavy fog I don't think the last two biggies are going to happen. Going to wait another 9 hours and if the weather doesn't deteriorate then I'm eastbound. Got 3 electric eels left, they'll find some other target.

[Von Due]

Probably the last pics from Loch Ewe for now. Good grief this was tedious.

After sinking the floating dock, I had a CTD and had to reload. Luckily that was after the first 2 hits.

Now it was time to decide. So:

I decided, because I'm off me head, that the ASW trawler couldn't hit the atlantic ocean if it tried so using broad daylight I navigated the nets and pinpointed Illustrious and Nelson. The pinging was insane. Up to 5 destroyers pinging me like it was a party game. Coming in from every direction I couldn't hear anything other than this blasted noise.

It took a good while to set up the attack on Illustrious. The range was about 400 meters with a net right behind me less than 50 meters away. It was fairly cramped and not suitable for large, graceful maneuvering. Had 4 eels left, 3 electric in the bow tubes and one ordinary in the aft tube. Since I knew where the magazine on Nelson was, I decided to spend one on her, and the remaining 3 on Illustrious since I had no idea where her fuel tank or magazine were (one would have thought she has a bay for storing the planes' munition).

She took one under the keel from around 350 meters, followed up by 2 set at 1 meter, hoping they would hit a critical compartement or at least flood her good. Lo and behold, they did not hit anything critical but they did manage to weigh her down with salty water.

While she was deciding whether to sink or not, I navigated the nets until I found Nelson. She was there happy as a lark minding her own business. From 350 meters she had a torpedogram delivered to her magazine. She blew up beatufully. Illustrious sank 30 minutes after she was hit.

The result:

 

2nd image is a close encounter with a Tribal. Moored but I can pretend it's very scary. At least that pinging is.

EDIT:
It is near noon, waiting near the island for darkness to go decks awash and get the hell out of here.

[Fahnenbohn]

Nice job !!!

Now, try to stay alive when leaving this hellish lair ! The Kriegsmarine needs brave sailors like you !

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

Nice job !!!

Now, try to stay alive when leaving this hellish lair ! The Kriegsmarine needs brave sailors like you !

Got back to Wilhelmshaven with 16 shells for the main gun left after a slightly uneventful return trip around the Shetland islands. Avoided 2 destroyers at safe distances and dodged a spotter plane. Managed to sink a coastal tanker and a merchant for some extra 4200. Total tonnage 270,000++.

13 Iron Cross, 2nd class
3 Iron Cross, 1st Class
4 U boat clasps
If I get more U Boat war badges I will need a bigger boat.

4 promotions.

This was probably the hardest patrol I can remember ever doing and one I will not do again in a good while. Back to hunting random merchants and convoys for a while.

PS I kind of feel sorry for this Swordfish (I suppose it was) coming in to Loch Ewe only to find his landing strip and parking space at an unhealthy angle. I wonder where he went off to next.

PPS Sometimes, the GWX radio messages can be a bit silly. I sail U-47 and received a message from 47 that he had sunk the Royal Oak. I had no idea I did!! Another thing is, those messages can be a bit excessive at times. Over a period of 3 minutes I received 7 or 8 messages. Makes it challenging to keep TC up to get back before I die of old age.

EDIT
Cmdr Log

 

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Von Due

This was probably the hardest patrol I can remember ever doing and one I will not do again in a good while. Back to hunting random merchants and convoys for a while.

Yeah, i believe you !

Originally Posted by Von Due

Another thing is, those messages can be a bit excessive at times. Over a period of 3 minutes I received 7 or 8 messages. Makes it challenging to keep TC up to get back before I die of old age.

Try this :
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1385
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1386

----

I really liked to read your adventures, dude ! Maybe, you could join us at DEF. You would have your own thread where you would be able to relate all the incredible and also sometimes terrible events that could happen during your patrols !

If you want to learn more about, just click on my signature.

F.

[Von Due]

Originally Posted by Fahnenbohn

Yeah, i believe you !



Try this :
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1385
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1386

----

I really liked to read your adventures, dude ! Maybe, you could join us at DEF. You would have your own thread where you would be able to relate all the incredible and also sometimes terrible events that could happen during your patrols !

If you want to learn more about, just click on my signature.

F.

Thanks for the kind words. It started off as me being highly annoyed and it turned out to be quite the adventure.

As for DEF, I had a look but right now I can't really commit myself to anything like that. Real life and all. Thanks for the invite though.

As for the 4th patrol, I am sent through the channel to BF15 and thought I would pay Dover a visit. Not much there except a Southampton guarded by an ASW and what I believe is an elco. Arrived early morning before sunrise and started inspecting the net. It was a very nice gesture of the British to leave a gap between the southern peer and the net, just wide enough to get a VIIB through. Took a bit of plotting but I'm through and am about to fix her position for a shot to what I hope is her magazine.

Then there is the escape. Something is patrolling in the Dover straight. With luck they are elcos and ASWs. Got all day to listen to them if need be.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Von Due

As for DEF, I had a look but right now I can't really commit myself to anything like that. Real life and all. Thanks for the invite though.

No problem, Sir !

Originally Posted by Von Due

It was a very nice gesture of the British to leave a gap between the southern peer and the net, just wide enough to get a VIIB through.

Nice find !

Originally Posted by Von Due

Then there is the escape. Something is patrolling in the Dover straight. With luck they are elcos and ASWs. Got all day to listen to them if need be.

Surface, and shoot'em with the deck gun ! I've always done that, and that's fun, believe me ! Fortunately, the torpedo boats in SH3 ... never attack with torpedoes !