Der Kanal

[Vacillator]

So it's my fourth patrol from Wilhelmshaven, Feb 1940 and BdU has assigned me to a grid just off Casablanca. Do I take a chance at a Channel dash and save a lot of fuel or do I settle down for a long trip round Ireland?

Although I guess it's no Straits of Gibraltar ;), the Channel is still a scary prospect, shallow and well patroled. Anyone care to offer some tips for a safer journey?

I'm thinking stick to the deepest bits such as they are, submerge during the day...
Or am I being over-cautious?

[Mooncatt]

noooooo stay away from der kanal...period
only way to go is the long way im afraid

[danlisa]

Stay out of the Channel

However, if you feel that you must at least have a go at it, then I suggest the following.

Hug the French Coast as much as possible.
Submerge during the day.
Surface at night & do not use TC. (The Elco's are buggers to spot & they call friends)
Always Silent Running
No faster than 2kts submerged.
Surface, travel as fast as possible.
Pray for Fog/Bad Weather.

If you get through you are lucky.

(oh, p.s. Look out for mines:arrgh!:)

Edit - Gib is easy compared to the Channel.:yep:

[Kumando]

Although I guess it's no Straits of Gibraltar ;)

The channel is far more dangerous than Gibraltar, because in Gibraltar you have depht under the keel in the channel you dont :-?.

[Dante80]

Well you can cross it at night....be sure to hag closely the French coast..just off Calais. The waters there are a bit shallower, but most escorts patrolling (in June 1940 GWX that I am, mostly armed trawlers) will not come too close.

Try to pass on the surface at max speed and set your depth at 6.5-7m to conceal your hull and leave only the tower showing. That WILL slow you down, but provide also a very rapid dive to PD (18-22 sec.) and improved stealth...If the seas are rough, you will also get by this method hydrophone detection of any ship that is in your range...:up:

And of course.....pray that you wont be seen by an elco...

And...since you will be in the neighbourhood , try to Inflitrate dover...you may find 50.000+ tons in Feb 1940...:rock:

[Vacillator]

Thanks all. In real life I think I'd go the long way so that's what I should do. On the other hand I might just satisfy my curiousity as I'm not playing with realism to the extent that I can't re-load if need be (I can hear the booing from here!).

Interesting comments on Gibraltar, I'd assumed that the narrower passage would be more tricky.

As for infiltrating Dover as Dante80 suggests - sounds like a scary proposition!

[Mooncatt]

dont be fooled gibralter is still a tough propersition, i have attempted it a few times and i was deep as i could go silent running and doing 2knts......i still got picked up by a DD. i just normally hang near the entrance and attack convoys coming/leaving from there.

[Brag]

If you go through the Kanal, can I have your stereo and your girlfriend's address? :rotfl: :rotfl:

[bigboywooly]

If you go through the Kanal, can I have your stereo and your girlfriend's address? :rotfl: :rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Mooncatt]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Vacillator]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Unfortunately my gramophone is going with me, but my girlfriend can usually be found hanging around the docks at Wilhelmshaven. Must have a word about that sometime...

[Morts]

If you go through the Kanal, can I have your stereo and your girlfriend's address? :rotfl: :rotfl:

:rotfl: :rotfl:

[Swat]

Well,my first patrol was in the BE61 grid and I made it through La Manche.Started on Sep.2nd 1939 so maybe british patrols were not so tough as in later years,but.....I made it.I guess 40% submerged,60% surfaced.But surfaced only at night.I was cought two times,but outmanoeuvred.

[Jimbuna]

If you go through the Kanal, can I have your stereo and your girlfriend's address? :rotfl: :rotfl:

:roll: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[AVGWarhawk]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Unfortunately my gramophone is going with me, but my girlfriend can usually be found hanging around the docks at Wilhelmshaven. Must have a word about that sometime...


I think I have seen her. As soon as you pull out off she goes with a bunch of returning sailors. Quite the welcome wagon she is:o

[Keelbuster]

[quote=danlisa]
(oh, p.s. Look out for mines:arrgh!:)
quote]

Yes - mines are a major problem. My solution is to _only_ run on the surface and at night. During the day, just sit there at PD. This saves you battery charging time at night, so you can pull 19kts. You don't make much headway at 2kts anyway, and you're almost _sure_ to hit a mine in the narrows.

Kb

[AVGWarhawk]

To be honest, I hugged the French coast going through the damn channel. I hugged myself right into a minefield:nope:. Just stay out of the channel. You will find out that no one really likes you there so no sense in going:smug:

[High Voltage]

Going through the Channel, regardless of strategy, is just a BAD IDEA.

:down::down::down:

[Kpt. Kozloff]

It can be done, but you got to be quite good in busting patrol boats and DD's. However when you exit English Channel you'll be out of your torps... so take the advice of a 'round trip.
:lol:

[AVGWarhawk]

It is not even the matter of losing torps, the last time I went through it took 3 days of going up and down like a whore house on dollar day:o. I just go around and use the 3 days for that transit and blasting lone merchants along the way.:yep:

[Iron Budokan]

When I first got SH3 sneaking through the Canal was one of the first things I ever tried. Lots of fun, and I made it. Got caught another time.

I wouldn't even waste my time in GWX...might as well get my Luger from my cabin and shoot myself. That would save the English a lot of fuss...

[Jimbuna]

Forget K19 :nope:
The English channel was the original 'widowmaker' :yep: :arrgh!:

[thefretmaster]

im in the middle of going through it atm, im just next to dover, heading up near scapa. i might just turn around and go home, i have an elexelent tonnage for a first patrol. i sunk 4 big merchants 1 small, 1 warship (clemson i think) and downd 5 hurricanes :up:

[prologos]

I tried to pass through the canal yesterday with a new kaptain i created just to test the route... February 1940 ... Poor Volfgang, poor U-32... R.I.P. :cry: DepthCharged to death just outside Boulogne on the second encounter I had with the enemy. Narrow escape on the first.
Oh ... and a funny note. Before U-32 met his end, it infiltrated the Dunkirk port looking for some juicy targets. About 3km outside the port i raised the periscope and saw a nice large tanker ancored, aching to be my next victim. I send 3 torps his way and all three hitted home. The tanker remained afloat. Frustrated I took another shot and then yet another with my stern tube while searchlights started to seek me out. Nothing... zip... nadda !!! What happened? I used the external camera to see the tanker up close and discover what the hell was hapening ( I NEVER do that by the way. I just use the ext. camera for screenshots but I was very frustrated). The tanker was anchored BEHIND the harbor wall ... :damn:
Maybe this kaelun shouldn't have left his glasses at Wilhelmshaven :lol:

Anyway .. I don't remember exactly where I read it but someone here said that it is named The ENGLISH channel for a reason !!! I don't think I 'll ever go through it again... at least with my No 1 Kaelun

[Jimbuna]

I tried to pass through the canal yesterday with a new kaptain i created just to test the route... February 1940 ... Poor Volfgang, poor U-32... R.I.P. :cry: DepthCharged to death just outside Boulogne on the second encounter I had with the enemy. Narrow escape on the first.
Oh ... and a funny note. Before U-32 met his end, it infiltrated the Dunkirk port looking for some juicy targets. About 3km outside the port i raised the periscope and saw a nice large tanker ancored, aching to be my next victim. I send 3 torps his way and all three hitted home. The tanker remained afloat. Frustrated I took another shot and then yet another with my stern tube while searchlights started to seek me out. Nothing... zip... nadda !!! What happened? I used the external camera to see the tanker up close and discover what the hell was hapening ( I NEVER do that by the way. I just use the ext. camera for screenshots but I was very frustrated). The tanker was anchored BEHIND the harbor wall ... :damn:
Maybe this kaelun shouldn't have left his glasses at Wilhelmshaven :lol:

Anyway .. I don't remember exactly where I read it but someone here said that it is named The ENGLISH channel for a reason !!! I don't think I 'll ever go through it again... at least with my No 1 Kaelun

ROFLMAO :rotfl: :up:

[Vacillator]

Okay, following on from earlier advice I took the route up past the Orkneys, sinking a loan cargo ship with 9 rounds of HE on the way. Just heading past Ireland but now BdU has radioed for me to head back to base! What to do? Follow original orders for renown and hopefully some targets, or head back? Does the radio recall message negate the renown from achieving the original orders?

Makes me think, what if I'd chosen Der Kanal and by luck I'd made it through, only to be ordered back again. Haha, thanks BdU!

[Jimbuna]

The radio message is eye candy only :arrgh!:

[Captain Norman]

When I first got SH3 sneaking through the Canal was one of the first things I ever tried. Lots of fun, and I made it. Got caught another time.

I wouldn't even waste my time in GWX...might as well get my Luger from my cabin and shoot myself. That would save the English a lot of fuss...

:lol: I could imagine a captain doing that realizing the Channel is his only way through
I know I would

[Vacillator]

The radio message is eye candy only :arrgh!:

Thanks Jimbuna I keep forgetting that. I was kinda thinking there might be some greater logic behind it :doh:.

So it's off to sunny Casablanca after all...

[Jimbuna]

The radio message is eye candy only :arrgh!:

Thanks Jimbuna I keep forgetting that. I was kinda thinking there might be some greater logic behind it :doh:.

So it's off to sunny Casablanca after all...

Don't forget to take yer shades :cool:

[Sailor Steve]

Anyway .. I don't remember exactly where I read it but someone here said that it is named The ENGLISH channel for a reason !!! I don't think I 'll ever go through it again... at least with my No 1 Kaelun
I've quoted it a couple of times, but I don't remember who used it first either. I'm pretty sure it was right after NYGM was released, though it might have been clear back in the RUB days, as they developed the first extensive mine fields.

But you're right, and it's still true: There's a reason it's called the ENGLISH Channel!:dead:

[Der Kolkrabe]

I tried to pass through the canal yesterday with a new kaptain i created just to test the route... February 1940 ... Poor Volfgang, poor U-32... R.I.P. :cry: DepthCharged to death just outside Boulogne on the second encounter I had with the enemy. Narrow escape on the first.
Oh ... and a funny note. Before U-32 met his end, it infiltrated the Dunkirk port looking for some juicy targets. About 3km outside the port i raised the periscope and saw a nice large tanker ancored, aching to be my next victim. I send 3 torps his way and all three hitted home. The tanker remained afloat. Frustrated I took another shot and then yet another with my stern tube while searchlights started to seek me out. Nothing... zip... nadda !!! What happened? I used the external camera to see the tanker up close and discover what the hell was hapening ( I NEVER do that by the way. I just use the ext. camera for screenshots but I was very frustrated). The tanker was anchored BEHIND the harbor wall ... :damn:
Maybe this kaelun shouldn't have left his glasses at Wilhelmshaven :lol:

Anyway .. I don't remember exactly where I read it but someone here said that it is named The ENGLISH channel for a reason !!! I don't think I 'll ever go through it again... at least with my No 1 Kaelun

I just coming through Der Kanal...no more that way for me:yep: But now I thinking to infiltrade Dunkirk :shifty:
If do that and if there is something else than fishingboats, tonight I'll see.

Dover Strasse was long way...SO was busy to inform me :lol:

But no more Der Kanal :rock: