What happened?

[Zero Niner]

It's Oct or Nov 1939, and I'm trying to sneak thru' the English Channel in my Type IXB on my way to my assigned patrol grid off SW Ireland.

I sail surfaced until lookouts spot a warship. I dive to 25m, all ahead slow, and rigged for silent running.

All goes well (as I had planned). Hydrophone picks up many warships and the occasional merchant, but I'm just cruising along at 2kts just fine.

As I approach the part where the constriction begins to widen, suddenly there's a bang, the chief engr says, "We're taking damage sir!" and speed drops to 0. I look at the sub from external view, and I'm on the bottom at about 44m! Heavy flooding & serious damage throughout, both scopes destroyed, hydrophone destroyed, a couple of crew KIA.

What happened? Did I ground the sub? I didn't order a change in depth, I was quite happy with 25m. Did I hit a mine? If so isn't hitting a mine supposed to be lethal?

GWX 1.02

[stabiz]

You hit a mine, kaleun! Mines usually kill your radioman, destroys the radioroom and messes up the boat.

Oh, and:

STAY AWAY FROM DER KANAL

[Zero Niner]

Thank you, that was quick! :)

I reloaded and tried again - same result. Except this time I didn't even make it that far! :damn:

So I gave up and swung my boat to go the *long* way round. But I bagged a 2k t merchie along the way - consolation prize, lol. :rotfl:

[Rykaird]

The Channel is a needless risk. Enjoy the rugged beauty of Scotland.

I recommend you pass through AF-78, right below the text "AF-78" on the map. Always some good small fry - tramp steamers, small passenger/cargo, etc. - traveling through there. Keeps morale up to sink a few during the transit.

[ReallyDedPoet]

It's Oct or Nov 1939, and I'm trying to sneak thru' the English Channel

Even in 39':o

[Brag]

Even in 39

Stay outta Das Kanal!!!

Also mines 50 kms off English East Coast (Scotland, too!!)

Alles Klar?

[Mooncatt]

:rotfl: hehehe the amount of times ive seen posts similar to this makes me chuckle. it is true DO NOT GO IN THE CHANNEL. i did once got a quarter of the way in and thought "sod this" and turned around

[Kumando]

One thing is buggin me, when you hit a mine do you hear any explosion?

[Foghladh_mhara]

Only tried the channel once. Read in a post somewhere that if your first patrol started early enough on sep 1 you could get through at top speed before the curtain went up. Mine didn't start early enough:D Got as far as Cherbourg and had elco's all over me. Had to go to periscope depth to stop the bridge crew being slaughtered. Then the big boys arrived and you can guess the rest:yep:

[Mooncatt]

One thing is buggin me, when you hit a mine do you hear any explosion?

i dont think you do tbh or if you do i havent heard one

[minute]

Talking about going through the channel.... previous sortie in VIIB was in february 1940 to patrol AN98 - on convoy alley just outside Bristol. So I took the shortcut through the channel. Dover straight was indeed awfully tricky, I got detected but I managed to survive several depthcharges and got away silent running for a day or so.

When I was north of Cherbourg I got a BDu message that an Aircraft Carrier and Auxiliary Cruiser are heading towards the channel expected to arrive on the 14th of Febr. in Portsmouth.... and this was the evening of 10th... So I ended up spending 3 days (that's three days) patrolling the area between Plymouth and Guernsey islands thinking it will be a good bottleneck to get a pot shot at the passing task force... those were 3 very long days... I even had to kick Bernhard off the boat cause he kept ****ting his pants after the 15th MTB encounter...

And guess what - there was no task force, I spend a all the 13th and 14th of february on silent running and glued to the sonar and nothing... and missed a fat juicy convoy reported in my patrol quadrant...

But on the way back I took the scenic route... I prefer freezing our ***es off in the north than going through that chanel again...

[Iron Budokan]

:rotfl: hehehe the amount of times ive seen posts similar to this makes me chuckle. it is true DO NOT GO IN THE CHANNEL. i did once got a quarter of the way in and thought "sod this" and turned around

Lol, I know....posts like this one crop up constantly like dandelions.

[Gezoes]

It's Oct or Nov 1939, and I'm trying to sneak thru' the English Channel
Even in 39':o
To my own astonishment, I made it once in 1939 from right to left into Western Approaches. Also with a IXB.

Needless to say, I thought I could do it again in januari 1940.

I was in the middle of a minefield and just hadn't hit anything the first time?

I was hit hard for about 1,5 hours with over six DD's around. I eventually had to blow ballast and surrender (thanks to SH3Commander). I ofcourse was blown to bits first hehe.

I learned my lesson :D

And yes, you hit a mine.