UnterseeBoogeyMan
07-03-07, 12:09 AM
I decided on a night attack on a convoy, about 80 kms west of Londonderry in the AM sector. Time was 4 am for my attack. One bow shot and 4 minutes later, one stern shot sunk 2 Large Merchants. A Black Swan is steaming my way between 6 and 10 knots. The bottom is at 84 meters. I go to 75. I hear the destroyer approaching my stern at 172 degrees bearing. I hear splashes as I pick him up now at 333 degrees. I go to Flank, and crank it to starboard. He misses. I zig zag west by northwest, to deeper water. Its' ten kms away. Everytime he makes an approach either from forward or aft i crank it to either port or starbaord. Sometimes I turn into him, sometimes away, I just never give him my broadside, and he is pinging the whole time, the bloody Swine!
1.5 hours later (realtime-1x), he still hasn't touched me. I'm getting closer to the abyss where the shallows dropp off into the deep. My sonar man keeps reporting he's behind me. It sounds like he's drifting away. Then all of a sudden depth charges hammer the forward part of the boat. I have severe flooding in the Bow rest compartment, and in the forward torpedo room. In 30 seconds I drag and drop everyone I can into damage control. I switch between Bow compartment and torpedo room, just to stay ahead of the flooding. My forward batteries are destroyed, deckgun is destroyed, and the conning tower damaged. The rest area for my officers aft is destroyed but the crew can still bunk there. The boat hits bottom at 89 meters. The Swan is above throwing depthcharges as we frantically pump out the water, repair the hydrophones and the torpedo tubes.
We go to Slow and slowly lift off the bottom. It's nerveracking as the boat scrapes along the bottom first. We hang out at 77 meters as the destroyer does laps around us, pinging the whole time. Occasionally he makes a run, drops one or two DCs (as opposed to 5 or 6 earlier!) His pings gradually get fainter, his screw noises not as close. He is now at medium range at 190 degrees bearing. I move to periscope depth. I spot him 3 kms away, slowing moving in a circle at 4 knots. He still wants this boat! but he lost us! My battery is at less than 20%. At slow, silent running I hope I can wait him out. His convoy is getting further and further away.
Folks, this is the first time I think I will survive a serious depthcharge attack, with taking damage. Ussually if I lose half my batteries and serious damage to a compartment, it's curtains. We'll sail home and the British will be in the bar celebrating our 'sinking'!
1.5 hours later (realtime-1x), he still hasn't touched me. I'm getting closer to the abyss where the shallows dropp off into the deep. My sonar man keeps reporting he's behind me. It sounds like he's drifting away. Then all of a sudden depth charges hammer the forward part of the boat. I have severe flooding in the Bow rest compartment, and in the forward torpedo room. In 30 seconds I drag and drop everyone I can into damage control. I switch between Bow compartment and torpedo room, just to stay ahead of the flooding. My forward batteries are destroyed, deckgun is destroyed, and the conning tower damaged. The rest area for my officers aft is destroyed but the crew can still bunk there. The boat hits bottom at 89 meters. The Swan is above throwing depthcharges as we frantically pump out the water, repair the hydrophones and the torpedo tubes.
We go to Slow and slowly lift off the bottom. It's nerveracking as the boat scrapes along the bottom first. We hang out at 77 meters as the destroyer does laps around us, pinging the whole time. Occasionally he makes a run, drops one or two DCs (as opposed to 5 or 6 earlier!) His pings gradually get fainter, his screw noises not as close. He is now at medium range at 190 degrees bearing. I move to periscope depth. I spot him 3 kms away, slowing moving in a circle at 4 knots. He still wants this boat! but he lost us! My battery is at less than 20%. At slow, silent running I hope I can wait him out. His convoy is getting further and further away.
Folks, this is the first time I think I will survive a serious depthcharge attack, with taking damage. Ussually if I lose half my batteries and serious damage to a compartment, it's curtains. We'll sail home and the British will be in the bar celebrating our 'sinking'!