Patrol report: Interesting surface battle with an ASW Trawler)

[JU_88]

First proper Patrol in ages with GWX 2.0
Its 1942 and ive spent much time wondering around BE grid just south west of Ireland.
I encountered a huge convoy and got in to great position, but one of the corvets got too close and sniffed me out, I turned away and launched my stern eel in to his path, as I crash dived but it was too close and didnt detonate
Escaped by the skin of my teeth by creeping away at 120m depth (ocean floor was about 10m below me)
Still, I to abort my attack on convoy as it headed into even shallower waters

The weather was great, and I encountered and sank four unarmed small/coastal merchies in BE15 and BE16 -ALL with the deck gun - no torpedos.
Shortly after sinking the last one near the mouth of the English channel, I was alerted of an ASW trawler by the watch (abit too late @ 5000m) He had already spotted my boat and started charging at me.

I had my finger hovering above the 'c' key - but i never pressed it.
I figured I rather fight it out with her rather than spend half an hour trying to evade the depth charges in 90 meters of water.
I swung my bow in her direction to give my self a small profile, manned the Deck gun and threw the boat in to ahead flank.....So now im playing chicken with an ASW trawler

As she is still 4000 meters way i take the time to send some contact reports with some irrational hope that I might get a luftwaffe attack at the last minute to and save my boat from the swiss cheese make over that I thought it was about to receive.

At 3000 meters I order the crew to open fire, at this range most of the shots end up in the sea, at 2500 meters my crew scores the first hits, but her shots are also getting closer.... adrenaline kicks in and I take over the deck gun and give the trawler such nasty pasting that at 1500m she turns around and ties to run away from me!!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2234.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2237.jpg

By the time I bring my boat to ahead slow and pull up a few hundred meters away to the burning wreck, the trawler has come to a complete stop.
Amazingly the trawler did not score one single hit to my boat, I got away with the attack 100% unscathed, (but it did scare me and the crew with some near misses!)

I take a moment to blast the trawlers Gun, bridge and DC racks clean off the deck, I empy an total of 48 HE round (mostly keel shots) in to her carcass, but she won't sink!!! I get no 'shes going down' message.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2241.jpg

Reluctantly, I pull away and launch a stern torpedo in to her side, it explodes in the ussual spectactular fashion and i wait for that magic annoucement that she is going down....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2243.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2244.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2245.jpg

.....and wait..... and wait..... but she still sits there taunting me, at this point I just get pissed off and man the flak, I empty a full magazine of 20mm ammo in to the trawlers hull - which on the 20th shell -BREAKS IN HALF....... Whoohoo SHES GOING DOWN!!!! I finally get my credit in the log!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2247.jpg

I set a new course and head away from the smoking wreck, watching it get smaller and smaller in the binocular view.... but I quicky realise that something is wrong. The two hull peices are STILL not sinking! So I went back to it (again) just to make use of the photo opportunity.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2253.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/junkers88/SH3Img22-1-2008_2256.jpg

Im near the channel enterance now, the weather is good, fuel at 50%, Boat is in mint condition, and I still have not fire off a single Bow torpedo, whats my next move??

[Abd_von_Mumit]

That's what we call POSTmodernism - a full report in three words. ;)

EDIT: Above post no longer valid, as a full report has allready been posted. Reading. :D

[JU_88]

LOL A hyku

[bookworm_020]

I knew they built the trawlers tought, but that's taking it to the extremes!:huh:

Well done on your kill and hope that you have more success in the near future!:up:

[Abd_von_Mumit]

Read. Thanks for that, I smiled a few times. :up: There must be something special about these trawlers. Did you try to dive beneath to see if it was like an iceberg, with most of her body hidden in the water? :88)

And what is "a hyku" by the way?:hmm:

[Gezoes]

Classic picture there :rotfl:

Sailing in between, or perhaps ramming was an option by then :hmm: ;)

[TomcatMVD]

Hell no!
Now you have two trawlers to deal with!:huh:

[Tool]

As far as good hunting in the channel, I'm in June of 1940 and just used 3 fish to sink 16k ton worth in the port of Calais (tanker, destroyer, & medium cargo all docked), but i doubt i'd venture there in '42. I'm now continuing SW onward to hopefully good grounds in sector BE. :up:

Tool.

[Brag]

Nice report, JU-88 :up:

[JU_88]

Im thinkign of checking out Plymouth... bad idea?? :hmm:

[kiwikapitan]

Perhaps it's one of those 'unsinkable' trawlers packed full of barrels and cork which made them practically impossible to sink? :hmm: