I should have listened to my own advice!!!!

[ddiplock]

I managed to get ahead of a convoy, and right into its path, and dive before being detected. I ran the batteries to 50rpm and slowly began inching toward the convoy at 1 knot. I popped up the pericscope to have a look around, a few esorts, a single Dutch destroyer taking the lead, looks like he's heading straight for me, but it was just the position of the boat.

Now, when I got in close to the convoy, I realised i wasn't at the right angle for an attack, so I began to turn to get into position. By now, that leading Dutch destroyer was only some 500 meters away, very close, and my turn happend to put my propellers so they were facing him. I was rigged for silent running and said to myself "now, shall I kill the batteries and make like a hole in the water so he doesn't know i'm here and wait for him to pass, or continue on course?"

I assumed that although he was close, I was creeping REALLY slowly, so surely he wouldn't hear me. It was December 23rd 1943, and I was hoping to sink some big merchies as a good Christmas present to my crew. Bad idea to continue on course!!!:doh:

The Dutch destroyer must have heard me, and began banging away on me straight away with his ASDIC. I was forced to dive down deep to some 250mtrs as always and endured some heavy depth charging. I survived with minimal damaged to my propellers and aft tubes, but other than that, the boat was fine.

If any fellow Kaleuns are in that situation....kill your engines and let the destroyer pass by. I should have listed to my own advice, and it was my arrogance that nearly got me sunk. :rotfl: U128 survived......this time!!!:arrgh!:

[Brag]

You did well to dive. Congratz on your survival. Better luck nex time. :up:

[UnderseaLcpl]

You did well to dive. Congratz on your survival. Better luck nex time. :up:

I disagree. If you had torpedoed him you would have had free rein in the area for several minutes until the other escorts got there, which they will anyways as soon as the first merchant gets hit.
Also the zigzag course of the escorts will sometimes coincidentally bring you within their asdic arc, I've been tantalizingly close to DD's without being detected so maybe this was the case.

[predavolk]

I'd offer that if you get too close to a destroyer, no matter what you do, he'll detect you. They seem to have a "cheat" that lets them detect even a completely silent, still boat. Maybe Bernard coughs too loudly! :lol: Better luck next time.

[popcorn2721]

I have a rather quirky method for dealing with the convoys... the escorts usually hear me as im approaching. Ill dive to 145m and keep the electrics at flank speed. By the time the DCs drop to 145m to detonate, my sub is out of range of the explosives. I also run 20degree turns so Im not tracking right under the escorts but am still able to close on the convoy. Once Ive tightened the gap on the convoy...I continue at flank speed to the center of the convoy. Then we go to parascope depth. I bebop the parascope over the waves to find the largest target...if the escorts havent seen teh parascope Im good to make a shallow adjustment to my angel of attack, fire my spread, spin the scope 180 degrees fire one last shot to disable whatever ship is to the rear (Ill snack on those later) and dive back to 145m at flank speed. Ill run in the opposite direction of the convoy till the escorts return to the fleet. Then I surface, and look for the one that didnt go down.


i copied this from another post I made...but the situation still applys.