Kuckoo
01-23-09, 02:12 PM
Following the tragic end to my previous career after taking too many liberties with a convoy off the east coast of England in December 1939, I decided to take advantage of the facility to start a career in August 1939, this time in a Type IIB - with which I am unfamiliar.
I took up the suggestion of conducting a pre-war "shakedown" patrol, using the occasion to undergo technical tests to ascertain the exact capabilities of my Type IIB. This would obviously entail a crush-depth test (very tense!), but would also include a variety of other tests such as battery endurance at various speeds.
The first thing I wanted to find out was how long the battery would last at the slowest speed (Kleine), whilst at the same time examining oxygen capacity. After a few hours it became clear that at this speed the battery would last out longer than the oxygen supply. Having dived at 0600 on 3 August, the oxygen was recorded as "down to 50%" by 2100, but the battery was not down to 50% till 0100, 4 August. The CO2 entered the "Red Zone" at 6 units of CO2 at 0400, and oxygen was recorded at 25% by 0430. By this time I was intrigued about what would happen to the crew as we progressed further into the Red Zone of CO2. Would the crew take ill, or start to protest, or what? While waiting for something to happen, the Chief Engineer shouted "Oxygen at 50%". I thought surely he means 10%! But no. The next thing oxygen was at 100%, having been submerged for over 24hrs and without having surfaced for an instant.
Has anyone else encoutered this? What could have happened?
Kuckoo
PS. A big thanks to all those who configured the game to allow a pre-war patrol!
I took up the suggestion of conducting a pre-war "shakedown" patrol, using the occasion to undergo technical tests to ascertain the exact capabilities of my Type IIB. This would obviously entail a crush-depth test (very tense!), but would also include a variety of other tests such as battery endurance at various speeds.
The first thing I wanted to find out was how long the battery would last at the slowest speed (Kleine), whilst at the same time examining oxygen capacity. After a few hours it became clear that at this speed the battery would last out longer than the oxygen supply. Having dived at 0600 on 3 August, the oxygen was recorded as "down to 50%" by 2100, but the battery was not down to 50% till 0100, 4 August. The CO2 entered the "Red Zone" at 6 units of CO2 at 0400, and oxygen was recorded at 25% by 0430. By this time I was intrigued about what would happen to the crew as we progressed further into the Red Zone of CO2. Would the crew take ill, or start to protest, or what? While waiting for something to happen, the Chief Engineer shouted "Oxygen at 50%". I thought surely he means 10%! But no. The next thing oxygen was at 100%, having been submerged for over 24hrs and without having surfaced for an instant.
Has anyone else encoutered this? What could have happened?
Kuckoo
PS. A big thanks to all those who configured the game to allow a pre-war patrol!