Kpt. Weyprecht
07-20-09, 06:58 PM
That's much more modest than a Nelson Battleship, but for the eternal newbie I am that was still something! I did atacked a convoy and I can call it a (moderate) success.
I was ordered with the U-31 to the CF32 grid, January 1940. A big convoy was reported on WNW heading, 4kts. I managed to get a contact before noon but since the wind was 11 m/s i decided to stay ahead of it and attack only at night.
I was pretty convinced it had his precise course when I lost it. Thes cathced it again using hydrophone - they changed course. I learned from my own Fühlungsmeldung that it's new heading was 11. Well, my first approach wasn't that glorious. I got ahead of them but in the bright night I wasn't sure I could steal unnoticed just in front of a Black Swan sweepind before the convoy... So I submerged and let her go overhead. Of course when I went back to PD the Southampton in the centre already passed through my 0 bearing. I just sent 2 eels after him and had to dive because a cargo was about to ramming me. One dud, but the first torpedo hit. I swung the boat back to the convoy's course, waited for the escorts (they really must be green at that moment!) to leave, surfaced directly behind the convoy and chased them at full speed. Just a little maneuver to get some distance to the rear escort. That time I stayed on surface, swundg to perpendicular couse and for the first time of my short career shot at overlaping targets. Actually, I screwed it up, I should have shot eatlier at the furthest target because the closer ont tended to get more hits that was intended for him... Anyway, I put two more eels in the Southampton, which had enough, and sent a Tramp to the bottom along with her mighty secort. 180 degrees turn at flank speed, launched the rear tube uselessly since I forgot to switch the AOB to opposite 90 (Aaaarrgh), and dived for the escorts. Actually, I could have stayed up... Well, I realized that error fast enough to repeat the attach once again that night, scoring a Medium Freighter and a Large Freighter. The "parthian shot" was well aimed this time, still with a dud torpedo. I stayed on the bridge enjoying the sight of the escorts helplessly scanning the water behind the convoy with their searchlights, then headed for the Corrientes for reload.
All right, scoring below 30k in three attacks on a big convoy is not an achievement (and I was a little decieved to learn that BdU counted just the tonnage... I didn't get any extra renown for the fact that there was a light cruiser among my kills). Yet the hunt feels different now!
I was ordered with the U-31 to the CF32 grid, January 1940. A big convoy was reported on WNW heading, 4kts. I managed to get a contact before noon but since the wind was 11 m/s i decided to stay ahead of it and attack only at night.
I was pretty convinced it had his precise course when I lost it. Thes cathced it again using hydrophone - they changed course. I learned from my own Fühlungsmeldung that it's new heading was 11. Well, my first approach wasn't that glorious. I got ahead of them but in the bright night I wasn't sure I could steal unnoticed just in front of a Black Swan sweepind before the convoy... So I submerged and let her go overhead. Of course when I went back to PD the Southampton in the centre already passed through my 0 bearing. I just sent 2 eels after him and had to dive because a cargo was about to ramming me. One dud, but the first torpedo hit. I swung the boat back to the convoy's course, waited for the escorts (they really must be green at that moment!) to leave, surfaced directly behind the convoy and chased them at full speed. Just a little maneuver to get some distance to the rear escort. That time I stayed on surface, swundg to perpendicular couse and for the first time of my short career shot at overlaping targets. Actually, I screwed it up, I should have shot eatlier at the furthest target because the closer ont tended to get more hits that was intended for him... Anyway, I put two more eels in the Southampton, which had enough, and sent a Tramp to the bottom along with her mighty secort. 180 degrees turn at flank speed, launched the rear tube uselessly since I forgot to switch the AOB to opposite 90 (Aaaarrgh), and dived for the escorts. Actually, I could have stayed up... Well, I realized that error fast enough to repeat the attach once again that night, scoring a Medium Freighter and a Large Freighter. The "parthian shot" was well aimed this time, still with a dud torpedo. I stayed on the bridge enjoying the sight of the escorts helplessly scanning the water behind the convoy with their searchlights, then headed for the Corrientes for reload.
All right, scoring below 30k in three attacks on a big convoy is not an achievement (and I was a little decieved to learn that BdU counted just the tonnage... I didn't get any extra renown for the fact that there was a light cruiser among my kills). Yet the hunt feels different now!