Contact
08-21-09, 06:41 AM
Just came back from unreal patrol :up: It was 1940 June 11. I was lurking in AN14 waiting for merchants to come. Various destroyers were also patroling here and there. After couple merchants sunk I got report that a task force is moving my way so I thought I still got plenty of torps so I will have them for dinner :arrgh!:
Here's the first moment when I might never came back to base was when there came an update about the task force location and the TC dropped to 8 and imediatly SO reported sound contact, but because I was increasing TC at that moment I could not hear Sonar guy warning me about it. What was worse that I also did not noticed the warning message on the GUI. I was stationarry but not in sillent runing but I guess that was enough for DD to spot me lying just beneath the surface. So soon I got report: we're being pinged, sir! :o
By some reflex I hit pause to think about what a hell is going on. That moment I checked the GUI message board and could see a warning of contact clearly but to change anything it was already too late. I thought this is it. Chances of the escape was rather poor depth there is only about 80 m. But we had to try. Crash dived to 70 meters in helix way, checked the depth we were still having 13 m of reserve. Tryed various manuevres but we could not shake him. The last tactic I tried was to put him on my stern, then order full stop. I got a plan to let him come closer and the moment he will start the attack run I will order emergency back and he will miss, we also could succeed losing him that way. No joy, our VIIB type u-boat managed to reach only 4 knots in emergency back. So this was not enough for escape and we got scrathed by his depth charges pretty unkindly. Two sections were picking up water so I ordered repairs. Cat and mouse game began untill we at least managed to stop the flooding. But as you know with LRT it takes ages :arrgh!:
When this bloody hide and seek game started to get me. I thought if I can't use my stealth to shake him I will try to drag him down with torps so I ordered to pericope depth. From the first moment I wanted see who is this stubborn bugger after me and it was Hunt I class DD. Sadly torps gave no results too, we've spent 5 torps on him but all of them missed or misdetonated on contact. So after few exchanges of torps and depth charges we have quickly empty all tubes.
Now there is no chance we lose him I thought :nope:
But it will be over when it's over so we switched back to stealth mode again. Ordered 80 m and then ahead slow.. My hydrophone was badly damaged because of previous DC catch so I could not use them. But thanks to majority of SH3 bugs they saved my arse I think. My crew could use damaged hydrophone without a problem. Sonar guy kept following the bearing of warship where I could not hear a thing because of damage.
So after alot of zigzaging and speed boosts when depth charged I managed to shake him. I was slowly leaving his sweep circle and finally he gave up on me and went back to his patrol course.
"Hehe that is how we do it" all the crew cheered, but we still had a plenty of repair work to do so we surfaced and ploted course to home. On the way back we were almost finishing repairs, weather was sunny and sea was calm, when suddenly watch crew spotted aircraft coming right at us. Alarm was sounded and soon we were safe again in embrace of North Sea.
We were cruising on surface at 14 knots.. Were counting final hours till we could see the homeland coast when suddenly an explosion shook the boat from underneath us. MINE!! WE STRUCK A MINE, HERR KALEUN!!
ALL STOP!! I shouted. Damage report and check all men quickly!!
In an eyeblink the damage reports followed from sections:
Command room flooding! Radio Room: heavy flooding and fire! Bow quarters: flooding fast, no wounded or lost! We have moderate equipment damages in all sections, hydrophone unrepairable, herr kaleun!
Damage control crew get busy with flooding, all the rest extinction the fire!! I responded like mad.
We remained at stationarry for another 24 hours once again fighting for survival, the difference was - we were stronger in faith this time, maybe because we were so close to the home. Our patrol boats in the area also spotted us drifting, but we warned then not to approach due to mine threat. Once we finished with repairs I ordered change course to the east and ahead slow, further away from Helogoland island.. Next day, when we entered the Kiel harbour we were deffinetly safe and hapilly exhausted to be given another chance to fight for tomorrow :sunny:
P.S. After the incident with mine, already at visible range of Cuxhaven we have spotted Minesweeper rushing toward Helogoland. Hopefully he will clean the path for us next time :)
Here's the first moment when I might never came back to base was when there came an update about the task force location and the TC dropped to 8 and imediatly SO reported sound contact, but because I was increasing TC at that moment I could not hear Sonar guy warning me about it. What was worse that I also did not noticed the warning message on the GUI. I was stationarry but not in sillent runing but I guess that was enough for DD to spot me lying just beneath the surface. So soon I got report: we're being pinged, sir! :o
By some reflex I hit pause to think about what a hell is going on. That moment I checked the GUI message board and could see a warning of contact clearly but to change anything it was already too late. I thought this is it. Chances of the escape was rather poor depth there is only about 80 m. But we had to try. Crash dived to 70 meters in helix way, checked the depth we were still having 13 m of reserve. Tryed various manuevres but we could not shake him. The last tactic I tried was to put him on my stern, then order full stop. I got a plan to let him come closer and the moment he will start the attack run I will order emergency back and he will miss, we also could succeed losing him that way. No joy, our VIIB type u-boat managed to reach only 4 knots in emergency back. So this was not enough for escape and we got scrathed by his depth charges pretty unkindly. Two sections were picking up water so I ordered repairs. Cat and mouse game began untill we at least managed to stop the flooding. But as you know with LRT it takes ages :arrgh!:
When this bloody hide and seek game started to get me. I thought if I can't use my stealth to shake him I will try to drag him down with torps so I ordered to pericope depth. From the first moment I wanted see who is this stubborn bugger after me and it was Hunt I class DD. Sadly torps gave no results too, we've spent 5 torps on him but all of them missed or misdetonated on contact. So after few exchanges of torps and depth charges we have quickly empty all tubes.
Now there is no chance we lose him I thought :nope:
But it will be over when it's over so we switched back to stealth mode again. Ordered 80 m and then ahead slow.. My hydrophone was badly damaged because of previous DC catch so I could not use them. But thanks to majority of SH3 bugs they saved my arse I think. My crew could use damaged hydrophone without a problem. Sonar guy kept following the bearing of warship where I could not hear a thing because of damage.
So after alot of zigzaging and speed boosts when depth charged I managed to shake him. I was slowly leaving his sweep circle and finally he gave up on me and went back to his patrol course.
"Hehe that is how we do it" all the crew cheered, but we still had a plenty of repair work to do so we surfaced and ploted course to home. On the way back we were almost finishing repairs, weather was sunny and sea was calm, when suddenly watch crew spotted aircraft coming right at us. Alarm was sounded and soon we were safe again in embrace of North Sea.
We were cruising on surface at 14 knots.. Were counting final hours till we could see the homeland coast when suddenly an explosion shook the boat from underneath us. MINE!! WE STRUCK A MINE, HERR KALEUN!!
ALL STOP!! I shouted. Damage report and check all men quickly!!
In an eyeblink the damage reports followed from sections:
Command room flooding! Radio Room: heavy flooding and fire! Bow quarters: flooding fast, no wounded or lost! We have moderate equipment damages in all sections, hydrophone unrepairable, herr kaleun!
Damage control crew get busy with flooding, all the rest extinction the fire!! I responded like mad.
We remained at stationarry for another 24 hours once again fighting for survival, the difference was - we were stronger in faith this time, maybe because we were so close to the home. Our patrol boats in the area also spotted us drifting, but we warned then not to approach due to mine threat. Once we finished with repairs I ordered change course to the east and ahead slow, further away from Helogoland island.. Next day, when we entered the Kiel harbour we were deffinetly safe and hapilly exhausted to be given another chance to fight for tomorrow :sunny:
P.S. After the incident with mine, already at visible range of Cuxhaven we have spotted Minesweeper rushing toward Helogoland. Hopefully he will clean the path for us next time :)