maillemaker
04-12-10, 10:57 AM
So I just hit my assigned patrol grid, BE29, when I am alerted to a "neutral" convoy just south of me, heading SW. An easy intercept.
I head towards it, but it is raining and visibility is low. I had to make numerous dives to pick up the convoy on the hydrophone. Finally, I was in position ahead and north of the convoy, so I went turned south and dove towards where they should be.
Suddenly, a small freighter appeared out of the rain, but it had a flag I did not recognize (blue field with white cross), and assumed it was a Neutral. Just then a large merchant appeared out of the gloom directly in front! I had already set up my TDC for a 90 degree AOB shot with an 8 knot speed, so I adjusted our heading slightly until the gyro 000 was over her and sent a 2-shot salvo right into her side. I dodged around her rear and pressed on.
Suddenly we heard a cannon shot and there was a starburst overhead! But we could not make out the destroyer and pressed on. Suddenly another huge shadow ahead! I fired two at her and pressed on, and turned west to follow in between two columns of the convoy. One torpedo hit the Ore Carrier, the other hit but did not explode. As I turned 90 to come up along her opposite side I re-computed the AoB and updated the TDC for a 90 degree stern shot, and put another one into her other side, sending her to the bottom.
Suddenty more booms ring out, and I looked behind us and saw searchlights probing and the bow of a destroyer cutting out of the mist!
We went to flank speed and I narrowly cut in front of another huge ship to our port, putting her bulk between ourselves and the destroyer. Realizing I could not reload in time, nor get away from the destroyer, we dove to 220m and easily evaded the escorts. I moved out of the convoy, surfaced, and resumed the chase!
Again we plowed into where the convoy should be, again from the north. Again we cut through the columns of the convoy, and put torpedoes into a couple of large ships (I did not take the time to identify them - we were hitting them so close that only rough estimates of speed - 8 knots) were needed to hit them. Again I cut right to follow in the lanes of the convoy when suddenly there was more gunfire, and I looked ahead to see a destroyer bearing down on us straight ahead! We were running flank speed toward them, and they to us, and I ordered a crash dive.
We did not get under in time. Shells hit us, and suddenly with a horrendous crash the destroyer hit us, pushing us under.
Massive damage to the watchtower. Both periscopes and the radio antenna and the flak gun were all destroyed.
But suddenly we heard a massive series of explosions above, and a red sunken ship icon appeared on the map. I got no credit for the kill (did not show up in the log), but I'm pretty sure our conning tower ripped the hull out of that destroyer!
My DC crew got the rest of the damage under control, and I thought perhaps it would be safe to surface again and hit them again or make a run for it in the rain on the surface.
But as soon as we surface there was more cannon fire! Another escort had moved in! We crash dove as the shells struck out boat and the water around us. Fortunately in the heavy weather again I was able to evade the escorts, even though I only took us down to 100m, for fear of crushing our damaged hull.
Eventually we surfaced, and our wounded sub crawled around England and back to Wilhelmshaven with just barely enough diesel (10%). Ended up with 84% hull integrity (I would have thought it was worse).
In the end, I took out 6 ships from the convoy (plus the one escort that never showed in the log), including large merchants, a modern tanker, an ore carrier, and other high-tonnage ships.
This is the first time I've charged in in low visibility without using "L" to lock up ships I can't see. I took them just as I could see them, and I commanded mostly from the conning tower. I felt just like Herbert Werner as he described such attacks in "Iron Coffins". I could almost smell the fuel oil from the ships as I shot through the low-visibility looking for the convoy!
What I learned from this is you really can cut through a convoy in low visibility and take down ships, as long as you stay on the move and keep an eye out for those escorts!
I was on 100% realism.
Steve
I head towards it, but it is raining and visibility is low. I had to make numerous dives to pick up the convoy on the hydrophone. Finally, I was in position ahead and north of the convoy, so I went turned south and dove towards where they should be.
Suddenly, a small freighter appeared out of the rain, but it had a flag I did not recognize (blue field with white cross), and assumed it was a Neutral. Just then a large merchant appeared out of the gloom directly in front! I had already set up my TDC for a 90 degree AOB shot with an 8 knot speed, so I adjusted our heading slightly until the gyro 000 was over her and sent a 2-shot salvo right into her side. I dodged around her rear and pressed on.
Suddenly we heard a cannon shot and there was a starburst overhead! But we could not make out the destroyer and pressed on. Suddenly another huge shadow ahead! I fired two at her and pressed on, and turned west to follow in between two columns of the convoy. One torpedo hit the Ore Carrier, the other hit but did not explode. As I turned 90 to come up along her opposite side I re-computed the AoB and updated the TDC for a 90 degree stern shot, and put another one into her other side, sending her to the bottom.
Suddenty more booms ring out, and I looked behind us and saw searchlights probing and the bow of a destroyer cutting out of the mist!
We went to flank speed and I narrowly cut in front of another huge ship to our port, putting her bulk between ourselves and the destroyer. Realizing I could not reload in time, nor get away from the destroyer, we dove to 220m and easily evaded the escorts. I moved out of the convoy, surfaced, and resumed the chase!
Again we plowed into where the convoy should be, again from the north. Again we cut through the columns of the convoy, and put torpedoes into a couple of large ships (I did not take the time to identify them - we were hitting them so close that only rough estimates of speed - 8 knots) were needed to hit them. Again I cut right to follow in the lanes of the convoy when suddenly there was more gunfire, and I looked ahead to see a destroyer bearing down on us straight ahead! We were running flank speed toward them, and they to us, and I ordered a crash dive.
We did not get under in time. Shells hit us, and suddenly with a horrendous crash the destroyer hit us, pushing us under.
Massive damage to the watchtower. Both periscopes and the radio antenna and the flak gun were all destroyed.
But suddenly we heard a massive series of explosions above, and a red sunken ship icon appeared on the map. I got no credit for the kill (did not show up in the log), but I'm pretty sure our conning tower ripped the hull out of that destroyer!
My DC crew got the rest of the damage under control, and I thought perhaps it would be safe to surface again and hit them again or make a run for it in the rain on the surface.
But as soon as we surface there was more cannon fire! Another escort had moved in! We crash dove as the shells struck out boat and the water around us. Fortunately in the heavy weather again I was able to evade the escorts, even though I only took us down to 100m, for fear of crushing our damaged hull.
Eventually we surfaced, and our wounded sub crawled around England and back to Wilhelmshaven with just barely enough diesel (10%). Ended up with 84% hull integrity (I would have thought it was worse).
In the end, I took out 6 ships from the convoy (plus the one escort that never showed in the log), including large merchants, a modern tanker, an ore carrier, and other high-tonnage ships.
This is the first time I've charged in in low visibility without using "L" to lock up ships I can't see. I took them just as I could see them, and I commanded mostly from the conning tower. I felt just like Herbert Werner as he described such attacks in "Iron Coffins". I could almost smell the fuel oil from the ships as I shot through the low-visibility looking for the convoy!
What I learned from this is you really can cut through a convoy in low visibility and take down ships, as long as you stay on the move and keep an eye out for those escorts!
I was on 100% realism.
Steve