Last Chance Saloon.

[Harald_Lange]

I've in the middle of my 11th patrol. I've moved to Lorient now and have been assigned a patrol to the Northwest of Scotland.
I picked the route up between Britain and Ireland and had already sunk 2 large tankers and 2 large cargo ships by the time I got as far as South Wales.

I was having a great time of it, or so I thought.

I ran into a Convoy just North of Swansea and thought I'd have a pop as it was en-route anyway. I must have got too close at standard speed whilst getting into a position, even though I thought I was far enough away to up the revs. Now for the last 36 hours I've been pinged in 100m of water by three circling escorts, and I've took a battering. I'm down to 1 propeller and 3 out of 4 bow torpedo tubes are destroyed.

My battery is ok but my CO2 levels are pushing the orange levels. I cannot shake them at all, I've tried everything I can think of, but theres' one thing thats filled me with hope. They've stopped depth charging me.

I can see a slightly deeper area about 12 hours away and my plan was to go as deep as possible and take it from there, however I'm thinking my oxygen is not going to last out.

Any ideas? lol. Reading this back to myself, I'm royally screwed by the looks.

[Esanssi]

Reading this back to myself, I'm royally screwed by the looks.

Royally screwed indeed :rotfl2:

In the way of advice I won't be much help, but I do hope you make it safe back to port.

Good luck! :salute:

[Harald_Lange]

Thanks for the encouragement, but it looks like I'll be echoing the words of your signature:

"Permission to die, Sir."

[maillemaker]

If you come down to it and can't shake them, flank to periscope depth and shoot them with torpedoes.

It's not realistic, but with practice you can kill escorts with ease.

Steve

[Vince82]

11 patrols, nice. :salute:


Had the same sort of experience in the bristol channel a couple patrols ago, after some time they run out of depth charges indeed. After 10 hours I managed to escape somehow, only to get spotted by a small patrol boat a couple hours later, which sank my boat. It was funny because I play 100% realism except that I use external view. I don't use it to cheat so when he was depth charging me I took a look at my boat and I see a depth charge slowy falling down towards the bow of my boat. BOOOM

Ofcourse I could have hit hard port or starboard, but that would have been unfair so I didnt do that. Instead I witnessed the destruction of my own boat.

Anyways next time I will try to press escape and than 'exit patrol'. Not totally sure what will happen, but I hope my career is finished and I can start a new one or that I can start a new patrol. Anyone? It's no fun getting depth charged for 10 hours or more in real time and I'm not voluntary pressing 'E' or something.

[Mittelwaechter]

They ran out of depth charges and you'll be safe at periscope depth.

How is the weather? What sort of escorts?
Do both diesels work? Did you really loose one propellor or is only one electric engine bricked?

In heavy fog you may try to surface and catch some fresh air. Takes only a few minutes.
And - at full speed you go 17 or 18 knots vs. three fog blinded Flower corvettes making 16 knots at best.

Heavy seas makes even DD's gun aiming harder.

They have radar? Stay decks awash - at 7.9 meters and show the low aspect of your six and you may be lucky enough to breath.

Then back to your deep water plan.



Good luck, Herr Kaleun.
See you in Valhalla.

[Harald_Lange]

They ran out of depth charges and you'll be safe at periscope depth.

How is the weather? What sort of escorts?
Do both diesels work? Did you really loose one propellor or is only one electric engine bricked?

In heavy fog you may try to surface and catch some fresh air. Takes only a few minutes.
And - at full speed you go 17 or 18 knots vs. three fog blinded Flower corvettes making 16 knots at best.

Heavy seas makes even DD's gun aiming harder.

They have radar? Stay decks awash - at 7.9 meters and show the low aspect of your six and you may be lucky enough to breath.

Then back to your deep water plan.



Good luck, Herr Kaleun.
See you in Valhalla.

You've filled me with hope :)

I have indeed lost a prop, it manages a hair-raising 1kt at ahead slow. I'm going to try a quick surface when the weather turns crap. I reckon I can pull this off. You know, they had me running so scared I forgot I'll be safe at periscope depth now!

[Captain Nemo]

As has been said, if they have run out of depth charges then it's safe to go shallow. In my current career I was pinned down by an escort in shallower water than 100 metres somewhere in the North Sea. I went down no deeper than 20 metres and somehow managed to dodge his depth charges and make an escape. This happened early on in the war though, when the escorts are not well trained u-boat killers.

Nemo

[flag4]

If you come down to it and can't shake them, flank to periscope depth and shoot them with torpedoes.

It's not realistic, but with practice you can kill escorts with ease.

Steve

...thats cutting it fine! if caught trying to go periscope depth and missing, when the packs above you!
one escort, yes. two yes/no. three and above :dead:

i think after this its only luck AND not getting caught in that position in the first place.

[Einzelganger]

You know, they had me running so scared I forgot I'll be safe at periscope depth now!

Don't count your blessing there yet, even without depth charges they could hit you. Their attack run at your position may still cause them to hit your conning tower.

Anyway, let us know how things turn out. Good luck !

[Harald_Lange]

I did it!

I ended up sitting on the bottom at 120m, all stop, silent running for about 6 hours. After about 3 hours they stopped pinging and a couple of hours later they started to move away, still circling.

I sat there all day, waiting till dark, and made it until nightfall with less than 20% oxygen remaining. Then I rose from the depths and surfaced, finally taking a breath. After a while bobbing about I realised that there was nothing about anymore, and managed to successfully return to base! No casualties apart from a severely banged up sub.

I'm now making my way down to the Canary Islands on my 12th patrol :rock:

[Esanssi]

Congrats! This goes to show that you should never give up. :DL

Good luck on your 12th patrol! :salute: Let's hope you don't end up in the same situation again.

[Harald_Lange]

Congrats! This goes to show that you should never give up. :DL

Good luck on your 12th patrol! :salute: Let's hope you don't end up in the same situation again.

If I do, I'll be too embarrassed to tell you guys about it! :)

[Mittelwaechter]

Great game, eh?

Welcome back in the land of the living. :up:

[Kpt. Lehmann]

I think that the times you "barely cheat death" are loads more fun than times where you sink a bajillion tons.
:arrgh!:

[Harald_Lange]

Great game, eh?

Welcome back in the land of the living. :up:

BEST. GAME. EVER.

I think that the times you "barely cheat death" are loads more fun than times where you sink a bajillion tons.
:arrgh!:

Yes indeed, I thought I was a goner for sure. I can't even begin to imagine what the real thing must have been like, both in the U-Boats and on those poor merchant ships. A totally different world.

[Mittelwaechter]

So true.

And especially the slow tension - you have to wait and bear the inevitable. And it doesn't come in a quick move with your body hit and then respawned again. No - it comes slowly and creepy and you are not alone but responsible for the 50 souls of your crew.
And the depth charges are dropped short and you get only some minor damage this time, but you are not released and the next attack run will follow...

The intense tango with your mortality mixed with a faint hope for some luck to survive is the real deal in this game.
Well - as long as you stay focused and 'in game'.

http://www.abload.de/img/afraid-male-afraid-frm9kde.gif

[maillemaker]

[quoteI think that the times you "barely cheat death" are loads more fun than times where you sink a bajillion tons.[/quote]

Yup!

Steve:up:

[Fubar2Niner]

I think that the times you "barely cheat death" are loads more fun than times where you sink a bajillion tons.
:arrgh!:

Indeed they are Kpt. L, but the bajillion tons helps a tad ;)

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner

[Brag]

Conratahoochies!

It is satisfying to hear that a Kamerade got out of a bad situation. :DL