flag4
04-14-12, 04:44 AM
In our Type II...
...after an awful first patrol with a new crew - missing two battle cruisers and many other ships in bad weather and good - dud eels, near misses, explosions en-route etc etc...
July 1940: i decided to to make my second patrol and crew more worthy and ready for medals and tonnage. we arrived on the east coast and sunk a Passenger Cargo upon arrival in a near perfect encounter - down she went, and we all cheered a GRAND HURRAH!!
...then we continued on buoyed with our new success to fresh pastures. very soon after we came across an ore carrier at around 8.000 tonnes, this then would take our total to over 10.000 tonnes - yippee we all cried, this was our day.
at 15.000 meters we were closing infront and marking him for speed - around 8 knots - when suddenly watch crew yelled WARSHIP SPOTTED!
..no way, not seen that one. and ASW was out infront a couple of thousand meters. by the way the weather was clear but rough and pushing ahead was making us go full ahead not really gaining now we had got the ASW too.
(all this time my dinner was nearing completion cooking in the kitchen - organic steak - reduced in price at a bargain, i was really hungry and not a little tired too...)
so i came to a decision - now level with the ASW i would dive and run in on the ASW - surprise him sink him and finish offf the ore carrier. so off i went with a small, but at the time not overwhelming feeling i was hurrying.
i had to go check on the steak and potatos and turned all the heat off but i didnt want an overdone and cold steak so i would have to hurry up.
it would be easy, yes?
and it was at this point i made the fatal error. i decided in all my wisdom to TC gently up to 32 and bring on the encounter with the ASW quicker so as to sink him, then i could have a break + dinner then on to ore carrier for pudding!
at TC32 he, the ASW, ran in on me - i watched the thin black line retreating towards me, and sprayed his evil spawn over my head.
DISASTER. the moment this occured i knew i was dead. the noise from inside was devastating - smashed glass explosions darkness shouting. and to cap it all - now back at normal TC - sinking by the meters very quickly.
i managed to stop the flooding - batteries were dead though and started blowing ballast, she was rising but slowly. then she came on faster as the depth charges exploded all around when we surfaced very suddenly to a hail of shrapnel, the ASW no more tham a 100 meters away coming in for the kill. full ahead we tried to run - diesels were secure but in reality it was hopeless. suddenly there was a loud hiss and the death screen popped up. U BOAT sunk - all hands - game over.
i was mortified. i had this crew from war begining and they were coming on well.
dinner was ok, steak over cooked, potatoes warm. the only consolation - off to the pub for a couple of ciders and an early night.:oops:
...i forgot to say. my son said 'Dad! why didnt you press PAUSE!'
...after an awful first patrol with a new crew - missing two battle cruisers and many other ships in bad weather and good - dud eels, near misses, explosions en-route etc etc...
July 1940: i decided to to make my second patrol and crew more worthy and ready for medals and tonnage. we arrived on the east coast and sunk a Passenger Cargo upon arrival in a near perfect encounter - down she went, and we all cheered a GRAND HURRAH!!
...then we continued on buoyed with our new success to fresh pastures. very soon after we came across an ore carrier at around 8.000 tonnes, this then would take our total to over 10.000 tonnes - yippee we all cried, this was our day.
at 15.000 meters we were closing infront and marking him for speed - around 8 knots - when suddenly watch crew yelled WARSHIP SPOTTED!
..no way, not seen that one. and ASW was out infront a couple of thousand meters. by the way the weather was clear but rough and pushing ahead was making us go full ahead not really gaining now we had got the ASW too.
(all this time my dinner was nearing completion cooking in the kitchen - organic steak - reduced in price at a bargain, i was really hungry and not a little tired too...)
so i came to a decision - now level with the ASW i would dive and run in on the ASW - surprise him sink him and finish offf the ore carrier. so off i went with a small, but at the time not overwhelming feeling i was hurrying.
i had to go check on the steak and potatos and turned all the heat off but i didnt want an overdone and cold steak so i would have to hurry up.
it would be easy, yes?
and it was at this point i made the fatal error. i decided in all my wisdom to TC gently up to 32 and bring on the encounter with the ASW quicker so as to sink him, then i could have a break + dinner then on to ore carrier for pudding!
at TC32 he, the ASW, ran in on me - i watched the thin black line retreating towards me, and sprayed his evil spawn over my head.
DISASTER. the moment this occured i knew i was dead. the noise from inside was devastating - smashed glass explosions darkness shouting. and to cap it all - now back at normal TC - sinking by the meters very quickly.
i managed to stop the flooding - batteries were dead though and started blowing ballast, she was rising but slowly. then she came on faster as the depth charges exploded all around when we surfaced very suddenly to a hail of shrapnel, the ASW no more tham a 100 meters away coming in for the kill. full ahead we tried to run - diesels were secure but in reality it was hopeless. suddenly there was a loud hiss and the death screen popped up. U BOAT sunk - all hands - game over.
i was mortified. i had this crew from war begining and they were coming on well.
dinner was ok, steak over cooked, potatoes warm. the only consolation - off to the pub for a couple of ciders and an early night.:oops:
...i forgot to say. my son said 'Dad! why didnt you press PAUSE!'