maillemaker
06-19-14, 09:50 AM
So it was about June 1943. I head out of St. Nazaire in my Type IXD2, cutting across the Bay. We were escorted out of port by aircraft.
About half way across the bay we spot aircraft again. Now I'm thinking, "Could be ours, could be theirs...better dive to be safe."
We dive, but not a crash dive - just periscope depth.
Well, they score a direct hit on us. Destroy the deck gun, start some leaks, and knock our HI down to 64%.
So I turn us around and we cruise back to St. Nazaire underwater and end the patrol a little early.
Head out on the next patrol - have a full stern load of the newly-available homing torpedoes.
I just round the tip of Spain when I get a notification of a convoy very near by. Of course as soon as we move to intercept the weather goes sour with rain.
I take a chance at firing up the worthless radar. Should have known better but I wanted to see what it would do with no map updates. It does nothing. You actually have to man the radar position in order to see blips on the scope. I've done this a few times before and even with a ship in sight it's very hard to get the radar to work and lock on a target.
Well, I guess they heard my radar, as out of the gloom comes a destroyer. By the time we drag our D2 under the water they have shot us down to 4% hull integrity. I got a homing torpedo shot out the stern and headed his way but at 22 meters depth our destroyed hull gave up and we sank.
Back to 1939 again. :wah:
Steve
About half way across the bay we spot aircraft again. Now I'm thinking, "Could be ours, could be theirs...better dive to be safe."
We dive, but not a crash dive - just periscope depth.
Well, they score a direct hit on us. Destroy the deck gun, start some leaks, and knock our HI down to 64%.
So I turn us around and we cruise back to St. Nazaire underwater and end the patrol a little early.
Head out on the next patrol - have a full stern load of the newly-available homing torpedoes.
I just round the tip of Spain when I get a notification of a convoy very near by. Of course as soon as we move to intercept the weather goes sour with rain.
I take a chance at firing up the worthless radar. Should have known better but I wanted to see what it would do with no map updates. It does nothing. You actually have to man the radar position in order to see blips on the scope. I've done this a few times before and even with a ship in sight it's very hard to get the radar to work and lock on a target.
Well, I guess they heard my radar, as out of the gloom comes a destroyer. By the time we drag our D2 under the water they have shot us down to 4% hull integrity. I got a homing torpedo shot out the stern and headed his way but at 22 meters depth our destroyed hull gave up and we sank.
Back to 1939 again. :wah:
Steve