U-19 Mayday!

[Kielhauler1961]

Kameraden,

Following a radio contact report U-19 (Type II) has intercepted not one, not two but THREE convoys in grid AN55 on 26th January, 1940.

She has sunk two Empire freighters and two destroyers from one convoy and a third destroyer from the second, so all torpedoes are expended.

Problem: Two very good destroyers and one not quite so hot corvette have now been hunting the boat for over twelve hours and my kaleun is getting a bit desperate. Both destroyers have used all their depth charges but the corvette still has some left but luckily his aim if off. They are in almost constant sonar contact and making repeated dummy runs. There was the sound of gunfire at one point but I have no idea what was going on up there because I don't have the free camera enabled. I've lost track of how many depth charges they have dropped, must be over 150 although the corvette is only dropping one or two at a time.

It's dark, my battery is down to 30 and CO2 level has hit 3. I've tried everything - fast, slow, twisting, going silent - but nothing seems to throw them off for more than a few minutes. I've thought about surfacing and trying to escape that way but there is always one hunter within 500 metres guiding the others in.

Anyone got any ideas?

KH

[Zosimus]

Set a specific escape route, let's say north by north east, if that's a convenient way. Doesn't matter exactly. Set a waypoint out there.

Then pick a direction approximately 50 degrees either port or starboard of the way you're going and kick the engine up to standard. Turn off silent running. The destroyers will immediately hear you and begin to follow. Once you're sure they have your new trail resume your previous course and watch your rudder. Once it hits 40–meaning that the wheel is hard over, run silent.

Go as deep as you possibly can. If you are in shallow water, you should be no more than 5 meters off the floor. If you are in deep water, then you need to go as deep as your ship can take it. I don't know exactly how deep your boat can go, but I normally dive until the crew complains that we're nearing critical depth. Then I go about 5 meters below that.

[danasan]

And set your speed manually to 1 (one) knot, that should help...

[Kielhauler1961]

Danke, Mein kameraden,

I'll try the solution proposed by Zosimus (great handle) and Danesan, I have been at less than 50 revolutions for most of this torment. Believe you me, these guys won't be shaken off...

I'm fed up with the constant PINGING....Enemy is pinging us, Sir,.......PINGING.....aaarrrrggggghhh!

I estimate the air will last about another two hours before the people start fainting and the battery is good for a bit longer.

U-19 out.

KH

[danasan]

Are you running GWX? There aren't that many options left without any eels. But don't give up! You never know. You could go directly into the direction of one of the escorts, WHEN it make a run on you. When it is above you, go ahead flank for a minute or so to try and get some distance from the DD screen, then return to 50 RPM or even ZERO and wait what will happen.

BTW: Pinging doesn't always mean that they have you in their cone, but they are searching.

[Kielhauler1961]

@ Danesan,

Yes, GWX but no mods enabled.

I've tried turning towards my tormentors, turning on the opposite course as they shoot past. Running fast in one direction then turning away and going slow. Nothing will shake the J&K DD and I'm fresh out of stratagems. Nearly 13 hours submerged now and my crew are looking a bit pale...

These two DD's (J&K and a Tribal I think, I can only judge by his screws) have the the persistence of Jehovah.

Some DD's are classed as Elite, my bad for finding two of them in one hit.

KH

[UKönig]

I am thinking that this little sortie of yours is not going to have a happy ending...
I'm pullin' for you though!

[danasan]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/U-Boot-Ehrenmal_M%C3%B6ltenort_2.jpg/800px-U-Boot-Ehrenmal_M%C3%B6ltenort_2.jpg

Just in case you don't make it. Give me your crews' details and I'll do you the favour...

[Kielhauler1961]

I am thinking that this little sortie of yours is not going to have a happy ending...
I'm pullin' for you though!

Yes, I think you're right but thanks for the support - appreciated:03:.

Berth 3 at Wilhelsmhaven will be vacant soon, get your bids in now.

I'm doomed....

KH

[UKönig]

If you have pulled every trick that you know of, then you have pulled every trick that *I* know of. I don't think I have much left except that since you said this is 1940, that means you have 1 thing that might work. If you can put 160m over your heads, then you should be able to escape the DCs. Make as much noise as you want, they will never reach you. Hopefully, with enough time, they will lose interest as they have to catch up to their convoy before it gets too far away. The main question then becomes, how much air remains...i.e. how long can you last...

[danasan]

So, how did this story end? :88)

[Jimbuna]

Just in case you don't make it. Give me your crews' details and I'll do you the favour...

LOL :)

[Kielhauler1961]

Sorry, didn't realise people were following this. I've only just resumed the patrol today knowing what I was in for. My bad.:D

U-19 has now been down since 10:22 on 26th January, 1940.

The time now (last save) is 01:39 on the following day - over 15 hours and all of that at x1 TC. I keep telling myself I play this game because I enjoy it...:hmmm:

Battery is at about 15%, CO2 just above 4 - into the amber zone. Crew are taking longer to recover from fatigue but no casualties yet. Observation 'scope was damaged in one of the last DC attacks but is serviceable although its movement is jerky and keeps jamming. I don't want to risk lowering it as it may not rise again and I only have the attack 'scope left for my escape.

There is no let-up from Tommy. Dummy runs right overhead every few minutes and almost constant ASDIC contact. The corvette has also run out of DC's but he's not letting go either.

There hasn't been a gap between "Enemy is pinging us, Sir" for more than three minutes in the whole of this attack. At any one time, one of the two DD's is standing off and vectoring the others onto my position. They seem to be taking turns to do this and one of them even reversed engines from a high-speed run once he was overhead to maintain contact. I've don't remember encountering that kind of expertise before.

Worst of all, the Smutje informs me we're out of coffee due to an 'incident' with the coffee tin. I won't go into details but the 'Head' is out of bounds under silent routine...

The boat is now over 16km from where this action began, depth of sea floor is about 50m but positive buoyancy is making hugging the seabed difficult, we keep rising at speed below 2kts. Anything above 50 revolutions attracts attention from you know who.

I've got to try something new, maybe go to periscope depth and look for a gap in which to surface?

I'm also going to Google 'Walker, RN' to find out where he was in late January 1940. It wouldn't surprise me if GWX has put him in command of one of those DD's upstairs...:nope:

KH

[danasan]

I'm also going to Google 'Walker, RN' to find out where he was in late January 1940. It wouldn't surprise me if GWX has put him in command of one of those DD's upstairs...:nope:

KH

I think there are a lot of Walker - class - DD - captains in GWX, I once met one of them even in early Sept. '39, 200 miles east of the Orkneys. Maybe it was he himself and he learned his skills there and then, with me as a victim:nope:.

It was a great pleasure to play that at TC 1x ( in 3 sessions of 6 hours each ). Very immersive playing at night in the dark.

Edit: It's still dark, hopefully. Surface the boat now, decks awash, to get some fresh air in. Dive again in one piece, hopefully.

[Zosimus]

I think you might be dead. 50 m of water isn't enough really. If these are convoy escorts head directly away from the convoy at one third. Forget about depth–they're out of depth charges–just go to something between 25-40 meters. If the escorts get far enough away from their convoy they will abandon the attack and rejoin the convoy.

Don't surface. You can outrun a corvette, but you have no chance against destroyers. A 30 second surface will not provide you with more oxygen.

[Mittelwaechter]

Did you check the weather recently? Fog may be your only chance.
You will be safe at 14.5 meters - even if the corvette passes over you - and you'll have the opportunity to catch a glimpse.

Your ASDIC aspect is low at periscope depth while showing your six to the group of hunters.

I use to hunt within the 25 miles zone off shore the British east coast in 1940, to attack some juicy large freighters in the coastal convoys.
Shallow waters everywhere, but reverse 1/3 directly after the launch gives me some good distance, while the guards rush in.

It may confuse them, if you sneak away backwards and your hull may even cover the noise of your screws. Not sure if this really works, but usually I stay undetected.

[Jimbuna]

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/8636/cdw.gif (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/856/cdw.gif/)

[danasan]

Yeah! There is no sense in waiting until the O2 is gone... Take your chance

[Andrewsdad]

Now, mind you, I'm not suggesting anything, but....

I was in firing position against a cruiser. "Torpedoes... LOS!!" Down periscope and CRUNCH SCRAPE BANG !!! Something hit my turm.
Both periscopes damaged and the turm was banged up. Next thing I hear is the sounds of a ship breaking up.

Seems that one of the destroyers tore her bottom out against me.

I didn't get credit for the sinking, but there was one less to participate in the hunt.:)

Good Luck !!!
AD

[Kielhauler1961]

Kameraden,

Thank you to all those who have taken an interest in this tale of woe. I apologise for the drawn out nature of the account but RL keeps getting in the way.

@ Mittelwaechter: Good to see you around.:salute: I like your idea of going astern - it might work. Going forwards certainly hasn't.:-?

@ Andrewsdad, I think trying to get one of my tormentors to shred the watchtower in the hope of self-destruction might require a bit more luck than judgement but thanks for the suggestion. If it happens by accident I'll take it.:)

@ Zosimus: I'm driving a Type II (max surface speed 13 kts downhill). I can't outrun a corvette but it's almost the last option!:03:

U-19 has made one attempt at periscope depth to use the 'surface layer' that sometimes works as a shield but the Tribal had read my script and was waiting for me. The boat couldn't get near enough to the surface to use the 'scope before the DD cut right in front, backed his screws to a dead stop and shined his searchlights into the depths bathing my boat in an eerie blue light. I had no room to turn and no option but to duck under him. He's good, very good.

My kaleun has two last chances. One is MW's suggestion of going astern but the very last is this: There have been more sounds of gunfire up above. I suspect that the enemy is as tired and frustrated at the length of time this action is taking as U-19 is and is shooting at shadows.:shifty:

If I can pick the right moment to show my 'scope just as one of the escorts (the corvette?) passes by, that might cause a 'friendly fire' incident? Worth a shot as air is almost exhausted and battery 10%. This may divert the enemy long enough for us to abandon ship if escape on diesels is not possible.

The code books have been eaten by the crew or dissolved in yesterdays curry and the Enigma machine has been destroyed, its parts dispersed throughout the boat and the rotors given to selected PO's for dropping overboard once we are topside.

Scuttling charges have been set and the crew mustered at evacuation stations with life preservers on. Family men have priority over single men in escaping, except officers, who are last. Those are my orders.

The next entry will be the last.

KH

[maillemaker]

I think you might be dead. 50 m of water isn't enough really.

Yes, you are screwed.

Even if they run out of depth charges, they will not leave you if they can hear you. They will simply circle and circle until you are done for.

In this situation, I go to periscope depth and attack. But you have no torpedoes. So you are done for.

Steve

[Kielhauler1961]

03:31 GMT, 27th January, 1940.

From: H.M.S. Afridi
To: Admiralty

Have sunk U-Boat in position 54°49'34.4"N 1°15'07.7"E following a long hunt. The enemy surfaced and scuttled before a boarding party could reach them.

Rescued 26 survivors who are surly and uncooperative. Their captain does not appear to be among them.

Ends.

[scott_c2911]

Ive played and "died" in lots of video games and simulations in my time and Ive never felt as emotional about it as losing my ship and crew on sh3. A career can last for 6 months or more and in that time you get sucked into it emotionally. Bad luck mate and good luck on your future commission

[flag4]

If the escorts get far enough away from their convoy they will abandon the attack and rejoin the convoy.



...hmmm...not necessarily true.

[Kielhauler1961]

...hmmm...not necessarily true.

Quite.

In my case the convoy had been gone beyond sonar range for over 12 hours.

The destroyers never gave up, even without DC's they kept attacking.

U-19 was down for over fifteen hours of real time... I still can't get the PINGING out of my head!

KH

-----PING----

[u crank]

03:31 GMT, 27th January, 1940.

From: H.M.S. Afridi
To: Admiralty

Have sunk U-Boat in position 54°49'34.4"N 1°15'07.7"E following a long hunt. The enemy surfaced and scuttled before a boarding party could reach them.

Rescued 26 survivors who are surly and uncooperative. Their captain does not appear to be among them.

Ends.

Outstanding. I like that. :up:

I think it is some kind of rare game bug. Once I sank a large merchant escorted by a single destroyer. Same thing. Once he ran out of depth charges he continued to run the same pattern as if he still had some. Like he was caught in a loop. I got frustrated and quit the patrol. Your solution Kielhauler1961 was so much more imaginative.:salute:

[flag4]

Quite.

In my case the convoy had been gone beyond sonar range for over 12 hours.

The destroyers never gave up, even without DC's they kept attacking.

U-19 was down for over fifteen hours of real time... I still can't get the PINGING out of my head!

KH

-----PING----

yes, a similar experience, damned frustrating before bed time. you're trapped. you cant save and exit if you're down - you've just got to sit it out. and if you TC you're dead.

[Zosimus]

Fifteen hours of underwater swimming and the deepest water you were able to reach was 50 meters? :nope:

Where were you?

[Jimbuna]

...hmmm...not necessarily true.

IIRC the timing factor is 45 minutes without a contact and the escorts leave the area.

[Kielhauler1961]

Fifteen hours of underwater swimming and the deepest water you were able to reach was 50 meters? :nope:

Where were you?

The North Sea, about 50km ENE of Flamborough Head. The nearest 'deep water' (only 130m max) was about 80km north in AN55 - the same direction the large slow convoy was taking. The average depth of the North Sea is only 95m, less in the southern and coastal areas where the convoys lurk. Fifteen hours may sound a lot but most of it was at 50-80 revolutions to minimise my noise signature and we weren't running in a straight line. The boats' final resting place was only about 16km from where we had dived.

I had originally planned my intercept for AN55 but I couldn't get there in time for a number of reasons and had to settle for a position further south in shallower water. The timings were tight enough anyway as the boat had had a minimum turn-around in Wilhelmshaven of just over 24 hours to refuel and re-arm, followed by a full speed dash across the North Sea. The weather was also slightly worse than I had predicted which cut my top speed by a critical 0.5 - 1 knot, enough to make AN55 unreachable and that had been our last known RCR reference. From there I had to estimate the convoy's position by its probable course and speed. When we were spotted and attacked by an Avro Anson we fought back instantly as I couldn't afford to lose any time by diving. We shot him down and just kept on going.

The main problem was one I didn't know about until after we had found and engaged the first convoy - that there were TWO other convoys in the same area: a small NW medium speed and a large N slow. It was escorts from these convoys that did for me as I had sunk two DD's and two Empires from convoy 1 and we were relaxing on the surface when an enraged V&W and Tribal came charging at us from over the horizon. Like I said before, the Tribal had already read the script. It was like they had radar.:ping::o

My best course for escape was back out to open water and directly away from the convoys, so I tried to head ESE or SE but the escorts kept cutting my path. The one that did the bulk of the pinging was the Tribal but it was the later arrival of a corvette that forced me to keep evading until he too ran out of DC's. By this time the air was gone and the battery finished: surface and scuttle. It was a good fight and I'm glad the bulk of the crew were rescued, but the captain and boats' black cat are still missing...:shifty: I took some screenies during the action and I'll post these when I have more time.

Never mind, the good news is that U-19 has been avenged by another boat from her flotilla but more about that another time.:03:

@ JB, yes the 45 minute rule was something I was counting on but the stopwatch never went more than 3 minutes before they re-established solid contact, even when I was lying motionless on the sea bed.

Thanks for all the replies.:)

KH

[Kielhauler1961]

This was taken shortly after U-19 had torpedoed the lead ship of Convoy 1 - a V&W (centre, far distance and listing to port). I hit him right aft and blew his screws off but he didn't sink immediately and kept firing whenever I was in line of sight. I steered away and used the merchants for cover while I took down more promising targets astern. This ss was taken later than the following images but putting it first gives a better impression of what followed.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19002.jpg

This was the first Empire I hit, last ship in the starboard column and some way astern of the crippled V&W which hadn't opened fire on me at this stage.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19004.jpg

Approaching the crippled V&W. He was firing wildly by this time and hitting his own ships as I closed to finish him off.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19003.jpg

This is 'Tail-End Charlie'. He had come up from some distance away on a direct course without zigging and got what he deserved. The V&W was still alive and kicking at this point but the merchants were shielding me.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19005.jpg

That's all for now. Part II shortly...

KH

[Kielhauler1961]

Part 2.

Tail-end Charlie from Convoy 1 foundering. After this we sank the two Empires and then went back for the original V&W which also sank as we approached without needing any more help.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19TribalFoundering.jpg

Surfaced to view handiwork. Two DD's and two Empire freighters sunk or sinking and the smaller merchants escaping south unmolested as only one torpedo remained. Little did we know what was charging towards us...
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19006.jpg

This V&W class from Convoy 2 (out of sight over the horizon to the west) took our last torpedo. His comrade, the elite Tribal class, wasn't far behind.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19VWDDConvoy2.jpg

One of many depth-charge attacks. These rapidly became tedious.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19DCattack1.jpg

Typical pattern. The only submerged damage we took was to the observation 'scope, which was difficult to raise or lower so it stayed up.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19DCattack2.jpg

This was a near collision between the Tribal and another DD which I think was a J&K class from Convoy 3. Pity, we might have got away at this point as the corvette hadn't arrived yet.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19DDavoidcollision.jpg

One of the first 'dummy' attack runs. These went on for the remainder of the hunt but I didn't bother with any more screen shots. Some of the earlier runs included single or double DC's but most were complete blanks.
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk295/kielhauler/Subsim%202014/U19DDrunfinal.jpg

KH