Lost my first campaign... How?

[ColonelMolerat]

Just wondering if you could give me any tips...

I've just lost my first campaign.

It was December 1939, and I got very close to the naval base in the Shetland Islands. I had destroyed one boat, and was surfaced, when a gun on the shore started shooting me. It did some damage, so I dived and retreated.

I took damage when underwater, so I surfaced, where I kept taking more damage. For the next few minutes I surfaced/dived over and over, but kept taking damage. *Some* damage was from the shore gun, but I don't think all of it was. Eventually I flooded and sank.

I was wondering - did I stray into a minefield? Or can a submarine have secondary explosions once damaged (ie, could the torpedo bay have been hit? Or could the engines have exploded if I ran them when damaged)? Are secondary explosions even possible? Could it have even been an enemy sub?

There were no other ships around that I could see/hear. I just kept taking damage until I lost.

It was my fourth mission... I had sunk one passenger ship and one (parked) destroyer.

I'm using the GWX mod and the V16B1 Patch Kit.

Still, to make up for it, I've taken down a tramp steamer on the first mission of my second campaign!!

[Mittelwaechter]

Shallow waters over there. Maybe you hit the seabed while diving fast, taking damage.
There may have been more artillery around, even from a docked battleship nearby.
With the periscope up - iluminated by a searchlight - the artillery knows where to shoot at.
Mines are possible, but should sink you more or less instantly.

Well, Herr Kaleun - stay at the surface and try to run while gathering more information on the enemy to make a good decision - or dive and stay there to sneak away.

Viel Glueck beim naechsten Einsatz!

[THEBERBSTER]

A Warm Welcome To The Subsim Community > ColonelMolerat
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[ColonelMolerat]

I definitely didn't hit the bottom (I was being very careful about that).

Artillery might have been the problem - I didn't realise they could hit you underwater... And then when I surfaced to escape taking damage, I would have presented an even juicier target!!

Thanks for the tips!

[Mittelwaechter]

So diving would have been the right decision - with the periscope down.

Your guns can hit a freighter under the waterline, as incoming shells can hit you there.
Obviously they knew where you are, but you were not fully aware of what happened around you. Pretty good simulation of reality.

[ColonelMolerat]

Yup, I had very little idea of what was going on!

It's the first time I've been sunk, so I wasn't sure if it was possible if I was being shelled from the shore while underwater, or I was hitting mines, or if the sub could take further damage from pushing damaged engines too hard. Sounds like I just got shot up though!