U-51 lying on the bottom das boot style.

[Viduka]

After having patrolled my allocated patrol grid DH44 down past spain for 24 hours, I headed back up towards the channel, stopping in at a friendly port near Spain for some milkcow goodness.

Took some time to take in the dolphins (first time i'd ever seen them!) and started back out of port towards the English channel with a full rack of torps and a fresh, eager crew.

Just after entering the south west mouth of the channel, a convoy was reported to me. My 2nd ever only. I made my way into position, albeit a bit late and while although I was at a good 90 degree angle to fire, I was around about 5 kms square away of the convoy itself.

Ideally, I wanted to be within 1km or 500m but as they were all passing in front of me, that would have to do!

I set up my crew ready in the front torpedo bay, so they could start reloading as soon as i'd fired my first one. All tubes ordered open and FIRE at one of the straggling cargo ships (I'd let most of the convoy pass by as I wanted to delay firing so I could get as close as possible).

So, tube one FIRE, straight away manual targeting off so the scope updates my angle of bow automatically. Re-aiming - Tubes 2,3 and 4 fire!

End result, 1 larger cargo sunk with 2 torps, 1 other torp seemed to have detonated early and another must've missed altogether.

4 torps, 1 boat down and a big ass destroyer coming towards me looking for some revenge!

Depth charges go off and straight away he was right on the mark, multiple damage reports and I quickly sent the repair crew into action.

A 2nd round of charges and U-51 was taking a pounding. In all the commotion, i'd failed to realise that my dive planes had been damaged. It's pointed out to me slightly after by the large CLUNK and SCRAPE of hitting the bottom of the English channel - 72m down.

I tried to get the boat back off the bottom but she wouldn't budge. We had flooding and right then I was a sitting duck.

More depth charges and it seemed my batteries were either flat and/or damaged badly. I was unable to climb off the bottom of the ocean so I started with the ballast blowing.

Once, twice, nothing.

Finally, after giving the order to surface (instead of ordering periscope depth) and blowing ballast one more time, she started to rise. A big scrape and clunk and I was heading back up towards the surface.

All throughout, I was being tracked, pinged and depth charged. Damage was happening faster than I could repair it and I decided to dive back down a bit as I had almost surfaced (not what I had in mind with a destroyer hunting me).

So back down I went to about 20m, but despite my orders the ship was still sinking. It seemed that despite my repairs being all but complete, any order I gave to take her down was causing the boot to dive uncontrollably to the bottom, but I had not exactly realised this was what was going on - just yet.

Another big clunk and scraping metal sounds - I was back on the Channel floor 72m down. I repeated the process of getting back up, blowing ballast, ordering to surface but once again I couldn't stablise her and before I really DID surface I had to give the order to dive once again.

I had finally figured out what was going on. Any order of sending the boot to a lower depth effectively meant going right to the bottom. So back down to 72m I went, still being pinged and depth charged.

I tried to lay silent and optimistically hoped the destroyer would go away. He didn't - and I was left with the choice of just sitting there and waiting to die or trying to surface once again and hope maybe that I could control my depth.

I blew ballast and gave the order to surface. Nothing. Blew ballast and ordered to surface again and still she wouldn't budge.

My compressed air was getting low - I started blowing ballast mutliple times and trying to surface but she wouldn't rise. I was still being depth charged and members of my crew were starting to dwindle in numbers as they became injured or died.

"We're out of compressed air herr kaluen!".

-------------------

So that's where U-51 sits. It was 4.30am real time and I needed to save and get to bed so I could get some sleep before work the next day (I had a late start that day thankfully).

Tonite, when I get home I will load up the save again but i'm not sure there's any point. No compressed air, batteries are flat, stuck on the bottom of the English Channel at 72m waiting for depth charges to drop on me :down: And this was my final patrol before i'd finally have enough reknown to upgrade to a type IX for the first time.

Looks like i'm dead and DiD. :dead: Back to 1939 in the 2nd flotilla to start all over again.

Such a fantastic adventure and testament as to why I love and hate this game. I had to share it .

Hope you enjoyed (what looks like the end of) U-51's final voyage. :ping:

[uhu]

Good story!

But, I think, it was not a wise decision to go in the English channel...

[Viduka]

You're right there. I have had a few near escapes through there but a) it's a much faster route home (provided you make it home!) and b) being 1940 the lure of a channel full of British ships to shoot down (without too much relative danger) was a bit too tempting.

It was only 1940 or early '41 so I had been able to get away with it thus far. My mistake was probably trying to cruise along underwater with the convoy so I could wait until it formed up again and take some more of them down with the next round of torpedos i'd had loaded.

Should've cut my losses and headed home, but as said in the story - 4 torps wasted and only 1 boat down - I wanted to get something more out of the situation. :88)

[rogerbo]

Viduka, your problem is the Batteries, without speed you won't be able to get the U-Boot stabelized. You will notice that even with a new U-Boot you need perfect condition to hoover on P-Depth on the same spot without sinking slowly. So If you want to rise you might have no other choice then to go for AK and Blow your tanks, then do Surface and run ZigZag at Max speed, switch of the batterie charging so you get the max speed out, dodge the DD as long as you can to reload the CO2 and Compressed Air. Now if you can or do see anychance start reload the Batterie a little.
Do this all at night, so aly on the ground and fix as much as possible on the Sub.

[Steiger]

No way, he's finished. The destroyer knows exactly where he is and he can't move, and can't blow. Assuming he's able to repair batteries before he's destroyed he'll not be able to get off the bottom because of having no air.

[brackan]

In my experience I found that while sailing through the channel, if i stay close to the french coast I usually get through.

Just thought id add my bit.

[Salvadoreno]

Ah i had this same scenario in 1939. A lucky Hurricane dropped a bomb on me that crippled all my equipment. I sunk about 60 ms below helpless. But figured i had time to repair and get myself up again. I check hydrophones and heard the sounds of fast moving propellers, 3 DDs had been called in.. argg.. I was depth charged with more damaged until they stopped and i thought i had a chance.. :no external camera::. My boat was pretty done for, if i survived i was just gonna go back home with severe battle damages. But i didnt get that chance. About 2 hours realtime after the hurricane attack the DDs pinpointed my exact spot after their little meeting (which was when everything had stopped and i thought i had a chance). 2 More depth charges killed my uboat, and i was only like 7 minutes away from repairing everything. Bah.. Poor crew.. Never sunk a ship, 1st boat lost, first to an aircraft. A lotta firsts for that boat.

[bill clarke]

switch of the batterie charging so you get the max speed out, on the Sub.

How do you do this ?

[Tikigod]

Chief Engineer (left most officer): click Propulsion icon (propeller) you will see battery is highlighted that is charge mode...select the prop next to it....it will turn off charge mode and turn on both propellers (propeller will be highlighted, battery will be faded)

or go to page 15 in your manual you will see it on left side both the modes....