Aircraft spotted! Short range!

[Ducimus]

So, here i am, Mr, IX skipper on my first VII career since i started playing SH3. Oh don't get me wrong ive had a number of VII boats, but that was awhile ago. Point being its been awhile.


So, 2nd patrol on U-333, oct41. Ive been submerged by day, surfaced at night in the CG area west of Gibralter.

At 06:30, greylight conditioins are just setting in. So ive been in the habit of diving about this time for the duration of the day, surfacing only at 0 hour to recharge batteries. Conserving diesal for a long stay. Amazingly i have very little in the way of contacts.

Ive been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and suddenly at 06:28,

WO: Aircraft spotted! Short range!

My thoughts, "Thats just great, thanks for telling me!"

Too late to dive, about the only thing i have time for is to put the boat to flank speed, put my head between my legs and kiss my ass goodbye. With only 1 flak gun (VII/1 CT), not much else to do except go to the bridge and watch the show.


So the sunderland comes in low and fast, drops his bombs which impact right along the starbord side, aft of the conning tower in the engine room. Im thrown to the deck with a violent blur.

Quick look shows 28% H.I.
Ok... i might pull out of this.. maybe, if i can get under to 20 meters... if only. I notice im not moving and order flank speed. No response.

upon further examination.

Diesals destroyed
battery went from 100% to 50%.
Main pump destroyed
etc etc. you name it, it was smashed.

So there i am, dead in the water. No propulsion, my bridge crew was killed, every crewmember except a couple of stouthearted bootsman are panicked, and the boat is taking on water that i cannot pump out because the pumps are out of action.


Like a deer in headlights, i just watched the boat flood. ( Acutally i was facinated by the mechanics of it all ) On the bridge, i just stood there, wishing i could say, "abandon ship!" but can't :(

So the boat's decks are now awashed, and the stern is going under. We're sinking, and here comes that blasted vulture again coming around for the coup de grace.


Didn't make it for 3 patrols. U-333 sunk on 2nd patrol.

[jasonb885]

Still love the sig. I guess it's about to get bigger. :)

[Ducimus]

Still love the sig. I guess it's about to get bigger. :)

yeah ill update it later when i have SH3 commander logs to draw a resonably accurate date for the end of U333. (at work atm)

Debating on my next boat. I still havent surived the war at least once in an IX boat. I might have to do that at least ONCE. The med, and the 11th flotiall doing the artic areas is appealing as well. Dunno yet.

[Dimitrius07]

Same story happens to me to :cry:

U101 was destroyd by aircraft near Casablanca in 1943 :stare:

[VonHelsching]

Nice (but sad) story. The electrics were not damaged, though. How come didn't you submerge?

[Salvadoreno]

So, here i am, Mr, IX skipper on my first VII career since i started playing SH3. Oh don't get me wrong ive had a number of VII boats, but that was awhile ago. Point being its been awhile.


So, 2nd patrol on U-333, oct41. Ive been submerged by day, surfaced at night in the CG area west of Gibralter.

At 06:30, greylight conditioins are just setting in. So ive been in the habit of diving about this time for the duration of the day, surfacing only at 0 hour to recharge batteries. Conserving diesal for a long stay. Amazingly i have very little in the way of contacts.

Ive been doing this for about 2 weeks now, and suddenly at 06:28,

WO: Aircraft spotted! Short range!

My thoughts, "Thats just great, thanks for telling me!"

Too late to dive, about the only thing i have time for is to put the boat to flank speed, put my head between my legs and kiss my ass goodbye. With only 1 flak gun (VII/1 CT), not much else to do except go to the bridge and watch the show.


So the sunderland comes in low and fast, drops his bombs which impact right along the starbord side, aft of the conning tower in the engine room. Im thrown to the deck with a violent blur.

Quick look shows 28% H.I.
Ok... i might pull out of this.. maybe, if i can get under to 20 meters... if only. I notice im not moving and order flank speed. No response.

upon further examination.

Diesals destroyed
battery went from 100% to 50%.
Main pump destroyed
etc etc. you name it, it was smashed.

So there i am, dead in the water. No propulsion, my bridge crew was killed, every crewmember except a couple of stouthearted bootsman are panicked, and the boat is taking on water that i cannot pump out because the pumps are out of action.


Like a deer in headlights, i just watched the boat flood. ( Acutally i was facinated by the mechanics of it all ) On the bridge, i just stood there, wishing i could say, "abandon ship!" but can't :(

So the boat's decks are now awashed, and the stern is going under. We're sinking, and here comes that blasted vulture again coming around for the coup de grace.


Didn't make it for 3 patrols. U-333 sunk on 2nd patrol.

Ya man that time compression can be a killer. EVEN AT 256x! I never been in a type IX..hmm. Maybe its time. Im so use to the quick diving VIIB and VIIC that im not ready for the bulky IX. They arent very good at attacking convoys either.. But i like all the torps.. Hmm.. Maybe its time to switch from my IID after my 2nd patrol. 1.Flotilla ill be sent to Africa, with new GW too! Ill get some good action!

[Ducimus]

Ya man that time compression can be a killer. EVEN AT 256x! I never been in a type IX..hmm. Maybe its time. Im so use to the quick diving VIIB and VIIC that im not ready for the bulky IX. They arent very good at attacking convoys either.. But i like all the torps.. Hmm.. Maybe its time to switch from my IID after my 2nd patrol. 1.Flotilla ill be sent to Africa, with new GW too! Ill get some good action!


Ive found that ive always had time to dive so long as i have radar or a RWR active. One reason that i dont start any career before 42. (other reason is up until mid1941 when the allies start using radar, the games a turkey shoot and not very challenging to me)

Contrary to what some may advocate, I think IX boats are great convoy killers. You just have to be smart about your approach and positioning so you can lay and wait. Even in mid 44 im usualy not detected until AFTER the torpedo's hit. My usual tactic is to get inside the convoy between two coloums of ships so i caqn bring both bow and stern tubes to bear simultainously. All that said, i don't see convoys all that often in an IX, but when i do, its a beautiful thing.

Escort evasion is alot harder however. Infact, when you have 3 or more escorts, ones always going to have contact with you no matter what you do. At that point its all about trying to make them think your somewhere your not, either in position or in depth. I've evaded improved convoy's version of Captain walkers HK group in biscay bay, but let me tell you it wasnt easy, not without a great deal of time, and it wasnt unscathed. Destroyed most of the equipment on my decks. Flack guns, deck gun, snorkel ,etc)

I think my main attraction to IX boats is
1.) The idea of operating in distant or exoctic places. (south africa, south america, US east coast, The Caribean, the indian ocean, etc)

2.) Lots Torpedo's with lots of fuel usuall means good tonnage.

3.) My primary goal seems to be to survive the war, and the long range patrols in an IX boat seem to advance the timeline faster as your in transit alot to your Operating area with high TC. That said, that isnt always the case. Some areas you have to dive daily, or encounter single merchants or aircraft while enroute to your grid.

[Salvadoreno]

Since i have decided to command a type IX i have a few questions.. ON transit, say to Americas, Carribean, and Africa how many SINGLE merchants do u encounter?? Lets say throughout a WHOLE PATROL... How many days is it usually, and how many merchants do u encounter intotal.. I would hate to travel to america and see NOTHING... ugh.. DO u ever use milkcows?

What has been your best patrol??

I like to start in 1940-1941 mid year. Cuzz usually i can gradually see the demise of the uboats, and actually play it!

[Khayman]

I was crusing down past Freetown in my IXC/40, on my way to my patrol grid at the southern tip of Africa. Like you I'd run submerged during the day, then I'd surface about midnight to re-charge and submege about 5am.

I had metox, it was a pitch black night, and not only was an aircraft spotted but it was heading straight for me. It must have had centrimetric radar (which metox couldn't pick up). I manned the flak guns and shot the sod down.

I know I should have dived again but my batteries needed re-charged so I stayed on the surface. Sure enough along came another aircraft - which I also shot down. I decided I'd risk recharging at daylight and stayed under.

I've noticed with the slower diving IXC's, and with my one and only patrol in a IX-D2, that you just don't have time to dive. The one time I did a crash dive a bomb destroyed all three of my flak guns!

I too prefer the IX boats. The areas you patrol have zero to no warships. They do have seemingly massive air coverage though, but with care they aren't as much a problem as convoy escorts.

[Khayman]

Since i have decided to command a type IX i have a few questions.. ON transit, say to Americas, Carribean, and Africa how many SINGLE merchants do u encounter?? Lets say throughout a WHOLE PATROL... How many days is it usually, and how many merchants do u encounter intotal.. I would hate to travel to america and see NOTHING... ugh.. DO u ever use milkcows?

What has been your best patrol??



I know this isn't directed at me but;

On transit I've sometimes arrived at my patrol gird (CA, CB, DC) with very few torpedoes left. From Lorient to those areas are a couple of single merchant routes and the pickings can be good.

How many days is it usually Anything from 35 to 65 days.

As for reaching far flung places and seeing nothing, that's not the case. I was assigned EC27 in the Caribbean and I sank 5 tankers and a Liberty Cargo. Air patrols were a nightmare though, but stay submerged during the day and you'll be ok. I even found targets down at GR. Not a lot but if you patrol to the west of Gibraltar on your way back then you should get a good few ships.

Best patrol Not my best tonnage, but it was a patrol to FF42. I shot down six aircraft and got 51,435 tons. Was proud as it was tough!

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Since i have decided to command a type IX i have a few questions.. ON transit, say to Americas, Carribean, and Africa how many SINGLE merchants do u encounter?? Lets say throughout a WHOLE PATROL... How many days is it usually, and how many merchants do u encounter intotal.. I would hate to travel to america and see NOTHING... ugh.. DO u ever use milkcows?

What has been your best patrol??

I like to start in 1940-1941 mid year. Cuzz usually i can gradually see the demise of the uboats, and actually play it!

Well, we didn't spend all that time modding the west for nothing!!!

BEAT YOUR DRUM!!!! :rock: :rock: :rock: PAUCKENSCHLAAAAAAAG!!!

[Ducimus]

Since i have decided to command a type IX i have a few questions.. ON transit, say to Americas, Carribean, and Africa how many SINGLE merchants do u encounter?? Lets say throughout a WHOLE PATROL... How many days is it usually, and how many merchants do u encounter intotal.. I would hate to travel to america and see NOTHING... ugh.. DO u ever use milkcows?

What has been your best patrol??

I like to start in 1940-1941 mid year. Cuzz usually i can gradually see the demise of the uboats, and actually play it!


On transit:
Depends on where your going. If your going to the caribean or US east coast, once you clear the area directly west of spain and pass through the azores, typyically i dont enounter anything until i get to where im going.

If your going to say, africa, freetown or whatever, your chances of encountering single merchants enroute to your patrol area are a bit higher.


Now, how many single merchants you encounter altogether depends on what RND mod your running. Improved Convoys would be my guess. Frankly I think this mod overkills single merchant traffic reduction at early 44 and onwards i think, you'll see it taper out mid43. Thats not to say theres no traffic, but the reduction is quite marked late war, and i found it unfun.

Reason why i think its overkill is because single merchant groups have a low percentile chance to spawn (15%), and the 1 ship in that group consists of in many cases has a 0% chance to spawn. Personnaly i edited IC so that single merchents have a 100% chance to spawn in a group that has a 15% chance to spawn, if that makes any sense. Ive done this for the caribean, black sea, north atlantic, indian ocian, etc etc. Personnaly i consider it a fix, but its not my mod really, hence i havent zipped it up and released it.


Now ALL that said, if you want tonnage (moded IC or not), theres a nice little area in the carribean known to some as "tanker alley" :ping:

(oh and if your running HT, lets not forget about shooting fish in a barrel in that ridiclously deepwater port of curraco, and while i havent gone to port of spain because its shallow, i hear its good pickings there.)

As for best patrol, ironically, my first was my best. This was an 88 day patrol. On the average my patrols are 65 days, but they often get as high as 80-90 days.
.

05 Jan 1942
2252 Patrol 1
U-189, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: January 5, 1942, 22:52
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid CA28
29 Jan 1942
0941 CA 28 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 4316 tons
02 Feb 1942
1854 DC 12 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 4317 tons
1859 DC 12 Ship sunk! T3 Tanker, 11672 tons
07 Feb 1942
1055 DB 98 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 4318 tons
08 Feb 1942
1728 DB 98 Ship sunk! Trawler, 99 tons
10 Feb 1942
0921 DB 98 Ship sunk! C2 Cargo, 6423 tons
11 Feb 1942
0427 DB 98 Ship sunk! T3 Tanker, 11674 tons
12 Feb 1942
0409 DB 98 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 6166 tons
13 Feb 1942
0135 DB 98 Ship sunk! T2 Tanker, 6340 tons
06 Mar 1942
0605 DM 53 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 3960 tons
0606 DM 53 Ship sunk! Coastal Merchant, 2246 tons
08 Mar 1942
1422 DN 47 Ship sunk! T2 Tanker, 6341 tons
1424 DN 47 Ship sunk! T2 Tanker, 6342 tons
09 Mar 1942
0344 DN 47 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 3961 tons
02 Apr 1942
2250 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 14
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 78175 tons

[Khayman]

Now ALL that said, if you want tonnage (moded IC or not), theres a nice little area in the carribean known to some as "tanker alley" :ping:

LOL, so it has a name :D

No wonder I found and sank so many on my patrol there. I wish they'd send me back, but I've got GR82 next.

[jasonb885]

...
Reason why i think its overkill is because single merchant groups have a low percentile chance to spawn (15%), and the 1 ship in that group consists of in many cases has a 0% chance to spawn. Personnaly i edited IC so that single merchents have a 100% chance to spawn in a group that has a 15% chance to spawn, if that makes any sense. Ive done this for the caribean, black sea, north atlantic, indian ocian, etc etc. Personnaly i consider it a fix, but its not my mod really, hence i havent zipped it up and released it.


If there are single and multi-merchant groups with a group spawn probability less than 100%, then that's a bug I should fix. It's definitely wrong.

So far I'm not seeing any, though.

Okay, I have found one two ship so far with one less than 100%, but that's by design.

If there are any single ship RndGroup entries with < 100% spawn for the RndUnit, let me know and I'll fix it.

Thanks.

:up:

[Ducimus]

...
Reason why i think its overkill is because single merchant groups have a low percentile chance to spawn (15%), and the 1 ship in that group consists of in many cases has a 0% chance to spawn. Personnaly i edited IC so that single merchents have a 100% chance to spawn in a group that has a 15% chance to spawn, if that makes any sense. Ive done this for the caribean, black sea, north atlantic, indian ocian, etc etc. Personnaly i consider it a fix, but its not my mod really, hence i havent zipped it up and released it.


If there are single and multi-merchant groups with a group spawn probability less than 100%, then that's a bug I should fix. It's definitely wrong.

So far I'm not seeing any, though.

Okay, I have found one two ship so far with one less than 100%, but that's by design.

If there are any single ship RndGroup entries with < 100% spawn for the RndUnit, let me know and I'll fix it.

Thanks.

:up:

Maybe its possible i have an older version of IC. Im going by memory here cause i looked at this a few months ago, and took a break from the game. But i do remember ramping up areas like the black sea for example. I specifically remember thinking , "damn, good thing i never tried to get in there from the med, id be sorely disappointed."

It could be however i was looking at the spawn frequency rather then the groups percentaile to spawn a given ship when the group does spawn. But i do remember specificaly going through and adjusting quite a few entries. Mainly all the traffic ones. But those could be the tugboats you mentioned in another thread. You may want to rexamine those and make sure its all tugboats. I think i recall at least one of those traffic entries that goes from new york clear to africa, and i dont think those were tugs. Another one that comes to mind is in the gulf of mexico. I dont remember if those were tugs/fishing boats, or coastal merchants. I think it was the latter.

Either it was THAT , sticking in my mind, or i went ahead and changed those traffic tugs/fishing boats to low tonnage ships. WHich im liable to have done. I dont particuarlly care to find tugs/fishing ships on the high seas, but i would expect them around costal areas. (personnaly ive gone fishing on 90 - 105 foot boats and been at sea up to two weeks at a time, so i know its not uncommon to find these ships way out there).

[Salvadoreno]

Im running the Grey Wolves mod. Pretty sure it has IC in it as well. When i get home next weekand im going to download the Unified Campaign so i can get the best of both worlds NYGM/GW. I like the Meditteranean and what NYGM did to it, i wish i could finish a career though. So many mods have come out i find myself downloading them, playing 1 patrol, then downloading another great mod that has just come out.