Going out we almost bumped into this - a torpedo net.....

Jan 3, 1940
Kapitänleutnant Kruger (U-46) / Type VIIB / Fourth patrol

Silent speed at 130m, on the eastern edge of AM 76. We have just sent a Southampton class cruiser to the bottom on our first pass at a convoy. Destroyers are trying to locate us but so far their depth charges have fallen far and wide. As of now, we've claimed about 40k tons of warship tonnage (two aux. cruisers and two southamptons) since we left Wilehmshaven on Dec 16 but not a single merchant.

I shouldn't have done that!!

June 1940, near Gibraltar.
found a freighter and a light tanker at night.
shot one fish each, came up to finish them with the deck-gun. then I saw the flag: neutral!
I quickly flanked away and could manage to be out of range when they (probably) sank. no symbols on the map, no entry in the diary.

next time:
first I will identify the nationality. :D

I was getting myself into the inside of a nicely sized convoy on the west coast of Ireland. I started to make my way up to periscope depth, and feeling pretty smart, I cranked up my props to gain on my depth approach to start targeting.

Then, at about 60m, Wham! An escort must have sliced into the merchies, and caught me really nice with some ash cans draped right forward of my con tower. Immediate massive flooding there, I sent my D.C. in full emergency, blew ballast, shouted for full throttle reverse to try to save some elevation in my favor, yet going for a roller coaster nose-dive. Not fun there... until I held tight and figured I will at least see how tight my boat was maunfactured.

In my last seconds, I held the camera steady for a final 256 meter photoshot.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...09-DeepIXB.jpg

U 45... SUPER slow patrol... 1 troop ship so far still... woopdy doo...

Oberleutnant z.S. Frank Zimmerman
U-104
Starting date patrol; June 12, 1941
Starting harbour; Lorient

04.45 - June 15
Soundcontact - grid BF71 - omrchant - slow - heading 045

05.27 - June 15
Ship spotted - submerging for attack at 06.14

07.35 - June 15
Ship identified as 'Passenger/Cargo' 2222t - 1 torpedo fired - observed 1 hit
Vessel did not sink

08.03 - June 15
1 torpedo fired - observed 1 hit
Vessel sunk at 08.21

05.40 - June 17
Soundcontact - grid CF38 - merchant - heading 065
Ship identified as American Large Tanker 11.335t - NEUTRAL

18.33 - June 17
Entered patrol grid CF59

19.12 - June 18
Completed 24h patrol - heading for BD58

07.56 - June 23
Convoy reported at BD15 - intercepting

12.32 - June 26
Soundcontact - BC36 - multiple merchants

19.33 - June 26
Regained contact with convoy after being forced down by escort

19.59 - June 26
Fired 3 torpedoes - observed 3 hits - 2 ships sunk
- Fiji class light cruiser 10.725t
- Large Merchant 10.320t

01.07 - June 27
2 torpedoes fired - observed 2 hits - forced down by escorts
Medium Cargo 5081t sunk at 02.36

13.44 - June 27
Lost track of convoy - spotted lone merchant - engaged with deckgun
Ship identified as 'Passenger/Cargo' 2245t - sunk at 13.44

23.22 - July 1
Sound contact - AL42 - intercepting

00.53 - July 2
2 torpedoes fired - observed 2 hits - vessel sunk at 01.23
Ship identified as Large Cargo 8576t

06.47 - July 9
Convoy reported - grid BE39 - intercepting

17.00 - July 9
5 torpedoes fired fore and aft - observed 3 hits - 1 ship sunk
Ship identified as Large Merchant 10.620t

23.00 - July 9
In position for second attack

03.59 - July 10
6 torpedoes fired - observed 6 hits - 3 ships sunk
- Whale factory ship 12.016t sunk 04.00
- Empire-type freighter 6.780t sunk 04.04
- Small tanker 2052t sunk 04.10

Returned to port July 12
Total tonnage; 48729

13th May 1943 ~ U-307

Sailed from Brest on the 5th intense air traffic around the Bay of Biscay and also Spanish coast. Currently patrolling CG85 just outside the approaches to Gibraltar. Constant aircraft harassment leading to low batteries. Two men dead.

Thinking about How im going to get to America in a VIIB...:hmmm:

And that actual getting there is easy, returning... that's a different story...:shifty:

15th May 1943 ~ BdU

U-307 sent incomplete report stating they had been intercepted by two Avenge planes and one Hunt II destroyer. Report stated diving to 145 metres, no contact after that.

U-307, Commander Heinrich Ruhl and crew presumed lost on first patrol.

R.I.P.

ye, well.... I died. Destroyer gave me a punch in the face. Heavy damaged again but tried to hide anyway, no matter what. Another hedgehog explosion. U-666 is no more :dead:.

Lost at sea on january 13th, 1945.

(At least I took the escort-carrier with me :arrgh!:. Homing torpedoes for the win.)

Before surfacing, always do a hydrophone check all around, including the blind spot behind you. Do it yourself to be sure. Then go to periscope depth and do a periscope check all around you, first on the surface with the attack scope and then in the sky with the observation scope. Only then should you surface.

Returned from another patrol....

Patrol 3|U-72, 7th Flotilla|Left at: July 27, 1941, 22:52|From: St. Nazaire|Mission Orders: Patrol grid BE64
Date=19410727
Time=2252

Ship sunk!|Grid BE 69|Coastal Merchant, 1992 tons
EntryTitle=July 31, 1941, 08:07
Date=19410731
Time=807

Ship sunk!|Grid BE 68|Small Merchant, 2404 tons
EntryTitle=August 2, 1941, 13:55
Date=19410802
Time=1355

Ship sunk!|Grid BE 67|C2 Cargo, 6406 tons
EntryTitle=August 3, 1941, 15:31
Date=19410803
Time=1531

Ship sunk!|Grid BE 67|T3 Tanker, 11657 tons
EntryTitle=August 3, 1941, 15:32
Date=19410803
Time=1532

Patrol results|Crew losses: 0|Ships sunk: 4|Aircraft destroyed: 0|Patrol tonage: 22459 tons
Date=19410806
Time=1544


Before this , had to start the patrol over because I had left one of the officers in the Repair section of the boat and upon return, he was gone... forever entombed in the battery compartment! :rotfl2:

In all the time I've been playing, never knew that all personnel had to be out of the repair section, or they were lost! :o

Ye I often stop my engines and listen on the hydrophone myself but I've never thought about doing a periscope check before surfacing. Good idea. It would have saved my boat :damn:.

BE17. Contact with slow inbound convoy. Lightly escorted. 12 torpedoes left. Moving in to attack. Happy times!

August 1940
BF15
could manage to sink 4 lonesome travellers
then I spotted a convoy and took 4 more.
53k tons sank, then returned to Wilhelmshaven.