Always star your career with type II :D
But as Jimbuna said after few patrols it gets frustrating . Especially when that last torpedo hits, detonates but fails to sink that 10 000 tonner....

Sounds good! I know about the Cmdr. option to select a "Crew already in Sh3" but I seem to remember, that this never really worked for me, i.e., I never saw an option of different crews to be selected ...


How should this work in theory?

Yep, I started my carrer posted in this thread with a type II boat as well.


With some expierence, one can figure out which type of ships can be sunk with one eel and which ones not. Bad weather can help in that as well but then, the draught of the target ship needs to be deep enough, for the torpedo to be able to run in undisturbed water. And then, there is always the risk of torpedo failures, especially, early in the war ...



Can be very frustrating. However, if one checks, e.g., on www.uboat.net, how it was historically, it is quite realistic to return from a patrol with only having torpedoed or damaged ships but not any ship actualy sunk.

September, 1939
U-17
04.47
Off Scapa Flow,
At 15m,
Waiting for the best available target.
KUrtz

The crew "Already in SH3" function won't give you an option for different crews unless one adds different crew configurations to Commander.
That just means Commander will just use the crew files of the SH3 install you have. A "stock" Commander install will only have one other choice in this function, called "Realistic". You should see this in your Commander install.
One can make different crew configurations if desired, put them in the Commander Crew folder, and then they'd show up here.

My above reference was to the "Randomize crew names and experience" function in Commander.
No u-boat went to sea with a completely inexperienced crew, so I always select this for any career.

One can also keep using the same crew (minus any other transfers, dismissals, etc.) with a new Captain (say he gets promoted to a desk job) via the "Click here for available actions" function in Commander.
I also use this function every career as it too is more how things were actually done.

Ok, thanks for that! Very helpful!

U230, 300km SE of sable island, ocean grid CB33, heading 335° at 25 meters down, for rough weather, skies clear.
About to make contact with a loosely guarded tanker convoy, probably sailing in ballast on its way back to New York.
1 aft, and 5 forward torpedoes remain.
5 small/coastal merchants and 1 nosy JC Butler DE sunk along the way.
I'll do what I can, but expect to sink only 1 or 2 tankers in total, assuming we can even get close enough...

After careful review of the tactical situation, it seems ole U230 is just close enough for the outer ring escorts to pound us into submission.
Attack angle too oblique to make an effective push.
If this convoy is heading to New York, then the best thing we can do is try to meet them there.
Knowing my luck, I'll run across a few stragglers or rompers along the way, and I'll be goaded into wasting more of my dwindling ammunition.

Update
Found another tanker convoy, heading in the opposite direction, only this time, the range and angle are almost perfect.
The rough, stormy weather we had about 4 hours ago had broke, and clear skies and calm seas have returned. Unfortunately, this convoy is *heavily* guarded. 12 escorts at a guess. All American.
Made contact at 14:51 hrs by sinking a small tanker. Followed it up 1 minute later by sinking a river class destroyer escort, with a homing torpedo. 11 escorts remain. Out of ammo by sinking one more small tanker at 14:57 hrs. Now trying to escape.
This is probably the most terrified I've ever been.
Half the escorts have rejoined the main body of the convoy, but they left at least 5 to keep me company.
Game time is now 16:30 hrs, 1 escort hovering around overhead, but although he has made several good passes, he has dropped nothing, which leads me to believe that he is out of depth charges. He just won't bugger off.
Minor damage to the exterior surfaces, but the hull is still tight.
I don't know how we're going to get out of this one, because they are very angry with me...

Have any Bold decoys ? They work well.

U-23, August 1st 1939.



Orders are to depart Kiel for a 5 day shakedown cruise. First command and going to get used my new crew and boat. Weather outside of Kiel is horrendous. Hoping it clears up once we pass Rostok.



Best wishes.

Nope! I used them all.
For a while, the destroyer was spotting for several different aircraft, and they picked up where he left off.
He was definitely out of ammo, the best he could do was rattle our nerves with the continuous asdic pings. Worked too.
But, after 2 and a half game hours later, he seems to have given us up, and is gone. I will wait until it is dark to surface, and then back to base with us.

Good job ! I hit a 1944 NYGM convoy yesterday, 8-10 escorts at least. But I got five ships out of it over two game days, three attacks.
Last one, took a few game hours to shake the escorts too.

Reporting back to duty after many years of absence!:Kaleun_Salute:
It's great to be back in my IXB (stationed at Lorient) in September 1940, I really missed my GWXperience (nowadays even with ARB WS-mod!)


Good hunting, fellow Kaleuns!!

NYGM February, 1944
 

My last NYGM ended via a FIDO torpedo. Had another get dropped on me in this current campaign but managed to dodge this one.

BOLD...........don't leave base without it.

Likewise and Welcome Back!

U-04 7th successful patrol with my Uboat II-D.
Started in Kiel on the 12 of March and had to patrol in front of Bergen. For 1 week I faced heavy rain and fog. As soon as I arrived in the designated Patrol point in went down to 25 Meters and started to look for ships. Was lucky. Sonar guy found one signal at long distance and I immediately went up and went after the contact. It was extremely hard since it was 10 PM and heavy rain and fog was to hard for the watchcrew.

For a day I had to surface and dive to catch up to the ship. The fatigue of the crew was extremely high. At 9.10 am I had the sonar contact really close so I surfaced. My watch crew didn`t see the ship but I spotted it at 800 M. It was an English big Merchant with camouflage on the side. Went to the UZO and fired after a small calculation 2 torps, which both hit and sank it for 6900 BMT.

For other 7 days with similar conditions I tried to find something else to shoot the remaining 3 torps, but my crew was really low on endurance so I set course to the base of Kiel and earning two Medals for my crew. On the way I encountered huge ships but all neutrals. (Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and Estonia) Tonight my 8th Patrol will start.

I found a flaw in my plan to blockade Gibraltar in early 1941, with my IX B.


This place must have large Battleships, which will be my focus for the trip.


The area is protected by numerous aircraft and Destroyers, so surface cruising is risky, but I got tempted by juicy steamers, like you do, so by the time I got to Gib, all my remaining torps were outside on the deck.


There are 5 Destroyers above, so I can't surface to reload.


What a to do.


..

U64
Patrol 1

Kaleun : LsZ Georg Schulz


0529 = 1lt = 1lt = 168 = JSE SJX


ERZGU TYJW DLEC BMGJ WKYM WDZX PKFN TSDZ YHRR SNGE DZAZ HOAQ UIZL XHYF VORU SBYC IDQV PCQC LHPQ JTDT DPRW QTCM JNYB YBHT NUGE EMSN SJHD FDOK AKUZ ZJIQ XJKH PCXL MXHN RZGA LUVG HRIE AFCA ZTXT AQQA MDXG UBII GYW

U 11 Type IIB 1940/2020
 

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years ago ...


Left W'haven on Thursday, 15 February 1940 for Fifth War Patrol in Qu.AN 73 (East coast of England).

Our sister boat U 10 (Preuss) operated off the Dutch coast during the same time period.

Medium seas but very good aircraft visibility while in area of operation and during the outbound voyage. Only during the return voyage, some heavy seas and cloudy skies.

During transit, we by-passed Qu.AN 66 and AN 69 to the north, due to the British mine fields in the area north of Terschelling.

Medium enemy air patrols in area of operation and during transit, which increased the closer we got to the English coast.

Had to dive to 31m to reload the torpedoes during heavy seas and slightly damaged the battery, both diesel engines and pressure hull, when touching the ocean floor in shallow waters, due east of Skegness.

U-Preuss returned to W'haven two days before us, having sunk 2 steamers for 6356 BRT.

We returned to W'haven on Thursday, 22 February 1940, having sunk 2 merchants for 11913 BRT and damaging a large steamer of 8290 BRT.

Torpedo hits: 4
Torpedo misses: None
Torpedo failures: 1 Eto understeered
Crash Dives: None

My Machinist was transferred to another Uboat and was replaced by a Fireman 1cl.

Received orders for Sixth War Patrol:
- Patrol area Qu. AN 55 (East coast of England)
- Departure scheduled for 21 March 1940...