Aarghh - I blew it!
 

Hi All

Stupid, impatient me! :damn:
Just moved with with the flotilla to St. Nazaire. First patrol was BE31 (or something). On my way there I got in a few kills, unfortunately one of them was a really hard C2 that ate 4 torps before sinking. Just after finishing my 24 hours, a convoy was reported in the good spot ANxx. Even if I was down to 2+1 fish: Full speed ahead - Jawohl, herr kaleun!
Longe before intercept, suddenly: Ship sighted! - but the icon was convoy sized? This was the juciest convoy I have ever seen: At least 2 troop transports, a number of tankers and heaven knows what - and 5 escorts!
By sheer luck I found myself in the right position to infiltrate the convoy and get to the line with a troop and a T3 right after it. Pitch dark, hign sea but I got to where I wanted to be, launched 2 at the troop saving the last fo the T3 - but what happened? BOTH bounced! Must have paid too much attention to the range, and less to AOB - :cry:
Ahead full, rudder hard starboard! That T3 is gonna get it if it's the last thing I do! This time, all is perfect, Rohr 5 - LOS! Wham! Torpedo impact... but nothing - the T3 didn't even slow down :o
The only thing I got out of this glory opportunity was the pleasure of waking up all 5 escorts! Didn't find me, though ;)
If only I had saved, I would surely have tried this again even if it's cheating.

BRGDS
Sven

Re: Aarghh - I blew it!
 

:nope:

Once I had a FAT Bouncer which bounced off the rudder froma zigzagging T3. This damn fish continued, turned, and rpped the T3 from the other side to pieces! :rock:

Some bouncer can be cool, but most of them dissapoint like hell, the way you had it :dead:

Yeah, well - as I said: My own fault, I guess. I had set the fish for 3m, impact, so they should have gone off! And I did check that the range was > 300m, but I must have forgotten the AOB.
I *was* in a hurry, the leading escort had done a 180 turn and was heading towards me...

But - I blew it!

Scheisse...

BRGDS
Sven

Re: Aarghh - I blew it!
 

:yep:

Allright, I confess - I did cheat!
 

Yes, (un)fair and square.
I had forgotten I did save once since leaving St. Naz. I loaded up my 'blew it' save, noted the quadrant and time and aimed to be around there at the same time in 1940. And Lo! and behold: First I get news of the convoy in AMxx which caused me to go north in the first place, second I got some vague noise on the hydrophone. Steering topwards it, yup there it was. Not the same composition, but the convoy was there - this time with 6 escorts :o
Only real difference was the weather, which in my first try was lousy. Here it was light fog, 8m/s.
And did I get some! I have 1 torp left, after sinking 3 troop transports and 1 C2. Pretty good return for 6 torps and a few shells :up:
But the shelling almost did ME in: During my initial run, I thought I had blown the screw off one of the troops, but couldn't locate it after reloading. But when I surfaced after dodging the escorts, my lookouts spotted it 3 km away. So I started to move slowly towards it, both to wait for the escorts to get further away and to get my last torp 'indoors'. At 1600m I opened fire, and my expert guncrew quickly dispatched it. But of course, they cried for help and I was a bit to slow to notice that not all of the 'Bangs' were my own... As a result of that, I'm down to 70% hull, but no casualties and the damages have been repaired. So now I'm at full steam to get ahead again and try to see if I can nail a tanker with my last fish. :arrgh!:
Wish me luck!

BRGDS
Sven