I'm sorry, 'New Guys' aren't allowed to have a story, not until after 1000 posts.
Just kidding.
WELCOME ABOARD!
There is always a chance that the screenshot was coincidental. What are your specs? Are you playing stock or a supermod?
I had some probles back when the game was new. Sometimes I would sink a ship, and as it was going down the game would crash. After talking to a lot of people and experimenting I figured out that it was either a sound file or my onboard sound. I started using a mod that modified the sound files (DBSM) and got my first real sound card at about the same time. Whichever it was, I've never had the problem since.
It could be any number of things, but if you've been lurking you know that we have any number of people who are able and willing to help.