ok so its a known issue then.
Once in a while it is just going to happen - an aircraft catches you off guard. a bomb doesnt hit you but it lands a bit close. your deck gun is damaged. so you shoot down the enemy plane and repair the damage. after getting an all clear on the damage control screen i dive to periscope depth and find myself plummeting to 400 feet and deeper quite quickly. even when i blow all the ballast and there is NO flooding anywhere on the boat. just seems like if you get an antenna bent or a gun damaged or you break a finger nail thats a patrol stopper... you better make best speed on the surface back to port or else your going to sink