Not necessarily. I got detected in less than 40m of water and took quite a hammering. Constantly getting pinged and depth charged. Took quite a bit of flooding and hit the ocean floor hard causing more damage. In fact I thought I was a goner. I had to disengage silent running to make repairs in order to get off the seabed and try and creep away, which I eventually did. So U-51 lives on to fight another day, I'm pleased to say. This was in March 1940, which was probably in my favour due to the convoy escorts not being as good as they were later in the war.
Nemo
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"I'm afraid there is no disguising the fact that King's obsession with the Pacific and the Battle of Washington cost us dear in the Battle of the Atlantic".
Sir John Slessor GCB, DSO, MC, DL
AOC-in-C Coastal Command RAF
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