The Old Man 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Posts: 1,580
Downloads: 29
Uploads: 0
|
U 113 (IXC) - 4th War Patrol - Convoy battle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kapitän
Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...
++++++
Monday, 11 May 1942 - South of the Azores -
0450 - Morning Dawn.
0530 - Sunrise. Weather and Sea unchanged since Sundown, 10 May.
0545 - Qu.3455DG -
1200 - Qu.3273DG - Days Run: 281.6sm - ↗ (24h).
161cbm (8cbm/24h). Battery 10000Ah. 6 internal Ato. 10.5cm: 28xLkG. On course 70°. Weather and Sea unchanged since Sundown, 10 May.
1316 - Qu.3249DG - "Smoke Plume Ahead Stbd.24!". E=16000.
Looks like a destroyer. Does it belong to a task force or a convoy? Running toward on course 90°, Full-Ahead.
1327 - Further smoke plumes come into sight, from what appears to be a south going convoy. Visibility is 8.5-9sm. Altering course to 135°. "Maneuver Stations!".
Convoy consists of 14 ships in 5 rows and 3 columns, and 6 escorts: Forward Sweeper and Forward Stbd. are C&D Destroyers, Rear Stbd. is L-Class Destroyer, Back and Rear Port are Flower Corvettes, Forward Port is a Dido-Class Cruiser. None of the escorts seem to have any radar fitted, except for the Cruiser, with a range of 3000m.
Boat is positioned to the stbd.-beam of the convoy, which is running with 11kn on course 190°, and keeping a distance of about 8000m on parallel course. Overtaking the convoy is slow, as the boats max speed at Full-Ahead is a mere 12.5kn, wind and sea state is NNW3/2.
Cmdr.: A south going convoy in this area must belong to the OS-Convoys, going from Liverpool to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Main concern at this point are the diesel engines and I don't want to risk damaging them further by going A.K.
1345 - The Stbd.-Rear L-Class Destroyer goes on a search pattern of about 6000m to stbd., and returns back to the convoy at 1355h.
1428 - The Stbd.-Rear L-Class Destroyer goes on a search pattern of about 6000m to Stbd., and returns back to the convoy at 1443h.
1500 - The Stbd.-Rear L-Class Destroyer and the Forward Stbd. C&D-Class Destroyer go on a search pattern of about 6000m to Stbd., the L-Class returns back to the convoy at 1515h, and the C&D-Class at 1535h.
1600 - On new course 175°. Both Stbd. Destroyers go on a search pattern until 1623h.
1638 - Back to course 190°.
1655 - Both Stbd. Destroyers and the Forward Sweeper go on a search pattern until 1714h.
1730 - The Forward Sweeper goes on search pattern.
1747 - Sundown. Weather and Sea unchanged in 24h.
With the setting sun, the Stbd. Forward Destroyer goes on a search pattern until 1800h.
Cmdr.: With the current weather and sea state, and due to the fact, that except for the Cruiser, none of the escorts have radar fitted, we can wait until dark for a surface attack.
1753 - The Forward Sweeper goes on search pattern until 1815h.
1824 - The Stbd. Rear Destroyer goes on a search pattern, goes out of sight at 1837h and does not re-appear when back at the convoy at 1857h.
1830 - The Stbd. Forward Destroyer goes on a search pattern until 1849h.
1900 - Darkness. Visibility 10000m. Small-Ahead.
1905 - The Stbd. Rear Destroyer goes on a search pattern until 1915h.
1915 - The Stbd. Forward Destroyer and the Forward Sweeper go on search patterns.
|
Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...
++++++
- continued from 11 May, 1915h - α 002°.
Closing tube I. Flooding tube II & III.
=> Tube I hits last after 8min.26sec., amidhsips! The Cruiser sinks on an even keel within 2-3 minutes.
1931 - Double Shot with tube II & III: G7a/G7H (K-a/AZ); Running depth 3.0m; Vt30; Own course 100°; Own speed 7kn ahead; Shooter: Ltnt.z.S & I.W.O. Rainer SCHEUFLER.
Target ship: Large empty Tanker, 18192ts, draught 6.0m.
Target course 190°; Target distance 6000m; Target angle green66/67°; Target speed 11kn; Firing angle α 356/357°.
Closing tube II & III. Flooding tube IV.
=> Tube II & III are hits amidships! Tube III hits after tube IV hits the Naval Tanker. The Large empty Tanker catches fire but continues on at 7kn.
1931 - Single Shot with tube IV: G7a/G7H (K-a/AZ); Running depth 3.0m; Vt30; Own course 100°; Own speed 7kn ahead; Shooter: Ltnt.z.S & I.W.O. Rainer SCHEUFLER.
Target ship: Navy Supply Tanker, 5922ts, draught 9.0m.
Target course 190°; Target distance 5500m; Target angle green65°; Target speed 11kn; Firing angle α 355°.
Closing tube IV.
=> Tube IV hits amidships before tube III hits the Large empty Tanker! The Navy Tanker explodes and sinks within less than a minute.
Note: All torpedoes fired were loaded from the supply ship.
1932 - Running off on course 190° and 1/3-Ahead.
The convoy is zig-ziggaing around its mean course, at a speed of 7kn. The Stbd. Forward Destroyer runs back to the convoy, while the Forward Sweeper runs through the middle of the convoy towards the back. The Stbd. Rear Destroyer goes on a search pattern, while to two Corvettes are picking up survivors.
1958 - The Stbd.-Rear Destroyer runs back to the convoy, as the Stbd.-Forward Destroyer goes on a search pattern. The Forward Sweeper and the Rear Corvette, are searching behind the convoy, can't tell if for survivors or for us.
2003 - Both Stbd. Destroyers are back on station.
2005 - Small-Ahead. "Dismissed from Battle Stations!".
2030 - The convoy is in disarray. Both Stbd. escorts go on search patterns until 2050h.
The already torpedoed tanker is being covered on the stbd. side of the convoy, by the forward destroyer, while the forward port side of the convoy is uncovered since the sinking of the Cruiser. Only the port rear side is covered by a Corvette, also, the forward sweeper is still searching behind the convoy. The boat is switching to the port side of the convoy, while keeping a distance of about 5000m.
2130 - On course 100°, Small Ahead.
Cmdr.: Very interesting: The rear port Corvette that all the while has not moved from its position and course, now goes on a search pattern to port.
2135 - Preparing boat for surface attack acc. B.d.U.-Standing Order 302. "Battle Stations!". Flooding tube I.
The forward sweeper is coming back on station, running straight through the convoy.
2149 - Qu.3821DG - Single Shot with tube V: G7a/G7H (K-a/AZ); Running depth 3.0m; Vt40; Own course 100°; Own speed 1.6kn ahead; Shooter: Ltnt.z.S & I.W.O. Rainer SCHEUFLER.
Target ship: Large empty Tanker, 18192ts, draught 6.0m.
Target course 190°, zig-zagging and changing speeds; Target distance 5000m; Target angle red43°; Target speed 9kn; Firing angle α 000°.
Closing tube V. Flooding tube VI.
=> Tube V is a miss and understeers the freighter behind the tanker.
Cmdr.: Torpedoes from home seem to have issues.
The ships turn on their search lights - the torpedo track must have been sighted. The rear port Corvette returns to the convoy and the rear Corvette is searching for usw along the port side.
2155 - Boat running off on course 190° and 2xH.F., and getting ahead of the convoy. Closing tube VI.
2212 - The forward sweeper is on search pattern towards the convoy. The torpedoed tanker is running in disarray at different speeds.
2216 - Back to course 100°. Flooding tube VI.
2220 - Qu.3821DG - Single Shot with tube VI: G7a/G7H (K-a/AZ); Running depth 3.0m; Vt40; Own course 100°; Own speed 1.6kn ahead; Shooter: Ltnt.z.S & I.W.O. Rainer SCHEUFLER.
Target ship: Large empty Tanker, 18192ts, draught 6.0m.
Target course 190°, zig-zagging and changing speeds; Target distance 5000m; Target angle red79°; Target speed 6kn; Firing angle α 000°.
Closing tube VI.
=> Tube VI is a miss.
2232 - 2/3-Moon is rising in the East. Running off on course 67° and medium speed. "Dismissed from Battle Stations!".
Boat continuing return voyage.
__________________
KSDII-Ace/GWX 3.0 Gold/CCoM 10.0 + h.sie-patch; Windows 7 (64-bit); NVIDIA GeForce GTX650 (310.90)
|