Why we sank

[Mau]

Hi all,

Is it possible to know exactly what was the cause of what brought us to be killed/sank.
Sometimes we have small damages, we are trying to escape the enemy and we are then taking quickly damages (probably internally) and then sank.
Is there a log (or something like a mini ACMI - as per some after action report for Aircraft) that tells us exactly what brought us to the bottom?

Thanks

[Sag75]

Hi, i think the program doesn't allow you to know the events that lead to sinking, but i belive that the sequence is:

A close depth charge (or a mine) explosion that produce both:
1. internal systems damage (not linked with flooding!)
2. a leak trough the hull that cause flooding.

So the point 2 is what bring you to the bottom. Internal damage, as modelled in SH3, is not directly linked to sinking.

When you are killed, i think (but i'm not sure!) it is because the leak is so heavy that every compartment is sudden flooded!

[nirwana]

I was buffled in the beginning as well when this happened - the simple reasons were:

a) i hit the damned bottom of the ocean
b) my hull integrity was well below 100% through enemyfire
c) i forgot to suspent silent running mode so repairs didnt start
d) i crashed into wrecks of ships i just sent to the bottom of the ocean in shallow waters
e) i hit the concretewalls of harbors not visible in mapmode

dunno if there is a logfile for it, but i doubt it

P.S. just made a custommission for checking it out
The attacking spitfires could hit my boat with their machineguns running with 8 knots 30m below the waterline taking massive damage in a few seconds starting with the rear torpedocompartment rip through the boat til it hits the front. Since successful repairs didnt last long enough the planes are adjusting their attackangle diving down attacking the dived boat. It took mostly less then 10s til i got the R.I.P. screen.

[GoldenRivet]

Sea Water, plane and simple

[Blacklight]

a) i hit the damned bottom of the ocean
b) my hull integrity was well below 100% through enemyfire
c) i forgot to suspent silent running mode so repairs didnt start
d) i crashed into wrecks of ships i just sent to the bottom of the ocean in shallow waters
e) i hit the concretewalls of harbors not visible in mapmode

You forgot one:

f) Bernard

[Schwuppes]

Originally Posted by Blacklight

You forgot one:

f) Bernard

lol

[Hartmann]

water is a very dense fluid and a bullet lost his energy very fast, and in case of hit the external pressure hull in shallow depth i doubt that it can do a lot of damage.

In the surface it can do more damage but the bullet have to hit the external hull before impact in the thick internal hull.:hmm:

[Vacillator]

Originally Posted by nirwana

attacking spitfires could hit my boat with their machineguns running with 8 knots 30m below the waterline taking massive damage in a few seconds

This is interesting, I wouldn't think that was possible IRL? If it was possible, at what depth would it not be?

[Jimbuna]

This debate crops up regularly....machine gun bullets with AP rounds can make a mess of any supestructure on a U-boat in seconds.

Once the pressure hull is holed the U-boat can soon find itself unable to submerge.

The rest is history.

[Vacillator]

That's fair enough Jim, but what I thought was interesting was that he said he was being hit 30m under the water (okay the conning tower is higher) so I wasn't sure whether that was historically possible. I'm still not sure

[Catfish]

Hi,
an attacking plane could certainly have an impact to flooding cells, pressure bottles, pipes and certainly the outer Diesel saddle tanks, however i doubt an MG shell would have even put a dent into the pressure hull

Greetings,
Catfish

[seafarer]

High velocity rounds tend to disintegrate on hitting water and rarely penetrate more then a couple or few feet. Even 20mm cannon rounds won't penetrate very far.

At a keel depth of of 30m, the upper deck of even a even a type IX is what, 15-20m below water, so no way an aircraft machine gun or cannon round would penetrate that much water. Pieces of rounds may float down and tink against the hull, but in the real world, no .303 or.50 or 20mm round would have caused any damage.