U-90 is no more

GoldenRivet · 07-07-07, 01:47 AM

After sinking an escort carrier and two troop ships during my final patrol, my latest career is over.

On 14 October 1943, U-90 dived to evade escorts after attacking and sinking two troop ships (the S.S. Montague and the S.S. Sharpsburg) in grid square CG72 at 0517 hours. The escorts sound located U-90 at 0530 but lost contact several times due to decoys being launched by the U-boat. Several depth charge and hedgehog attacks were made against U-90 by the HMS Wrestler however the U-boat managed to escape and evade each attack. Finally, at approximately 0615 hours, after diving to 240 meters to evade attack and detection, U-90 suffered damage from a well placed depth charge attack. Flooding recovery was attempted on the U-boat but with little success. The U-boat began a descent which was nearly uncontrollable. the commander of the sub, Kapitanleutnant Jon Wintergarten made a difficult choice; "Blow the ballast, surface the boat... place scuttling charges and prepare to abandon ship."

Within a few short minutes the sub was on the surface amidst a shower of gunfire.

To the date, U-90 and her crew had claimed 86 merchants, 23 warships and one airplane for a total of 728,698 tons.

thankfully - the "journal" i kept only had 6 pages remaining. It will make for good reading later - maybe i can keep the next guy alive through to the end of the war!

Penelope_Grey · 07-07-07, 03:27 AM

I had the same thing happen to U-138 my IID

She had the snot kicked out of her by an attacking escort while I was sneaking into scapa flow doing a Prien.

Sorry you lost her Rivet

Canovaro · 07-07-07, 03:28 AM

Rest in peace U-90

Hope the log gets publiced for educational purpose.

Jimbuna · 07-07-07, 04:59 AM

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!!

:rotfl:

Iron Budokan · 07-07-07, 12:56 PM

It's always sad to see these reports of a missing u-boat. Mainly, because I know I'll soon be next...!

Rabiddwarf · 07-07-07, 12:58 PM

....

..

STEED · 07-07-07, 01:20 PM

Stop moaning for fecks sake there is plenty more U-Boats out there. :rotfl:

GoldenRivet · 07-07-07, 02:01 PM

I'll be heading out to sea in a few hours to try it again with a new career... September '39 onwards, dead is dead, 100% all the way as usual.

i just wonder how many stabs it will take to get through this mess!

very difficult to evade asdic after the spring of 43... very accurate sond location down there even at 240 meters deep!

Brag · 07-07-07, 02:36 PM

Better luck in your next career.

I just blew ballast to save my boot. Somehow managed to elude the DD in bad weather --pure blind luck.

GoldenRivet · 07-07-07, 03:12 PM

very lucky brag - you better be glad he had no radar capability.

unfortunately for me almost every dingy in the allied arsenal had radar by late 1943. and besides - despite rough seas - the weather was great when they plucked us out of the drink and held us captive on board those destroyers!

im reviewing my "log" and trying to determine what i could have done differently.

after the torpedo strikes i set a slow dive to 180 meters dropping decoys on the way down, but when one of the warships began closing i increased speed to increase the rate of dive... in hind sight i think that if i had continued the slow descent he might have homed in on one of those decoys instead of detecting me and i might have slipped away.

hard to say though - in 1943 the ASDIC seems to reach way down deep.

Schöneboom · 07-07-07, 07:30 PM

Sorry to hear about your boat, GR! But I was wondering, if you made it down to 200+ meters, would that not give you enough time to dodge the wabos -- if you go to flank the moment they splash in the water? (I've heard them through the hydrophones, perfectly eerie!)

That used to work for me in SH2. Then again, I also recall the DDs would give up & leave after a couple of hours. Has anyone been kept underwater in SH3 by a hunter-killer group until the oxygen runs low? That's what worries me about the later years!

Viel Gluck!

GoldenRivet · 07-07-07, 08:02 PM

Im not sure if it was depth charges or hedge hogs that got me (no external view).

I was evading several depth charge attacks and for a while they started going after the decoys while i slipped away from the convoy. however, somehow they regained contact with my boat. The first time this was made apparent to me was when i started hearing pings suddenly spaced at about half second intervals.

but whatever cause the damage - the boat was damaged at 240 meters. The resulting loss in hull integrety only served to increase the rate at which the boat took damage from sea pressure. I was left with only two alternatives... allow the boat to implode - or give it up.

i chose the route that would likely cost less of the sailors their lives.

07-07-07, 01:47 AM	#1
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	U-90 is no more After sinking an escort carrier and two troop ships during my final patrol, my latest career is over. On 14 October 1943, U-90 dived to evade escorts after attacking and sinking two troop ships (the S.S. Montague and the S.S. Sharpsburg) in grid square CG72 at 0517 hours. The escorts sound located U-90 at 0530 but lost contact several times due to decoys being launched by the U-boat. Several depth charge and hedgehog attacks were made against U-90 by the HMS Wrestler however the U-boat managed to escape and evade each attack. Finally, at approximately 0615 hours, after diving to 240 meters to evade attack and detection, U-90 suffered damage from a well placed depth charge attack. Flooding recovery was attempted on the U-boat but with little success. The U-boat began a descent which was nearly uncontrollable. the commander of the sub, Kapitanleutnant Jon Wintergarten made a difficult choice; "Blow the ballast, surface the boat... place scuttling charges and prepare to abandon ship." Within a few short minutes the sub was on the surface amidst a shower of gunfire. To the date, U-90 and her crew had claimed 86 merchants, 23 warships and one airplane for a total of 728,698 tons. thankfully - the "journal" i kept only had 6 pages remaining. It will make for good reading later - maybe i can keep the next guy alive through to the end of the war! __________________

07-07-07, 03:27 AM	#2
Penelope_Grey Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: UK Posts: 1,893 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I had the same thing happen to U-138 my IID She had the snot kicked out of her by an attacking escort while I was sneaking into scapa flow doing a Prien. Sorry you lost her Rivet __________________ I SURVIVED THE FIRST EVER SUBSIM WEREWOLF HUNT - and... I actually won the game for the humans too!

07-07-07, 04:59 AM	#4
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,481 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! :rotfl: __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

07-07-07, 12:56 PM	#5
Iron Budokan Sea Lord Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 1,778 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	It's always sad to see these reports of a missing u-boat. Mainly, because I know I'll soon be next...! __________________ "You will take on England wherever you find her ships, and you will break her power at sea." --Iron Coffins, Herbert A. Werner http://kennethmarkhoover.com

07-07-07, 12:58 PM	#6
Rabiddwarf Watch Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 16 Downloads: 31 Uploads: 0	......

07-07-07, 03:28 AM	#3
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	Rest in peace U-90 Hope the log gets publiced for educational purpose.

07-07-07, 01:20 PM	#7
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	Stop moaning for fecks sake there is plenty more U-Boats out there. :rotfl: __________________ Dr Who rest in peace 1963-2017. To borrow Davros saying...I NAME YOU CHIBNALL THE DESTROYER OF DR WHO YOU KILLED IT!

07-07-07, 02:01 PM	#8
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	I'll be heading out to sea in a few hours to try it again with a new career... September '39 onwards, dead is dead, 100% all the way as usual. i just wonder how many stabs it will take to get through this mess! very difficult to evade asdic after the spring of 43... very accurate sond location down there even at 240 meters deep! __________________

07-07-07, 02:36 PM	#9
Brag Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Docked on a Russian pond Posts: 7,072 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	Better luck in your next career. I just blew ballast to save my boot. Somehow managed to elude the DD in bad weather --pure blind luck. __________________ Espionage, adventure, suspense, are just a click away Click here to look inside Brag's book: Amazon.com: Kingmaker: Alexey Braguine: Books Order Kingmaker here: http://www.subsim.com/store.html For Tactics visit:http://www.freewebs.com/kielman/

07-07-07, 03:12 PM	#10
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	very lucky brag - you better be glad he had no radar capability. unfortunately for me almost every dingy in the allied arsenal had radar by late 1943. and besides - despite rough seas - the weather was great when they plucked us out of the drink and held us captive on board those destroyers! im reviewing my "log" and trying to determine what i could have done differently. after the torpedo strikes i set a slow dive to 180 meters dropping decoys on the way down, but when one of the warships began closing i increased speed to increase the rate of dive... in hind sight i think that if i had continued the slow descent he might have homed in on one of those decoys instead of detecting me and i might have slipped away. hard to say though - in 1943 the ASDIC seems to reach way down deep. __________________

07-07-07, 07:30 PM	#11
Schöneboom Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 651 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	Sorry to hear about your boat, GR! But I was wondering, if you made it down to 200+ meters, would that not give you enough time to dodge the wabos -- if you go to flank the moment they splash in the water? (I've heard them through the hydrophones, perfectly eerie!) That used to work for me in SH2. Then again, I also recall the DDs would give up & leave after a couple of hours. Has anyone been kept underwater in SH3 by a hunter-killer group until the oxygen runs low? That's what worries me about the later years! Viel Gluck! __________________ Dietrich Schöneboom, U-431 "Es wird klappen, Herr Kaleun. Ganz sicher."

07-07-07, 08:02 PM	#12
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	Im not sure if it was depth charges or hedge hogs that got me (no external view). I was evading several depth charge attacks and for a while they started going after the decoys while i slipped away from the convoy. however, somehow they regained contact with my boat. The first time this was made apparent to me was when i started hearing pings suddenly spaced at about half second intervals. but whatever cause the damage - the boat was damaged at 240 meters. The resulting loss in hull integrety only served to increase the rate at which the boat took damage from sea pressure. I was left with only two alternatives... allow the boat to implode - or give it up. i chose the route that would likely cost less of the sailors their lives. __________________