First time depth charged?

The first time i was depth charged.
I was part of flotilla 1, on my very first patrol. (only having played the academy missions and a few single missions.) I was reaching my destination (not sure what grid it was) north east of the English coast. Everything had been pretty dull for a while, sank one merchant after a few tries, since i didn't really understand how to intercept .

Anyways, i was surfaced, and on deck when i realized all of my watch crew save for one sailor, was below. (again, didn't understand how to work things... ) So i called my men to the bridge, and almost immediately: "Warship spotted, close range!" What? HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT?
I took a glance at my stealth meter to see it go down to red

CRASH DIVE, EVERYONE BELOW NOW!

after getting to about 50 meters below, i started hearing that most dreadful sound... PING.......PING.....PING....PING....PING...PING..P ING...PING

and after about a second of silence.... BOOOOOOMMMMMM BOOOMMMMM BOOOOOMMMMMMM

The rest happened so fast and being as tired as i was, i can't really recall what happened next.

Needless to say, i was pretty excited. I don't think my hands have sweated and my heart has beat so fast from playing a game in a very long time.

And here I am, around 40tons under my belt, taking on battleships.

Anyways, share your stories about being depth charged.

[Osmium Steele]

Sonar tracked a B class as it passed directly over us. We were making turns for 1.5 knots, against the current to give us some steerageway, rigged for quiet. <ooc - had the volume turned all the way up with my headphones on, family all abed, etc.>

Hearing a faint "peewww, peeewww, peewww" as the DC launchers fired, I listened intently for the splash transients as they hit the water.

Nothing...

nothing...

"Huh, that's interesting."

Just then, my idiot weapons officer yells, "DEPTH CHARGES IN THE WATER!" directly into my ear!!

As I picked my skin up from the deck, seeing as I had just jumped straight out of it, I restricted the moron to his quarters for the remainer of the watch.

[Jimbuna]

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!!

[Osmium Steele]

Actually, my favorite depth charge attacks are the ones that start well astern and just get further away.

My favorite convoy tactic, attack from 45 deg ahead. Fire at furthest target first, closest target last. Dive, ahead flank, hard to port for 90 degrees, hard to starboard 90 degrees and run under the convoy while things 'splode on the roof. By the time I reach the far corner of the convoy, I'm deep, make turns for 1.5 knots, rigged for silent, and might throw in a shallow right or left rudder depending on placement of escorts.

Creep away while the enemy thrashes about behind me.

[Osmium Steele]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!!

Very well, I'll shoot him next time.

[Bakkels]

Don't listen to Jim!
Well normally you should, but he's got a rare affliction; he got so many radio messages from BdU saying 'Be more aggressive!' that he has the uncontrollable compulsion to scream that sentence now and again on the forum

Seriously though, if you're already being depth-charged, attacking a destroyer is the last thing you should do. Go to silent running-mode, dive to 180 to 200 meters (first check the depth under keel of course) and try to zig-zag your way out of there. Keep your speed under 2 knots, otherwise the destroyer will hear you.

If you really want to take out a destroyer, here's what I sometimes do when I attack a convoy, but only if there's only two destroyers around, an only one is close by:
After I attacked on or two merchants in the convoy, I make sure the destroyer knows where I am. I purposely keep my periscope up, so it'll see me, and I turn up the engines a bit. I change course so I'll either face the destroyer or (even better) I'm traveling away from it. Set a torpedo to magnetic, depth one meter under the destroyer's keel and fire. Early in the war, they're not that smart and the destroyer will come straight at you, so if you got your aiming right, you'll usually hit.
Later on in the war, they'll zig zag towards you, so then it's just attacking merchants and getting the hell out of there.

Happy hunting!

[Osmium Steele]

That was one of my favorite tactics in the old Silent Service game. One fish down the DD's throat and the entire convoy is mine for the taking.

Haven't had the guts to try it yet with GWX.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Bakkels

I make sure the destroyer knows where I am. I purposely keep my periscope up, so it'll see me, and I turn up the engines a bit. I change course so I'll either face the destroyer or (even better) I'm traveling away from it. Set a torpedo to magnetic, depth one meter under the destroyer's keel and fire. Early in the war, they're not that smart and the destroyer will come straight at you, so if you got your aiming right, you'll usually hit.

Ah, the old "let's play chicken" game. I've done this early in the war, but only with lone DDs. Always turn and run straight away from them and then if they're not very bright they try to run right up my stern.

The hard part is waiting for the perfect moment, when they're close enough that they don't have enough time to get out of the path of the torpedo but are still far enough away that it will have time to arm itself. Most of the time they do try to turn out of its path, but with the magnetic fuse and the short range - fuhgeddaboudit.

The first time I did it, it was almost as nerve-wracking as getting myself smack in the middle of a convoy and then getting out again. And almost as satisfying when it worked.

[Bakkels]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Ah, the old "let's play chicken" game. I've done this early in the war, but only with lone DDs. Always turn and run straight away from them and then if they're not very bright they try to run right up my stern.

The hard part is waiting for the perfect moment, when they're close enough that they don't have enough time to get out of the path of the torpedo but are still far enough away that it will have time to arm itself. Most of the time they do try to turn out of its path, but with the magnetic fuse and the short range - fuhgeddaboudit.

The first time I did it, it was almost as nerve-wracking as getting myself smack in the middle of a convoy and then getting out again. And almost as satisfying when it worked.

Yep, it only works up until '41, but it's a great way to make those early days a bit more exciting. Later on, you'll get all the excitement you need (and then some). You won't have to go out and look for danger after '41 anymore...
Also, be sure to use the Type II torpedoes, as they won't leave a trail and the destroyer won't see them coming.

[Howard313]

First time I got sunk by depth charges was in Vanilla SH3, I was on a Destroyer hunt in the English Channel at the southern end of the North Sea. I don't go there anymore but back in Vanilla SH3 there was Destroyer's galore, you could run into one at least once every hour.

The depth in those parts is about 30m so.....yeah I was asking for it.

Originally Posted by Howard313

First time I got sunk by depth charges was in Vanilla SH3, I was on a Destroyer hunt in the English Channel at the southern end of the North Sea. I don't go there anymore but back in Vanilla SH3 there was Destroyer's galore, you could run into one at least once every hour.

The depth in those parts is about 30m so.....yeah I was asking for it.

Oh god, the English channel. I dread even going near there. I've been sunk by destroyers, sunk by me... everything bad, just bad bad bad.

[frau kaleun]

hey everybody wanna hear my Jimbuna impression? of course you do.

*clears throat*

STAY OUT OF THE CHANNEL!!!

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

hey everybody wanna hear my Jimbuna impression? of course you do.

*clears throat*

STAY OUT OF THE CHANNEL!!!

Buu.. butt.. butt Frauuuuuuuuuu! THe Channel is my FAVORITE Place to Hunt!!! hahaha

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

hey everybody wanna hear my Jimbuna impression? of course you do.

*clears throat*

STAY OUT OF THE CHANNEL!!!

Lol...I'm suprised nobody has posted the last in my trio...SINK EM ALL!!

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Lol...I'm suprised nobody has posted the last in my trio...SINK EM ALL!!

We saved it for you.