Radar in 1939?

[CaptBones]

First…SH3/GWX3, with a few additional MODs including “GWX3 Wilhelmshafen, St Naz,. Schluese and xtra ships”, plus h.sie’s hard code fixes and managing this career with SH3 Commander.

So, there I was, on October 8th, 1939 in the north-central part of AN47 on the surface in U-21 (Type IIA in the game…Type IIB in the real world) at about 0730, course N, making 7kts. Weather wasn’t terrible; winds E at 9m/sec, partly cloudy, moderate visibility. The watch on deck sights a ship to the NNE at about 14km, then a second, a third, and a fourth; we’ve seen this before…four RN DD’s (1-V&W Class and 3-A&B Class) on an ASW “sweep” along the North Sea shipping lanes, more or less from Scapa Flow to Hull and back. They’re on my stbd bow, but with a good right bearing drift, heading mostly “away” on course ESE; we’ll stay on the surface, slow down and let them go on their merry way.

Then I hear, “Enemy ship engaging us, Sir!” and sure enough, one of the DD’s (one of the “A&B Class”) is now at 12km, AOB “null grad” and picking up speed. WTH? They should not have been able to see me. But, “selecting” him reveals a radar detection range circle, so we dive to periscope depth and turn away from him. I’ll run at full speed for about five minutes to put some distance between us and the “Datum” he’ll be heading for once we dived and he lost radar contact. It worked; we’re at slow speed creeping away as he nears “Datum” and conducts a hydrophone search about 2200-3000m astern of us.

After 15 minutes or so, he turns away and speeds up to rejoin his mates, now to the ENE. I give him another 15 minutes and then raise periscope to verify his position and course/speed. DAMN! As soon as I get him in the cross-hairs and see his range is 10km, he turns back towards me and is coming on again. So, make a quick turn to put him astern and try to get clear of “Datum” again. And, it works again; he runs up to “Datum”, drops a pattern of depth charges about 2200m astern of me and then slows down to do another hydrophone search. No active pinging this time or the last. Plus, he’s on his own both times, no help from the other three.

This time I give him a half-hour to rejoin his partners. They are now 14-16km away to the ESE, so I surface with my stern towards them and try to slip quietly away at 1/3 speed. No such luck…“Enemy ship engaging us, Sir!” OK, pull the plug, turn 90 degrees to port and go to periscope depth at full speed for five minutes to clear “Datum”…again. But this time, I’m through being harassed by this character; turn 90 degrees to port, slow to 1/3 and set up a two-torpedo salvo (G7a’s unfortunately) for 5m depth, 5deg spread angle, medium speed, magnetic pistols…come and get it old chum!

As he approaches ”Datum”, slow to 50 shaft rpm and turn another 90 degrees to port, open tube doors and stand by to shoot on a single bearing at short range…”Down the throat”. Now hydrophone holds him 10degrees on stbd bow; up scope, lock on, range 1400m, AOB 75 port. He’s turning; AOB 20 port, range 1000m…AOB 10 port, range 800m…AOB 0, range 750m, fire! Down scope, ahead flank, hard left rudder, dive!

Watch the torpedo run time…the first eel misses…mark the second run time…BOOM!!!...bang bang bang; broken crockery in the galley. Periscope depth, ahead 1/3…up scope, just in time to watch his bow go under.

Had to be radar, right? But, this early in the war? And why didn’t his partners come along and assist? In the past, any time I was detected by one ASW ship, every other one in the vicinity joined the hunt…this was strange. Could it have something to do with his being the only radar-equipped unit? Has anyone out there seen anything like this before?

[sublynx]

I've had that kind of one escort repeatedly approaching from far away kind of behaviour, but only when I have been acting as a contact keeper against a convoy with radar-equipped escorts. But 1939, very odd indeed!