Final Voyage of U-108

[predavolk]

Well, I decided to transfer from a VIIB to a IXB in the summer of '40. Of course, they decide that the best place to send a big, ocean-spanning vessel is right in the middle of the Irish/North Straight- AM68. While there's a narrow, deep trench down the middle (max 160M), most of the area is less than 100M deep.


Sooooo...I get to my assigned patrol area OK. Probably because it's been a raging gale. A task force sails out of Preston (Liverpool?) and starts heading my way. I'm able to hear it coming, and decide to move a touch out of the straight to try and intercept it early so I can then run back to deep water for my escape. I lose it on the surface. Yay.

But wait, a convoy is coming down the straight from the North- happy times! Turns out, it's a tiny convoy of 1 patrol craft and a medium cargo ship. Woo-freakin'-hoo. By a minor miracle, I manage to intercept the cargo ship on the surface after easily slipping by the patrol craft. Unfortunately, I can't quite get a good angle for a torpedo shot. I take a shot anyhow, but it misses. While trying to maneuver for a second shot, the patrol craft, presumably signaled by the cargo ship, comes charging in- guns blazing! Damn! Well, forget diving, I crank to flank and right full rudder. I take a couple of hits, but nothing too serious as I lose him in the driving rain. The damage control team quickly patches me up (is there anywhere in-mission where you can determine your hull integrity %?)

The storm continues to rage as I flee North up the straight. But wait, here comes a LARGE convoy coming down the straight! This is just teasing me. Juicy, juicy targets are sailing by but I'm stuck in a phone booth filled with a typhoon! So what the hell, be more aggressive, blah, blah, blah. No problem evading the front escort, pop up to the surface once I get his bearing and boom, I'm in the middle of the convoy with estimated plots for the merchants. There! A ship emerges from the gloom on my port side, 35 degrees off. I desperate try to haul the ship around for a shot on this small merchant, but it slips into the pouring rain before I can. I do notice that, oddly enough, I can see the vanishing smoke more easily without binoculars than with them. No matter, as it's gone. So I head down a course that should take me between 3 tightly packed boats. Going ahead slow so that I have time to see them and take action. Another boat spotted! Unfortunately, this one is port 50 degrees. I try turning my stern tube to it, but no joy. A desperate shot that I fired any how misses. I beat, smack, and curse the stupid lookout who won't get out of my way, and consider removing him from the bridge, but I don't have that time to spare. A couple of minutes after, a medium cargo appears a few hundred meters off my port bow, sailing in a directly opposite heading. Beauty! I turn my remaining stern tube on it. Speed, AOB, and range were preset, but I have to do some last minute adjusting to the latter two. Wow, big angle (it's an electric, and I'm use to steam), but loose torpedo! Just then though, a destroyer, or something else that's ugly and firing a MUCH bigger gun than on a patrol craft, charges from the gloom straight at me! Damn! BOOM! My torpedo hits! I'm very pleased with myself for making that tough snapshot. BOOM! I'm not very pleased that I just took one hell of a hit. Light cannon fire rakes the boat. I get most of the bridge crew down below as I order flank speed, turn into the destroyer, and get a damage control team on the situation. Unfortunately, I'm fighting jet-ski destroyer, who's able to stick to me like white on rice despite my speed and turn. He has no problem staying within, what I would guess, 250M of my boat. BOOM! Another big hit cripples my diesels, slowing me. BOOM! Another hit and the boat's looking pretty damn red. BOOM! And that's the end of U-108.

Well, it wasn't fun while it lasted. I don't play "Iron Man" like some here (I might if I had more time), so I'll reload and try the mission again. Only this time, I'm just going to hide in that spot then run the hell out of there unless conditions are MUCH better for an attack. AM-68 is nicely situated for attacking convoys, but the shallow, limited waters are no place for a IXB. I'll patrol it, then get the hell out to some more open waters. This coastal stuff is for VIIs, if not Canoes!

On a related note, does anyone have the tower emblem for U-108? Based on the photo at subaddict, it looks like it might be a polar bear or something.

[Brag]

Pretty exciting action! But shallow water is a death trap.

[SmokinTep]

I guess if you reload the mission, it's not the final vayage.............

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Here is a photo of the real U-108. It is not showing a emblem. It is a photo from the below link. At the link there is another photo showing the crew


Sie werden mich nie finden.

http://silent-hunter-addict.com

[Flashmax09]

Nice story, that reminds me of my third patrol I did yesterday with my VIIB boat.

I went to my grid square when the Watch officer saw a mixed convoy (enemy and neutral ships) so I make plans to intercept.

Its 11:00PM, heavy rain and fog, I try to intercept only to find my self smack in the middle of the convoy (oops didnt give myself enough headway).

I am too close to the merchant ships (300 meters) and the angle is inpossible. While I am trying to get a deent angle on 1 ship I see a DD charging directly at me.

I go flank and dive to 100 meters (water is shallow 110 meter), then I go silent and turn sharply North.

The first DD misses with his DC salvo, but I was unaware of the second DD and he drops DC salvo directly over my boat. I go flank and turn the ship NE, but its too late 2 DC have a direct hit and heavily damage the front torpedo room, all 4 forward facing torpedo tubes are destroyed, Sonar is destroyed and I have heavy water in my torepdo room and medium water in front Bunk room.

The boat is sinking with 59% hull integrity, I am trying to avoid that my U-Boats Hulls making contact with the ocean floor at 120 meter.

So I throw balast, no effect, throw balast again 3x times in a row and finally my boat is level at around 118 meters.

My repair crew with a decent repair officer stops the water leak in the forward torpedo room and starts working on the forward bunk room.

After 4 hours game time, I am lucky to get away from 2 pesky DD with my U-Boat still intact. It was absolutely intense.

Too bad I had to go back to home port with a full load of torpedoes but what can I do with all 4 torpedo tubes destroyed and sonar detsroyed as well.

Anyway good times and it is only November 1939. I am playing Ironman, meaning if my boat gets destroyed I am done with that career and start new. This adds more intensity.

Great game and I absolutely love it. (SH3 + GWX 2.0 + Commander 3.0)

[predavolk]

Originally Posted by SmokinTep

I guess if you reload the mission, it's not the final vayage.............

Yeah, I guess so! I honestly find it very fun, but very hard, finding an at least 90 minute free block, probably closer to 2-3hrs to play the game. So I can't really afford to restart careers. So far, I've died 2x, but I have 240K tons by August 1940 (my current patrol). Historically, I'm doing very well even if I've bit it twice.

As for the picture, the B&W picture that beautifully shows the deck gun (beast!!), am I just imagining the white polar bear-like mark on the front of the tower? It looks like the bear's head is right above the "U". It would be a great emblem if it was!

@Flash- where you running with your decks awash? I didn't think I'd have time if I tried to dive. Given that you lose sight so easily, I thought it would be far safer to evade on the surface than to try to crash dive the IX. Where did you see hull intergrity? That would be handy info to know, as it can affect maximum dive depth. Nice work ducking the escorts and getting home though. I'm impressed that they picked you up in heavy seas at 100M!

[SmokinTep]

I'm in the same boat. I will restart last patrol vice restart a career.

[predavolk]

Well, got back out to the patrol area, and once again, a SICK amount of traffic passed by. One task force and FOUR large convoys! All in the north straight, all in driving rain and stormy winds. Saw a couple of ships, but never had a chance until the last convoy, I got a fleeting shot, took it (350 M, 220 AOB, 7knts, bearing 190) with a magnetic torp and BOOM! Got a small merchant. I was engaged shortly after, but I think it was by a merchant firing flares (does that count for your crew to call that you're being engaged?). A couple of minutes later an escort tried to depth charge me, but to no avail. I didn't get the map symbol, but I got credit in my log. Oddly, there was a stationary vessel sitting with its lights on at the end of this convoy. I drew closer to it, and it looked like a merchant, but I couldn't see a flag. Rather than take chances, I've left it and sailed back out to the Atlantic.

So I'd HIGHLY recommend A68 if you're in a small boat, as there's a ton of traffic, but it's a small spot to do business.

[Jimbuna]

That stretch is a sure fire winner....but a tad shallow

[marees62]

"(is there anywhere in-mission where you can determine your hull integrity %?)"
If you use SH3 Commander, there is an option to show Hull integrity. If you check it off, it will show up on crew management screen in the top right corner.