Minute of Silence

CapZap1970 · 06-25-07, 02:11 PM

Lasty night, as making my 27th patrol, U-123 was sunk, all hands lost.
I had to imagine the odds were against me last night. Left Kiel at Oct/1941 on my way to patrol grid AL29. The problems begun right after I left Scotland 20 Km behind me.
First, a DD comes out of nowhere, and beeing unable to dive due to shallow water, I engage the DD with my deck gun. After some 2 or 3 minutes of duel, the DD finally sinks, but it leaves my u-boat with 65% of hull integrity, 2 officers and 1 petty officer dead. They were under my command from patrol 1. At that point, while letting their bodies slip to the cold water, I realized how much we, as skippers, get attached to our crew members, even if it is supposed to be a game. Believe it or not, it's not easy to let them go.
Still far from my patorl grid, I decided to go forward and have the job done. About 70 Kilometers away from our patrol grid, we stumbbled upon a convoy in the middle of the night, with rough waters, rain and heavy fog. The warning came too late, when they were 400 meters away. Suddenly hell broke loose. Searchlights and starflares everywhere. It gave us almost no time to dive, but we managed to do so even if it was too late, since we had been spotted already by an escort. Managed to fire the 4 bow tubes, sinking 1 DD and and a C3, but failed to detect a destroyer approaching from my tail due to the pandemonium.
Got depthcharged and without any chance to run away, not even at flank speed, we sustained heavy flooding, and most of my crew died almost immediately.
Seconds after that, we passed the crushing depth limit....
Few hours later at BdU ,U-123 was reported as "Lost At Sea", all hands lost.....

I feel so sad....
CapZap

Lzs von swe · 06-25-07, 02:25 PM

I salute your crew and join you in a minute of silence.

kiwi_2005 · 06-25-07, 02:53 PM

Amen.

ReM · 06-25-07, 02:55 PM

They have a place reserved in the Walhalla for you and your proud warriors...

kiwi_2005 · 06-25-07, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReM

They have a place reserved in the Walhalla for you and your proud warriors...

Bro they are on eternal patrol!

Submariners dont die they just keep on hunting!

abel29a · 06-25-07, 03:27 PM

27 patrols in two years!?! wow, they deserved their rest, but not in that fashion.

java`s revenge · 06-25-07, 03:49 PM

Use you hydrophone regularly. That had saved you i think.

CapZap1970 · 06-25-07, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abel29a

27 patrols in two years!?! wow, they deserved their rest, but not in that fashion.

Thanks Abel.... I don't like spending 28 days at port after finishing a patrol, so I stay there no more than 1 week...
Buaaaaa

CapZap

Thniper · 06-25-07, 04:44 PM

My sincere condolences.

Kapitaenleutnant Krumbiel, U-66

Corsair · 06-25-07, 05:04 PM

Well, I see a few things we all learned the same hard way :

- stay away from shallow waters...
- in bad visibility conditions (wind rain and fog) spend as little time as possible on the surface - only to reload batteries. It prevents the "DD that comes from nowhere" and the hydrophone gives you long range warning on contacts...
- when you're down to 65% hull integrity, best thing to do is head home asap...

Congrats by the way, takes some balls to sink a DD with the deck gun...

Brag · 06-25-07, 09:34 PM

Caps off. Me and my men salute you.

SleightOfHand · 06-25-07, 10:21 PM

In the pre-radar days, I've had more success with staying on the surface than traveling underwater. I've had destroyers pass within four hundred meters or so on the surface and not notice me, whereas if I'd been underwater chances are they would've heard me.

Or maybe I'm just lucky.

Kpt. Lehmann · 06-25-07, 10:29 PM

Salute! U-123.

Mush Martin · 06-25-07, 11:43 PM

Mis condolencias a las viudas de su equipo.

Canovaro · 06-26-07, 05:19 AM

Another U-boot and its crew are lost. How are we supposed to win this war?

06-25-07, 02:11 PM	#1
CapZap1970 Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: La Paz, Bolivia Posts: 1,965 Downloads: 275 Uploads: 51	Minute of Silence Lasty night, as making my 27th patrol, U-123 was sunk, all hands lost. I had to imagine the odds were against me last night. Left Kiel at Oct/1941 on my way to patrol grid AL29. The problems begun right after I left Scotland 20 Km behind me. First, a DD comes out of nowhere, and beeing unable to dive due to shallow water, I engage the DD with my deck gun. After some 2 or 3 minutes of duel, the DD finally sinks, but it leaves my u-boat with 65% of hull integrity, 2 officers and 1 petty officer dead. They were under my command from patrol 1. At that point, while letting their bodies slip to the cold water, I realized how much we, as skippers, get attached to our crew members, even if it is supposed to be a game. Believe it or not, it's not easy to let them go. Still far from my patorl grid, I decided to go forward and have the job done. About 70 Kilometers away from our patrol grid, we stumbbled upon a convoy in the middle of the night, with rough waters, rain and heavy fog. The warning came too late, when they were 400 meters away. Suddenly hell broke loose. Searchlights and starflares everywhere. It gave us almost no time to dive, but we managed to do so even if it was too late, since we had been spotted already by an escort. Managed to fire the 4 bow tubes, sinking 1 DD and and a C3, but failed to detect a destroyer approaching from my tail due to the pandemonium. Got depthcharged and without any chance to run away, not even at flank speed, we sustained heavy flooding, and most of my crew died almost immediately. Seconds after that, we passed the crushing depth limit.... Few hours later at BdU ,U-123 was reported as "Lost At Sea", all hands lost..... I feel so sad.... CapZap __________________

06-25-07, 02:25 PM	#2
Lzs von swe Ace of the Deep Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Norrkoping, Sweden Posts: 1,074 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	I salute your crew and join you in a minute of silence. __________________

06-25-07, 02:53 PM	#3
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	Amen. __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

06-25-07, 02:55 PM	#4
ReM Commodore Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Brewsky, Galore Posts: 618 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	They have a place reserved in the Walhalla for you and your proud warriors... __________________ Daddy cool

06-25-07, 03:27 PM	#6
abel29a Helmsman Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Trondheim, Norway Posts: 101 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	27 patrols in two years!?! wow, they deserved their rest, but not in that fashion. __________________ "Sieben Tankern schlug die letze Stund, die U-Falle sank träger. Zwei Frachter liegen mit auf Grund, Versenkt vom Paukenschläger." - Reinhard Hardegen, U-123 GWX 1.03 and loving it....

06-25-07, 03:49 PM	#7
java`s revenge Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: at periscope depth Posts: 1,204 Downloads: 97 Uploads: 0	Use you hydrophone regularly. That had saved you i think. __________________

06-25-07, 04:44 PM	#9
Thniper Planesman Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Niedersachsen, Germany Posts: 186 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	My sincere condolences. Kapitaenleutnant Krumbiel, U-66 __________________ "I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth." ------------------------------- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (1726)

06-25-07, 05:04 PM	#10
Corsair Ace of the Deep Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Toulouse France Posts: 1,140 Downloads: 51 Uploads: 0	Well, I see a few things we all learned the same hard way : - stay away from shallow waters... - in bad visibility conditions (wind rain and fog) spend as little time as possible on the surface - only to reload batteries. It prevents the "DD that comes from nowhere" and the hydrophone gives you long range warning on contacts... - when you're down to 65% hull integrity, best thing to do is head home asap... Congrats by the way, takes some balls to sink a DD with the deck gun... __________________ NYGM 3.4A / Living SH3 V5.1 + SH3 Commander

06-25-07, 09:34 PM	#11
Brag Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Docked on a Russian pond Posts: 7,072 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	Caps off. Me and my men salute you. __________________ 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/

06-25-07, 10:21 PM	#12
SleightOfHand Sailor man Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 44 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	In the pre-radar days, I've had more success with staying on the surface than traveling underwater. I've had destroyers pass within four hundred meters or so on the surface and not notice me, whereas if I'd been underwater chances are they would've heard me. Or maybe I'm just lucky.

06-25-07, 10:29 PM	#13
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,993 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	Salute! U-123. __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

06-25-07, 11:43 PM	#14
Mush Martin Eternal Patrol Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4,398 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Mis condolencias a las viudas de su equipo. __________________ RIP Mush Tutorial

06-26-07, 05:19 AM	#15
Canovaro Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,062 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	Another U-boot and its crew are lost. How are we supposed to win this war?