To ram or not to ram?

siber · 11-29-07, 02:24 PM

Grid Square BE63, July 5th 1941.

U-86 is returning from patrol, having sunk 52,000 tonnes. The ship carries no further torpedoes and has been instructed to return to St. Nazaire to rearm and refuel. Even though the boat's been attacking convoys, she hasn't even had a sniff of a depth charge. The British must be losing their touch...

At 5.15, the watchman sights a ship: A medium liner, 18,000 tonnes of troopship under a British merchant navy flag. The captain rushes to the bridge and curses his luck. With no torpedoes, and a 13m/s wind rushing over the bows, all the can do is watch as the soldiers sail away to the African front; the swell preventing use of the deck gun.

But the officer of the watch has an idea: "Herr Kaleun... Let us ram the liner!". The captain considers the plan. The bow, moving at 15kts, would make a sizable hole in the ship, but would probably cause serious damage to the u-boat. On one hand, thousands of troops arriving safely in timely fashion on the African front. On the other, the lives of his crew; the condition of his boat; the reprimand he'd get for taking the u-boat out of service for 6 month for repairs...

What to do, what to do? :hmm:

papa_smurf · 11-29-07, 02:28 PM

Don't do it - that would certainly sink your U-boat.

Redshirt · 11-29-07, 03:33 PM

Follow the sucker and pray for clear weather before you have to break off to refuel, and while trailing him send out a few contact reports you might at least be able to direct a friendly into do the dirty work

ChrisG2100 · 11-29-07, 03:46 PM

I rammed a destroyer and sank it. U boat was fine. GWX 1.03 and 83% realism. Just love the free view.

Brag · 11-29-07, 04:33 PM

What to do? Head for your base and have a drink :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Sailor Steve · 11-29-07, 06:32 PM

Indeed. The game lets you get away with stupid human tricks. I try not to do things that would get me killed in real life.

NealT · 11-29-07, 07:18 PM

Would not do it. At least not in real world...and not when playing DID.

11-29-07, 07:36 PM

If you can't dodge it, ram it!!!

Oh wait....wrong reference

bookworm_020 · 11-29-07, 10:34 PM

Trail it for as long as you can and see if the weather improves!

siber · 11-30-07, 06:45 AM

The Kaleun made a snap decision: "Right full rudder! Make course parallel to the liner... Both engines ahead full!" U-86 throbbed as her diesel engines roared at high speed. Soon the sub was cutting through the water at 14 kts; a miracle considering the heavy seas...

But it was no good. The liner was off the bow at 100 degrees to port and 3km distant. Her weave showed that her crew had spotted us, yet regardless of her waving course, her powerful engines meant that she was slowly overtaking the u-boat.

The watch-crew looked on, powerless to stop or even slow her down. As the ship outrun the sub, the Kaleun knew that he pursued a futile cause: The liner was just too quick. Once again he cursed the weather for putting the deck gun beyond reach and ordered cruise speed and a course home.

Secretly, the crew felt relieved that the liner's speed made ramming impossible: they weren't particularly happy about colliding the front of their ship into the liner's hull - their bedding arrangements were nasty enough without the addition of flooding.

Two days later, they arrived back in St. Nazaire to a hero's welcome, penants flying for the ships they HAD sunk.

BulSoldier · 11-30-07, 07:02 AM

I always leave one torpedo when start the long journey home.

Gezoes · 11-30-07, 08:22 AM

Yep, me too

Jimbuna · 11-30-07, 09:38 AM

I agree with both bookworm_020 and BulSoldier

However, the latter suggestion is often the hardest one to adhere to

Jonathan · 11-30-07, 01:35 PM

Probably the smartest move is not the easiet to make.\

Also, the only time that I have rammed a ship...nothing happened to the ship that I rammed and my 'boot was damanged very little.

GoldenRivet · 11-30-07, 01:42 PM

a 50K+ ton patrol is a good haul.

ramming the ship would do little damage to it in the end i think.

I used to consider the ramming tactic when i first started playing the game, but it didnt take me long to realize that i was simply surrendering to what i called "the white whale syndrome". Like captain Ahab... i would be obsessed with sending that last 7500 tons to the bottom - fixated solely on sinking that final boat often cost me injured crew, dead crew, or the whole boat and the whole crew... and very rarely resulted in any sinking results and even when i did manage sinking results it was NEVER worth the damage and lost crew.

occasionally that last 25% hull integrity (if you play with that option ON) would be the difference between surviving a close call air attack or never making it home.

sometimes you just have to stare at the targets through the binoculars with a look of patient dissapointment on your face.

11-29-07, 02:24 PM	#1
siber Planesman Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Salford, Manchester, UK Posts: 182 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	To ram or not to ram? Grid Square BE63, July 5th 1941. U-86 is returning from patrol, having sunk 52,000 tonnes. The ship carries no further torpedoes and has been instructed to return to St. Nazaire to rearm and refuel. Even though the boat's been attacking convoys, she hasn't even had a sniff of a depth charge. The British must be losing their touch... At 5.15, the watchman sights a ship: A medium liner, 18,000 tonnes of troopship under a British merchant navy flag. The captain rushes to the bridge and curses his luck. With no torpedoes, and a 13m/s wind rushing over the bows, all the can do is watch as the soldiers sail away to the African front; the swell preventing use of the deck gun. But the officer of the watch has an idea: "Herr Kaleun... Let us ram the liner!". The captain considers the plan. The bow, moving at 15kts, would make a sizable hole in the ship, but would probably cause serious damage to the u-boat. On one hand, thousands of troops arriving safely in timely fashion on the African front. On the other, the lives of his crew; the condition of his boat; the reprimand he'd get for taking the u-boat out of service for 6 month for repairs... What to do, what to do? :hmm: __________________ Using GWX 3.0 at 100% realism, OLC's 'Ubermod' & Torpdamagefinal

11-29-07, 02:28 PM	#2
papa_smurf Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2,851 Downloads: 33 Uploads: 0	Don't do it - that would certainly sink your U-boat. __________________

11-29-07, 03:33 PM	#3
Redshirt Bosun Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 64 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Follow the sucker and pray for clear weather before you have to break off to refuel, and while trailing him send out a few contact reports you might at least be able to direct a friendly into do the dirty work __________________ Reds under the bed!

11-29-07, 04:33 PM	#5
Brag Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Docked on a Russian pond Posts: 7,072 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	What to do? Head for your base and have a drink :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: __________________ 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/

11-29-07, 06:32 PM	#6
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Indeed. The game lets you get away with stupid human tricks. I try not to do things that would get me killed in real life. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-29-07, 03:46 PM	#4
ChrisG2100 Shore leave Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 70 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 0	I rammed a destroyer and sank it. U boat was fine. GWX 1.03 and 83% realism. Just love the free view.

11-29-07, 07:18 PM	#7
NealT Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: 2 Meters Below Jimbuna Posts: 1,060 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Would not do it. At least not in real world...and not when playing DID.

11-29-07, 07:36 PM	#8
-SWCowboy. Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	If you can't dodge it, ram it!!! Oh wait....wrong reference

11-29-07, 10:34 PM	#9
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Trail it for as long as you can and see if the weather improves! __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

11-30-07, 06:45 AM	#10
siber Planesman Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Salford, Manchester, UK Posts: 182 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	The Kaleun made a snap decision: "Right full rudder! Make course parallel to the liner... Both engines ahead full!" U-86 throbbed as her diesel engines roared at high speed. Soon the sub was cutting through the water at 14 kts; a miracle considering the heavy seas... But it was no good. The liner was off the bow at 100 degrees to port and 3km distant. Her weave showed that her crew had spotted us, yet regardless of her waving course, her powerful engines meant that she was slowly overtaking the u-boat. The watch-crew looked on, powerless to stop or even slow her down. As the ship outrun the sub, the Kaleun knew that he pursued a futile cause: The liner was just too quick. Once again he cursed the weather for putting the deck gun beyond reach and ordered cruise speed and a course home. Secretly, the crew felt relieved that the liner's speed made ramming impossible: they weren't particularly happy about colliding the front of their ship into the liner's hull - their bedding arrangements were nasty enough without the addition of flooding. Two days later, they arrived back in St. Nazaire to a hero's welcome, penants flying for the ships they HAD sunk. __________________ Using GWX 3.0 at 100% realism, OLC's 'Ubermod' & Torpdamagefinal Last edited by siber; 11-30-07 at 10:20 AM.

11-30-07, 07:02 AM	#11
BulSoldier Samurai Navy Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Burgas/Bulgaria Posts: 550 Downloads: 40 Uploads: 0	I always leave one torpedo when start the long journey home. __________________ By the hour !

11-30-07, 08:22 AM	#12
Gezoes XO Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 435 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	Yep, me too __________________ If I wasn't a little mad, I'd go mad.

11-30-07, 09:38 AM	#13
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,864 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	I agree with both bookworm_020 and BulSoldier However, the latter suggestion is often the hardest one to adhere to __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

11-30-07, 01:35 PM	#14
Jonathan 中国水兵 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 285 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Probably the smartest move is not the easiet to make.\ Also, the only time that I have rammed a ship...nothing happened to the ship that I rammed and my 'boot was damanged very little. __________________ SHIII Game Manual, In-Game Map, and Quick Reference Chart Can Be Downloaded From This Link: http://hosted.filefront.com/jnazari

11-30-07, 01:42 PM	#15
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	a 50K+ ton patrol is a good haul. ramming the ship would do little damage to it in the end i think. I used to consider the ramming tactic when i first started playing the game, but it didnt take me long to realize that i was simply surrendering to what i called "the white whale syndrome". Like captain Ahab... i would be obsessed with sending that last 7500 tons to the bottom - fixated solely on sinking that final boat often cost me injured crew, dead crew, or the whole boat and the whole crew... and very rarely resulted in any sinking results and even when i did manage sinking results it was NEVER worth the damage and lost crew. occasionally that last 25% hull integrity (if you play with that option ON) would be the difference between surviving a close call air attack or never making it home. sometimes you just have to stare at the targets through the binoculars with a look of patient dissapointment on your face. __________________