Sunk a semi-major warship!

sharkbit · 07-03-08, 01:18 PM

Sunk my first warship that wasn't a destroyer(or a tiny little MTB

).

I'm in my trusty VIIB U-48 on her 7th patrol(6th war patrol).

I intercepted a north bound convoy in the afternoon of January 28, 1940. I was working my way into position in reduced visibility, trying to get a couple of ships in the outside column. I couldn't see what else was in the convoy due to the visibility. I was just about to dive to do a submerged attack but I must have got a little too close. A Black Swan frigate emerged from the mist and started shooting.

I dived and tried to get a shot off with my stern tube but missed and had to go deep.
The frigate kept me down for about 30-40 minutes before heading back to the convoy.

I surface and work my way around and get ahead of the convoy again 3 hours later, still planning a daylight, albeit overcast, submeged attack. Everything worked out great except that I had to dive a little earlier than I wanted-I'm keeping a eye on the Black Swan that was at the head of the convoy when I see a lit up ship off in the distance cutting across the path of the convoy and heading right for me. I went to PD because I didn't want him to spot me. It turns out to be a independent neutral medium cargo ship sailing by.
No problems though. I take out a small freighter and a coastal freighter on the outer row, but I saw the shapes of a large and medium freighter in the next row. Those will be my targets next attack in the evening because here comes that pesky Black Swan again.

Another 30 minutes pass while I listen to distant depth charges astern of me and the Black Swan heads to his position again. Time to rinse and repeat-get ahead again and attack, this time on the surface at night.
I work into position to attack the large and medium cargo ships in the second row and am lined up with the doors open ready to shoot when the lookout says "Warship sighted, bearing xxx!" The bearing seemed odd unless I was sighted and that escort had been working his way through the convoy. I look in the direction reported and there she is....a Southhampton Class cruiser sailing seenely on, lead ship of the second column.
Quick decision...2 freighters for a total of around 9000 tons or a 10000 ton cruiser?:hmm:

Cruiser.

Quick adjustment to course for a better gyro angle on the cruiser, fire all bow tubes, and hard starbord to try to get a stern shot off at one of the small ships in the outer column.

Unfortuneately, Bernard was at the helm

and didn't hear my rudder command and we kept sailing straight and I was busy and didn't notice that we weren't turning. When I finally noticed and got the boat turning, all 4 eels hit the cruiser and I was sighted by the large freighter, who then started taking what looked like machine gun shots at me. I just saw a bunch of tracers and searchlights.
I didn't even try a stern shot. I poured the coals to her and vacated the area and got under when that damn Black Swan got in the area.

Odd thing happened on the way down. I get the message "She's going down!" and the sunk ship icon on the map where the cruiser was very quickly after the eels hit and soon after that, I get another "She's going down!" message and another icon on the map. I'm almost positive all the torpedoes got past the lead ship in the first column and hit the cruiser. It turned out to be a tramp steamer. I either hit her with my 4th eel (shot that one after a little delay) or the cruiser blew up after the convoy zigged away from me and the steamer got caught in the blast, if that is possible.
I'll take the cheap tonnage.

The Black Swan gave up after about 30-40 minutes of dropping depth charges far away from my position and I decided it was enough for this convoy. I set course for my patrol area to the west of Gibraltar with 3 torpedoes left-1 bow tube loaded and 1 in the stern tube with 1 reload in the stern.

Lack of agression for not hitting the convoy again?
Maybe. but it paid off later.

Few days later, I run into 3, count 'em, 3 large, unescorted freighters sailing in line ahead at night . I sink all 3 of them with my remaining eels and a bunch of artillery shells for over 15000 tons total

, but, I also managed to get too close to one and we sorta, kinda, scraped hulls.

No system damage or casualties, but I wonder what my hull integrity will look like when I get home. Between the collision and a run in I had with a destroyer north of Ireland, I know I'm well below 100%.

What started out as a so-so patrol, turned out to pretty nice, tonnage wise. I'm heading home to Wilhelmshaven now with over 39000 tons for the patrol. Should put me over the 200000 ton mark.

Sorry for the length, but I just wanted to share what a great expereience I've had so far.

STEED · 07-03-08, 01:21 PM

Well I suppose you got to start some where, good shooting.

sharkbit · 07-03-08, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STEED

Well I suppose you got to start some where, good shooting.

Thanks.
I'm definitely looking forward to the day when a battleship or carrier steams in front of my tubes.

STEED · 07-03-08, 01:26 PM

I've sunk so many Battleships your welcome to them. :rotfl:

I'm now sinking Passenger Ships and to date six of them are no more.

predavolk · 07-03-08, 02:56 PM

Don't listen to Steed, he's the resident Battleship Braggart!:p

I've sank 1.4 million tons, have five 100K patrols under my belt, and you've just tied my biggest warship kill (I've gotten a Fiji and a Southampton). Well, I got an auxillary cruiser, but it's not a real warship. So I'd be pretty darn proud if I were you- congratulations!

Big warships are quite rare if you don't actively poach them and/or their bases, so it takes some luck and the skill to make use of that luck to bag anything bigger than a destroyer/frigate. And on top of it, you bagged some good merchant tonnage on top of it. Keep up the good work!

STEED · 07-04-08, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by predavolk

Don't listen to Steed, he's the resident Battleship Braggart!:p

ME! :rotfl:

sharkbit · 07-04-08, 07:47 AM

Quote:

No system damage or casualties, but I wonder what my hull integrity will look like when I get home. Between the collision and a run in I had with a destroyer north of Ireland, I know I'm well below 100%.

Made it back to Wilhelmshaven last night after work with 47% hull integrity and a Knights Cross waiting for me.

Unfortuneately, my ace hydrophone operator got transfered out(SH3 Commander) and I got some NFG petty officer with a torpedoman rating. I got enough of those already!

Spent almost 2 months in dry dock. It's March 28, 1940 and now I'm heading out again towards my assigned patrol area near Norway and up near some god foresaken place called Narvik instead of out to the Atlantic and the shipping lanes. All I've seen out here so far is a bunch of well lit neutral shipping.
Now why in the world would Bdu be sending me out to Norway? Are they mad at me for damaging their nice U-boat or is there something big brewing in the air? Some kind of big, grand stategy kind of thing?

Hmmmmmm........I wonder. :hmm:

Laufen zum Ziel · 07-07-08, 07:52 PM

BDU Says -
Do not sink Capital ships it ticks the Brits off.

You are a bad boy.....

Sailor Steve · 07-07-08, 08:13 PM

You know, if people spent less time bragging about how good they are and more time sinking ships, we'd have won this war by now!

I blame it all on Balz!:rotfl:

No, seriously: you met the enemy, you made him pay, you made it home again. Good Job!

FIREWALL · 07-07-08, 08:19 PM

Nice job

One picture is worth a thousand words.

predavolk · 07-10-08, 08:07 AM

Well, as luck would have it, I just nailed a Southampton myself! Got it while it was parked in St. Helena harbor (DEEP harbor in the South Atlantic). I also plugged a modern tanker and a tramp steamer. Good times!

Warner Von Shultz · 07-10-08, 12:52 PM

I've probably completed about 12 patrols total since I got this game and loaded GWX to it and I have yet to sink a large Warship. The closest time I have ever come to sinking a large warship was what appeared to be a large cruiser. It was the middle of the night and clear skies and water when my watchmen spotted a Task Force heading straight our way at about 25 knots (?) . We submerged and let the whole convoy of what appeared to be a heavy CA with about 5 or 6 destroyers escorting it. We set up a perfect alignment and fired all four front tubes at the beast. It was a perfect alignment and when the eels reached the CA they had nice big broadsides on them. Well two of the eels failed to detenate; but the other two hit their mark.

I had to immediately dive because of the destroyers and got pounded while the CA slipped away. Looking at the free look camera it had appeared that it was taking in water on the port side as it was listing so heavily it's mid top deck would get a washed with water from the sea. For a time I thought she was going to list completely over and sink. It slowed to about 5 knots and I followed the ship for a few days; but every time I got around to make another attack run on it there must have been a stupid escort carrier nearby because anytime I hit the surface I got hammered by dive bombers. I had to finally let the beast go after five days of shadowing ending in a bad storm front which caused me to completely loose the ship in the weather.

It was the most thrilling few days of my simulated sub life and I still have visions of that ship limping away to some harbor someplace.

If only I had not had those two eels be lame ducks I might have brought her to Davie Jones!

Blohm und Voss · 07-10-08, 03:40 PM

I have played SH3 from the start of a career to the end about 3 times.

This time, while in 1940 in the VIIB and still operating from Wilhelmshaven I decided to enter the Firth of Forth at nightfall. What a surprise! Dead ahead coming out of the Firth is a battleship! Because it ws still far I go to flank speed and turn to intercept before diving when about 1000 metres from the intercept point and slowing down.

While waiting for the battleship to come to my position I spot an escort a way off to my stern quarter. Then it happens, I spot another battleship behind the first in line ahead! When the first battleship comes into position I fire 3 fish at her. They all strike with no malfunctions! By this time the second battleship is in range and I manage to fire the remaining fish at her as well as the one that has been reloaded by now. The first strikes by the time the next fish is loaded and I fire that too. All three strike and explode. The Firth is shallow and the first battleship turns on her side and settles on the bottom with just under half of out of the water. The escorts are now on their way and I go to flank towards the sunken battleship. When I reach the battleship the other has now sunk as well. I stay close to the hull of the sunken vessel at periscope depth so preventing the escorts coming in and depth charging me. They buzz around like angry bees but I await my chance and manage to sneak off when the sunken vessel is between me and them.

I have also managed to sink a passenger liner near Wales but it took six fish to sink her.

I have spotted a Bogue Class Carrier but was too far away to pursue and attack.

Last night I stayed up to sink an entire convoy including the escorts off Liverpool. After dealing with the more dangerous escorts I had to surface and sink the armed trawler by gunfire. Afterwards I could pick off the merchants one by one taking my time.

My tally for this patrol was 13 merchants and 9 warships sunk. 7 Aircraft were also downed. One crewman was wounded.

What a great game.

07-03-08, 01:18 PM	#1
sharkbit The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 1,529 Downloads: 334 Uploads: 0	Sunk a semi-major warship! Sunk my first warship that wasn't a destroyer(or a tiny little MTB ). I'm in my trusty VIIB U-48 on her 7th patrol(6th war patrol). I intercepted a north bound convoy in the afternoon of January 28, 1940. I was working my way into position in reduced visibility, trying to get a couple of ships in the outside column. I couldn't see what else was in the convoy due to the visibility. I was just about to dive to do a submerged attack but I must have got a little too close. A Black Swan frigate emerged from the mist and started shooting. I dived and tried to get a shot off with my stern tube but missed and had to go deep. The frigate kept me down for about 30-40 minutes before heading back to the convoy. I surface and work my way around and get ahead of the convoy again 3 hours later, still planning a daylight, albeit overcast, submeged attack. Everything worked out great except that I had to dive a little earlier than I wanted-I'm keeping a eye on the Black Swan that was at the head of the convoy when I see a lit up ship off in the distance cutting across the path of the convoy and heading right for me. I went to PD because I didn't want him to spot me. It turns out to be a independent neutral medium cargo ship sailing by. No problems though. I take out a small freighter and a coastal freighter on the outer row, but I saw the shapes of a large and medium freighter in the next row. Those will be my targets next attack in the evening because here comes that pesky Black Swan again. Another 30 minutes pass while I listen to distant depth charges astern of me and the Black Swan heads to his position again. Time to rinse and repeat-get ahead again and attack, this time on the surface at night. I work into position to attack the large and medium cargo ships in the second row and am lined up with the doors open ready to shoot when the lookout says "Warship sighted, bearing xxx!" The bearing seemed odd unless I was sighted and that escort had been working his way through the convoy. I look in the direction reported and there she is....a Southhampton Class cruiser sailing seenely on, lead ship of the second column. Quick decision...2 freighters for a total of around 9000 tons or a 10000 ton cruiser?:hmm: Cruiser. Quick adjustment to course for a better gyro angle on the cruiser, fire all bow tubes, and hard starbord to try to get a stern shot off at one of the small ships in the outer column. Unfortuneately, Bernard was at the helm and didn't hear my rudder command and we kept sailing straight and I was busy and didn't notice that we weren't turning. When I finally noticed and got the boat turning, all 4 eels hit the cruiser and I was sighted by the large freighter, who then started taking what looked like machine gun shots at me. I just saw a bunch of tracers and searchlights. I didn't even try a stern shot. I poured the coals to her and vacated the area and got under when that damn Black Swan got in the area. Odd thing happened on the way down. I get the message "She's going down!" and the sunk ship icon on the map where the cruiser was very quickly after the eels hit and soon after that, I get another "She's going down!" message and another icon on the map. I'm almost positive all the torpedoes got past the lead ship in the first column and hit the cruiser. It turned out to be a tramp steamer. I either hit her with my 4th eel (shot that one after a little delay) or the cruiser blew up after the convoy zigged away from me and the steamer got caught in the blast, if that is possible. I'll take the cheap tonnage. The Black Swan gave up after about 30-40 minutes of dropping depth charges far away from my position and I decided it was enough for this convoy. I set course for my patrol area to the west of Gibraltar with 3 torpedoes left-1 bow tube loaded and 1 in the stern tube with 1 reload in the stern. Lack of agression for not hitting the convoy again? Maybe. but it paid off later. Few days later, I run into 3, count 'em, 3 large, unescorted freighters sailing in line ahead at night . I sink all 3 of them with my remaining eels and a bunch of artillery shells for over 15000 tons total , but, I also managed to get too close to one and we sorta, kinda, scraped hulls. No system damage or casualties, but I wonder what my hull integrity will look like when I get home. Between the collision and a run in I had with a destroyer north of Ireland, I know I'm well below 100%. What started out as a so-so patrol, turned out to pretty nice, tonnage wise. I'm heading home to Wilhelmshaven now with over 39000 tons for the patrol. Should put me over the 200000 ton mark. Sorry for the length, but I just wanted to share what a great expereience I've had so far. __________________ “Prejudice is blind. There will always be someone who says you aren’t welcome at the table. Stop apologizing for who you are and using all your energy trying to change their minds. Yes, you will lose friends, maybe even family. But you will gain your self-respect. You will know your worth. Once you have that, nothing can stop you.”

07-03-08, 01:21 PM	#2
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	Well I suppose you got to start some where, good shooting. __________________ Dr Who rest in peace 1963-2017. To borrow Davros saying...I NAME YOU CHIBNALL THE DESTROYER OF DR WHO YOU KILLED IT!

07-03-08, 01:26 PM	#4
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	I've sunk so many Battleships your welcome to them. :rotfl: I'm now sinking Passenger Ships and to date six of them are no more. __________________ Dr Who rest in peace 1963-2017. To borrow Davros saying...I NAME YOU CHIBNALL THE DESTROYER OF DR WHO YOU KILLED IT!

07-07-08, 07:52 PM	#8
Laufen zum Ziel Eternal Patrol Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hiding on the bottom Posts: 1,783 Downloads: 853 Uploads: 457	BDU Says - Do not sink Capital ships it ticks the Brits off. You are a bad boy..... __________________ RIP Laufen zum Ziel

07-07-08, 08:13 PM	#9
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	You know, if people spent less time bragging about how good they are and more time sinking ships, we'd have won this war by now! I blame it all on Balz!:rotfl: No, seriously: you met the enemy, you made him pay, you made it home again. Good Job! __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

07-03-08, 02:56 PM	#5
predavolk Weps Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 369 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Don't listen to Steed, he's the resident Battleship Braggart!:p I've sank 1.4 million tons, have five 100K patrols under my belt, and you've just tied my biggest warship kill (I've gotten a Fiji and a Southampton). Well, I got an auxillary cruiser, but it's not a real warship. So I'd be pretty darn proud if I were you- congratulations! Big warships are quite rare if you don't actively poach them and/or their bases, so it takes some luck and the skill to make use of that luck to bag anything bigger than a destroyer/frigate. And on top of it, you bagged some good merchant tonnage on top of it. Keep up the good work!

07-07-08, 08:19 PM	#10
FIREWALL Eternal Patrol Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CATALINA IS. SO . CAL USA Posts: 10,108 Downloads: 511 Uploads: 0	Nice job One picture is worth a thousand words. __________________ RIP FIREWALL I Play GWX. Silent Hunter Who ???

07-10-08, 08:07 AM	#11
predavolk Weps Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 369 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Well, as luck would have it, I just nailed a Southampton myself! Got it while it was parked in St. Helena harbor (DEEP harbor in the South Atlantic). I also plugged a modern tanker and a tramp steamer. Good times!

07-10-08, 12:52 PM	#12
Warner Von Shultz Watch Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Louisiana, United States Posts: 18 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	I've probably completed about 12 patrols total since I got this game and loaded GWX to it and I have yet to sink a large Warship. The closest time I have ever come to sinking a large warship was what appeared to be a large cruiser. It was the middle of the night and clear skies and water when my watchmen spotted a Task Force heading straight our way at about 25 knots (?) . We submerged and let the whole convoy of what appeared to be a heavy CA with about 5 or 6 destroyers escorting it. We set up a perfect alignment and fired all four front tubes at the beast. It was a perfect alignment and when the eels reached the CA they had nice big broadsides on them. Well two of the eels failed to detenate; but the other two hit their mark. I had to immediately dive because of the destroyers and got pounded while the CA slipped away. Looking at the free look camera it had appeared that it was taking in water on the port side as it was listing so heavily it's mid top deck would get a washed with water from the sea. For a time I thought she was going to list completely over and sink. It slowed to about 5 knots and I followed the ship for a few days; but every time I got around to make another attack run on it there must have been a stupid escort carrier nearby because anytime I hit the surface I got hammered by dive bombers. I had to finally let the beast go after five days of shadowing ending in a bad storm front which caused me to completely loose the ship in the weather. It was the most thrilling few days of my simulated sub life and I still have visions of that ship limping away to some harbor someplace. If only I had not had those two eels be lame ducks I might have brought her to Davie Jones!

07-10-08, 03:40 PM	#13
Blohm und Voss Nub Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cape Town South Africa Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I have played SH3 from the start of a career to the end about 3 times. This time, while in 1940 in the VIIB and still operating from Wilhelmshaven I decided to enter the Firth of Forth at nightfall. What a surprise! Dead ahead coming out of the Firth is a battleship! Because it ws still far I go to flank speed and turn to intercept before diving when about 1000 metres from the intercept point and slowing down. While waiting for the battleship to come to my position I spot an escort a way off to my stern quarter. Then it happens, I spot another battleship behind the first in line ahead! When the first battleship comes into position I fire 3 fish at her. They all strike with no malfunctions! By this time the second battleship is in range and I manage to fire the remaining fish at her as well as the one that has been reloaded by now. The first strikes by the time the next fish is loaded and I fire that too. All three strike and explode. The Firth is shallow and the first battleship turns on her side and settles on the bottom with just under half of out of the water. The escorts are now on their way and I go to flank towards the sunken battleship. When I reach the battleship the other has now sunk as well. I stay close to the hull of the sunken vessel at periscope depth so preventing the escorts coming in and depth charging me. They buzz around like angry bees but I await my chance and manage to sneak off when the sunken vessel is between me and them. I have also managed to sink a passenger liner near Wales but it took six fish to sink her. I have spotted a Bogue Class Carrier but was too far away to pursue and attack. Last night I stayed up to sink an entire convoy including the escorts off Liverpool. After dealing with the more dangerous escorts I had to surface and sink the armed trawler by gunfire. Afterwards I could pick off the merchants one by one taking my time. My tally for this patrol was 13 merchants and 9 warships sunk. 7 Aircraft were also downed. One crewman was wounded. What a great game. __________________ Achtung! Vorsicht Kameraden.