Got killed by a BB

[K-61]

In a new career out of Wilhelmshaven, June 1940, I was off the west coast of Ireland and hunting a convoy in very messy weather. I had to make numerous dives for sound checks in order to get bearings and eventually entered the convoy from the rear, surfaced. Two freighters suddenly lit me up with their lights, so I quickly torpedoed them and continued further into the body of the convoy from the rear. From the bridge view [F4] I saw a large form taking shape. Uh oh, Revenge class battleship; dive, dive! Too late. They opened up on me with everything they had and all hands were lost.

[Alpha Von Burg]

I never take a convoy from the rear, bad things are more likly to happen if one engages a convoy from the rear.

[Capt. Morgan]

There's nothing like a 15" shell through the hull to bring a swift end to a career. Sorry for your loss.


My only encounter with a BB occurred while I was shadowing a convoy at the extreme range of visibility. Figured I was safe since all I could see were mast tops and smoke.

Their BB got 3 salvos off before I could crash dive - the first one straddled my sub and the last one took out the watch crew and periscopes, and this was at 8-9km range.

They're very good shots, and they can see farther then you can... I never actually saw the BB that fired on me - had to take a look with the external cam to learn what had hit me.

[Arctic wolf]

That sounds nasty. I always try to get the convoys from the sides, send a salvo and get the hell outta there.

[BulSoldier]

IT happened to me yeasterday when i attacked one convoy twice (the escort was a lone HMS Rodney) .
Long story short i was atleast 9km away and waited rodney to sink (it sank later and got the credit) when i surfaced to finish off a merchant who also was hit by a torp but i dint have any left and used by deck gun.
I fired 2-3 shots max before the BB began flashing and shell fell around me, luckly no hits.But still was scary enough and i have no intention of closing BB on the surface

[Jimbuna]

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!!

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Arctic wolf

That sounds nasty. I always try to get the convoys from the sides, send a salvo and get the hell outta there.

from the side, or in some cases from the front,Depending on the DD and how many they are in the flock,but to back off is not good,

[K-61]

Originally Posted by Alpha Von Burg

I never take a convoy from the rear, bad things are more likly to happen if one engages a convoy from the rear.

Taking a convoy from the stern is something I do extremely rarely. I only did it this time because the weather was so filthy and I feared losing it. Most of my attacks come from an ideal lateral approach to knife fighting range. Infiltrating or closing on a convoy is actually an art, I believe. The trick is to not let the lead escort hear or see you and not to get picked up by the side escorts as you close in. I usually am so close when I fire that even zigzagging doesn't save them. I am of the opinion that the spacing between columns in the game is not accurately modelled. Five hundred metres is too close, judging from accounts I have read and the many photographs and films of convoys I have seen.

[BulSoldier]

Yeah, ive heard the distance between colums was much greater (cant remember any numbers) but it isnt fixed because of engine limitations.

[K-61]

Originally Posted by BulSoldier

Yeah, ive heard the distance between colums was much greater (cant remember any numbers) but it isnt fixed because of engine limitations.

Yes, I've read this discussed a few times. It kind of galls me that because of the running distance needed for a torpedo to arm, I cannot fire bow and stern torpedoes simultaneously at two adjacent columns whereas in real life it was possible due to column spacing. It's hard coded in the game, but as with other known quibbles, I can live with it.

Edit: I got rid of the gay looking Navy Dude, now I have a drag queen avatar. I hope this is just a phase "I" am going through.

[bookworm_020]

Originally Posted by K-61

Edit: I got rid of the gay looking Navy Dude, now I have a drag queen avatar. I hope this is just a phase "I" am going through.

It too shall pass!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by K-61

Edit: I got rid of the gay looking Navy Dude, now I have a drag queen avatar. I hope this is just a phase "I" am going through.

There now....the monkey man looks much better

[Subnuts]

You'll shoot your eye out!

[desirableroasted]

I suppose there are worse fates... at least your relatives can console themselves that it wasn't some ASW trawler skippered by a half-blotto cod fisherman, that you were taken down by "der Hood, ja, der Hood!"

I, too, avoid the rear approach, but I recently came across a French convoy in November 39 that had only one escort, a highly-incompetent Bourrasque class up front.

I passed her, put a magnetic under an ore carrier, went deep and over to the other side, thinking I would have all sorts of folks interested in me. Nothing. Surfaced, finally, behind the parade, looked back and... nothing. No escorts except that Bourrasque up front.

Well, I sure joined that parade! Made a night of it, in fact!

Moral: early in the war, it's at least worth checking to see how heavy the escort is.

[maillemaker]

You shoulda sunk that lead escort and then gunned down the rest of the convoy!

Steve