Hedgehogged! - Ive Been Hedgehogged!

[Manock]

Hedgehogged! - Ive Been Hedgehogged!

Its June 1944, and I finally got hedgehogged. And I was suprised.

I was up top in surround sound just accelerating to flank speed 45 degrees 20m as the sonar ping stopped when there was this sound like a bunch of bow strings going off, and a bunch of splashes all around my sub position.

Ach! I quickly looked underwater, and a pesky lawn dart thing smacked right into my forward tubes section.

When I didnt immediately die, I figured everything was ok so signalled for periscope depth to fire a T4 at the destroyer now in front of me. I was looking through the scope wondering why I wasnt breaking surface when I looked at the depth guage reading 70m. Holy Breached Hull! In a stupor, I woke my only Repair Officer who got to work on the problem. Reversing engines didnt work so I ordered Blow Ballast, and went back to surround sound to look for tell tale signs my sub was going to point up rather than its present down.

Nothing was happening! & was now down to 100m in a damaged hull! I ducked back in, & saw my crew was still at silent speed. Chrst! Placed them back at full alert, & my repair officer finally went to work.

The sub finally reversed its free fall, & headed back up. I manned the scope again to line up that T4 shot. The scope cleared I began scanning for the destroyer when horrors the conning tower also broke surface. Now what! & jumped outside to see my sub take a broadside from the destroyer I was looking for. Signalled a dive but not a crash dive because I was afraid the sub would not recover from a crash dive. An eternity later and round after round into my poor sub, I was safely underwater with the crew hard at work at repair. But alas.

A sitting duck. The destroyer with deadly accuracy lined up a parallel strike directly overhead, and dumped a whale load of depth charges on me, and I was dead. Completely dead. As in you just cant get any deader than this. Dead. Pushing up daiseys dead. Kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. The big sleep. Taking the dirt nap. Croaked. Filed for divorce dead.

Heres the thing even as this was happening to me. This shouldnt be happening.

Im really good at this sim, I know my submarine, & submarine warfare theory cold. I started in 1939, and have never been seriously sunk. The whole scenario played out in a kind of surrealistic fog.

First - I knew I was detected, and went for that tanker anyway. I would never do that. At first contact I would have evaded and saved the tanker for a later day.

Second - OK the hedgehogs were a suprise but not completely unexpected. I knew the allies had them. I didnt even check the crew for damage, but instead immediately went for a revenge shot when I would have first assigned a damage crew to the area.

Third - When the sub began to head upwards I would have deployed a fizzler at around 60 meters to throw off the subs rise to scope depth. I did not.

Fourth - After the crew fixed the damage, I did not return to silent running but left the sub at noisy.

Fifth - I did not check my rapid ascent by sigalling for periscope depth but instead allowed the sub to break surface.

Sixth - I fired a T4 at the destroyer right before breaking surface, who at the time of the shot was not looking for me giving away my position even if I had not broke surface. I ordinarily would have commenced evasion techniques at scope depth.

Seventh - when it was obvious the destroyer was going to make the final attack run I did not temporily disrupt maintenance by signalling silent running but instead allowed the sub to remain noisy. This allowed the destroyer to rely on his hydrophones for the attack approach not giving me that little bit of time to accelerate and evade on a sonar approach.

When I checked my career, this is what it said.

6-6-6 Dead.

I really hate destiny.

Manock

By the way, what do you have do to find a convoy with a carrier in it. I mean its the middle of 1944, and havent seen one yet. Theyve been deployed since early 43.

[U-Bones]

Lol nice story !

I was HH'd recently (GW) for the first time that I noticed. I was at about 30m on external view and watched this perfectly aimed and executed ring of death fall right over me. As it turned out, my sub fit perfectly in a gap - I had two bomblets just miss on both sides just aft of the deck gun. I was stunned at seeing it, and totally amazed at my good fortune.

Once I collected my wits, I ended up evading.

[Cpt.Thorne]

For carriers...join the 11. and fight the war in the Norwegian sea as Bergen is constantly surrounded by a Carrier Task Force...Bogues can be found amongst large Russian convoy in the arctic too. That´s where I´d go looking.
Prost

[Ula Jolly]

Cpt, where the -H- have you found a Bogue?

Great story, Manock!

[Saintaw]

Nice read !

[Threadfin]

After 1942 the best spots I've found for jeep carriers are BE66, and west of Gibraltar, CG87? I've lost count of how many I've found in those locations. Literally dozens of them.

[Rose]

Nice story. What's a fizzler though?

[KeybdFlyer]

That was a great little story and I love your sense of humour throughout. I can just imagine your total disbelief - almost can see the expression on your face! That last observation is right though; when you look back on an incident like that it's "Why the hell did I DO that??" Thank goodness there are saved games eh?....... or did you not save beforehand? :hmm:

[Ping Jockey]

Great story!!! I hate it when I forget I am running silent!

[Cpt.Thorne]

Originally Posted by Ula Jolly

Cpt, where the -H- have you found a Bogue?

Found one sailing within a large convoy from Russia to England from Nordlöwe IIRC 1942 December. As a commander of 11. Flotille during WaWI I had to restrict kaleuns sinking Carriers during the latewar period they were found in Norwegian sea and in Nordlöwe. 11. Flotille was known as Carrier destroyers. After 4 sunk during 2 patrols I had to enforce a rule not to sink any Fleet Carriers any more as that would have been unrealistic but few Bogues sttill got sunk during late war periods.
There was almost always a TF trying to ambush Uboote leaving Bergen right out of the fjords and fighters were on their tails and TF was heard almost always one Uboote was followed to Nordlöwe by one TF and constantly attacked by airplanes when surfaced.

[The_Blockade_Runner]

The Red Baron also broke multiple rules of engaement that he had made, causing him to get shot down in WWI, he was the Ace of Aces, the trump card, but he started to believe in his invuranability, causing his downfall

[Garrincha]

lol!!! 6-7 mistakes is all it takes

btw a sizzler is the bubble stick you get later in the war (i think '42) to throw of the dd's...


cheers,
Garrincha

[Ducimus]

Nothing makes me worry more then hedgehogs.

Ashcan's aren't so bad. But hedge hogs..... hell's hogs :rotfl: , i worry alot more.

Nothing quite like being in a typ 9, having gone deep, silent running, and have a hedge hog land right on your main deck. Order surface, blow ballast, and go to flank speed all you want, but get nailed while your deep, you have just enough time to kiss your ass goodbye after that hedge hog hits. Water pressure does the rest in about 10-20 seconds.

[Konnrade]

Hedgehogs are a formidable threat, just ask Dr. Robotnik



:p