U-100 almost killed by carelessness

[Missing Name]

March 1941. Type VIIB.

Right, so I had just finished patrolling AL63 when I got a report of a large convoy just south of Iceland (quite a distance away), heading SE, slow. Seeing how I had only gotten a large merchant, I decided to head a bit closer to Ireland to find something else since the convoy was seemingly out of the question.

The weather became extremely stormy. I decided to head back home, maybe swing a bit into the Channel on the way. Well, apparently the convoy had the same idea, because I suddenly encountered it with very little warning. So little warning, in fact, that I was on the bridge looking around manually with binocs and failed to notice the Flower-type escort ramming me until her bow was actually snagged forward of the 88. "Jolly good, Humphreys. NOW HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BRING OUR GUNS TO BEAR?" So instead, she started DC'ing right at the surface.

Cue crash diving, 5 or 6 escorts running around DC'ing constantly and the convoy slipping away again. By the time I managed to get away from the escorts, the convoy was a good 50 kilcks away and picking up speed. Low on batteries, oxygen and everyone exhausted, I had to head back to St. Nazaire while still attempting to keep the escorts off.



ALL of those black lines to the west are merchants. A bit difficult to see, but that little circle I drew just SW of my position is a tangle of escorts heading my way again. Good thing early SONAR is weak.

On the way back (twilight now), another A&B destroyer steamed out of the channel extremely fast and almost hit me (we're talking a few meters here). Despite being fully visible and at high speeds, I was apparently not a worthy target. The destroyer completely ignored my frantic crash diving and kept going.

I think I need a better watch team.

On an unrelated note, I had 100% hull integrity upon arriving back in port. Huh.

So how often do y'all almost get yourself killed with stupid stuff like that? I'm new to the game and still learning.

And I think I know what one of the replies is going to be.

[Gerald]

I think you did a good job one when considering the circumstances, but practice makes perfect,

I love moments like that. The ones that make you bite your nails. Ive had a few of those before. Like one time I got report of a convoy, met up with it at exactly 2400 and shadowed it for a while, taking notice of what I saw as only 2 escorts. So as the rear one made its way out of the course for a sweep, I surfaced and steamed full speed into the middle of the 2 column convoy. Picked my targets (I had a type VIIB as well) and then sped ahead and sat at a 90* sank 2 large merchants and then bam lights were on me (I was at P depth) and quickly 2 destroyers and 2 asw trawlers i didnt see started DCing me. And I was in REALLY shallow waters, so with some careful manuevering they finally left me alone and in their wake, left me a nice juicy third large merchant. The reason for this was the third was in the column i attacked the other two merchants in, except they SOMEHOW drifted perfectly apart and sank bow first and left the back quarter of their aft sticking out of the water. For some reason (unknown to me) the third large merchant tried to make it through but decided he couldnt and turned then got stuck PERFECTLY inbetween the two sunk merchants. Needless to say, I was happier than a cow in California

[danzig70]

Yeah, I was tracking a convoy in heavy fog with visibility apparently less than one (1) kilometer. I could hear them on the hydrophones but was getting frustrated because I couldnt see them to target them....until they appeared right in front of me and around me. I almost got rammed and the weather was so bad I couldnt make out the other contacts. I paniced and fired one torp blind at the ship passing right in front of me. Miss. I managed to sink one C2 cargo but that was it. I decided to follow them until nicer weather which never came.

[desirableroasted]

March '41, in the Channel, taking on a convoy in bad visibility? I hope your insurance agent isn't reading this.

Taking on a convoy in really bad visibility is fraught with difficulty & I am convinced there is no percentage in it:

• You risk being overrun by escorts and targets (as you learned).
• You often won't see the targets early enough to set up a decent firing solution or even have range enough for the torpedo to arm.
• If you do manage to cripple something, you will almost always lose it in the murk and be unable to follow up.
• If the escorts have radar, their tactical advantage is overwhelming: you are perfectly visible to them, even as you grope around.

If forced to choose, I'd almost rather attack a convoy in calm seas at high noon than in bad visibility. Then, at least, I have some tactical overview before the thing starts. But either situation is better spent 150 m below knitting socks. There is always another day, another convoy.

The one (small) thing on your side when attacking an early war convoy in poor visibility is that you can stay on the surface. The escorts are as blind as you are, and they cannot hear you.

[Missing Name]

Better patrol. 24k tons, mostly British. My patrol west of Africa (Grid DT something) gave me small fry, so I toured the very end of the channel again.



That's a nosediving ore carrier. After that, all I had were my 3 aft torpedoes, all T2/G7e's (which I don't trust).

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

March '41, in the Channel, taking on a convoy in bad visibility? I hope your insurance agent isn't reading this.

I think they'll understand that me finding the convoy was an accident. *Closes breech on 88mm*

BTW, I noticed you all seem to call incompetent U-Boat crew Bernard. I've been giving "people" nicknames for a bit, unrelated to that...
- British Empire: Humphreys (warship), Jenkins (merchant)
- Norway: Cousin Sven
- Germany: Franz, Fritz, Freidrich, Faber... you get the idea
- America: William (warship), Billiam (merchant). Since it's early in the war, also called "Bait"

Also, when I sank a medium cargo on this latest patrol, Ride of the Valkyries was playing on the gramophone.