Task force in AN16 beat the hell out of me- but raided hartlepool anyways

VonApist · 03-10-11, 05:15 AM

The orders for U47 where quite simple.. Patrol Grid AN16. The trip from Wilhelmshaven was quite unevenful (its still early war) so i reach AN16 at night, surfaced speed 5 knots, batteries, O2 full. Weather is excellent (not for subs but ...) visibility is crystal clear. My look out spots a task force bearing 065 distance ca4km. I decide to dive to periscope depth, reduce my speed to 2knots in order to reduce the trail of my scope and try to have a look. I had upgraded ny boat to VIIB for this mission and i thank myself for this , as an attack with a Type II would be interesting but quite doomed. Checking my navigator for depth under keel. Its a decent 80m. Not good, but good enough. I bring U 47 at a distance of 3km from the force which is now coming from 8 o clock. The force is comprised by 3 destroyers, 2 light cruisers and 1 corvette. I curse the weather for being THAT good, it will make my approach tricky as i have to remain submerged and silent, while these guys are moving at 20knots. Destroyers have a decent formation around the "capital ships" so this would make it more challenging. I dont want to engage a destroyer before i try to unleash my torpedoes to the Fiji Light cruiser which stands in the middle of the force. I have to place my sub between the destroyer and the Fiji but at 2knots this is tricky. I go to my map room, chart the course of the Fiji and decide to intercept it submerged (assuming she will not change speed or course). Periscope down. U47 is ordered to submerge to 50m, silent running. Speed 2 knots. After 30 stressful minutes , i order periscope depth - my chart shows that my position (assuming the Fiji kept speed and exact course) should be around 1200m from the cruiser which should be positioned at 11 o clock. I order all stop and periscope up. I have mannen the torpedo room - a prayer room would also be handy but VIIB did not accomodate this at the time

. My view from the periscope makes me relieved. Yes the Fiji is there, 11 o clock and i have a great angle. I decide to do a periscope sweep to make sure everything is OK - sh*t it isnt. A destroyer has a course right on where i stand, distance 1km 9 o clock. She hasnt seen my scope yet but she will - and if i stay to much longer long she will ram me without even knowing it! O ask my WO to provide me with a firing solution for the Fiji, pronto. My radioman keeps reminding me of the destroyer coming my way - i wish there was a "shut the f*ck up" keyboard order at this time. I let two of my torpedoes go at medium speed, depth 6 meters impact pistol. At the same moment my sonar man whispers "enemy is pinging us". Depth under keel 85m. Periscope down ,crash dive at 80m full rudder right. Torpedo 1 hits torpedo 2 is a dud!!!! So Fiji gets hurt but will not go down... Jesus. Im so pissed off i could kill my XO with my hands - not his fault but the captain has to let some steam off

. Destroyer keeps coming its around 500m now and my depth gauge shows only 20m!! Move it damn it! Full ahead. Im at close to 50m when the charges are in the water...again in shallow waters. Bang Bang Bang. Stern torpedo room damaged, electric engines damaged but working. Ordering repairs. Full rudder left. Depth now close to 70 and i order keep depth. Speed 3 knots. Sonarman tells me I have the other detroyer and the corvette after me. No way to engage them at this point with stern torpedo room damaged and hull at 89%. I keep rudder left and after 5 minutes i order all stop. Wait and see.One of the destroyers makes a pass close to me and charges in the water. Full ahead rudder full right.. Bang Bang Bang, close enough to take my hull integrity to 87%. I start feeling like meat in a mincing machine...Keeping full ahead and i decide to move TOWARDS the rest of the task force. Fiji is not sunk but moving very slow. Try to get beneath her and wait it out - thats the only option. I need to find a way to confuse them. I decide to fire a torpedo from 70m deep to the opposite direction while full astern rudder left. I have no BOLD canisters so what do i have to lose.Im in deep trouble anyways. I fire tube 3 towards the surface and try to position myself full astern to where my calculations on the chart show that the Fiji is. One of the destroyers is after my torpedo trail (i think) and i hear depth charges in the water. Im not close but im not far either. Bang Bang Bang. Bow room damage, integrity 80%. This is getting nasty. One more ( 2 maximum) and im dead. Full astern I continue - the corvette ( i think) sents depth charges where I SHOULD have been if i had fired the torpedoes and continued ahead. Bang Bang Bang - the first barrage that inflicts no damage. Order silent running. Forget about the repairs. Engines full stop. I must be close to where i hit the Fiji. Depth 70. Depth under keel 25m. I order depth 90. Time to embrace the silt and wait. All stop. Waiting until the next barrage and hoping that its not going to be on me. Here it comes. Ha ! its away. Window of opportunity until sonarmen recalibrate their acoustics. Full ahead (3knots as my engines are damaged) away from the commotion. 5 mins and stop. Embracing the silt, again. Waiting for next barrage and in my way again. After 3 hours of hide wait and seek I have put a safe distance. Periscope depth. Periscope sweep,all clear. Surface, O2 , battery recharge, torpedo reload, repairs. That was close. I take the opportunity to move at night towards hartlepool. I dont want to go home with no hits. Arrive at morning. I decide to wait out until night. Hartlepool is an easy harbour and there is a C2 and a Merchant. I will take that. Better something than nothing. I make my attack at night. Both of them down in flames. 2 destroyers are coming my way from different directions, but know i am in the surface , fully loaded and repaired. Periscope depth. Magnetic slow speed, and tube 2 fires. Destroyer gets it, remains immobile. Stern torpedo in. The other one is 2 km away approaching fast. I Fix my angle and I let it have it. Perfect hit she goes down like a stone. I go back to the immobilised destroyer and finish it off with a torpedo. Full ahead surface to home port. 2 merchants and 2 destroyers after nearly getting killed is fine for me...

Gerald · 03-10-11, 05:28 AM

Worth reading, thanks, good luck next time

VonApist · 03-10-11, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vendor

Worth reading, thanks, good luck next time

I thought i was lucky to escape

. But im sooo upset i didnt get the cruiser

Gerald · 03-10-11, 05:41 AM

The next time it's your turn, they will again, and then you have the chance again

03-10-11, 05:15 AM	#1
VonApist Navy Dude Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Greece Posts: 175 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Task force in AN16 beat the hell out of me- but raided hartlepool anyways The orders for U47 where quite simple.. Patrol Grid AN16. The trip from Wilhelmshaven was quite unevenful (its still early war) so i reach AN16 at night, surfaced speed 5 knots, batteries, O2 full. Weather is excellent (not for subs but ...) visibility is crystal clear. My look out spots a task force bearing 065 distance ca4km. I decide to dive to periscope depth, reduce my speed to 2knots in order to reduce the trail of my scope and try to have a look. I had upgraded ny boat to VIIB for this mission and i thank myself for this , as an attack with a Type II would be interesting but quite doomed. Checking my navigator for depth under keel. Its a decent 80m. Not good, but good enough. I bring U 47 at a distance of 3km from the force which is now coming from 8 o clock. The force is comprised by 3 destroyers, 2 light cruisers and 1 corvette. I curse the weather for being THAT good, it will make my approach tricky as i have to remain submerged and silent, while these guys are moving at 20knots. Destroyers have a decent formation around the "capital ships" so this would make it more challenging. I dont want to engage a destroyer before i try to unleash my torpedoes to the Fiji Light cruiser which stands in the middle of the force. I have to place my sub between the destroyer and the Fiji but at 2knots this is tricky. I go to my map room, chart the course of the Fiji and decide to intercept it submerged (assuming she will not change speed or course). Periscope down. U47 is ordered to submerge to 50m, silent running. Speed 2 knots. After 30 stressful minutes , i order periscope depth - my chart shows that my position (assuming the Fiji kept speed and exact course) should be around 1200m from the cruiser which should be positioned at 11 o clock. I order all stop and periscope up. I have mannen the torpedo room - a prayer room would also be handy but VIIB did not accomodate this at the time . My view from the periscope makes me relieved. Yes the Fiji is there, 11 o clock and i have a great angle. I decide to do a periscope sweep to make sure everything is OK - sht it isnt. A destroyer has a course right on where i stand, distance 1km 9 o clock. She hasnt seen my scope yet but she will - and if i stay to much longer long she will ram me without even knowing it! O ask my WO to provide me with a firing solution for the Fiji, pronto. My radioman keeps reminding me of the destroyer coming my way - i wish there was a "shut the fck up" keyboard order at this time. I let two of my torpedoes go at medium speed, depth 6 meters impact pistol. At the same moment my sonar man whispers "enemy is pinging us". Depth under keel 85m. Periscope down ,crash dive at 80m full rudder right. Torpedo 1 hits torpedo 2 is a dud!!!! So Fiji gets hurt but will not go down... Jesus. Im so pissed off i could kill my XO with my hands - not his fault but the captain has to let some steam off . Destroyer keeps coming its around 500m now and my depth gauge shows only 20m!! Move it damn it! Full ahead. Im at close to 50m when the charges are in the water...again in shallow waters. Bang Bang Bang. Stern torpedo room damaged, electric engines damaged but working. Ordering repairs. Full rudder left. Depth now close to 70 and i order keep depth. Speed 3 knots. Sonarman tells me I have the other detroyer and the corvette after me. No way to engage them at this point with stern torpedo room damaged and hull at 89%. I keep rudder left and after 5 minutes i order all stop. Wait and see.One of the destroyers makes a pass close to me and charges in the water. Full ahead rudder full right.. Bang Bang Bang, close enough to take my hull integrity to 87%. I start feeling like meat in a mincing machine...Keeping full ahead and i decide to move TOWARDS the rest of the task force. Fiji is not sunk but moving very slow. Try to get beneath her and wait it out - thats the only option. I need to find a way to confuse them. I decide to fire a torpedo from 70m deep to the opposite direction while full astern rudder left. I have no BOLD canisters so what do i have to lose.Im in deep trouble anyways. I fire tube 3 towards the surface and try to position myself full astern to where my calculations on the chart show that the Fiji is. One of the destroyers is after my torpedo trail (i think) and i hear depth charges in the water. Im not close but im not far either. Bang Bang Bang. Bow room damage, integrity 80%. This is getting nasty. One more ( 2 maximum) and im dead. Full astern I continue - the corvette ( i think) sents depth charges where I SHOULD have been if i had fired the torpedoes and continued ahead. Bang Bang Bang - the first barrage that inflicts no damage. Order silent running. Forget about the repairs. Engines full stop. I must be close to where i hit the Fiji. Depth 70. Depth under keel 25m. I order depth 90. Time to embrace the silt and wait. All stop. Waiting until the next barrage and hoping that its not going to be on me. Here it comes. Ha ! its away. Window of opportunity until sonarmen recalibrate their acoustics. Full ahead (3knots as my engines are damaged) away from the commotion. 5 mins and stop. Embracing the silt, again. Waiting for next barrage and in my way again. After 3 hours of hide wait and seek I have put a safe distance. Periscope depth. Periscope sweep,all clear. Surface, O2 , battery recharge, torpedo reload, repairs. That was close. I take the opportunity to move at night towards hartlepool. I dont want to go home with no hits. Arrive at morning. I decide to wait out until night. Hartlepool is an easy harbour and there is a C2 and a Merchant. I will take that. Better something than nothing. I make my attack at night. Both of them down in flames. 2 destroyers are coming my way from different directions, but know i am in the surface , fully loaded and repaired. Periscope depth. Magnetic slow speed, and tube 2 fires. Destroyer gets it, remains immobile. Stern torpedo in. The other one is 2 km away approaching fast. I Fix my angle and I let it have it. Perfect hit she goes down like a stone. I go back to the immobilised destroyer and finish it off with a torpedo. Full ahead surface to home port. 2 merchants and 2 destroyers after nearly getting killed is fine for me... __________________ "Submariners are a special brotherhood, either all come to the surface or no one does. On a submarine, the phrase all for one and one for all is not just a slogan, but reality.” -- VADM Rudolf Golosov

03-10-11, 05:28 AM	#2
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	Worth reading, thanks, good luck next time __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie

03-10-11, 05:41 AM	#4
Gerald SUBSIM Newsman Join Date: May 2008 Location: Close to sea Posts: 24,254 Downloads: 553 Uploads: 0	The next time it's your turn, they will again, and then you have the chance again __________________ Nothing in life is to be feard,it is only to be understood. Marie Curie