Never trust a shipyard guarantee!

Weiss Pinguin · 12-05-09, 09:06 PM

Well, actually, never go by just the shipyard guarantee I guess

On my last patrol with my latest career (Otto Weiß, driving U-123 out of Wilhelmshaven), I was ordered down to the CG79 area, outside the strait of Gibraltar, which is a fairly decent hunting ground early war, especially in the Type IX. (I was once caught between 2 convoys - heading in separate directions, unfortunately)

Several days later I'm in the middle of my second attack on a small convoy, after firing a spread of 4 torpedoes at what I identified as a Fiji cruiser, a pair of destroyers to our aft forces us down, and the hunt begins.

A string of ashcans catches the front of my boat, and 3 tubes and various equipments are instantly put out of action, and the boat takes on an ungodly amount of water. For a good while we can manage at ahead two-thirds on silent running, but eventually I have no choice but to come off silent running and start the bilges and repairs. Still the boat sinks... All back emergency! This arrests the dive, and we even begin to ascend!

Unfortunately the whole world can hear our wounded boat, and before long I'm forced to rig for silent running again as the ashcans come uncomfortably close... At 180 meters I resume repairs and order back emergency again, but our battery is down to 25% and the flooding is getting worse by the minute.
I blow ballast and level off at periscope depth, and let the boat drift as repairs continue... When we reach 180 meters again I repeat, and then I repeat once more. By now our compressed air is nearly gone, the battery is even lower, and the flooding is heavier... I order the little compressed air left blown into the tanks again, and both engines ahead flank. Unfortunately the weather is still inclement, so no last-stand gun duel. It's also pitch black - neither destroyer can see us.

But just when I think we're okay, both ships light us up with spotlights, and we're the brightest submarine in the world... Alaaaarm! At 200 meters depth I give up hope - 2 destroyers above, 1000 meters below, and half a U-boat in between. I order all stop to conserve batteries (just incase) and watch the depth meter as repairs continue.

100 meters later I watch the hand move past 299 meters, and still the boat holds up... About 50 meters later we implode, and 20000+ tons go out of the window. Still! 350 meters! And I thought 200 meters was deep for a IXB

What's the deepest you've taken your boat and lived to tell? (well, deepest you've gone before dying, anyways

)

12-05-09, 09:06 PM	#1
Weiss Pinguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Auburn, Alabama Posts: 3,333 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 0	Never trust a shipyard guarantee! Well, actually, never go by just the shipyard guarantee I guess On my last patrol with my latest career (Otto Weiß, driving U-123 out of Wilhelmshaven), I was ordered down to the CG79 area, outside the strait of Gibraltar, which is a fairly decent hunting ground early war, especially in the Type IX. (I was once caught between 2 convoys - heading in separate directions, unfortunately) Several days later I'm in the middle of my second attack on a small convoy, after firing a spread of 4 torpedoes at what I identified as a Fiji cruiser, a pair of destroyers to our aft forces us down, and the hunt begins. A string of ashcans catches the front of my boat, and 3 tubes and various equipments are instantly put out of action, and the boat takes on an ungodly amount of water. For a good while we can manage at ahead two-thirds on silent running, but eventually I have no choice but to come off silent running and start the bilges and repairs. Still the boat sinks... All back emergency! This arrests the dive, and we even begin to ascend! Unfortunately the whole world can hear our wounded boat, and before long I'm forced to rig for silent running again as the ashcans come uncomfortably close... At 180 meters I resume repairs and order back emergency again, but our battery is down to 25% and the flooding is getting worse by the minute. I blow ballast and level off at periscope depth, and let the boat drift as repairs continue... When we reach 180 meters again I repeat, and then I repeat once more. By now our compressed air is nearly gone, the battery is even lower, and the flooding is heavier... I order the little compressed air left blown into the tanks again, and both engines ahead flank. Unfortunately the weather is still inclement, so no last-stand gun duel. It's also pitch black - neither destroyer can see us. But just when I think we're okay, both ships light us up with spotlights, and we're the brightest submarine in the world... Alaaaarm! At 200 meters depth I give up hope - 2 destroyers above, 1000 meters below, and half a U-boat in between. I order all stop to conserve batteries (just incase) and watch the depth meter as repairs continue. 100 meters later I watch the hand move past 299 meters, and still the boat holds up... About 50 meters later we implode, and 20000+ tons go out of the window. Still! 350 meters! And I thought 200 meters was deep for a IXB What's the deepest you've taken your boat and lived to tell? (well, deepest you've gone before dying, anyways ) __________________