Final Mission, May 1945

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

...The thing that gets you about playing this game is the futility of it all.
...I can only imagine the frustration, the sadness and the feeling of absolute utter futility these men must have had to endure.
...and for what really? to what end? to what end was the world set aflame?
Silent Hunter III may be just a game, but i'll tell you this; it sure can make you consider the futility of war

With only one year since I started playing this game, I recently experienced the premature departure of my first Kaleun, when, returning home from my 3rd war patrol, running on the surface my boat suddenly struck a mine (or at least that is what I think had happened) roughtly some miles east of Helgoland.
I can't tell you the total shock and grief I felt for a fist of moments (before realizing I was just playing a game and I could just start a new career) for such an undeserved fate in a totally unexpected and violent instant, without hope about salvation at all.
Especially if you consider I always play DiD and take care to avoid unneccessary risks for the sake of my crew.
I am still amazed a game made me felt in this way, it never happened to me before (and I play video games from about 20 years...)

Btw:

I found the eastern inlets heavily blocked by blockade wrecks and sub nets so i risked heading into the more heavily patrolled southeastern inlet where i made my way out to sea. one destroyer patrolling the area slowly passed me by at approximately 200 meters range while i sat silently with the engines off. He never knew i was there. I followed in his baffles to open water before breaking away from him and making way for home port.

Didn't he pinged you!?

[RConch]

Great final report!

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by banryu79

Btw:
Didn't he pinged you!?

It was the wildest thing, especially for such a late point in the war.

I was a periscope depth, all stopped, silent running... I could barely started my trip out of the southeastern inlet of Scapa flow and the water depth was maybe 25 m

Half a boat length closer and he would've run right over my conning tower. I was dead to rights and I haven't the slightest idea how he failed to detect me

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

It was the wildest thing, especially for such a late point in the war.

I was a periscope depth, all stopped, silent running... I could barely started my trip out of the southeastern inlet of Scapa flow and the water depth was maybe 25 m

Half a boat length closer and he would've run right over my conning tower. I was dead to rights and I haven't the slightest idea how he failed to detect me

Wow that had to be totally exciting (or stessing, it depends )!!
Very nice AAR, thanks for sharing

[banryu79]

The last operation of GoldenRivet had remembered me how much I like to read such stories, and maybe some reader of this thread could find very pleasurable to read the KTB (war diary) of Prien operation in Scapa Flow, here it goes:
http://www.uboatarchive.net/KTB47-2.htm

[sublynx]

Great report GoldenRivet! Thanks!

[maillemaker]

Silent Hunter III may be just a game, but i'll tell you this; it sure can make you consider the futility of war

Steve

[Scarredclown]

Great report, well written. I'm on my third career already, my last ship was waiting periscope depth to ambush a warship. He ping me first and depth charged me to the black deep. Never had a chance to fire a single torpedo. just cant imagine what it will be in the end game. Your my hero to have survived to the end !