Saved by shallow water

[MarkCt]

Patrolling in the Formossa Straight, I came upon a TF of a BB, a couple cruisers and about 5 destroyers. After getting a hit on the BB and sinking two destroyers with "cuties" I got hit with a string of DC's. One compartment was flooded and one was partial. I had 58% hull damage with bulkhead damage, fuel leak and injured crew. With the flooding I started to slowly sink. Depth was just under 300 so I decided to just sit on the bottom and go quiet to make repairs. It took awhile but the destroyers finally gave up and all repairs were made which allowed me to return to base with 4 KIA's.

So it just goes to show that sometimes shallow water can be your best friend.

[Soviet Creeper]

Something similar happened to me.

I was moving away from a TF that I just sunk a kongo BB from, when I encounterd a random DD and heavy crusier, separate from the TF. The DD was able to land a really luck round in the aft part of my sub as I was trying to dive, so I had 2 compartments flooding. the aft torpedo room was slightly flooded, but my engine room filled up so fast I started dropping like a rock.
I was able to balance out at 300ft, and bring her up to 250. Sadly I had to make so much noise that the DD had an idea where I was. I looked on the map and saw shallows about 20nm NE of my present location. I began trying to get over there while the DD made many innacurate depth charging attacks. When I made it there my sub was more or less tilted like this: / . So I shut the engines off and let here rest on the more or less hill at 300ft, and after a hour the DD moved off.

After all that I surfaced and licked my wounds, and lazily moved off to manilla, that thankfully wasnt taken yet.

[Daniel Prates]

I think we all have tried to rest on the ocean's bottom every now and then, as the game easily allows it, but I have my doubts if in RL anyone tried that unless they had no other choice (like, really, no other choice, as they were helplessly sinking).

[Armistead]

Only problem is if you scrub bottom in the game you will eventually take damage, but Traveller just released a mod that fixes that. Regardless, shallow water beats heading for the deep anytime, I've done it several times, course with mods like TMO you sit there, you'll die, so you keep moving scrubbing bottom

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Daniel Prates

I think we all have tried to rest on the ocean's bottom every now and then, as the game easily allows it, but I have my doubts if in RL anyone tried that unless they had no other choice (like, really, no other choice, as they were helplessly sinking).

It happened to the USS Drum, I believe. It bottomed out during a particularly nasty depth charging by an IJN destroyer. It lasted well over 17 hours. I am double-checking the logs to see if it was the Drum. I want to be absolutely sure.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by MarkCt

Patrolling in the Formossa Straight, I came upon a TF of a BB, a couple cruisers and about 5 destroyers. After getting a hit on the BB and sinking two destroyers with "cuties" I got hit with a string of DC's. One compartment was flooded and one was partial. I had 58% hull damage with bulkhead damage, fuel leak and injured crew. With the flooding I started to slowly sink. Depth was just under 300 so I decided to just sit on the bottom and go quiet to make repairs. It took awhile but the destroyers finally gave up and all repairs were made which allowed me to return to base with 4 KIA's.

So it just goes to show that sometimes shallow water can be your best friend.

First thing first, you were lucky. Bottoming out with heavy damage is almost a death sentence. Given the amount of hull damage you had and how deep you were, I am almost willing to wager that you were in a Balao Class boat. If not, you had to be running one of the megamods that has the damage mod in it that ignores the hull integrity rule.

Second, you were almost certainly below the thermal layer. Even with all the repair work going on, it was unlikely that the destroyers would hear you. This is especially the case when one considers the huge variance in proficiency amongst IJN destroyer crews and the less than spectacular detection gear they had.

Now for the real question: did the BB sink or did it limp away?

If the BB succumbed, it would have been worth the misery you endured. However, if it limped away, four crewmen and a half-sunk boat are a poor trade for two scrabbly destroyers. The game doesn't take the full IJN order of battle into account so sinking the "redshirt" destroyers is meaningless tonnage. There will be more.

[donna52522]

It may have happened to the Drum, I know it happened to the USS Tambor..

But what happened to MarkCT was not intentional, I have also been saved by the seabed...If it wasn't for shallow water I would surly have been sunk. It happens when your basically 'sunk', but saved from crush depth by the bottom and given time to make repairs...." A shovel full of sand, the merciful Gods left us a shovel full of sand".

I was put down in the Java sea after sinking a CV and damaging another, after being 'sunk' and sitting on the bottom, 3 of the 4 escorts dropped charges on me for hours causing more and more damage. After awhile they started making dry runs, must have spent their charges.

I was only at about 175ft but still alive, I don't remember the hull damage now but it was serious. I couldn't move as the electric motors were under repair, oxygen was low, batteries damaged, engines damaged, only one torpedo tube left in working order (maybe). I don't remember how many compartments were flooding or partially flooded. I don't remember how many KIA's but I know the gun crew was gone, the watch crew was gone and many more throughout the boat.

After I don't know how many game hours, which took forever as being on the bottom I could only time compress up to x4, I had enough repairs to move and couldn't wait for the escorts to just leave, CO2 was past dangerous. The Sun was rising and the escorts were making dry passes so I decided to start creeping, maybe take a shot with the one tube, if it worked.

Luckily as I started moving the escorts pulled away, it's almost as if they realized since they couldn't touch me and I can move, the hunters became the hunted...They left and I was able to surface and speed back to Fremantle. Well actually with the fuel leaks I was lucky to get to Exmouth then back to Fremantle. The repair specialist saved the boat.

This was back when playing TMO 2.0, it was early war and I was in a Sargo.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Hinrich Schwab

First thing first, you were lucky. Bottoming out with heavy damage is almost a death sentence. Given the amount of hull damage you had and how deep you were, I am almost willing to wager that you were in a Balao Class boat. If not, you had to be running one of the megamods that has the damage mod in it that ignores the hull integrity rule.

Second, you were almost certainly below the thermal layer. Even with all the repair work going on, it was unlikely that the destroyers would hear you. This is especially the case when one considers the huge variance in proficiency amongst IJN destroyer crews and the less than spectacular detection gear they had.

Now for the real question: did the BB sink or did it limp away?

If the BB succumbed, it would have been worth the misery you endured. However, if it limped away, four crewmen and a half-sunk boat are a poor trade for two scrabbly destroyers. The game doesn't take the full IJN order of battle into account so sinking the "redshirt" destroyers is meaningless tonnage. There will be more.

He was flooding and sounded like the boat was heading for the bottom, very lucky to be in shallow water where he could bottom out, you can take damage sitting on the floor given enough time, but mods that fix that, but it can buy you time, whereas heading for the deep in a minute passed crush depth...your dead. Course, they're many tactics to control an out of control dive, but if I can't and can get to shallow water, that's a much better option than heading for the deep and sure depth. I have controlled out of controlled dives with 3 flooded compartments and severe hull damage. You do take a chance since sitting on the floor causes damage, just a few more damage points may be enough to do your hull in, your crush depth is highly effected by damage.

Course with TMO if waters are calm, sitting dead stopped is usually sure death as they tend to dump on you, but sometime it's the only option to have a chance to live.

The chance at a BB was certainly worth it and not sure why you think DD's aren't good kills, you get good points and the tonnage.

I would agree if possible I would've tracked the group and maybe waited for better conditions, rougher water, etc... Also correct evading comes into play. My guess he lived because he was probably playing stock, as cuties don't sink crap with the supermods, but overall this was an attack any skipper would've tried to make...you can't know if you will sink something or not, but if you have a good chance, you better not pass it up.

[Bubblehead1980]

USS Seahorse was badly damaged and bottomed on her final combat patrol in 1945.Just FYI, cool mod by traveller allows you to bottom out now without taking damage as should be able to.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by donna52522

It may have happened to the Drum, I know it happened to the USS Tambor..

Just checked it. You are right. It was the Tambor.

I dunno why I kept thinking it was the Drum. Too many names in my head, I guess.

http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalh...east-china-sea

[Sailor Steve]

S-38 sat on the bottom three separate times while under attack in Lingayen gulf in December 1941.
http://www.historycentral.com/navy/Submarine/s38.html

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Just FYI, cool mod by traveller allows you to bottom out now without taking damage as should be able to.

I never knew of the mod. I have never had to bottom, but I may have to add that to my mod collection, assuming no compatibility issues with RFB.

[Char]

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...76#post1614076

Pretty much how I survived that encounter,man it was a close one!

[MarkCt]

I am playing TMO and RSRDC. The water was slightly choppy. Unfortunately the BB was hit twice but kept going making pretty good speed but was listing. That's probably why the destroyers didn't stay around for too long.

I always keep two cuties in my stern tubes and two spare. I know some captains don't like them but they saved me more then once. When you have two or three DD's on you and you get that one that stops and listens only to get hit by one of them then thats one less you have to deal with.

This is the first time that I used this tactic. Like many others I try not to spend much time in areas where the waters not deep. This is also the first time being in shallow water that I came upon a TF.

I think one of the reasons why this worked was that I just shut down and slowly drifted down to the bottom instead of driving down into it.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by MarkCt

I am playing TMO and RSRDC. The water was slightly choppy. Unfortunately the BB was hit twice but kept going making pretty good speed but was listing. That's probably why the destroyers didn't stay around for too long.

I always keep two cuties in my stern tubes and two spare. I know some captains don't like them but they saved me more then once. When you have two or three DD's on you and you get that one that stops and listens only to get hit by one of them then thats one less you have to deal with.

This is the first time that I used this tactic. Like many others I try not to spend much time in areas where the waters not deep. This is also the first time being in shallow water that I came upon a TF.

I think one of the reasons why this worked was that I just shut down and slowly drifted down to the bottom instead of driving down into it.

You did the right thing overall, I may have tracked if my speed was greater for deeper water, but you can't let a BB pass by.

With stock the cuties are overpowered, I've never sunk a DD with one playing TMO