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[Missing Name]

Reinstalling after a tragic modding accident.

Departed Lorient for the Freetown - UK shipping lanes on 31.aug.41.

19.sep.41
Grid DH18
At 2359 we recieved a radio dispatch:
"Convoy. DH42. NNE. 6 knots."
1 grid to the south. Go boat! Go!

4 hours and 33 minutes later we recieved a second dispatch, prior to exiting DH18:
"Convoy. DH19. NNE. 6 knots."
Easy find. Has to be DH197.
New course 090!

On 20 & 21 september numerious attack were carried out, resulting in the sinking of 4 ships, including 2 tankers.

The weather eventualy turned bad, and sunk more merchants and escorts than U122.
U122 vacated the area submerged, with the sounds of many sinking ships filling the hydrophone.

On 24.sep.41 U122 made a night surface attack, with her last 2 torpedoes on a C2 Cargo. After scoring 2 impacts the deck gun was immediatly employed. 3 hits were scored before our fire was answered with like. Crash dive! He had an open mount on the stern, believed to be a 6 inch gun. Within minutes of reaching 70 meters the ship was heard breaking up.

The patrol concluded with docking at Lorient, on 10.okt.41.
The Bay was transited submerged by day, and Ahead Standard by night.
No enemy surface or air assets were encountered, nor were any merchants, on the return trip.

Patrol results:
5 ships sunk for 44.152 GRT.
14 of 14 torpedoes expended.
Boat and crew healthy.

U122's history to date:
6 war patrols between 2.maj.40 and 10.okt.41.
26 ships sunk for 194.295 GRT.

U122 may be retired to a schoolboat status following her next patrol, should she survive.

This boats tonnage is way above my norm, and my expectations.
As much as I don't wish to climb into a IXC (I wanted to try for war's end in a IXB), she deserves to be retired in one piece if possible.

Oh well. One more patrol in my favorite, one way or the other, then on to a IXC.
BDU has spoken, and the matter is closed.

Originally Posted by Missing Name

Reinstalling after a tragic modding accident.

Ouch!
That's got to hurt.

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by Missing Name

Reinstalling after a tragic modding accident.

Doesn't sound good, hope the re-install goes well!

[VONHARRIS]

From : Bdu
To : All uboots

From today January 20 1942 U-524 is assumed lost with all hands.
No contact was made for 2 days now
Last position was grid BE66
Last report was about attacking a heavily escorted convoy

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

From today January 20 1942 U-524 is assumed lost with all hands.

Gone but not forgotten...

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

From : Bdu
To : All uboots

From today January 20 1942 U-524 is assumed lost with all hands.
No contact was made for 2 days now
Last position was grid BE66
Last report was about attacking a heavily escorted convoy

U122 mourns the loss of her younger sister.

[sublynx]

March 1st 1942
Ob.Lt. z S. Erich Scheide
U-451 ("die Elster"), VIIC, 7.th Flotilla, St.Nazaire
Orders: Patrol AL15
Location: Grid AL1
Weather: 15m/s, mittlere sicht

We just received a message saying that Vonharris's U-524 is presumed lost after attacking a heavily escorted convoy. A gloomy mood in the boat.

We are at Grid AL1 shadowing a large convoy, but luckily there's only one Black Swan defending it. Still I managed to waste five torpedoes with only one Empire frachter sunk. Our next attack will be in day time so it will be easier to estimate TDC data. Very rough seas though.

We have a FuMo-29 on board now. Seems to be a very experimental thing, not much use and I think the radiomen are'nt too sure about how the machine works and will they be able to find anything with it. It would be better if it revolved and the range is only about 5 - 7 kilometers. Maybe we can use it as a range finder in fog. But only in airplane and destroyer free areas. And it doesn't seem to like waves hitting it, so we can't depend on it in rough weather. BDU must tell Speer and his scientists to make a much better version and fast.

[fo3]

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

From : Bdu
To : All uboots

From today January 20 1942 U-524 is assumed lost with all hands.
No contact was made for 2 days now
Last position was grid BE66
Last report was about attacking a heavily escorted convoy

A message from the future!?
But how?
It seems like it's going all "the final countdown" out here, all going crazy.

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol No1 Shakedown
August 1 1939
07:37 hours
U-64 set out for her maiden voyage
Trials were carried out , crash dives simulated attacks on enemy ships and even a live torpedo launch(to the empty ocean) to check reloading times.

August 16 1939
10:19 U-64 docked to her home port in Wilhelmshaven after 16 days at sea.


Patrol No2
September 5 1939
15:19 hours
U-64 set for her first combat patrol to grid BF18

September 17 1939
12:30 hours Grid BF18
Coastal freighter sunk with torpedoes

September 23 1939
17:28 hours Grid BF18
Medium merchant 04 sunk by gunfire

September 26 1939
05:30 hours Grid BF18
Medium merchant 30 hit by 2 torpedoes and finished off by gunfire

September 28 1939
16:17 hours Grid BF14
Medium merchant 39 sunk by 3 torpedoes

October 1 1939
Grid BF17
Convoy attack
02:11 hours Medium merchant 17 sunk by 2 stern torpedoes
02:15 hours Armed merchant cruiser sunk by 2 bow torpedoes
02:16 hours Heavy merchant sunk by 2 bow torpedoes
Escorts pinged the boat twicw but no DCs were dropped.
Escaped at 120m at 1kt
Started return passage

October 4 1939
16:16 hours Grid AM52
Medium merchant 04 sunk with 3 bow torpedoes. 1 stern torpedo fired but it was a dud.

October 6 1939
07:52 hours. Enemy aircraft spotted. Crash dived and escaped unharmed.

October 11 1939
06:23 hours
U-64 docked at Wilhelmshaven
37 days at sea
9 ships sunk
53283 tons

[VONHARRIS]

Originally Posted by fo3

A message from the future!?
But how?
It seems like it's going all "the final countdown" out here, all going crazy.

What a target: the USS Nimitz!

Game: U-524 was lost during her 2nd (14th for the crew) patrol

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by sublynx

We have a FuMo-29 on board now. Seems to be a very experimental thing... BDU must tell Speer and his scientists to make a much better version and fast.

Love the critique...

Very nice touch of realism.

[Salvadoreno]

To: BdU
From: U-84
June 17th 1942


9002 Attacked konvoi SC-101 just northwest of Ireland. 2 premature, 1 miss, and 1 hit on a large tanker which blew up in a massive explosion. Avoided attempts at counter-attack

1030 Clinging to konvoi, going to reengage at night.

1530 Forced down by a very tenacious DD who has taken a position far west of the konvoi in an effort to detect and force me down

1620 Lost contact with konvoi. DD still in area. Forced us down twice. Saw us from incredible ranges of 12000ms and farther. Request further investigation when return to base

1800 Regained contact with convoy northeast of Ireland. Going to risk an attack close to British mainland at night.

2320 Sunk another tanker and small merchant from the convoy. Escorts were taken completely by suprise and no counter-attack was established. Broke off contact in fear of fighter support

To: BdU
From: U-84

June 19th 1942
200kms west of Ireland

Status Report: Weather fair, moderate visibility. Crew in high spirits. Continuing to patrol konvoi routes as per BdU request. 2 Bow and 2 Stern torpedoes left. 2 Tankers and 2 Merchants sunk for a total of 27.000 tons. 3 confirmed from convoy SC-101.

To: BdU
From: U-84

June 20th 1942
600kms west of Ireland

2132 Southbound konvoi spotted// Light Escort and very large konvoi// Request additional boats// Will Shadow until further boats brought up// 2 Stragglers falling behind// 1 ship sinking on an even keel// Additional boats may already be in support//

[sublynx]

20.3.1942, 20:02
Ob.Lt. z S. Erich Scheide
U-451 ("die Elster"), VIIC, 7.th Flotilla, St.Nazaire
Orders: Patrol AL15
Location: Grid BF 41
Weather: 15m/s, cloudy, no rain, visibility 4 - 5 kilometers

In about five to six hours we'll be in position to intercept a reported inbound convoy in grid BF17. Even if we find it with no problems we only get one chance of attacking before the water starts getting shallower and the airplanes flying from England become a factor too. Ten torpedoes left, so I might risk attacking it multiple times anyway.

Yesterday we had a very encouraging success using the FuMo 29 in 4 - 5 kilometer visibility, 8m/s wind conditions. We found a contact with hydrophones and then located two ships with radar. We shadowed them out of sight in the fog for 15 minutes keeping radar contact. During that time we established their course with the radar and measured their speed (7 knots) by changing our speed so that the range shown on FuMo 29 didn't change. The 3:15 method was difficult to use, because there were two contacts to follow and the radar kept switching off now and then (waves kept hitting the radar). The ships were duly sunk and were kleiner frachters, about 2200 GRT both. Even though the ships were quite small the signature in the radar was absolutely clear.

With FuMo 29 onboard we managed to establish the enemy's course and speed reasonably fast and accurate. In this case there was no need for time consuming and often a bit inaccurate hydrophone bearings. With some practice I think the radiomen will be able to do the necessary range and speed finding in 5 - 10 minutes, maybe even less.The radiomen were happily informing me about contacts on the radar and are now on a jubilant mood! With the FuMo 29 they can really add to the punching power our boat carries, at least in these kind of conditions (foggy, not too stormy, no airplane risk, area checked by hydrophone).

[gazpode_l]

My current patrol - started on 24/7/1941
Ships sunk thus far: 3

Mission: Left new harbour of brest in July 1941. Patrol grid alloted was a distant grid somwhere within the NW quadrant of the "DT" grids west of africa.

A peaceful journey down was only interupted by an encounter with a small, solo merchant, which was despatched using 2 torpedoes (1 missed)

No further activity was to be the norm for the next week or so as I patrolled my grid and then headed away from my grid.

I briefly toyed with temptation to experiment with an operation around gibraltar, but was driven away by numerous air-attacks, one of which resulted in light damage to my pressure hull which was soon repaired.

The journey back to familiar waters around the UK was eventful and in squally seas I was able to dispatch a medium sized frieghter, although I was quite wasteful with my torpedoes and expended more than I had bargained for!

I later THOUGHT I had discovered a convoy, and was plotting my firing position quite nicely, but then as I got to within firing range, a quick look through the periscope had me cursing as I spotted the glaring navigation lights too-ing and fro-ing in the heavy sea!!!

deciding not to fire on a convoy which could possibly be neautral/friendly, I left them be and carried on northwards.

I then encountered a small steamer just SW of longships which I made a right meal of taking another two value-able torpedoes to sink it!

Onwards north still and into the bristol channel. We motored eastwards towards SW wales where I am plotting a look into a couple of the small harbours dotted along the south coast of wales.

Have thus far come under numerous air attacks and have been forced under on three separate occasions.

During one dive my hydroman managed to pickup a fient contact, more in the general direction of ireland. Course was changed and we headed towards the contact.

Soon the merchant contact was no longer being heard but a warship was spotted on the horizon heading in our general direction. Silent speed was ordered and we descended to a depth of 25m hoping the HUNT Class would pass over us without incident.....it DIDNT!!!!

We are now in a battle of cat & mouse and I am trying to evade the clutches of a very good adversary...currently sitting at around 100m trying to dodge the D/C he is throwing my way!

Thankfully no damages thus far from him.

W SUhr
Commander
U-93 (VIIc)
Essex Division
Based: Brest, France