Tell us what you are upto in your current campaign

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Applied the SH3 Commander surrender option. Thanks again for the reminder Kapitan !
I play dead is dead, and I think that is a more realistic option than my reports scenarios, especially after the second round of damage.


Loss of a very experienced crew, but I got to spend the remainder of the war in Scotland, so got that going for me !


Great fun regardless !

Sounds like, you didn't make it back home :-(


Too bad!


Maybe, the German Govt. will make an exchange with an Allied Officer for you ;-)


You'll just have to take command of a new boat with a brand new crew ...

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Sounds like, you didn't make it back home :-(


Too bad!


Maybe, the German Govt. will make an exchange with an Allied Officer for you ;-)


You'll just have to take command of a new boat with a brand new crew ...

I actually did make it back as I even escaped from the second round of damage (boy, was the crew exhausted after 36 hours of repairs !), but as said, that is not the way it would have happened in reality. The boat would have been scuttled, crew tried to surrender.
So that's what I did.


Yep, have a new boat and crew (though with some experience via the SH3 commander function) to replace the loss of U-553 all set for an October, 1943 sail.
Up until then, I had used SH3 Commander's function to keep the same crew with each new skipper, hence their high level of overall experience (minus transfers, dismissals, etc.) I do all my careers this way.

U-553 was with it's third skipper (first patrol for him) when it was scuttled.

It's first patrol was from St. Nazaire iin 9/40, with a transfer to Lorient later on.
I forgot to keep the first skipper's records, but the last two had twelve ships sunk for 76,900 tons. It's first skipper had the most tonnage, over 100k, but I can't recall the exact number.

[Greywolf2001ca]

Hi! I'm new here even though I am playing SH3 for years now. Thought I tried to do a campaign with the Type II model for as long as it was available, even change fleet to keep it. This is just to see what kind of campaign it would make.

Anyone ever tried this in vanilla or GWX?

[Aktungbby]

Greywolf2001ca!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Greywolf2001ca

Hi! I'm new here even though I am playing SH3 for years now. Thought I tried to do a campaign with the Type II model for as long as it was available, even change fleet to keep it. This is just to see what kind of campaign it would make.

Anyone ever tried this in vanilla or GWX?

Tried in the past but soon got bored with the repetitive need to return to base for eel replenishment.

Welcome to SubSim and enjoy the GWXperience

[Obltn Strand]

Always star your career with type II
But as Jimbuna said after few patrols it gets frustrating . Especially when that last torpedo hits, detonates but fails to sink that 10 000 tonner....

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

I actually did make it back as I even escaped from the second round of damage (boy, was the crew exhausted after 36 hours of repairs !), but as said, that is not the way it would have happened in reality. The boat would have been scuttled, crew tried to surrender.
So that's what I did.


Yep, have a new boat and crew (though with some experience via the SH3 commander function) to replace the loss of U-553 all set for an October, 1943 sail.
Up until then, I had used SH3 Commander's function to keep the same crew with each new skipper, hence their high level of overall experience (minus transfers, dismissals, etc.) I do all my careers this way.

U-553 was with it's third skipper (first patrol for him) when it was scuttled.

It's first patrol was from St. Nazaire iin 9/40, with a transfer to Lorient later on.
I forgot to keep the first skipper's records, but the last two had twelve ships sunk for 76,900 tons. It's first skipper had the most tonnage, over 100k, but I can't recall the exact number.

Sounds good! I know about the Cmdr. option to select a "Crew already in Sh3" but I seem to remember, that this never really worked for me, i.e., I never saw an option of different crews to be selected ...


How should this work in theory?

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Obltn Strand

Always star your career with type II
But as Jimbuna said after few patrols it gets frustrating . Especially when that last torpedo hits, detonates but fails to sink that 10 000 tonner....

Yep, I started my carrer posted in this thread with a type II boat as well.


With some expierence, one can figure out which type of ships can be sunk with one eel and which ones not. Bad weather can help in that as well but then, the draught of the target ship needs to be deep enough, for the torpedo to be able to run in undisturbed water. And then, there is always the risk of torpedo failures, especially, early in the war ...



Can be very frustrating. However, if one checks, e.g., on www.uboat.net, how it was historically, it is quite realistic to return from a patrol with only having torpedoed or damaged ships but not any ship actualy sunk.

[U301]

September, 1939
U-17
04.47
Off Scapa Flow,
At 15m,
Waiting for the best available target.
KUrtz

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Sounds good! I know about the Cmdr. option to select a "Crew already in Sh3" but I seem to remember, that this never really worked for me, i.e., I never saw an option of different crews to be selected ...


How should this work in theory?

The crew "Already in SH3" function won't give you an option for different crews unless one adds different crew configurations to Commander.
That just means Commander will just use the crew files of the SH3 install you have. A "stock" Commander install will only have one other choice in this function, called "Realistic". You should see this in your Commander install.
One can make different crew configurations if desired, put them in the Commander Crew folder, and then they'd show up here.

My above reference was to the "Randomize crew names and experience" function in Commander.
No u-boat went to sea with a completely inexperienced crew, so I always select this for any career.

One can also keep using the same crew (minus any other transfers, dismissals, etc.) with a new Captain (say he gets promoted to a desk job) via the "Click here for available actions" function in Commander.
I also use this function every career as it too is more how things were actually done.

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

The crew "Already in SH3" function won't give you an option for different crews unless one adds difference crew configurations to Commander.
That just means Commander will just use the crew files of the SH3 install you have. A "stock" Commander install will only have one other choice in this function, called "Realistic". You should see this in your Commander install.
One can make different crew configurations if desired, put them in the Commander Crew folder, and then they'd show up here.

My above reference was to the "Randomize crew names and experience" function in Commander.
No u-boat went to sea with a completely inexperienced crew, so I always select this for any career.

One can also keep using the same crew (minus any other transfers, dismissals, etc.) with a new Captain (say he gets promoted to a desk job) via the "Click here for available actions" function in Commander.
I also use this function every career as it too is more how things were actually done.

Ok, thanks for that! Very helpful!

[UKönig]

U230, 300km SE of sable island, ocean grid CB33, heading 335° at 25 meters down, for rough weather, skies clear.
About to make contact with a loosely guarded tanker convoy, probably sailing in ballast on its way back to New York.
1 aft, and 5 forward torpedoes remain.
5 small/coastal merchants and 1 nosy JC Butler DE sunk along the way.
I'll do what I can, but expect to sink only 1 or 2 tankers in total, assuming we can even get close enough...

[UKönig]

Originally Posted by UKönig

U230, 300km SE of sable island, ocean grid CB33, heading 335° at 25 meters down, for rough weather, skies clear.
About to make contact with a loosely guarded tanker convoy, probably sailing in ballast on its way back to New York.
1 aft, and 5 forward torpedoes remain.
5 small/coastal merchants and 1 nosy JC Butler DE sunk along the way.
I'll do what I can, but expect to sink only 1 or 2 tankers in total, assuming we can even get close enough...

After careful review of the tactical situation, it seems ole U230 is just close enough for the outer ring escorts to pound us into submission.
Attack angle too oblique to make an effective push.
If this convoy is heading to New York, then the best thing we can do is try to meet them there.
Knowing my luck, I'll run across a few stragglers or rompers along the way, and I'll be goaded into wasting more of my dwindling ammunition.

[UKönig]

Update
Found another tanker convoy, heading in the opposite direction, only this time, the range and angle are almost perfect.
The rough, stormy weather we had about 4 hours ago had broke, and clear skies and calm seas have returned. Unfortunately, this convoy is *heavily* guarded. 12 escorts at a guess. All American.
Made contact at 14:51 hrs by sinking a small tanker. Followed it up 1 minute later by sinking a river class destroyer escort, with a homing torpedo. 11 escorts remain. Out of ammo by sinking one more small tanker at 14:57 hrs. Now trying to escape.
This is probably the most terrified I've ever been.
Half the escorts have rejoined the main body of the convoy, but they left at least 5 to keep me company.
Game time is now 16:30 hrs, 1 escort hovering around overhead, but although he has made several good passes, he has dropped nothing, which leads me to believe that he is out of depth charges. He just won't bugger off.
Minor damage to the exterior surfaces, but the hull is still tight.
I don't know how we're going to get out of this one, because they are very angry with me...

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by UKönig

Update
Found another tanker convoy, heading in the opposite direction, only this time, the range and angle are almost perfect.
The rough, stormy weather we had about 4 hours ago had broke, and clear skies and calm seas have returned. Unfortunately, this convoy is *heavily* guarded. 12 escorts at a guess. All American.
Made contact at 14:51 hrs by sinking a small tanker. Followed it up 1 minute later by sinking a river class destroyer escort, with a homing torpedo. 11 escorts remain. Out of ammo by sinking one more small tanker at 14:57 hrs. Now trying to escape.
This is probably the most terrified I've ever been.
Half the escorts have rejoined the main body of the convoy, but they left at least 5 to keep me company.
Game time is now 16:30 hrs, 1 escort hovering around overhead, but although he has made several good passes, he has dropped nothing, which leads me to believe that he is out of depth charges. He just won't bugger off.
Minor damage to the exterior surfaces, but the hull is still tight.
I don't know how we're going to get out of this one, because they are very angry with me...

Have any Bold decoys ? They work well.