Tell us what you are upto in your current campaign

[Zedwardson]

Walter Koch, commander of U-53 had a fine start to the war. he was in place when the war broke out, with plenty of fuel and torps to wage war.

While on patrol in his grid BF 18, on calm waters at daytime came across the SS Bretwalda, a Granville-type, , and the boat was in place for a ideal shot. at 1000M he let go of a e-eel, which impacted, however the freighter was still still going strong, so two more eels (one miss, one hit) and it went down.

After patrol, U-53 moved to BF13, hoping to find a few stragglers. A heavy storm came up, and suddenly a whale factory ship appears off the bow. a few eels later, and it going down, with a fine tonnage.

The rest of the patrol was a cat and mouse in a heavy storm with a heavy freighter of a mid tanker, tracking down by hydrophones, the freighter was put in the bottom, and the tanker was burning and listing, but still moving, so U-53 followed, reporting in, and hoping for calm waters or storm damage, and the tanker succumbed to its wounds.


33160 tons is a fine tonnage for 1939. Even if it going to get a lot tougher as time goes on.

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by The Dean

This is the first time I've been ground down in a waiting game with the enemy and forced to surface, and its been an eye opener.

It never ceases to amaze me just how 'gripping' it can be. Good job getting your crew home in one piece, a fine narrative - thanks for sharing!

[JazzJR]

Patrol 14
U-995
23.October.1940

Leaving the Port St.Nazaire to patrol grid AM19 at 0414!

Ocean....only Ocean no ship in range.



27.October.1940
1200 Diving to A-20
1210 going to A-40
1218 Attacking convoy at Grid AM19.
1223 Ship Sunk! Large Tanker 9677BRT
1249 Ship sunk! HMS Rodney 36000BRT

1320 Surfacing to load Batteries

29.October.1940
0400 going to A-40
0420 KDB operator reports multiple screw sounds.
0448 screw sounds! Must be a Large Merchant Grid AM78
0500 Ship sunk! Large Freighter 10617BRT
0621 surfacing


1.November.1940
0122 Returning to U-Boat Base St.Nazaire
1251 Reached St.Nazaire. Ending Patrol with 56294BRT

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by JazzJR

1249 Ship sunk! HMS Rodney 36000BRT

That's what I like to see. Good job!

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol No7
15 July 1940
13:49 hours Departed from Wilhemlshaven for grid BE87

20 July 1940
13:33 hours
Grid AN11
SS Vagrant (Passenger/Cargo), 2253 tons. Cargo: Passengers. Crew: 78. Crew lost: 28

27 July 1940
18:20 hours
Grid BE64 Convoy attack
HMS Garth (Hunt I class), 1000 tons. Crew: 169. Crew lost: 86
Salvo against Fiji class cruiser missed

28 July 1940
01:53 hours
Grid BE64
SS Victoria City (Medium Merchant 06), 5173 tons. Cargo: Coffee. Crew: 52. Crew lost: 33

29 July 1940
05:00 hours
Grid BE82
SS Sea Venture (Small Merchant), 2399 tons. Cargo: Steel. Crew: 28. Crew lost: 19

06 August 1940
00:05 hours
Grid AM54
SS Khandalla (Troop Ship), 8338 tons. Cargo: Troops. Crew: 158. Crew lost: 11

08 August 1940
16:37 hours
Grid AM52
SS Rapid (Medium Cargo), 5081 tons. Cargo: Explosives. Crew: 46. Crew lost: 17

21 August 1940
05:58 hours
Grid AN14
HMS Teredo (T class), 1222 tons. Crew: 50. Crew lost: 15

22 August 1940
23:58 hours
Grid AN47
HMS Lord Stamp (ASW Trawler), 1100 tons. Crew: 48. Crew lost: 10

23 August 1940
00:03 hours
Grid AN47
MV La Cordillera (Medium Merchant 30), 6937 tons. Cargo: Explosives. Crew: 67. Crew lost: 55

06:28 hours
Grid AN52
HMS Mull of Kintyre F 86 (Convoy repair ship), 5216 tons. Crew: 199. Crew lost: 129

25 August 1940
02:29 hours
Returned to port
42 days at sea
9 ships sunk
37497 tons
No casualties
95% hull integrity

[mightymightychatham]

Hey! I've been reading this thread for a while... time to put my oar in!

The ongoing adventures of U-53...

[VONHARRIS]

@ mightymightychatham

Very nice post.
You are good with graphics , aren't you?

[VONHARRIS]

Patrol 9
Happy times

27 December 1940
17:31 hours
Departed from Lorient

30 December 1940
Grid BE93
18:41 hours SS Clan MacAlister (Medium Merchant 30), 6936 tons. Cargo: Military Stores. Crew: 75. Crew lost: 67

05 January 1941
Grid CG86 Convoy attack
22:31 hours SS Triglav (Medium Merchant 30), 6937 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 76. Crew lost: 28
22:42 hours SS Inverbank (Medium Merchant 23), 5309 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 56. Crew lost: 33
22:51 hours HMS Faithful F 177 (Convoy repair ship), 5215 tons. Crew: 179. Crew lost: 3

07 January 1941
Grid CG97
16:41 hours USS Chloris (Convoy repair ship), 5219 tons. Crew: 154. Crew lost: 83 She was flying British colors

09 January 1941
Grid CG95
17:24 hours SS Hedera (Small Merchant), 2215 tons. Cargo: Explosives. Crew: 20. Crew lost: 16
19:40 hours SS Rio Dorado (Medium Merchant 22), 4291 tons. Cargo: Copper Ore. Crew: 43. Crew lost: 32

10 January 1941
Grid CG94
23:08 hours SS Oakbank (Medium Merchant 23), 5310 tons. Cargo: Sulfur. Crew: 62. Crew lost: 41

11 January 1941
Grid CG95
18:39 hours SS Santa Clara Valley (Medium Merchant 02), 4894 tons. Cargo: Sugar. Crew: 67. Crew lost: 0

13 January 1941
Grid CG95
14:50 hours SS Campos (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons. Cargo: Wine/Spirits. Crew: 104. Crew lost: 83
17:48 hours MV Alcinous (Medium Merchant 30), 6941 tons. Cargo: Sulfur. Crew: 61. Crew lost: 0

14 January 1941
Grid CG94
19:29 hours SS Ninghai (Small Freighter), 2091 tons. Cargo: Sugar. Crew: 32. Crew lost: 25

18 January 1941
Grid CG94
07:53 hours SS Sitka (Large Cargo), 8520 tons. Cargo: Wine/Spirits. Crew: 65. Crew lost: 54
08:21 hours SS Dalarö (Medium Merchant 02), 4895 tons. Cargo: Grain. Crew: 64. Crew lost: 51
10:54 hours SS Tynwald (Tramp Steamer), 2112 tons. Cargo: Military Stores. Crew: 31. Crew lost: 16

21 January 1941
23:41 hours Returned to Lorient
26 days at sea
15 ships sunk
75592 tons
No damages or casualties

[Kaptain Kanada]

Well, I'm playing with the Victory Mod enabled for a bit of variety. Due to the high renown value of warships and the sad fact that I don't use any realism mods and play at 0% I'm the coolest commander in the Kreigsmarine!
It was 1940 and I purchased a souped up IX-B and sailed from Kiel. Germany had taken everything up the eastern coast and I was to patrol AN--(somewhere off the cost between Hartlepool and Scapa Flow). I received a message from BdU informing me that the Royal Navy was relocating to Lock Ewe from Scapa Flow. I immediately sailed to Loch Ewe and snuck in, I sunk their moored Light Cruiser, their docked Fleet Carrier (their 2 largest ships) as well as 2 moored destroyers and 3 more that were steaming towards the wrecks to pick up survivors, I also sunk an Armed Trawler that was shadowing me. I ran out of torps and left, surfacing at a safe distance to resupply with my external reserves. The Brits had but 2 or 3 more destroyers left at Ewe so I decided to return to my partol on the other side of the isles. I was harrased by many swordfish and a few hurricanes. I downed 12 aircraft from my 2 dual flackwierzing(spelling). Sailed without a hitch, reached my new base of Lorient.
Not bad for a maiden voyage in my new uboat!

Spent a week or so there at parties and receptions for my promotion and awarding of Knights Cross with Golden Oak Leaves Swords and Diamonds, as well as my uboat war badge and front clasp. (this was my 13th partol iirc, something between 13 and 15). I was promoted to Lieutenant (spelling) and dished out war badges to every member of the crew except for 1 new lowly sailor who I simply didn't have a medal for. I promoted around 4 men after that.

Sailed up to Loch Ewe due to the capture of that base during one of my parties. I've missed Dunkirk, the allied evacuation and every other important event but catching what's left of the Home Fleet at Ewe.

Looks like its just a matter of patrol off of Iceland for now on. I'll load up my other campaigns set in the other parts of the world once this becomes boring.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by mightymightychatham

The ongoing adventures of U-53...

You can't "boo" the Tommies! Without them you wouldn't have a job!

Great pictures, though.

[JazzJR]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

You can't "boo" the Tommies! Without them you wouldn't have a job!

Aren't there another evil Nations out there?

[Uboatman]

After my first attempt returning to the Atlantic after 1yr+ went awry due to a technical fault (forgot deleting a save deletes everything after) U-52 under it's Kaleun Willi Brandt set off for it's first war patrol. Quite a voyage, the crew were happy to be home after nearly 2months sailing, across to Danzig and then all the way around the British Isles to the Western Approaches with a good chunk of renown gathering SE of Iceland .
(longest first patrol I've ever done)

20.8.39.
0432 Patrol 2
U-52, U-Flotilla Weddigen
Left at: August 20, 1939, 04:32
From: Kiel
Mission Orders: Patrol grid AN26
5.9.39.
2037 Grid AM 33 Ship sunk! HMS Hood (HMS Hood), 48360 tons. Crew: 1400. Crew lost: 70
11.9.39.
1214 Grid BF 19 Ship sunk! SS Yarra (Passenger/Cargo), 2599 tons. Cargo: Passengers. Crew: 81. Crew lost: 21
12.9.39.
0847 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! SS Stal (Tramp Steamer), 1957 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 35. Crew lost: 9
13.9.39.
1331 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! MV Comandante Alcidio (Small Cargo), 1737 tons. Cargo: Copper Ore. Crew: 23. Crew lost: 15
14.9.39.
1804 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! SS Knud (Small Composite Merchant), 1941 tons. Cargo: General Cargo. Crew: 25. Crew lost: 19
16.9.39.
1311 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! SS Blink (Bulk Freighter), 2866 tons. Cargo: Copper Ore. Crew: 34. Crew lost: 2
18.9.39.
0217 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! SS Berhala (Express Freighter), 6239 tons. Cargo: Scrap Metal. Crew: 53. Crew lost: 12
19.9.39.
1836 Grid BF 27 Ship sunk! SS Surville (Passenger/Cargo), 2551 tons. Cargo: Passengers. Crew: 140. Crew lost: 79
20.9.39.
0923 Grid BF 24 Ship sunk! MV Sir Huon (Express Freighter), 6240 tons. Cargo: Timber. Crew: 45. Crew lost: 12
2332 Grid BF 24 Ship sunk! SS Afiena (Coastal Freighter), 1869 tons. Cargo: Timber. Crew: 30. Crew lost: 15
21.9.39.
1959 Grid BF 25 Ship sunk! SS Adinda (Coastal Freighter), 1870 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 31. Crew lost: 25
29.9.39.
2036 Grid BE 36 Ship sunk! SS Nils Gorthon (Large Freighter), 8604 tons. Cargo: Timber. Crew: 62. Crew lost: 27
3.10.39.
0338 Grid AM 52 Ship sunk! MV Skjelbred (Express Freighter), 6241 tons. Cargo: Sugar. Crew: 56. Crew lost: 25
10.10.39.
1433 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 13
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonnage: 93074 tons

[mightymightychatham]

Originally Posted by VONHARRIS

@ mightymightychatham

Very nice post.
You are good with graphics , aren't you?

You're too kind. I'm more like an amateur really; I did this in about one hour with a free paint program.

You can't "boo" the Tommies! Without them you wouldn't have a job!

Great pictures, though.

You're right Steve. Point taken. From now on, when I spot English ships, rather than jeer at them I'll be sure to shower them with gifts. Long, cylindrical gifts.

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by Kaptain Kanada

Well, I'm playing with the Victory Mod enabled for a bit of variety.

Sailed up to Loch Ewe due to the capture of that base during one of my parties.

Good times!

[Kaptain Kanada]

Well, using the VMod my latest patrol (my last) had me off the coast of Newfoundland in the strait between NFLD and Labrador. I ran into a tug which was armed with 3 flaks an 88cm and 1 rack of charges. It stood still after shooting me so I gave it an eel (weather demanded it). While sailing on and repairing my damages I hit a subnet that ran between NFLD and Labrador (a large distance for a net) and was thus killed. That was just so preposterous I restarted that patrol.