1st encounter with an enemy sub

[Warmonger]

I had it today when returning to St Nazaire after a pretty good patrol.

Time: Mid December '42
Location: about 400km out of St Nazaire
Sub: VIIC vs S-Class

I had only 2 TIV left in my aft tube, winds at 12 m/s so gun was out of question (at least for me...).

Here some pics:

First torpedo fired at 1600m:



1st torpedo homing in on the screws (although the sub was only making 8 knots...)



1st torpedo hits the screws but does not immobilize the sub...



So I set up for a second attack and see that the sub is listing already to the stern:



2nd and last torpedo fired and inbound...



Waiting for the impact..........AND

CLONK!

A dud!
As I watched the sub with disgust through my periscope it opened fire with its deckgun and took 5% from my hull!

So I dove deep and crawled away...

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice. I am in Saint Nazaire presently, hopefully I will come across something like this.

[bigboywooly]

Aint that the way
Last torp and its a dud
And the weathers too rough for the DG

Always bugs me that how everything else can fire the guns even in a 15m storm and we cant

Originally Posted by bigboywooly

Aint that the way
Last torp and its a dud
And the weathers too rough for the DG

Always bugs me that how everything else can fire the guns even in a 15m storm and we cant

Well, everything else has their gun platforms quite a bit higher above the water than we do. :p

I think it's less that our deck gun is too inaccurate in heavy seas and is more a matter of watching your gun crew go (involuntarily, kicking and screaming) swimming before they get a single round off.

[Warmonger]

But a sub equally big and seaworthy to mine being able to man and fire the DG while I'm not is not fair..

Originally Posted by Warmonger

But a sub equally big and seaworthy to mine being able to man and fire the DG while I'm not is not fair..

Errrr . . . dats true. Then again, the poor thang can't actually fire torpedoes and is stuck on the surface, so perhaps it's a draw. :p

[Warmonger]

Originally Posted by Albrecht Von Hesse

Errrr . . . dats true. Then again, the poor thang can't actually fire torpedoes and is stuck on the surface, so perhaps it's a draw. :p

Uhm well, seen like that you could be true...:hmm:

[danurve]

Interesting event. I wonder what would have happened if you rammed the sub at periscope depth?

WWBHD?

[raymond6751]

Any idea if this was an American or British sub?

My research has indicated that British subs were sent off to the Med early in the war to avoid being attacked when mistaken for u-boats.

An S boat would only have range to St. Nazaire if it were British. The West Coast of US is just out of range.

A bit of fiction, eh?

[bigboywooly]

You may need some more research then :rotfl:

P514 21.6.42 Mistaken for U-boat and rammed by minesweeper HMCS Georgian in Western Atlantic.

Unique 24.10.42 Sunk in Atlantic, on passage from UK to Gibraltar.

Unbeaten 11.11.42 Sunk in Bay of Biscay, Atlantic, in error by Wellington of No 172 Sqdn RAF Coastal Command, 110nm SSW of Ushant.

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/sm/ww2sm2.html

While its true most did go to the med and the Indian Ocean as well as the Pacific there were subs that stayed in home waters and the North sea
Plus new boats out of the UK in 42\43 had their first patrols out of the UK before moving bases
Not possibly all S class but its the only one we have so eh

[Mooncatt]

can enemy subs fire fish at you????? i thought i read somewhere that they can only fire their deck gun.

[Jimbuna]

Deck guns only...but in all weather conditions

[Mooncatt]

wot???? not fair.

[Boris]

One torpedo should rip a sub apart! I think this needs some changing.

[danlisa]

Originally Posted by Boris

One torpedo should rip a sub apart! I think this needs some changing.

Will this still be true IF the AI Torp is perfected?

I know that realistically 1 torp can destroy a sub but it would be a game killer.

:hmm: Second thoughts, bring on more realism. I can just imagine seeing a torp being dropped from a plane through my bino's. Probably the last thing I see.