WOW Das Boot like experience!!

[GoldenRivet]

So there i was...

heading to intercept a contact report. I had maneuvered ahead of the group and spotted several ships under escort. it was pretty dark out but not completely pitch black and i noticed a destroyer heading slowly in my direction.

went to periscope depth to try and take him out if i could get a clear shot on him. Raised the scope for a look. It was a Black Swan. Dead ahead on bearing 350ish. the convoy was over on a bearing of more like 290 - 300.

prepared a spread of my two electric eels with magnetic fuses. opened the doors. there was no pinging and the escort was moving in a straight line not directly at me however but towards my direction from about 2000 meters. so i felt relatively safe for the moment.

I decided to take a look at the convoy... perhaps i can skip this guy and take a few shots in their direction? but it will be a long range shot... I panned the periscope to the left, zoomed in and identified a few of the larger ships. mostly C3 and C2 types with a couple of large tankers. worth launching a salvo? Hmmm i pondered. :hmm:

but this Black Swan is such an easy target moving slowly toward my position. I stopped entertaining thoughts of attacking the tankers just yet and turned my attention back to the Black Swan. I panned my periscope back to the right to the 350 bearing.

Nothing.

Where the hell did he go?

I realized i was still on the zoomed optics from peering at the convoy. and quickly zoomed out. That black swan was 400 meters and closing.

"Down Scope!" then the pinging starts up! the intervals on the pings are short and there is no time to spare.

"Crash dive!!! Hard to starboard!!"

the growl of the Black Swan's engines grew louder and louder. the dolby 5.1 surround sound in my computer room began vibrating the two empty beer bottles next to my mouse pad. then the black swan went to full speed, the engines reved up and too many splashes to count quickly followed.

We took a beating. The lights flickered, sparks flew, glass guage covers busted... I ordered 150 meters depth remaining at the flank speed for now since we were in the destroyers baffles.

A quick review of the damage control showed all compartments yellow, except for the bow torpedo room and bow quarters - orange. Tubes 2 and 3 destroyed. Hydrophones damaged (of course) main pump damaged the list goes on. Heavy flooding in the bow, light flooding everywhere else. Depth became very hard to control and it was evident that we were not going to be able to maintain the ordered depth. my situation required me to secure from silent running to at least try and stop the flooding and repair SOME damage.

even at flank speed we passed swiftly through the ordered 150 meter mark. I blew the ballast to help cause some rate of ascent to the boat... but the best it did was hold steady at 190 meters... blew the ballast again, there was a slight rise but nothing looked promising. we were going down unless this flooding was fixed.

I began to sweat at the sounds of the kreaks and groans as we passed 240 meters... i sounded the bottom. Depth under keel 40 meters. I ordered all stop... a few harrowing moments later we struck the sea floor ever so gently. but hard enough to cause the control room to go from yellow to orange now as well.

Bow torp room was now about 60% flooded, bow quarters was about 50-60% flooded. everything else was only about 15 - 20% flooded. I watched the damage control screen with one eye closed and the other squinting at the screen. the sound of the hull scraping on the bottom stopped... our speed read zero... our depth 280 meters.

the depth charging continued but it was all very shallow - i would guess maybe 100 meters or so. there was that one black swan and at least 2 of his friends making runs on us but they couldnt pinpoint us with their ASDIC. Thankfully.

because of the situation, maximum time compression was 8X... so i just left it on 1X most of the time.

For 2 real world hours this DC attack continued as the flooding was stopped, but nothing was being pumped out of the boat. With the hydrophones back in working order it was easier to keep appraised of the situation outside. eventually the escorts left the scene and i was able to increase time compression a bit. with the compartments clearing rapidly of their flooding. I blew the ballast until the compressed air was virtually depleated.

We broke the surface and plotted a course for home. That was enough excitement for this patrol.

[Grey_Raven75]

Pretty cool, but pretty lucky. Where were you patroling? If you'd been in any deeper water your U-boat would've become a beer can.

[GoldenRivet]

Yes some time ago i found myself in a similar situation in the deeper parts of the north atlantic... he sea floor wasnt there to catch me but the damage was repaired fast enough to control depth.

in this scenario i was patrolling close in to the shallower waters just outside the keltic Sea but still quite a ways out. Southwest of Cork... cant recall the grid number but i was in BF something or other.

[sunvalleyslim]

You were lucky you still had some compressed air, after two blows to try to get to the surface......You have lived to serve another day Herr Kaleun............

[GoldenRivet]

I should probably mention so some of the newer SH3 vanilla guys dont try this at home.

this experience... and the one i had similar to this some months ago occured while playing SH3 with patched GWX and SH3 commander.

[Canovaro]

Welcome back!

Good story..

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Very cool matey!

Sometimes, just surviving and coming home with a bent boat is better than a big tonnage haul.

[Kaleun Cook]

Nice story!

I always feel a little "sad" when I read stuff like that - cause that never happened to me. I either take only little damage that's easy to repair. Or I'm bombed away in no time and being sent to the death screen without even having time to look at the damage screen.

[GoldenRivet]

if you play all the time like i do and you survive into 1943-44 it will happen.

keep playing im sure you will get your chance

as rewarding as it is to save a dieing boat... i really would have rather bagged 2 tankers and a black swan for my mantle

[rb4door]

nicely done.

I just had a similar experience a few days ago, except unfortunately the damage to my ship was too great, and she imploded at only 190 meters
You were very lucky not to implode at that depth, considering how much damage you had!

[Brag]

Congratz on a good escape! It is almost nice to have a bottom at 200 meters.

[kakemann]

Thats a interesting story!
Nice work

[Kaleu. Jochen Mohr]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

I should probably mention so some of the newer SH3 vanilla guys dont try this at home.

this experience... and the one i had similar to this some months ago occured while playing SH3 with patched GWX and SH3 commander.

what is this vanila thing actualy ? and can it be compared to GWX ?

[danurve]

Good read.
I like jazz like that in the game. Raise your hand if you kinda look forward to it now with DepthChargeShake & OpenHatch

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Kaleu. Jochen Mohr

what is this vanila thing actualy ? and can it be compared to GWX ?

Code-word for stock game, unmodified.