Is it possible to be just too lucky in one patrol.

3Jane · 08-31-07, 07:09 PM

Having been sent to CG76 in my IXb, making it past Calais in heavy rain and fog (May '40) 3000M out to avoid the minefields I made my way down there. Nothing for days, but that is fairly common. I just made my fuel last until I found something. After three single targets, two large merchants and and a large cargo I ran into a medium sized convoy.
There was light fog, so I tried to get as close as possible before diving to make a periscope attack. Went in a little too close and was spotted by the front and what turned out to be the only escort, a V&W. As it was coming fast I decided to risk a shot with an electric, it worked. I waited some time, but no other escorts were heard. After a long periscope watch at slow speed I risked surfacing and was surprised to confirm that there were no other escorts at all. Four large cargo, three large merchants with the rest passenger cargo or small merchants.

The results were as above, all large cargo and large merchants sunk. I have heard about such convoys before but have never seen one my self.
As I had no internal loads left, I decided to head back to Willhelmshaven bringing in the externals as I headed north.
All went well, no sightings on the way up the the BE region. Apart from spotting a Condor with Spanish markings.
The good luck with shipping continued however. The next sighting I think near BE14 was a large merchant. But next up the following morning was convoy party II. Was taking a long hydrophone watch to keep submeged avoiding aircraft and found another convoy, about BE12. With the six reloaded externals I figured it was worth the risk. This time I was aided by extremely rough seas which meant that I could travel at 1/3 or more at periscope depth and the escort couldn't find me. This time it was the same story, only one V&W up front as lone escort. The worst thing was having to take so much time identifying targets as the periscope view was obscured most of the time. The tally when it was all over, three large cargo and three medium cargo. Plus the escort and a small freighter which sank in the storm. Sinking it might well have been, but even with it's stern sticking up the damn thing was still firing at me when I made a surface attack on the last large cargo I sank. With the motors stopping every couple of minutes as the weather pushed me down to 10 metres, with that irritating noise it makes (I must remove that sound file!)

Bloody persistent!

But was that the end of the fun, no. After surfacing and recharging the batteries, late evening the same day I spotted another large merchant. No torpedos left though and too rough to use the deck gun. No shells anyway. The last one, noooo. Lunchtime the next day, yet another large merchant.
I'm now just entering the chanel hoping the storm will last as long as it takes me to make it as far along as I can. Then, if the sea is calm, decks awash at 3000M out past Calais at night. Always works for me in the early war years.
My question is, is it possible to have too much of a good thing. The total, 19 ships and one Anson.

08-31-07, 07:09 PM	#1
3Jane Ace of the Deep Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: York. Northern England. Posts: 1,004 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Is it possible to be just too lucky in one patrol. Having been sent to CG76 in my IXb, making it past Calais in heavy rain and fog (May '40) 3000M out to avoid the minefields I made my way down there. Nothing for days, but that is fairly common. I just made my fuel last until I found something. After three single targets, two large merchants and and a large cargo I ran into a medium sized convoy. There was light fog, so I tried to get as close as possible before diving to make a periscope attack. Went in a little too close and was spotted by the front and what turned out to be the only escort, a V&W. As it was coming fast I decided to risk a shot with an electric, it worked. I waited some time, but no other escorts were heard. After a long periscope watch at slow speed I risked surfacing and was surprised to confirm that there were no other escorts at all. Four large cargo, three large merchants with the rest passenger cargo or small merchants. The results were as above, all large cargo and large merchants sunk. I have heard about such convoys before but have never seen one my self. As I had no internal loads left, I decided to head back to Willhelmshaven bringing in the externals as I headed north. All went well, no sightings on the way up the the BE region. Apart from spotting a Condor with Spanish markings. The good luck with shipping continued however. The next sighting I think near BE14 was a large merchant. But next up the following morning was convoy party II. Was taking a long hydrophone watch to keep submeged avoiding aircraft and found another convoy, about BE12. With the six reloaded externals I figured it was worth the risk. This time I was aided by extremely rough seas which meant that I could travel at 1/3 or more at periscope depth and the escort couldn't find me. This time it was the same story, only one V&W up front as lone escort. The worst thing was having to take so much time identifying targets as the periscope view was obscured most of the time. The tally when it was all over, three large cargo and three medium cargo. Plus the escort and a small freighter which sank in the storm. Sinking it might well have been, but even with it's stern sticking up the damn thing was still firing at me when I made a surface attack on the last large cargo I sank. With the motors stopping every couple of minutes as the weather pushed me down to 10 metres, with that irritating noise it makes (I must remove that sound file!) Bloody persistent! But was that the end of the fun, no. After surfacing and recharging the batteries, late evening the same day I spotted another large merchant. No torpedos left though and too rough to use the deck gun. No shells anyway. The last one, noooo. Lunchtime the next day, yet another large merchant. I'm now just entering the chanel hoping the storm will last as long as it takes me to make it as far along as I can. Then, if the sea is calm, decks awash at 3000M out past Calais at night. Always works for me in the early war years. My question is, is it possible to have too much of a good thing. The total, 19 ships and one Anson. __________________ Fate opposes me in vitality and morality, forced ever onward, burdened, always in shackles. So this very moment, without tarrying, pluck the quivering strings. Because fate punishes the one who plays, all lament with me. (http://hosted.filefront.com/KatherineRowan) Last edited by 3Jane; 09-06-07 at 05:07 PM.