My first GWX 2.0 mission report

[Blacklight]

Mission Report: Kaleun Blacklight
U-36
September 25, 1939
Our first GWX 2.0 outing quickly became a BERNARD FEST !!!! We encountered a vile British small merchant vessel west of Scapa Flow within an hour of war being delaired upon it's nation. I ordered the boat to periscope depth and we waited like a wolf ready to pounce. We sent a single torpedo into it's hull with careful prescision blasting a large hole in her. As soon as it became apparent that "She was going down", I ordered a return to course and retracted the periscope. Moments later the sub was rocked by a HUGE CRASH... then we started losing depth like crazy. It turned out that Bernard had decided to drive directly under the sinking wreck and it had landed on top of us and was shoving us down to the ocean floor. After a LOT of yelling and a lot of careful maneuvering, we were able to pull U-36 out of the wreck.

The next night, we were between Scapa Flow and Shetland when we came upon a nice large merchant all alone. A torpedo sent into her bow started her downward. I ordered a northwest course. The ship we sunk was to the northeast of us. What do you think Bernard did ?

Minutes later... CRASH !!!!! You guessed it... Bernard had decided to turn the boat into the direction of the wreck instead of the other way around and had driven under it and the wreck was on top of us shoving us down to the bottom !!
(This was the moment last night that my wife literally heard me yell "F'n BERNARD !!!" and came to ask me who Bernard was and why I was yelling at him).

After that little catastrophe.. we reached our patrol grid. Finding no targets, I deceded to set a course along the west coast of Ireland to look for convoys. Several days later, we picked up a small group of warships heading right towards our position. We went to periscope depth and waited. Then they came into sight. It was a C&C class destroyer leading two HUGE battleships traveling all in a nice neat little line. They were coming right at us and were going to cross PERFECTLY in front of the boat at a distance of 1000 meters !!! I lined up each one and launched three torpedoes ! They were so close !! We COULDN'T POSSBILY MISS !!!
Torpedo # 1 was heading for the destroyer. It exploded within secconds after leaving the tube. Torpedo # 2 hit the first battleship but bounced off without exploding. Torpedo # 3 was watched intently on the TDC display. I was SURE this one would hit !
I switched to external camera to watch the "BOOM" ! Then the "BOOM" came.
The torpedo decided to explode about 10 feet from the ship blasting a huge plume of water upward.
The real funny thing about this event (I had forced Bernard OUT of the torpedo room by this point), was the fact that the ships kept chugging along without even altering course or changing speed. I was sure that they would be on me like angry bees.. especially after the torpedo exploded next to the last battleship.

(Meanwhile.. on the battleship)
*BOOM ! SPLASH !!!*
"Wow ! Did you see that ?"
"Yeah ! What the hell was that ?"
"Must have been an entire school of fish jumping ! Look ! There's some all over the deck !"
"Nature is cool !"
"Yeah."

As the ships were getting away, I ordered a course to chase them and fired off virtually every torpedo I had at that last ship. Each torpedo managed to either miss or bounce off the hull withoug exploding. The line of ships just continued on their merry way without getting mad.
I'm used to getting pummeled into hamburger when I just LOOK at one of these ships sideways.

Later that night, after the line of ships had outdistanced U-36, we were running on the surface in a thick fog in the middle of the night. At this time, I had time compression at 1x and had wandered away for a minute. Suddenly, I hear CRASH !!
"Ship Sighted"
I return to my computer to see Bernard on watch and U-36 with it's bow against a destroyer that has it's spotlight tained on us. We got blasted several times by canon fire as we dove for cover ! This was followed by a rigerous depth charging and frantically moving crew members all over the boat to stop the massive flooding.

I don't know how we're still alive but we managed to limp our boat back home again. We'll be seaworthy again after we knock all the dents out so that this boat no longer looks like a crumpled piece of tin foil.

I am hopeing for an uneventful next mission.

[K-61]

Where did you get torpedoes with "1,000 kilometre" range?

[KeptinCranky]

Ouch

Next mission, why not visit Der Kanal, I hear it's lovely this time of year and the Tommies could use the laughs :rotfl:

[Biggles]

What did you tell your wife? "Bernard is the little german sailor who always ruins everything for me".

I'm sure she understood you after that....

[K-61]

The first time I had a premature explosion of a torpedo was when I fired against a lone destroyer that was sailing across my path. I thought for sure that I was in for it and she sailed by, oblivious to it all. That's when I learned through discussions that the game is wired so that only detonations against a ship are detected and reacted to.

[Biggles]

Not very realistic that is. I know that the tommies are a quite relaxed bunch of sailors, but still....

[Blacklight]

Where did you get torpedoes with "1,000 kilometre" range?

It was one of those newly developed intercontinental ballistic torpedoes !
(Noted and re-edited. hehehe.. It was meters obviously. )

Not very realistic that is. I know that the tommies are a quite relaxed bunch of sailors, but still....

I have no explanation for it either !! It was wierd !!
They must have had a VERY IMPORTANT schedule to keep or something... Or they knew "Oh.. that's that U-boat with Bernard on it. It's no threat. Everyone just laugh and point. Maintain course"

[Brag]

I'm glad Bernard lost his way to the dock and got in your boat instead of mine

[johan_d]

Never had a premature detonation.

Where did your torpedos come from? Be sure to file in the formular 459-1 that little X mark on the quality, and not on the quantity.
Then you dont get slave labor eels, but premium quality Mannesmann made torpedo's.
And be sure to check your boat repairs, forumlar 974 can be used to get Kruppstahl replacement parts.
Dont want those inferiour Eastern stuff!

Seriously, it must be a thrilling expirience, never saw a major battleship of the enemy yet.

[Blacklight]

Seriously, it must be a thrilling expirience, never saw a major battleship of the enemy yet.

It was thrilling yes. All lined up like ducks in a row. If ONLY AT LEAST ONE TORPEDO WOULD HAVE HIT ONE !!!!

Then it became an exercise of frustrations as I unloaded pretty much every torpedo I had at them only to either miss or have them be duds or explode.

Then it became a mystery because they just kept going their merry way as if they weren't even paying attention... even when that one torpedo detonated like 10 feet away from one.