Time warp?

[sharkbit]

I started a new career after getting GWX2.1 and SH3Commander installed. Also am trying the 16km horizon. My machine seems to be able to handle it.

Went thru a quick(about a week long) shakedown cruise to Scapa and back in August of '39 and wanted to make sure that I got back to Wilhelmshaven and out on my second patrol before the war started and be on my patrol area when it did. I figured I could get thru the Channel and save a bunch of time and fuel.

So off I go, leaving Wilhelmshaven on 8/20/39, plot my course thru the English Channel and sit back with a little TC knowing I have plenty of time before the war starts to make it thru. I then had to put my kiddies to bed(They sleep pretty well, considering all the noise on a U-Boat ).

When I sit back down, I'm just starting to get into the Dover Channel when I notice that all the friendly green cities in England and France have turned an angry red. WTF-I look at the date and it is about 1 am on Sept. 3, 1939. Now wait a minute-I thought I left Wilhelmshaven on Aug. 20 and it shouldn't take 14 days to go as far as I did at 14 knots.

I wasn't going to risk going thru the Channel, even if it was the first day of the war. I plotted a new course the long way around and am now currently on my way to my assigned grid, a little late for the start of the party.
Oh well-no worries.

I keep thinking that maybe I mis-read the date of departure, but I was pretty sure it said Aug. 20, 1939 when I had just got to sea from Wilhelmshaven. Must have been some sort of weird worm hole in the space-time continuum and it threw me forward a couple of weeks.

[Raptor1]

Your orders were to depart on the 20th, But your crew was all drunk so you left a little later

Welcome to the Twilight Zone...

[Jimbuna]

It is adviseable to spend 4 days out of port before docking at the end of your first patrol.

If your using SH3 Commander set the days in port to 20 then you should be commencing your second patrol on 24th.

I'm just wondering if you've read the date correctly :hmm:

[sharkbit]

Welcome to the Twilight Zone...

Kinda felt like that.

If your using SH3 Commander set the days in port to 20 then you should be commencing your second patrol on 24th.

I currently have it set on a random number of days but I was thinking of changing it to 14 days or so. I don't know how realistic that might be though. I don't know what the average number of days between patrols were for U-Boats.

I'm just wondering if you've read the date correctly :hmm:

Very possible. I do seem to have more and more senior moments.

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

I wasn't going to risk going thru the Channel, even if it was the first day of the war. I plotted a new course the long way around and am now currently on my way to my assigned grid, a little late for the start of the party.
Oh well-no worries.

The channel's still easy to get through during the first month, not too much traffic and unless you're going to a remote patrol area going flank through it will get you through pretty quick. Once mines start to get placed in there the place is a complete mess, just as easily die from a mine placed by your own navy than one of the allies.

[3Jane]

The channel is a piece of cake, I can never see why people avoid it. It is actually more risky getting past Dunkirk with the amount patrolling boats there than it is passing Calais. Having done that, the straights of Dover and the rest of the channel is easy.
After passing out of range of the armed trawlers around Boulogne you can reduce to the best economical speed for your boat. As long as you keep your watch crews fresh you can avoid most potential threats on the surface even in daylight with careful thinking, except aircraft of course. Spending the daylight hours submerged is actually preferable, not so much as being safer but for the amount of single merchant traffic you will pick up by hydrophone which you would miss on the surface even in clear conditions. All the time from Wilhelmshaven 39 to the transfer to Lorient in either a VIIB or a IXB, it works every time.
Arrive between 23:00 and no later then 01:00 stay exactly 3000 meters out from about 8 Km before Calais all the way through. Travel with decks awash at full ahead (reduced by being decks awash to about 10 Kts). Once through, surface fully and away.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

Kinda felt like that.

I currently have it set on a random number of days but I was thinking of changing it to 14 days or so. I don't know how realistic that might be though. I don't know what the average number of days between patrols were for U-Boats.

Very possible. I do seem to have more and more senior moments.

Not taking damage or major upgrades into account, IMO 20/30 days is reasonable.

[johnm]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

I keep thinking that maybe I mis-read the date of departure, but I was pretty sure it said Aug. 20, 1939 when I had just got to sea from Wilhelmshaven. Must have been some sort of weird worm hole in the space-time continuum and it threw me forward a couple of weeks.

Check your kaleun's report (key K) showing your sinkings. The top of the report will show a summary of where you departed, your assigned grid and, more importantly, your departure date.

[sharkbit]

Originally Posted by johnm

Check your kaleun's report (key K) showing your sinkings. The top of the report will show a summary of where you departed, your assigned grid and, more importantly, your departure date.

-Oops!
Checked when I got home from work yesterday. When I was getting ready to load my last save and start playing, I saw the automatic "In port before patrol" save was dated 9/2/39.

Oh well. I'm on my patrol grid after sinking one Granville type freighter on the way there, off the coast of Ireland, in a downpour.

One of the coolest sinkings I've seen. After 1 torpedo out of 2 hit, I was in bad position to do another submerged attack, surfaced and played torpedo boat at flank speed to get around her and try to put another eel into her(the seas were too high for a deck gun action).

I noticed she was down by the stern and her speed was dropping off. Just when I was in position and starting to swing around to put another eel into her, she stopped and started goiong down stern first. Really cool to watch. She went almost vertical before slipping under.

This is a cool game!