Never trust a shipyard guarantee!

Weiss Pinguin · 12-05-09, 09:06 PM

Well, actually, never go by just the shipyard guarantee I guess

On my last patrol with my latest career (Otto Weiß, driving U-123 out of Wilhelmshaven), I was ordered down to the CG79 area, outside the strait of Gibraltar, which is a fairly decent hunting ground early war, especially in the Type IX. (I was once caught between 2 convoys - heading in separate directions, unfortunately)

Several days later I'm in the middle of my second attack on a small convoy, after firing a spread of 4 torpedoes at what I identified as a Fiji cruiser, a pair of destroyers to our aft forces us down, and the hunt begins.

A string of ashcans catches the front of my boat, and 3 tubes and various equipments are instantly put out of action, and the boat takes on an ungodly amount of water. For a good while we can manage at ahead two-thirds on silent running, but eventually I have no choice but to come off silent running and start the bilges and repairs. Still the boat sinks... All back emergency! This arrests the dive, and we even begin to ascend!

Unfortunately the whole world can hear our wounded boat, and before long I'm forced to rig for silent running again as the ashcans come uncomfortably close... At 180 meters I resume repairs and order back emergency again, but our battery is down to 25% and the flooding is getting worse by the minute.
I blow ballast and level off at periscope depth, and let the boat drift as repairs continue... When we reach 180 meters again I repeat, and then I repeat once more. By now our compressed air is nearly gone, the battery is even lower, and the flooding is heavier... I order the little compressed air left blown into the tanks again, and both engines ahead flank. Unfortunately the weather is still inclement, so no last-stand gun duel. It's also pitch black - neither destroyer can see us.

But just when I think we're okay, both ships light us up with spotlights, and we're the brightest submarine in the world... Alaaaarm! At 200 meters depth I give up hope - 2 destroyers above, 1000 meters below, and half a U-boat in between. I order all stop to conserve batteries (just incase) and watch the depth meter as repairs continue.

100 meters later I watch the hand move past 299 meters, and still the boat holds up... About 50 meters later we implode, and 20000+ tons go out of the window. Still! 350 meters! And I thought 200 meters was deep for a IXB

What's the deepest you've taken your boat and lived to tell? (well, deepest you've gone before dying, anyways

)

Gaijin · 12-05-09, 09:25 PM

Great report!

I've gone 295m in an VIIC and lived to tell the tale.

350, with damage, is incredible...did you you have random crush depth enabled?

12-05-09, 11:07 PM

Good thread.
You did much better than I!
With no damage my IXB imploded at 182 meters.

That carreer ended in december 1944.
There were 5 warships topside that just wouldn't let go.
Not being a user of external view, the only thing I can tell you about them was that they were ASW ships. And they were good at it!

It was U65, in AM52. Loved that boat.

Weiss Pinguin · 12-06-09, 12:08 AM

Ouch! Yep, I've got random crush depth enabled, and the LRT mod. (By the way, anyone know if v2.04 includes the seabed repair mod?)

I really was shocked when I saw it go down past 200 meters, much less 300+

(Shame I didn't think to get a screenshot, that would've been my new desktop lol) Only time I went deeper was in a Type XXI, and that was pushing it.

What can I say... they build them well at AG Weser!

cawimmer430 · 12-06-09, 07:57 AM

I'm not sure if this was a bug in the game but after attacking a convoy somewhere off Iceland I was depth charged and seriously damaged.

Both my electric engines were destroyed, one diesel engine damaged beyond repair, my compressor was kaputt and both my rudders where destroyed. To make matters worse I had serious flooding in various compartments. I was sinking like a brick. Depth under keep was about 299 meters and I ended up landing on the ocean floor. By then the flooding was under control.I figured I would wait until the enemy convoy was gone and then surface. I rigged the boat for silent running and waited.

Once the enemy was gone I tried surfacing. No effect. Blowing the ballast? Also no effect. Both electric engines were kaputt which meant no underwater propulsion for me. I guess with my compressor destroyed I was to be stuck on the ocean floor until I ran out of air. What a horrible way to die.

But yeah, stuck at 299 meters and still in one piece...

RConch · 12-06-09, 08:19 AM

I had read that a Type IXc under attack and damaged had gone as deep as a 1,000ft+ and made it back to the surface. If it is true, that must have been one terrifying ride.

Cambaz · 12-06-09, 08:35 AM

I made 330 m. when I get my brand new VIIC and the boat holds on well, but I lost all the gauge and dial glasses they were all exploded because of pressure

these boats are really tough... trust the German engineering

MaelstromT26 · 12-08-09, 10:33 PM

On one attack on a large convoy (BE 63, October 1940) I was depth charged and suffered flood damage to the two bow compartments of my Type VIIB. The torp compartment was fixed with a full repair crew at ~360m and finally imploded at roughly 370m. How did I manage that???

12-05-09, 09:06 PM	#1
Weiss Pinguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Auburn, Alabama Posts: 3,333 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 0	Never trust a shipyard guarantee! Well, actually, never go by just the shipyard guarantee I guess On my last patrol with my latest career (Otto Weiß, driving U-123 out of Wilhelmshaven), I was ordered down to the CG79 area, outside the strait of Gibraltar, which is a fairly decent hunting ground early war, especially in the Type IX. (I was once caught between 2 convoys - heading in separate directions, unfortunately) Several days later I'm in the middle of my second attack on a small convoy, after firing a spread of 4 torpedoes at what I identified as a Fiji cruiser, a pair of destroyers to our aft forces us down, and the hunt begins. A string of ashcans catches the front of my boat, and 3 tubes and various equipments are instantly put out of action, and the boat takes on an ungodly amount of water. For a good while we can manage at ahead two-thirds on silent running, but eventually I have no choice but to come off silent running and start the bilges and repairs. Still the boat sinks... All back emergency! This arrests the dive, and we even begin to ascend! Unfortunately the whole world can hear our wounded boat, and before long I'm forced to rig for silent running again as the ashcans come uncomfortably close... At 180 meters I resume repairs and order back emergency again, but our battery is down to 25% and the flooding is getting worse by the minute. I blow ballast and level off at periscope depth, and let the boat drift as repairs continue... When we reach 180 meters again I repeat, and then I repeat once more. By now our compressed air is nearly gone, the battery is even lower, and the flooding is heavier... I order the little compressed air left blown into the tanks again, and both engines ahead flank. Unfortunately the weather is still inclement, so no last-stand gun duel. It's also pitch black - neither destroyer can see us. But just when I think we're okay, both ships light us up with spotlights, and we're the brightest submarine in the world... Alaaaarm! At 200 meters depth I give up hope - 2 destroyers above, 1000 meters below, and half a U-boat in between. I order all stop to conserve batteries (just incase) and watch the depth meter as repairs continue. 100 meters later I watch the hand move past 299 meters, and still the boat holds up... About 50 meters later we implode, and 20000+ tons go out of the window. Still! 350 meters! And I thought 200 meters was deep for a IXB What's the deepest you've taken your boat and lived to tell? (well, deepest you've gone before dying, anyways ) __________________

12-05-09, 09:25 PM	#2
Gaijin Helmsman Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Ireland. Posts: 102 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Great report! I've gone 295m in an VIIC and lived to tell the tale. 350, with damage, is incredible...did you you have random crush depth enabled? __________________ SH3 1.4/GWX Gold/SH Commander Thallium/84% Realism

12-06-09, 12:08 AM	#4
Weiss Pinguin Ocean Warrior Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Auburn, Alabama Posts: 3,333 Downloads: 101 Uploads: 0	Ouch! Yep, I've got random crush depth enabled, and the LRT mod. (By the way, anyone know if v2.04 includes the seabed repair mod?) I really was shocked when I saw it go down past 200 meters, much less 300+ (Shame I didn't think to get a screenshot, that would've been my new desktop lol) Only time I went deeper was in a Type XXI, and that was pushing it. What can I say... they build them well at AG Weser! __________________

12-06-09, 08:19 AM	#6
RConch Captain Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: No. Virginia Posts: 619 Downloads: 518 Uploads: 0	I had read that a Type IXc under attack and damaged had gone as deep as a 1,000ft+ and made it back to the surface. If it is true, that must have been one terrifying ride. __________________ "Noch und Noch" Prowling the Nord Atlantik with GWX 3.0.

12-06-09, 08:35 AM	#7
Cambaz Gunner Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: İstanbul/TÜRKİYE Posts: 92 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 0	I made 330 m. when I get my brand new VIIC and the boat holds on well, but I lost all the gauge and dial glasses they were all exploded because of pressure these boats are really tough... trust the German engineering __________________

12-05-09, 11:07 PM	#3
Snestorm Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Good thread. You did much better than I! With no damage my IXB imploded at 182 meters. That carreer ended in december 1944. There were 5 warships topside that just wouldn't let go. Not being a user of external view, the only thing I can tell you about them was that they were ASW ships. And they were good at it! It was U65, in AM52. Loved that boat.

12-06-09, 07:57 AM	#5
cawimmer430 Torpedoman Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 114 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	I'm not sure if this was a bug in the game but after attacking a convoy somewhere off Iceland I was depth charged and seriously damaged. Both my electric engines were destroyed, one diesel engine damaged beyond repair, my compressor was kaputt and both my rudders where destroyed. To make matters worse I had serious flooding in various compartments. I was sinking like a brick. Depth under keep was about 299 meters and I ended up landing on the ocean floor. By then the flooding was under control.I figured I would wait until the enemy convoy was gone and then surface. I rigged the boat for silent running and waited. Once the enemy was gone I tried surfacing. No effect. Blowing the ballast? Also no effect. Both electric engines were kaputt which meant no underwater propulsion for me. I guess with my compressor destroyed I was to be stuck on the ocean floor until I ran out of air. What a horrible way to die. But yeah, stuck at 299 meters and still in one piece...

12-08-09, 10:33 PM	#8
MaelstromT26 Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: CA45 Posts: 8 Downloads: 14 Uploads: 0	On one attack on a large convoy (BE 63, October 1940) I was depth charged and suffered flood damage to the two bow compartments of my Type VIIB. The torp compartment was fixed with a full repair crew at ~360m and finally imploded at roughly 370m. How did I manage that???