What's this?

jaxa · 09-24-05, 02:14 AM

I play RUb1.43/SH3Commander2.
There is a terrible weather on my patrol now and I don't see anything around my Uboat. I found merchant by hydrophone and wanted to approach to this ship. Suddenly merchant's engine stopped and after that I didn't hear anything else. On my nav map I have now a grey sank ship symbol (symbols of ships sank by me are red in RUb), but in my capitan's log nothing changed (there isn't any info about this ship). What does it mean? Who sank this ship?

Grandmaster · 09-24-05, 03:49 AM

Sometimes ships get sunken by themselves in bad weather ? It happend to me one time during a stormy night that a merchant ship went under by the waves!? Dunno really...

CWorth · 09-24-05, 07:33 AM

Yeah...most likely it sank due to the waeather.I have had them capsize on me while setting up a torpedo solution in rogh seas or storms.

Really irritating too.

Bill Nichols · 09-24-05, 11:15 AM

I'm re-reading Herbert Werner's "Iron Coffins", and found this story about hunting a convoy in heavy weather, when Werner was 1st Officer on U-230:

"...we searched through skyhigh seas. U-230 climbed the peaks with terrible effort, careened on their crests, then blustered down the slopes and buried herself in the troughs of the waves.... By 0900, the waves were so monumental that our search for the convoy became a mockery. The Captain's order to dive was greeted with satisfaction and soon we floated at 140 meters, still gently heaved by the raging sea.

"Sometime in the afternoon, as I lay dozing in my bunk, I heard a voice speaking as if from another world, saying, "Propeller sound, bearing three five." It was the soundman, and he had whispered only.

"That had to be the convoy.... [The Captain] ordered the Chief to bring the boat up to periscope depth.... As soon as U-230 rose to about 60 meters, a tremendous upsurge hurled her out of the water like a bouncing ball. The Captain and I leaped to the bridge seconds later. We glanced about as we fastened our cables, then at each other in shock. We had surfaced amidst the convoy!

"There, no more than 400 meters to the east, a damaged destroyer fought pitiably for survival under hurricane winds. Even closer, a cargo ship with a damaged bridge swayed helplessly. Six other vessels, their screws exposed and turning slowly as they rode on top of long cliff-like waves, were lined up in perfect position for the kill. Everywhere there were ships, most of them in distress. Gigantic water walls, mercilessly pounding against their hulls and superstructures, cracked their railings like straw; battered their lifeboats and cut them off their davits; pinched funnels, bent masts and booms, punctured hulls, split decks, ripped loading hatches, tore cargo off decks and tossed it overboard. Breaker after breaker smashed the vessels' rudders, bent their shafts, ruptured their spines. They needed no torpedoes to sink them.

"...I imagined the horror that our appearance had caused among the crewmen of the convoy; they were white with fear of being torpedoed ship by ship without being able to defend themselves or to escape.... However, U-230 could not attack,,, for torpedos released into the savage sea would never have reached their targer. There was only one thing we could do; we dived away into the raging floods to ride out the hurricane in quiet depths."

This is a great book, I recommend it highly!

Kalach · 09-24-05, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Nichols

"Sometime in the afternoon, as I lay dozing in my bunk, I heard a voice speaking as if from another world, saying, "Propeller sound, bearing three five." It was the soundman, and he had whispered only.

"That had to be the convoy.... [The Captain] ordered the Chief to bring the boat up to periscope depth.... As soon as U-230 rose to about 60 meters, a tremendous upsurge hurled her out of the water like a bouncing ball. The Captain and I leaped to the bridge seconds later. We glanced about as we fastened our cables, then at each other in shock. We had surfaced amidst the convoy!

Thats exactly why I qualify my sonarman quickly

On topic, storms can sink small-medium sized ships, and make your work harder in general

The next time you see a ship sink don't forget to watch for mines either

09-24-05, 02:14 AM	#1
jaxa The Old Man Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Poland Posts: 1,501 Downloads: 418 Uploads: 0	What's this? I play RUb1.43/SH3Commander2. There is a terrible weather on my patrol now and I don't see anything around my Uboat. I found merchant by hydrophone and wanted to approach to this ship. Suddenly merchant's engine stopped and after that I didn't hear anything else. On my nav map I have now a grey sank ship symbol (symbols of ships sank by me are red in RUb), but in my capitan's log nothing changed (there isn't any info about this ship). What does it mean? Who sank this ship?

09-24-05, 11:15 AM	#4
Bill Nichols Master of Defense Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,502 Downloads: 125 Uploads: 0	I'm re-reading Herbert Werner's "Iron Coffins", and found this story about hunting a convoy in heavy weather, when Werner was 1st Officer on U-230: "...we searched through skyhigh seas. U-230 climbed the peaks with terrible effort, careened on their crests, then blustered down the slopes and buried herself in the troughs of the waves.... By 0900, the waves were so monumental that our search for the convoy became a mockery. The Captain's order to dive was greeted with satisfaction and soon we floated at 140 meters, still gently heaved by the raging sea. "Sometime in the afternoon, as I lay dozing in my bunk, I heard a voice speaking as if from another world, saying, "Propeller sound, bearing three five." It was the soundman, and he had whispered only. "That had to be the convoy.... [The Captain] ordered the Chief to bring the boat up to periscope depth.... As soon as U-230 rose to about 60 meters, a tremendous upsurge hurled her out of the water like a bouncing ball. The Captain and I leaped to the bridge seconds later. We glanced about as we fastened our cables, then at each other in shock. We had surfaced amidst the convoy! "There, no more than 400 meters to the east, a damaged destroyer fought pitiably for survival under hurricane winds. Even closer, a cargo ship with a damaged bridge swayed helplessly. Six other vessels, their screws exposed and turning slowly as they rode on top of long cliff-like waves, were lined up in perfect position for the kill. Everywhere there were ships, most of them in distress. Gigantic water walls, mercilessly pounding against their hulls and superstructures, cracked their railings like straw; battered their lifeboats and cut them off their davits; pinched funnels, bent masts and booms, punctured hulls, split decks, ripped loading hatches, tore cargo off decks and tossed it overboard. Breaker after breaker smashed the vessels' rudders, bent their shafts, ruptured their spines. They needed no torpedoes to sink them. "...I imagined the horror that our appearance had caused among the crewmen of the convoy; they were white with fear of being torpedoed ship by ship without being able to defend themselves or to escape.... However, U-230 could not attack,,, for torpedos released into the savage sea would never have reached their targer. There was only one thing we could do; we dived away into the raging floods to ride out the hurricane in quiet depths." This is a great book, I recommend it highly! __________________ My Dangerous Waters website:

09-24-05, 03:49 AM	#2
Grandmaster Swabbie Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 6 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Sometimes ships get sunken by themselves in bad weather ? It happend to me one time during a stormy night that a merchant ship went under by the waves!? Dunno really...

09-24-05, 07:33 AM	#3
CWorth Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gettysburg PA Posts: 845 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Yeah...most likely it sank due to the waeather.I have had them capsize on me while setting up a torpedo solution in rogh seas or storms. Really irritating too.