[Keelbuster]

Patrol 6: Dec 1940 - Grid AL29

1550: Follow up on a radio report of a convoy headed East a 8kts. U-45 (VIIB) is right in her path. Sun is setting - orange, behind the convoy. We drift into her at 3kts, PD. I pop up the periscope to scan for targets and spot NELSON, right in the center of the convoy. She's surrounded by Large Cargos and Tankers, but they don't mean much with Nelson around. I set a perfect approach, and am not detected. I fire four torpedoes at the giant, 90 degrees to her portside. I lead with two T2s, set to her keel depth - one midway along the bow and one under her center tower. I follow up with two medium speed T1s, 6m depth, one aimed at the bow and one between the two T2s. They ALL HIT. The T2s make perfect keel shots, inflicting wicked damage. The T1s follow up and help to flood the bow area. I turn to fire the aft tube, but decide not to - she's probably dead meat as it is. I pass under the middle convoy lane and away out of the convoy. NOT DETECTED. I trail behind and watch Nelson take on plenty of water, stop and drop out of the convoy. She's not dead though. I come up to her at PD and give her the final Aft to just under her main tower and she blows. Boiler bursts. Nelson sinks.

Later that night i make a second attack and I hit 2 small tankers and one medium tanker. They are all good hits, but none sink. A small and the medium drop out of the convoy, and I escape undetected. Later yet, I charge the small tanker and engage with the deck gun. I have my way with her and she takes on a wicked list. Returning escorts don't find me, but force me to leave the area.

The medium has somehow regained speed and has rejoined the convoy. I surface and race past the escorts that are still circling the small tanker (about 6km back from the convoy). I come into the convoy through the back and attack the medium tanker with the deck gun (while the cats are out). It's mysteriously quiet - no escorts have closed on me and i have time to get off ~20 shots. Then all of the sudden a shell lands in the water right in front of the deck gun (that i'm manning). I flip and jump back to the bridge. There's a black swan frigate bearing down on us through the convoy, firing it's main guns. We swing the boat around and head back away from the convoy at flank. Two shells practically shave the hair off my watch officer and land inches from our bow; water spashes up onto the deck and conning tower. The Swan is gaining on us and we dive - as the decks run awash I see a flower corvette returning from the small tanker at flank. Sandwiched.

As soon as I'm below the surface I break right and go standard for thirty seconds. This fails to get me outside of the Swan's asdic window. She finds me and charges me. I order 25m, and flank, but she's lining up more or less on my course, set to run right over me. She crosses us on a 10 degree angle and scrapes her bottom on the stern. As she passes, she drops plenty of depth charges and launches several from the sides. It is a shower of DC. Miraculously though, they all miss. As the boat is tossed around here and there with every successive blast, I'm waiting for glass breaking and lights-out. But no damage - they were set DEEPER. PD saved us!

That was the closest call of the encounter. They made a few DC runs on us but nothing close and we managed to flank out of their radius. I return to the small tanker who is still burning, and doesn't seem to want to sink any further. I empty out the remaining deck guns into her, after which she's totally aflame. But she still won't sink. Evade upon escort's return, then line up for the final torp (two lefT). I fire at her engine room, but the first fish turns out to be a dud. I fire the second and it hits home, blows the bejesus out of the cow. All torps and DG shells spent - returning home. Nelson moans on the bottom...but that's what she gets for running at 8kts.

Kb

[bill clarke]

That's one sweet patrol buddy.

I torpedoed a large tanker and she kept on sailing, even though she was practically burning from stem to stern, this part of the damage model really needs working on.

[andy_311]

Cool what year and where I just encountered a TF 3 Nelsons .3 Cruisers and a poo poo load of DD's about 400 milwa NW of LE came within fireing range but the weather pissing it down and heavy fog fired a salvo blind and hit squat only know what was is in the TF because I got the external view enabled

[clive bradbury]

[Tonnage_Ace]

[Keelbuster]

[Sailor Steve]

[Keelbuster]

[Tonnage_Ace]

[joea]

No, Sailor Steve wrote the Queen Elisabeth class (modernised) were there for WWII, as the Revenge (non-modernised) too..so about 17 by my count. Sorry to be pendantic, but Nelson and Rodney were actually comissioned in 1927...and Vanguard was finished after the war, the RNs last BB. Gorgeous ship too..she actually used some left over 15" guns.

[Karl-Heinz Jaeger]