Let's Play: Das Thanasboot!

[Force Lord]

"Attacking zhat kind of force is too risky, even phor superior Thanasian blood! Herr Kommandant, zhu have zee final decision, but ve cannot vhe shot out of the water this soon!"

[Thanas]

"Vat kind of aggressive seal are you? I hope to attack many taskforces." *looks at map* "but interception will cost too much fuel and lead us into shallow waters. Hmmmm...."

**************
OOC: - we are moving at 8 knots, right?

Don't intercept. For one, intercept will most likely happen at Bf 14/15, which is swallow waters with a lot of aircover. That, and we would burn a lot of fuel to reach them, fuel which we will need to get to the USA. Lot of aircover makes Thanas a sad seal.

NOTE: Most likely not a TF, but a convoy. Convoys show up as task forces if lead ship is a warship, like an escort carrier, slow BB or cruiser.

[Skywalker_T-65]

"As WO I agree with the Kommandant! We can't move that far off course this early in our patrol. Plus better targets will likely present themselves," Skywalker said trying to act professional...after all, his skin was on the line here. Plus re-learning all the math he needed was taking a while.

(OOC: This is my first time doing a RP like this...so it may be bad for a while)

[PeZook]

Position BF42
Smell level: low
Sept 11, 1943
14:10 local time

"...but interception will cost too much fuel and lead us into shallow waters. Hmmmm...." , the Kommandant rubbed his well-chiseled bearded Aryan chin in thought. He played a bit with a protractor.

"As WO I agree with the Kommandant!", the Bavarian with the funny name managed to gather up the courage to chip in, "We can't move that far off course this early in our patrol. Plus better targets will likely present themselves..."

The Kommandant glanced at the weapons officer. He didn't know what to think of this strange man. He was obviously sweaty and uncomfortable, but the kommandant couldn't decided whether it was due to the cramped quarters shared with 40 other men who didn't have access to a shower, or something else.

"Ve vill not intercept. Continue with ze test dive!"

"Jawohl!", the officers howled in unison.

Leutnant Zwingen inspected his intstrument gauges thoroughly and called out in perfect Thanasian, "Auf tauchstationen! Neue tiefe...", he glanced at the Kommandant, "...einz-acht-zero!"

A sudden terror fell upon the crewmen, including those who were descending from the kiosk after securing the hatches. They could all see the gigantic Tiefenmeter, displayed prominently in the center of the command section, and the terrifying red semiarch that marked one third of its face.

180 metres was well within the red part.



But they were superior Thanasian soldieroids, and thus would carry out the order. The sub slinked off below the waves, into the murky depths below.



A sudden zap and jolt marked the transition to e-machinen. A crewman yelled somewhere in surprise as he touched a random bulkhead which definitely shouldn't be electrified, and found out that it was.

Minutes ticked by. The hull groaned under increasing pressure of the water.

"Ein hundred metern!"

A bulkhead creaked ominously. The floor remained slanted. Leutnant Skywalker broke a pencil, thinking about death in a tiny metal tin can crushed like a bug by the immense pile of water over them.

The tiefenmeter's gauge slowly creeped into the red area. Even the chief engineer saw it fit to warn the Kommandant about crossing into this zone. His warning was noted and thoroughly ignored.



"We are diving too deep!", leutnant Zwingen squealed at least six octaves too high. He cleared his throat, "I mean, depth reached. 180 metres and holding. Boot leveled.", he added in a somehwat normal voice.

Skywalker began to hyperventillate. Oh God why are the walls so close oh no we are sinking why what is going on oh no oh no oh no...and how on Earth did I already grow a beard?!

He grasped the side of his chart table. Everything was quiet, except for his fast, labored breathing. The crew was listening to any signs of the pressure hull giving in.Only the Koch still made noise with his cooking utensils, trying his damnedest to kill a (inexplicably alive) turkey for dinner.

The dive took six minutes to accomplish. But before the Kommandant gave the order to surface, he kept the boat there for an additional forty-five, much to the crew's changrin.

But finally, the order came, and the boat raced back towards the surface.

"You will find the depth comforting at one point, herr Skywalker", the Kommandant commented, seeing his weapons officer become calmer and calmer with each meter closer to the surface, "Depth charges are far less effective so deep under the surface."



Ian Skywalker said nothing, only giving the Kommandant a look.

Position BF41
Smell level: low/rising
Sept 12, 1943
09:12 local time

The crew spent the following day doing their normal duties, but with the addition of screaming their heads off, singing (badly) along with the boat's gramophone. That didn't exactly help with leutnant Skywalker's sleep deprivation fuelled migraines.

A few hours after the sun rose, while the captain was laying on his bunk (the only one on the boat with any semblance of privacy - equipped with a curtain!) doing paperwork, Stabsbootsman Ritterbachen reported, quoting: "a light flashing on the radar detector thingy".



The radar detector has picked up a faint contact somewhere to the south-east.

[Force Lord]

"Herr Kommandant, ve have a faint contact coming from the southeast. No identification. Should ve investigate?"

[Simon_Jester]

Diveman Huber glares angrily at the depth gauge, and thinks: How the hell did someone manage to scribble an angry face with a Hynkel mustache on this thing in grease pencil without anyone noticing?

He chooses a volunteer at random. "Sailor! Clean that up!" Then he thinks again. "But leave the mustache as evidence, erasing that could get political." He'll leave that up to the watch officer.

[Thanas]

Der Kommandant knew what he would do, but decided to test the officers. "Options, meine Herren? And make it quick, please."


(ooc: Options are either aircraft, a HunterKiller group, a taskforce or a convoy. In this position, I think taskforce. Deep waters, so we might intercept.)

[Force Lord]

"Hmm... I think convoy."

[Chardok]

From they coms room, Stabsbootsman von Dokken knew, of course, what awaited them ober das horizon, aber he chose to remain silent. Almost certainly, he knew, he would be amused at the random guesses thrown about by the junior officers in an effort to impress the Kommandant.

"Ovicers", he thought, "Visout zem, zis var vould not have lasted a veek!" It was times like these he lived for, watching people he was forced to salute and call "sir" squirm. He thought junior officers untested by the rigors of true service unfit to be entrusted with the lives of good men who wanted nothing more than to serve the glorious Thanasian empire. He harbored a special kind of disdain the the haughty, look-down-their-nose at the unteroffizieren type of officer. The kind who did not respect the years and years of hard-won experience a rank like Stabsbootsman commanded. He recalled a time as a fresh recruit when, upon asking a Kommandant the question of why must an unteroffizieren salute and pay deference to even the lowest ranking offizier.

"Ja, Matrose, even the most senior unteroffizieren must salut the lowest-ranking lowest offizier. But the are only 2 types of offiziers who do not respect the unteroffizieren under their kommand: The ones who are about to die and the dead. Never forget that."

He never did. von Dokken grinned.....just so....

[PeZook]

Just so that you have full information: your own radar is OFF to avoid detection, and the new model hydrophone only works while the boot is submerged.

[The Yosemite Bear]

do my lovely desiels have the snorkle?

[PeZook]

No snorkel, unfortunately

[noncredible]

[I have 3 questions:
1. Is it too late to join?
2. Is this basically like the Orbiter RP a few months ago, except in water?
3. What program are you using for the screenshots?]

Assuming I'm not too late:

Nadporuchik Peter Medvedevski- eh.. *checks location* Lieutenant Peter Medver *shifty*
Ja am not Eastern spy! Ni- eh... Nein!

Speciality: Whatever is available, but preferably computer operator or sonar.

[Simon_Jester]

We're pretty well staffed for officers. Wanna play a petty officer?

[PeZook]

[I have 3 questions:
1. Is it too late to join?

The officer roster is full, and the sonar station is taken by bootsman Chard von Dokken (who offended the first watch officer and is thus stuck with a 24/7 watch rotation for the patrol...) ; There is still space amongst the unteroffizieren (petty officers), although they by necessity have only a supporting role in the RP.

2. Is this basically like the Orbiter RP a few months ago, except in water?

Basically, yes. Just a tad bit less silly though.

3. What program are you using for the screenshots?

Silent Hunter III with the GWX mod. SHIII Commander to manage the crew.

Speciality: Whatever is available, but preferably computer operator or sonar.

The torpedo computer is operated by the weapons officer, who is responsible for calculating the necessary data using measurements taken via the sub's sensors (like the sonar, radar or most often the attack periscope).

Which reminds me - a book for the Bavarian man with a strange name:

---

The Glourious Thanasian Military Torpedo Primer fur dummkopfen!

Jawohl, mein herren! You have opened the grandest submariner's training manual, approved by the BDU as supplemental instructional material for the great u-boot force in ze entire vorld!

Inside these pages, you shall find a brief and succint summary of all the information needed to succesfully fire torpedoes at enemy shipping, and possibly make them hit things you want destroyed, jawohl!

Chapter 1: What is a torpedo?

A torpedo is a self-propelled and very explosive device,which you generally want to hit other things with and make them blow up...

Chapter 6: Ze torpedo funkmaschine!

Look, dear reader, to ze port side of ze U-boat command room. Next to ze chart table iz a strange device containing a great many knobs and dials, vich vill make aiming and shooting torpedoes as easy and simple as baking aunt hilda's wurst-pie!

In order to calculate the proper solution, an offizier vill require a quick head and the help of this most Thanasian of inventions - mathematics! For telling our poor little torpedoen vere to go requires inputting the following data into the Funksmaschine:

A) Ze target's speed

Determined via trigonometrics, using information on bearing and distance to ze target at two points in time, or estimated by sight.

B) Distance to ze target

Usually measured via more trigonometrics, by using known mast height (refer to ze Thanasian Navy's Ship Identification Manual!) and apparant angular height of the same masts, as measured using ze attack periscope's rangefinder.

C) Angle on ze bow

Determined via observation of ze target using superior Thanasian eyeballs

D) Target bearing

Ze simplest to measure,by using ze attack's periscope excellent optical notch scale, jawohl! Ze attack periscope automatically feeds zis information into ze torpedo funksmaschine!

E) Torpedoen speed, running depth and fuze type

Some of the most important data, jawohl! Fur electrical torpedoes, the speed is set, however depth and fuze type are crucial for determining the chances of a succesful attack!

Sinking large ships with only a few torpedoen will require running ze torpedo UNDER zeil keel and using ze magnetic fuze in order to break the vessel's back. Impact fuses are usually more reliable (as ze magnetic fuzes sometimes detonate on their own, jawohl!), however they merely blow large holes in things - vich is fine for small ships, not so much for large ones.

Also, for attacking destroyers vith zeir shallow draft and usually small angles on the bow, magnetic fuzes are a must!

Remember, dear reader: ze longer ze range the easier it is to evade detection during an attack, but ze more precise ze targetting data must be!

Chapter 14: Cleaning your station

Chapter 27: Necessary mathematical formulas

Chapter 32: Proper commands during torpedoen attacken

...

[LaCroix]

"Captain, our batteries are fully charged, and the new re-route using the under-floor stowed torpedoes' housings as conductor works fine, and should stop people from getting shocked. I feel confident that we could be sitting them out submerged and fully operational until we get a fix on them by phones if we try to investigate."

[Shinn Langley Soryu]

The officer roster is full, and the sonar station is taken by bootsman Chard von Dokken (who offended the first watch officer and is thus stuck with a 24/7 watch rotation for the patrol...) ; There is still space amongst the unteroffizieren (petty officers), although they by necessity have only a supporting role in the RP.

Kinda sucks that I only learned about this now, because I just came up with a nice idea for my alter ego: An IJN attache who's all too aware of the fact that he's stuck aboard this mental asylum of a sub. The concept would work better if he was an actual commissioned officer, but if petty officer positions are the only ones available, well...

Ittōheisō (Petty Officer First Class) Soryu will be reporting for duty as soon as you make your next port stop...assuming you survive that long.

[PeZook]

I'd shove you into the roster retroactively, but it would stretch things a bit too much (even a boat full of lunatics would notice a Japanorse crewmember)

Keep the guy in mind though, I may come up with something later into the patrol...

[PeZook]

On second thought, and due to fajner's previous history, I respectfully request he stay out of this LP.

[Questor]

Can I be an Unterofficer? Preferably a bumbling, overweight one named Schultz?

P.S. Said trigonometric calculations, do they need to be done manually?

[PeZook]

Can I be an Unterofficer? Preferably a bumbling, overweight one named Schultz?

P.S. Said trigonometric calculations, do they need to be done manually?

Not QUITE manually, there are plenty of tables and other mathematical aids useful for converting data into values quickly, but yes, you do have to be fair with trig to be a good u-boot officer

Or have uncanny instincts for estimating this stuff, like some aces did. Maths is more reliable though.

[Thanas]

or just sheer luck - one german Uboat ace (Lehmann-Willenbrock) got a huge bonus to his tonnage when a large British tanker inexplicably changed course directly into his (missed) torpedoes.

[Skywalker_T-65]

"It is most likely a task force mein Kommandant!" Skywalker added.

Man...I never thought about how difficult it would be to keep up this facade...and how did I grow a beard? he thought, rubbing his chin.

"Herr Skywalker, read this book, it should help," one of the unteroffizieren said.

"Okay..." Skywalker said, looking at the cover..'The Glourious Thanasian Military Torpedo Primer fur dummkopfen!'...

What the heck is this? Oh well, it might help...

*hours later*

"...who wrote this?"
_____________________________________
(OOC: I find it funny that I am known as the Bavarian with a funny name...)

[PeZook]

or just sheer luck - one german Uboat ace (Lehmann-Willenbrock) got a huge bonus to his tonnage when a large British tanker inexplicably changed course directly into his (missed) torpedoes.

Yes, but that man was unholy. Maths is still more reliable than counting on being Willenbrock (who escaped a besieged Brest in 1944, braved all the Allied ASW assets and managed to get to Norway in one piece )

(OOC: I find it funny that I am known as the Bavarian with a funny name...)

I aim to please, you Bavarian degenerate! Only those filthy Bavarians would name their children like that!

[Thanas]

or just sheer luck - one german Uboat ace (Lehmann-Willenbrock) got a huge bonus to his tonnage when a large British tanker inexplicably changed course directly into his (missed) torpedoes.

Yes, but that man was unholy. Maths is still more reliable than counting on being Willenbrock (who escaped a besieged Brest in 1944, braved all the Allied ASW assets and managed to get to Norway in one piece )

And later commanded the first (and only) German nuclear freighter.