E9 Sea trials. Prelude to the Dardanelles

I built two 1914 E Class Submarines for the forthcoming attack on the Dardanelles.  E11 is currently having her control board rebuilt, but E9 is ready to go.  In my plan I set out the Sea Trials as a check on the rules mechanisms for the control panel.  

On passage from the UK Naismith's E11 developed a crack in her main shaft and was refitted in Malta undergoing Sea Trials before heading off to the first of her historic missions through the Dardanelles and into the Sea of Marmara.  Well it is my E9 that is ready first.  Strictly speaking it isn`t really known if E9 was fitted with a deck gun.  E11 certainly wasn`t, but my E9 is, and is therefore (technically) the better equipped of my two subs...

Sea Trials

Move from dock to mid channel.

Dive the boat.

Periscope depth

Use the periscope

Move underwater to firing position.

Target the Wreck with a torpedo from Tube 1

Surface the boat

Full speed to target range.

Use the deck gun to destroy the target.

 E9 and E11 moored alongside their depot ship Ganges.   

 The control panel.  Engines are rung off.  Hatch is open.  The Submarine is surfaced stationary.

 The engines are rung for slow ahead.  The rudder is starboard 20.

 E9 moves into mid channel.  A 4 inch move represents about a quarter of her surface speed. 

In action the deck rails would be removed, but I modelled them here to make E9 look more distinctive.   

 Rolling a 6 for this turn's movement I have to draw an event card.  Turns out that Able Seaman Harpo Marx has gone crazy again.  We are on the surface however so it has no effect.

The Dive begins.  Gauge is set to 25 feet.  The hatch is sealed.  The engines are switched from diesel so that the batteries will now begin draining.   

E9 at periscope depth.  The depth dice is turned from 1 to 2.   

The Periscope is raised.  Battery power begins to go down.

On the Periscope it's the target.  A Merchant ship moving at 10 knots.  The dice at movement also indicates another event card.  Its our long suffering Scottish Chief Engineer.  We must ring for a slower speed, but that would be necessary anyway to open the outer tube doors.  Not one of my better drawings.

With the speed at slow ahead the outer doors are opened.  The target is indicated, as is its speed and the offset. Strictly speaking the tubes are already loaded.    Our brave captain fires... at the unarmed merchantman.  One of the torpedoes can be removed from the control panel and transferred to the tabletop. 

Interestingly the Sea Trials required me to fire from Tube 1, and I have clearly fired tube 2 here...  Ooops. 

With thr torpedo fitting into a cradle to represent it skooshing through the water I dice to see if it is running straight.  Its a good one, on target.

A hit.  The damage will be catastrophic for the Merchant ship.  

The Submarine goes to 100 feet.  The depth dice is turned to 5.  That is its maximum operational depth.  Any deeper and interesting things will happen.

That gauge may well go to 165 feet but that is really optimistic.  Going deeper than 100 means you play the crush depth challenge with Edna, and she will kill you in the end...

Heading back to the surface.  Hatch still sealed until we surface.  Torpedo doors neglectfully left open, and I left the scope up! 

Surfaced.  Main hatch can now be opened.  Crewing the deck gun to finish off my target.    The engines are switched back to Diesel.   Electric batteries and Air begin to replenish.

E9 completes her Sea Trials and sets course for the Dardanelles.