you evaluate its severity. Should the damage occur to one of the non-essential
systems such as the radio, count yourself lucky. Should the damage occur to the
torpedo launching equipment, the patrol will be shortened, but not your career.
Should the damage occur to one of the systems that keeps water out of the
people tank, find out if the damage is minor, moderate, or critical, and the
time needed for repairs.

The speed at which water leaks into the boat is directly proportional to the
boat's depth. Whenever water is leaking, stay out of the red zone of the depth
gauge. At that great of depth the bilge pumps will not work against the water
pressure, and some leakage in a U-boat is inevitable. Once in the yellow range,
keep a close eye on the depth. If the depth starts to decrease due to no action
on your part, immediately move up to the green range. These actions will slow
the leaking of water and buy some much-needed time.

The speed of the boat is another important factor in an emergency. The planes,
which help maintain control, are more effective the faster the boat is
traveling. Should the boat be traveling at 2 knots, the planes are going to
have a minimal effect. Should that speed be increased to 7 knots, the planes
will have much more effect. But the problems that result from increased speed
should render acceleration a last resort to stay alive. As speed is increased,
your sonar effectiveness goes out the window, leaving the boat relatively deaf.
An increase in speed also means an increase in noise, and submarine rule number
two clearly states that "Noise is bad!"

Should the damage be controlled and you survive the depth charge attack, wait
until all systems are back on line before attacking the convoy again. Should
the planes or the torpedo launching equipment (tube doors and torpedo tubes) be
damaged, I advise heading for port and calling in a patrol. As much as I hate
returning to port with unexpended ordnance, I hate losing a U-boat more.
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