Been very lucky on this cruise.
In AK a a few days from AK11, my patrol area.
We pick up a contact report on a 5-knot convoy moving NE.
4-5 hours away in medium seas.
Get near and check the weather. Visibility worse.
Radar detector picks up spikes every few minutes. This doesn't mean that the enemy radar has detected you yet, just that it is detecting the signals.
Get to where I think we are half an hour away and submerge. Time: early morning before sunrise.
We are able to sound detect the convoy, pretty much on course.
It is 1942, so for me, more dangerous than what I am used to. Start picking up shapes in the night scope. Blobs with water splashes basically 15 mils for a starting 25 meter height... Ok we will start there. 7k meters, but I don't think the weather allows me to see that far. And bearing mark, down-scope. Put at least something on the chart (F5).
Through may observations, am able to keep to the starboard side of the lead escort. Appear to be 2 more at the 10 and 2 O'clock position of the convoy.
Start to get a better idea of what I am facing. Can now recognize ship types in the convoy. A little more work with guessing their range, bearing and angle on the bow and now I have a rough course they are running.
Intent. Attack on their starboard side. Set course 90 degrees to them. Their course roughly 42 degrees, So I will pick a course of 312.
Get safely inside the starboard...in relation to the convoy: 2 O'clock destroyer so it won't be a threat to my setup. Lead destroyer safe enough away.
Large tanker appears in the 3rd column from me. Have to get it before being blocked by a medium freighter that will close to within a 1000 meters from my left.
Target speeds timed appear to go with contact report, 5 knots. Not very good timing so will go with the contact report and roll the dice.
Attack: shot for the large tanker will be starboard 85 degrees AOB, 2200 meters, 2 type III G7e fired as a spread 1 degree apart, wing it from there.
Fired for that setup. Freighter passing from my left is pushing 150 mils on the scope. Will give it the same weapon setup spread above with 600 meters distance but probably closer. And... torpedoes for tanker hit. Must have assumed too far as they still had 20 seconds on the clock. So I must have assumed the wrong target height. Anyway, it is done for.
Back to the freighter which for some reason, either me losing track of time or it altered course, is now presenting 90 starboard angle on the bow. And is closer. 4 degree spread, fire. Full reverse.
Swing around and observe, row behind me has another medium freighter close. Down scope. Prep, stern tube for 80 degree port AOB. Upscope. Now about 95 degree port AOB. Ahead slow. Open tube, fire. I want out of here.
But I give one more observation to look around as the torpedoes for the second target hit. 1 forward hold, 1 aft hold. this would later sink. Stern torpedo hits. Must have been closer. Look back around, catastrophic hit in front of the bridge.
Now I really want out of here. Down scope. Ahead slow, set depth for 150M. Opposite course of convoy.
On the sound. I lost count at 5 or 6 destroyers in this convoy. Was very lucky and none of them got me. One was close but at about 140 meters, all stop and let the dive decay to 220 meters if need be.
No proper attacks from the destroyer. Got out of there. This is extreme luck given the circumstances and I don't expect to see that again.
Target plotting chart after making good my escape.
Got up to AK11 and did my patrol area thing.
Weather lousy again. While leaving the patrol area going south east, picked up a 4 masted steamer off to the south running south-west(?) at 4000 meters. Got a quick fix, intercept maybe. Too close; don't want to get spotted. Dive.
Could not determine if it was running 8 or 9 knots with the weather. Recognition book said 9 was max speed for this ship.
Fire one G7e Type III for 8 knots and one for 9 knots. 1800 meter range, AOB starboard 85.
First torpedo hit the rudder/propeller. Must have slowed down violently as the 9 knot torpedo never it.
Ran parallel to it for awhile. It went dead in the water fast. No speed.
Setup for a stern tube shot with a G7a. And that was that.
2 G7e and 2 G7a are left forward. Weather not good enough to get the deck storage torpedoes down. And, given the threat of aircraft these days, that era may be over for me.
