GoldenRivet
03-22-07, 02:09 PM
sorry this is long
March 3rd 1943
I have just taken command of U-594 in a new career as Oberleutnant z. S. Karl Falkner based in St. Nazaire, France.
On the first patrol out we were forced to dive several times a day due to the intensity of allied air patrols. I have started to use the surface only at night tactic.
On the evening of March 11th 1943 sound contact was made with a rather Large convoy moving in a North Easterly direction in griud BE 62. As luck would have it very little maneuvering would be needed to intercept this convoy.
By 3:00 in the morning my trap was set and i was selecting my targets through the periscope. There were 3 troop transports in the center of the convoy flanked on either side by Large Tankers. I opted to hit the tankers first, then if the opportunity presented itself i would strike one of the troop ships.
At 3:18am the first torpedo spread left tubes 2 and 3. At 3:19am the second spread left tubes 1 abd 4, At 3:20 am the two large tankers were engulfed in flames and sinking rapidly.
The escorts started to zero in on my location, i turned so as to pass directly underneath one of the troop ships forcing the escorts to turn. When i cleared the other side of the troop ship, at sufficient range i fired a stern shot at the converted luxery liner. Direct hit with little apparant damage done, i double knuckled to starboard and dove at flank speed for 150 meters.
Passing 90 meters i deployed decoys, rigged for silent running and set ahead slow. The escorts were pinging wildly trying to make contact but i reached 150 meters unscathed.
The escorts circled overhead as i held 150 meters at about 1 knot creeping away toward the south. Several depth charges were set at far to shallow a depth and far too astern of me. They were attacking the decoy, this ran on for about 15 minutes at 1X compression.
They let loose of another volley of depth charges, this time they landed all around me. The bow torpedo compartment was under heavy flooding, the bow quarters was under heavy flooding as well. Tubes 2, 3 and 4 were destroyed, the deck gun was destroyed, the watch tower was damaged, the flak guns were damaged, and the stern torpedo tube was damaged.
we were sinking.
realizing the severity of the situation i put a large damage control team on it right away and secured silent running to affect repairs. the estimate on flooding recovery was about 5 minutes. We were now passing through 220 meters... 5 minutes was too long! The damage control team worked valiantly trying to repair ths boat. with only a couple of minutes left to secure the flooding we were passing 240 meters depth.
Thats enough, i blew all the ballast we had. The bow compartments were about 50% flooded, the boat attempted to rise stern first with some success we made it back to about 220 meters. But the relief was short lived as we started our descent once again. 220 meters.... 230 meters... 240 meters.... 250 meters... 260 meters
the boat was groaning like i have never heard before, we were all but dead, i expected her to collapse in under the pressure any second now...
The flooding was finally controlled and the compartments were finally cleared of all water at a depth of no less than 278 meters! i could not believe my eyes, the depth guage was pegged!
i rigged for silent running once more and set the depth for 240 meters, if she can handle 278 then 240 should be no problem. The depth charging above us at what i would approximate to be 200 meters or so continued for 3 full hours. The escorts gave up and hurried back to the convoy now several kilometers in the distance.
Surfaced at 7am to affect repairs to the exterior of the boat. and plotted a course back to port.
On the way back to port on March 12th i encoutered a small tramp steamer cruising all alone. With my one good bow tube i sent a fish at him and broke his back.
3 days later i set up a stern shot on a fast moving V&W class escort travelling alone. The shot was a direct hit and caused several secondary explosions.
on 17 March 1943 - the heavily battered U-594 arrived in St. Nazaire, after sending 20,527 tons to the sea floor on her maiden voyage!
March 3rd 1943
I have just taken command of U-594 in a new career as Oberleutnant z. S. Karl Falkner based in St. Nazaire, France.
On the first patrol out we were forced to dive several times a day due to the intensity of allied air patrols. I have started to use the surface only at night tactic.
On the evening of March 11th 1943 sound contact was made with a rather Large convoy moving in a North Easterly direction in griud BE 62. As luck would have it very little maneuvering would be needed to intercept this convoy.
By 3:00 in the morning my trap was set and i was selecting my targets through the periscope. There were 3 troop transports in the center of the convoy flanked on either side by Large Tankers. I opted to hit the tankers first, then if the opportunity presented itself i would strike one of the troop ships.
At 3:18am the first torpedo spread left tubes 2 and 3. At 3:19am the second spread left tubes 1 abd 4, At 3:20 am the two large tankers were engulfed in flames and sinking rapidly.
The escorts started to zero in on my location, i turned so as to pass directly underneath one of the troop ships forcing the escorts to turn. When i cleared the other side of the troop ship, at sufficient range i fired a stern shot at the converted luxery liner. Direct hit with little apparant damage done, i double knuckled to starboard and dove at flank speed for 150 meters.
Passing 90 meters i deployed decoys, rigged for silent running and set ahead slow. The escorts were pinging wildly trying to make contact but i reached 150 meters unscathed.
The escorts circled overhead as i held 150 meters at about 1 knot creeping away toward the south. Several depth charges were set at far to shallow a depth and far too astern of me. They were attacking the decoy, this ran on for about 15 minutes at 1X compression.
They let loose of another volley of depth charges, this time they landed all around me. The bow torpedo compartment was under heavy flooding, the bow quarters was under heavy flooding as well. Tubes 2, 3 and 4 were destroyed, the deck gun was destroyed, the watch tower was damaged, the flak guns were damaged, and the stern torpedo tube was damaged.
we were sinking.
realizing the severity of the situation i put a large damage control team on it right away and secured silent running to affect repairs. the estimate on flooding recovery was about 5 minutes. We were now passing through 220 meters... 5 minutes was too long! The damage control team worked valiantly trying to repair ths boat. with only a couple of minutes left to secure the flooding we were passing 240 meters depth.
Thats enough, i blew all the ballast we had. The bow compartments were about 50% flooded, the boat attempted to rise stern first with some success we made it back to about 220 meters. But the relief was short lived as we started our descent once again. 220 meters.... 230 meters... 240 meters.... 250 meters... 260 meters
the boat was groaning like i have never heard before, we were all but dead, i expected her to collapse in under the pressure any second now...
The flooding was finally controlled and the compartments were finally cleared of all water at a depth of no less than 278 meters! i could not believe my eyes, the depth guage was pegged!
i rigged for silent running once more and set the depth for 240 meters, if she can handle 278 then 240 should be no problem. The depth charging above us at what i would approximate to be 200 meters or so continued for 3 full hours. The escorts gave up and hurried back to the convoy now several kilometers in the distance.
Surfaced at 7am to affect repairs to the exterior of the boat. and plotted a course back to port.
On the way back to port on March 12th i encoutered a small tramp steamer cruising all alone. With my one good bow tube i sent a fish at him and broke his back.
3 days later i set up a stern shot on a fast moving V&W class escort travelling alone. The shot was a direct hit and caused several secondary explosions.
on 17 March 1943 - the heavily battered U-594 arrived in St. Nazaire, after sending 20,527 tons to the sea floor on her maiden voyage!