johnm
06-05-07, 01:40 PM
left wilhelmshaven on route for DJ16 in my VIIB U-51 March 1940.
Seems a long way but I'm not getting a IX until we move to the French ports!
sank a KCA in AN44 by gunfire. (p.s. what is a KCA?)
knocked off a single swordfish at 7 am as I entered AN14, Then at 1 pm spotted a C2 and gave it a salvo of two torpedoes at 9 metres depth, one of which exploded prematurely. Closed then fired another at 5 metres, completing the job with the deck gun.
Soon after that I went to periscope depth for the day.
picked up a sonar contact heading straight for me, a small merchant.
As I was already submerged, I decided to track it using the periscope and surface when it was about 2 k from me and sink it with the gun to save a torpedo.
Went exactly to plan, surfaced and started shelling it. That's when things started to fall apart. First I was jumped by a swordfish, then another and then yet another! Three planes, all upset with me and there's me, peacefully trying to sink a merchant ship. Some people have no sense of timing.
My flak gunner shot down one but the other two got a bit close, killed flak and deck gun crews and damaged both guns and every compartment.
I managed to get the flak and deck gun repaired and sent up fresh crews. Meanwhile my navigation officer and the damage control crew set to work. first they hit the compartments which were flooding and stopped the flooding, then tackled the repair work. I's also sent crew members into all compartments except the bow and stern quarters to help.
While this was going on,the new flak gunner was keeping off the airplanes which eventually went off home for tiffin and the new, untried deckgunners sank the merchant!
limping north at about 1 knot we sweated blood to repair the ship which had dropped to 49% integrity before any more attacks developed. I was not happy about submerging before the repairs were complete.
All went well, we completed repairs without any more attacks but I then decided to 'escape' and return to base where I received the iron cross with oakleaves
All in all an interesting patrol - and we survived, possibly better people for it (but I doubt it!)
However, I'd always thought of Swordfish as being the easier of aircraft to defend against but after this patrol, I'll probably shout 'Alarrrrrrrm' and dive instead.
:hmm:
Don't know about breakdown cover - see Penelope_Grey - I might have to change insurance companies!
Seems a long way but I'm not getting a IX until we move to the French ports!
sank a KCA in AN44 by gunfire. (p.s. what is a KCA?)
knocked off a single swordfish at 7 am as I entered AN14, Then at 1 pm spotted a C2 and gave it a salvo of two torpedoes at 9 metres depth, one of which exploded prematurely. Closed then fired another at 5 metres, completing the job with the deck gun.
Soon after that I went to periscope depth for the day.
picked up a sonar contact heading straight for me, a small merchant.
As I was already submerged, I decided to track it using the periscope and surface when it was about 2 k from me and sink it with the gun to save a torpedo.
Went exactly to plan, surfaced and started shelling it. That's when things started to fall apart. First I was jumped by a swordfish, then another and then yet another! Three planes, all upset with me and there's me, peacefully trying to sink a merchant ship. Some people have no sense of timing.
My flak gunner shot down one but the other two got a bit close, killed flak and deck gun crews and damaged both guns and every compartment.
I managed to get the flak and deck gun repaired and sent up fresh crews. Meanwhile my navigation officer and the damage control crew set to work. first they hit the compartments which were flooding and stopped the flooding, then tackled the repair work. I's also sent crew members into all compartments except the bow and stern quarters to help.
While this was going on,the new flak gunner was keeping off the airplanes which eventually went off home for tiffin and the new, untried deckgunners sank the merchant!
limping north at about 1 knot we sweated blood to repair the ship which had dropped to 49% integrity before any more attacks developed. I was not happy about submerging before the repairs were complete.
All went well, we completed repairs without any more attacks but I then decided to 'escape' and return to base where I received the iron cross with oakleaves
All in all an interesting patrol - and we survived, possibly better people for it (but I doubt it!)
However, I'd always thought of Swordfish as being the easier of aircraft to defend against but after this patrol, I'll probably shout 'Alarrrrrrrm' and dive instead.
:hmm:
Don't know about breakdown cover - see Penelope_Grey - I might have to change insurance companies!