minute
08-27-07, 06:17 AM
Last night I started my third Med patrol from Salamis in my trusty VIIC. After leaving Greek waters I was cruising gingerly at 10knots heading 270 west towards my patrol grid just outside La Valletta. In my mind I'm running again and again over possible convoy routes the British may be using to resupply that pesky pain in the ass of an island.
Dawn has just come up and I feel it's time for a hydrophone check.
We settle at 20m depth and I the next thing I remember is the cold nervous stare from my hydrophone man. I grab the headphones to hear at my 170 the unmistakable sharp hissing of multiple high-pressure steam turbines. There's too many of them - I'M BEING JUMPED BY A BRITISH TASKFORCE!
I quickly order a 145 degree turn to settle on a course slightly offset to their heading to get into an observation position. I figure I have about 30 minutes to get this right, I order the boat to surface and flank speed to reach a set up point.
After 10 minutes I dive again and settle at periscope depth. I hear them now loud and clear - there's not that many of them, two high-speed turbines (light cruisers, Dido class maybe) and a destroyer neatly lined up and another fast destroyer sweeping behind them. Very tempting situation - I wait for a few minutes to read their heading - it seems that' I'm almost in the right spot, about three-four km south of their path, they're coming about 10km west of me and they haven't seen me yet.
I press ahead silent running at two knots to get a bit closer. After three minutes I say enough is enough, I order all stop for a visual check. The scope is going up right on the 82 degrees bearing from the sound check ready for a quick look....
VERDAMMT! VERDAMMT!
They changed course! I can just see now the bow of front Dido cruiser at 4200m obscuring all the others behind it - the're heading right at me! Scheise! In 4 minutes I'm going to be run over by the British Navy several times over! I can't bear to think of the names they'll call me in the officer's mess when we get back.... If we get back... All this calculations to get stuffed at the end!
What can I do? I can't start the engines at this distance - they'll hear me and I'll blow my cover. Silent running back will barely get my boat out of their way - no chance of a shot at the cruisers and the sweeping destroyer will make mince meat of me. Silent running forward might get me in a distance for a measly shot from the stern tube, but even for that my scope will show up far too close for comfort... What can I do?
Just thought you may have some ideas...
Dawn has just come up and I feel it's time for a hydrophone check.
We settle at 20m depth and I the next thing I remember is the cold nervous stare from my hydrophone man. I grab the headphones to hear at my 170 the unmistakable sharp hissing of multiple high-pressure steam turbines. There's too many of them - I'M BEING JUMPED BY A BRITISH TASKFORCE!
I quickly order a 145 degree turn to settle on a course slightly offset to their heading to get into an observation position. I figure I have about 30 minutes to get this right, I order the boat to surface and flank speed to reach a set up point.
After 10 minutes I dive again and settle at periscope depth. I hear them now loud and clear - there's not that many of them, two high-speed turbines (light cruisers, Dido class maybe) and a destroyer neatly lined up and another fast destroyer sweeping behind them. Very tempting situation - I wait for a few minutes to read their heading - it seems that' I'm almost in the right spot, about three-four km south of their path, they're coming about 10km west of me and they haven't seen me yet.
I press ahead silent running at two knots to get a bit closer. After three minutes I say enough is enough, I order all stop for a visual check. The scope is going up right on the 82 degrees bearing from the sound check ready for a quick look....
VERDAMMT! VERDAMMT!
They changed course! I can just see now the bow of front Dido cruiser at 4200m obscuring all the others behind it - the're heading right at me! Scheise! In 4 minutes I'm going to be run over by the British Navy several times over! I can't bear to think of the names they'll call me in the officer's mess when we get back.... If we get back... All this calculations to get stuffed at the end!
What can I do? I can't start the engines at this distance - they'll hear me and I'll blow my cover. Silent running back will barely get my boat out of their way - no chance of a shot at the cruisers and the sweeping destroyer will make mince meat of me. Silent running forward might get me in a distance for a measly shot from the stern tube, but even for that my scope will show up far too close for comfort... What can I do?
Just thought you may have some ideas...