GoldenRivet
02-04-08, 01:00 PM
(part I available here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=130308)
"Come right to course zero three zero." I calmly ordered "We have plenty of range on this Destroyer... he may not have detected us."
I watched the destroyer through the observation scope. He was in a hurry, and his bow was cutting a sharp, massive wake which pointed at us like a finger. Surely he had seen us on his radar scope. but in the rough sea would he be able to detect a raised periscope? If there was a way to make a radar which could detect something so small... the allies would find out how to do it. bearing this in mind i promptly lowered the observation scope.
I stood there for what must have been an entire minute considering the options. We had been at sea for almost a week. We were sitting in what was traditionally our most productive hunting ground, a locale which had grown more and more divoid of targets over the past few patrols. This destroyer may well be the only ship we see or have an opportunity to attack. My pride was stung by the way this Hunt I just materialized in a perfect attack position against us just the day before, and i wanted this phantom and I to come to an understanding with one another, and that understanding was that as good as he may be... my crew and i are better! Hell, It probably wasnt even the same destroyer.
"He stopped sir" Ernst said, once again peeking toward the hatch with that surprised look on his face.
"Rig for silent running, make turns for one knot, chief." I ordered as i raised the observation scope once more.
The destroyer was slicing an ever decreasing wake through the sea as he thrust toward us like a knife. But there was almost no smoke now. I observed the destroyer, now at perhaps 4,000 meters, slowing to a near stop as he began a shallow turn to port.
"What do you have in mind Tommy?" I asked aloud
"He started back up again sir, bearing 010, dead slow." Ernst said in a whisper
I lowered the scope with the realization that there was a fair chance we were dealing with the same destroyer... our phantom. I turned my attention to Karl, our weapons officer. he looked as if he knew what i was going to ask.
"Karl... this Falke you have been itching to try... where did you put it?" I asked
"number five, sir." he answered hesitantly "maybe we could come up and strike him after he passed?"
"No... that might have worked 2 years ago, but Tommy doesnt fall for such tricks any longer." i Said
"Sheisse." i muttered "we would never be able to come about in time to make good use of it right now either."
I remembered telling Karl that any homing torpedoes we manage to get will be loaded in the stern tube for use against escorts in persuit of us. This order did us no good today. We were pointed directly at this destroyer with options decreasing by the second.
"Dive, quickly but quietly to 140 meters... deploy decoys at 40, 80 and 100 meters on the way down." I ordered, once again opting for discretion.
as we popped the first decoy at 40 meters i approached the hatch.
"Ernst." i said "Whats he doing now?"
Before Ernst could even answer, we were being pinged. The intervals, approximately two seconds apart. This destroyer was closing in for the attack. As the ping intervals grew closer and closer we were nearing 80 meters when we deployed another decoy. Maybe this destroyer would not know which target to attack.
The intervals between the pings were almost none-existant, the high pitched sound seemed to regulate the heartbeats of every man aboard the U-boat. For a brief fraction of a second following each ping it sounded as if a fist was knocking on the hull.
PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump
he was getting good, solid echos on us and we were barely nearing 100 meters. Suddenly the pinging stopped.
"Is he accelerating?" i asked impatiently of Ernst
"No sir... Dead slow." was the reply
A man did not need a hydrophone to hear what happened next. dozens of tiny splashes, almost directly overhead, they hit the sea almost simultaniously. Hedgehogs.
"Ahead flank!" i shouted
The electric motors buzzed to life, their quiet humm grew louder as we accelerated. The destrtoyer followed with the same instruction to his crew. His screw beats and engine sounds were audible to the naked ear, as were the splashes which followed.
"Hard to starboard, take her down quickly!" I said excitedly
Just then something struck our boat just outside the conning tower. With all eyes skyward we heard a thud followed by a small scratching noise that trailed off the port side of the U-boat. one of their hedgehogs was a dud! Just as we breathed a sigh of relief a tiny blast rocked the boat as the lights flickered. Another hedghog had struck the U-boat... this time it was no dud.
Schaffer, my most senior torpedo officer came running from astern.
"We took a good one there sir! The high pressure line to tube five is severed downstream of the valve. we have it shut off... no leaks. but tube five is useless until that line is repaired" Schaffer reported.
Just then the depth charges erupted overhead.
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat took a severe beating, and the lights fused. This depth charge attack was much closer than the one we experienced just a day before. Each Shockwave nearly knocking our breath away we endured the punishment from above.
Thawoooomp -POW!
"Damn it." muttered Schaffer as the concussions grew softer
With the explosions growing more distant and less concussive i ordered the boat trimmed for 180 meters and ahead slow. We stopped the turn on a northeasterly heading.
"Schaffer... get back to your post... and dont commence repairs on anything unless it is making too much noise!" i ordered in a sharp whisper.
"All compartments report clear, sir" said the chief
"Fine." i said.
i turned back to the hatch and looked at Ernst, he looked back at me shifting his eyes to one side. He spent so much time concentrating and analyzing the situation in his head phones. His hesitation to report ate me up inside.
"Which way is he turning Ernst?!" i whispered sharply
"Port turn sir... he is turning toward us." Ernst reported
By turning toward us, i knew it would be a short time before the destroyer was able to regain contact... we would spend less time in his baffels and he would be aproaching us nearly broadsided from our starboard rear quarter. I was not happy with the way the situation had developed.
"He is nearly out of the turn sir, increasing speed and closing" Ernst reported
I gave a nod in his direction as an acknolegment, upon that very instant the pining started anew with short intervals.
PING! - PING! - PING! - PING! -
"rudder fifteen degrees to starboard, set a shallow dive." I ordered
as the needle on the depth guage inched passed 190 meters the pinging grew more intense, the tale tale thump followed each ping. Our boat groaned, popped and hissed in objection of the extremes which we asked of her.
PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump
We heard the engines of the destroyer increase to maximum speed overhead. He was like a giant eagle swooping down to pluck a fish from the sea.
"Splashes!" Ersnt said
"Ahead Flank, Hard Starboard, Make your depth 220 meters!" I ordered sternly
As the sound of the destroyer faded off our port side, each man aboard the U-boat knew what the newfound silence meant.
Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat shook again voilently. Some of the men screamed in panic only to be quickly muted by the shushing of others.
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat was filled with paniced screams... then the entire world went black... and eerily silent.
(to be continued)
"Come right to course zero three zero." I calmly ordered "We have plenty of range on this Destroyer... he may not have detected us."
I watched the destroyer through the observation scope. He was in a hurry, and his bow was cutting a sharp, massive wake which pointed at us like a finger. Surely he had seen us on his radar scope. but in the rough sea would he be able to detect a raised periscope? If there was a way to make a radar which could detect something so small... the allies would find out how to do it. bearing this in mind i promptly lowered the observation scope.
I stood there for what must have been an entire minute considering the options. We had been at sea for almost a week. We were sitting in what was traditionally our most productive hunting ground, a locale which had grown more and more divoid of targets over the past few patrols. This destroyer may well be the only ship we see or have an opportunity to attack. My pride was stung by the way this Hunt I just materialized in a perfect attack position against us just the day before, and i wanted this phantom and I to come to an understanding with one another, and that understanding was that as good as he may be... my crew and i are better! Hell, It probably wasnt even the same destroyer.
"He stopped sir" Ernst said, once again peeking toward the hatch with that surprised look on his face.
"Rig for silent running, make turns for one knot, chief." I ordered as i raised the observation scope once more.
The destroyer was slicing an ever decreasing wake through the sea as he thrust toward us like a knife. But there was almost no smoke now. I observed the destroyer, now at perhaps 4,000 meters, slowing to a near stop as he began a shallow turn to port.
"What do you have in mind Tommy?" I asked aloud
"He started back up again sir, bearing 010, dead slow." Ernst said in a whisper
I lowered the scope with the realization that there was a fair chance we were dealing with the same destroyer... our phantom. I turned my attention to Karl, our weapons officer. he looked as if he knew what i was going to ask.
"Karl... this Falke you have been itching to try... where did you put it?" I asked
"number five, sir." he answered hesitantly "maybe we could come up and strike him after he passed?"
"No... that might have worked 2 years ago, but Tommy doesnt fall for such tricks any longer." i Said
"Sheisse." i muttered "we would never be able to come about in time to make good use of it right now either."
I remembered telling Karl that any homing torpedoes we manage to get will be loaded in the stern tube for use against escorts in persuit of us. This order did us no good today. We were pointed directly at this destroyer with options decreasing by the second.
"Dive, quickly but quietly to 140 meters... deploy decoys at 40, 80 and 100 meters on the way down." I ordered, once again opting for discretion.
as we popped the first decoy at 40 meters i approached the hatch.
"Ernst." i said "Whats he doing now?"
Before Ernst could even answer, we were being pinged. The intervals, approximately two seconds apart. This destroyer was closing in for the attack. As the ping intervals grew closer and closer we were nearing 80 meters when we deployed another decoy. Maybe this destroyer would not know which target to attack.
The intervals between the pings were almost none-existant, the high pitched sound seemed to regulate the heartbeats of every man aboard the U-boat. For a brief fraction of a second following each ping it sounded as if a fist was knocking on the hull.
PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump
he was getting good, solid echos on us and we were barely nearing 100 meters. Suddenly the pinging stopped.
"Is he accelerating?" i asked impatiently of Ernst
"No sir... Dead slow." was the reply
A man did not need a hydrophone to hear what happened next. dozens of tiny splashes, almost directly overhead, they hit the sea almost simultaniously. Hedgehogs.
"Ahead flank!" i shouted
The electric motors buzzed to life, their quiet humm grew louder as we accelerated. The destrtoyer followed with the same instruction to his crew. His screw beats and engine sounds were audible to the naked ear, as were the splashes which followed.
"Hard to starboard, take her down quickly!" I said excitedly
Just then something struck our boat just outside the conning tower. With all eyes skyward we heard a thud followed by a small scratching noise that trailed off the port side of the U-boat. one of their hedgehogs was a dud! Just as we breathed a sigh of relief a tiny blast rocked the boat as the lights flickered. Another hedghog had struck the U-boat... this time it was no dud.
Schaffer, my most senior torpedo officer came running from astern.
"We took a good one there sir! The high pressure line to tube five is severed downstream of the valve. we have it shut off... no leaks. but tube five is useless until that line is repaired" Schaffer reported.
Just then the depth charges erupted overhead.
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat took a severe beating, and the lights fused. This depth charge attack was much closer than the one we experienced just a day before. Each Shockwave nearly knocking our breath away we endured the punishment from above.
Thawoooomp -POW!
"Damn it." muttered Schaffer as the concussions grew softer
With the explosions growing more distant and less concussive i ordered the boat trimmed for 180 meters and ahead slow. We stopped the turn on a northeasterly heading.
"Schaffer... get back to your post... and dont commence repairs on anything unless it is making too much noise!" i ordered in a sharp whisper.
"All compartments report clear, sir" said the chief
"Fine." i said.
i turned back to the hatch and looked at Ernst, he looked back at me shifting his eyes to one side. He spent so much time concentrating and analyzing the situation in his head phones. His hesitation to report ate me up inside.
"Which way is he turning Ernst?!" i whispered sharply
"Port turn sir... he is turning toward us." Ernst reported
By turning toward us, i knew it would be a short time before the destroyer was able to regain contact... we would spend less time in his baffels and he would be aproaching us nearly broadsided from our starboard rear quarter. I was not happy with the way the situation had developed.
"He is nearly out of the turn sir, increasing speed and closing" Ernst reported
I gave a nod in his direction as an acknolegment, upon that very instant the pining started anew with short intervals.
PING! - PING! - PING! - PING! -
"rudder fifteen degrees to starboard, set a shallow dive." I ordered
as the needle on the depth guage inched passed 190 meters the pinging grew more intense, the tale tale thump followed each ping. Our boat groaned, popped and hissed in objection of the extremes which we asked of her.
PINGthump PINGthump PINGthump
We heard the engines of the destroyer increase to maximum speed overhead. He was like a giant eagle swooping down to pluck a fish from the sea.
"Splashes!" Ersnt said
"Ahead Flank, Hard Starboard, Make your depth 220 meters!" I ordered sternly
As the sound of the destroyer faded off our port side, each man aboard the U-boat knew what the newfound silence meant.
Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat shook again voilently. Some of the men screamed in panic only to be quickly muted by the shushing of others.
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
Thawoooomp -POW! Thawoooomp -POW!
The boat was filled with paniced screams... then the entire world went black... and eerily silent.
(to be continued)