Ping Panther
10-02-08, 09:41 AM
New Year's Day morning, Jan. 1, 1940, Kiel Canal.
I was beginning another patrol and heading out of Kiel Canal; business as usual. I had ordered a light-duty watch crew on the bridge so that my watch officer may get some extra bunk time after a rousing last night in port. ;) Upon approaching the village of Rendsburg, plumes of billowing smoke appeared that at first seemed to be coming from the local factory complexes. My chief watch officer was then immediately ordered to the bridge, the crew smartly assuming trouble... perhaps an early morning air raid in the area had preceeded our patrol.
As our distance closed nearer to the docks, I further assigned a gun crew to the flak. There would be no chance to crash dive here in the shallows of the canal and within the sights of any enemy aircraft.
Go figure... a closer view revealed an unfortunate docking after a night of Scnapps & sausages. A few naval ships sat patienly by, with one very guilty looking tugboat not so far from the scene. What a night! :doh:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/EricWK/SilentHunter-Post/KielDamage.jpg
I was beginning another patrol and heading out of Kiel Canal; business as usual. I had ordered a light-duty watch crew on the bridge so that my watch officer may get some extra bunk time after a rousing last night in port. ;) Upon approaching the village of Rendsburg, plumes of billowing smoke appeared that at first seemed to be coming from the local factory complexes. My chief watch officer was then immediately ordered to the bridge, the crew smartly assuming trouble... perhaps an early morning air raid in the area had preceeded our patrol.
As our distance closed nearer to the docks, I further assigned a gun crew to the flak. There would be no chance to crash dive here in the shallows of the canal and within the sights of any enemy aircraft.
Go figure... a closer view revealed an unfortunate docking after a night of Scnapps & sausages. A few naval ships sat patienly by, with one very guilty looking tugboat not so far from the scene. What a night! :doh:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/EricWK/SilentHunter-Post/KielDamage.jpg