Ula Jolly
08-11-05, 09:02 AM
Today is... May 9th, I suspect. It may be later, seeing as we left Brest on the 6th or 7th.
The weather was nice, and we were assigned to grid AM21, between Loch Ewe and Reykjavik.
Early on, in fact few seconds after I order engines ahead, our escort corvette reported mechanical problems, so we left the harbour without it. We will all remember that depature, seeing as as we were leaving, a Hipper entered the harbour with a destroyer!
http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/5453/ahoyhipper4np.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ahoyhipper4np.jpg)http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/280/hipper2sy.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hipper2sy.jpg)http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/7641/hipper26mr.th.jpg (http://img358.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hipper26mr.jpg)
All hands that wished to were given the possibility to see her from the bridge. Later that day, it seemed the calls and waves from her sailors were to result in a bit of extra vigor for my own crew.
We had just rose from the deep to take a last bit of air, I believe this was around four o'clock, just after dinner. "Aircraft!" I hear from the bridge, waking me up from my short nap. Helmut, not even a minute after he went up the ladder, had spotted a fighter.
I sit up in my bed, giving my eyes a stroke to get the uncomfort out of them. Not even ten hours since we had departed.
We fairly quickly waved the aircraft off, seeing as Helmut had brought with him the flak gunner. Steady, thudding sounds are heard from the 20mm.
We hear the bridge sound out a call of positive surprise, as evidently a bomb is flinged far away from the u-boat. They had not gotten to him, but had at least forced him to drop his ordnance far away. We dived shortly after, and I resumed control over the bridge.
We remain on a steady depth of 40 metres until night falls, and we surface to bring our submarine with speed out of the suspected air cover. We would like to travel without more air attacks.
Days pass in all their silence, our lives lead to the theme of either a the battery thumming along or the heavier thuds of the diesel engine. We are just south-west of Ireland when Friedrich von Düngen, one of our men at the hydrophone, gives us the message of a fast-moving warship, a tad on our north. After ninety seconds he gives me a loose vector, and after five minutes a better one, on which we are steaming at under the ocean at about 6 knots, trying to minimize the distance between the two ships. It's broad daylight, but fortunately there are two G7es in one of the four fore tubes.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed before we gave periscope depth. Friedrich could tell me it was a fast moving one, definitely a warship and not just an armed trawler or an Elco. In the periscope, far ahead, was a smokestack. Squinting, one could eye the shape of a destroyer. Normally, I would go for this, but we all agreed the speed seemed much too high, at least twenty knots, and the AOB looked to be close to 90 degrees. We would never make it within reasonable distance.
The situation repeated itself, with a different destroyer coming from a mirrored direction. Effort was put into intercepting it, but of course it was also headed away at a quick pace.
Course was resumed, and at nightfall we surfaced. The weather was lovely, and I went to bed, leaving officer Karl with the command. I got up early, around three in the morning to use the ocean as my toilet, to find a sailor FISHING (!) from the bridge. He was immediately sent to his workstation, and will have a reprimande from me as soon as we arrive at Brest. In the worst case, his imbecile doings could have resulted in a destroyed propeller! That could have left us to our destruction or capture here in hostile waters.
Two hours later, I found Helmut shouting like mad from the bridge, and I was with him within fifteen seconds. I saw what he saw, just as the sun rose from the east and gave light to some ships to our north-west. This was definitely an enemy task force! With all watch crew but one - who I believe would rather be looking with us than to secure our backs - pointing their binoculars at the enemy ships, it soon became apparent what we were facing:
http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/6387/tf5uc.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tf5uc.jpg)
In a column formation, steaming ahead just as fast as the other ships we met:
A destroyer, followed by a Nelson BB, followed by a Revenge BB, followed by four destroyers. To their flanks, a rough seamile out, two destroyers.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7154/nelsonandrevenge1vu.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nelsonandrevenge1vu.jpg)
Once again, one could hear the collective moan of the crew as slowly we worked out a solution: They were moving at over 20 knots, directly south while we were headed directly north. At best, there were seven kilometers between us, six if we gave speed to the west. Only two torpedoes were loaded that might stand to this task: I and II, both G7as. It was 4:40 in the morning, the visibility was excellent, and the odds were minimal.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6307/revenge2fy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
None of the crew would like to return to Brest without at least having FIRED at a battleship, and nor would I. We set speed ahead, and delivered our eels as soon as the solution had been gathered from my weapon officer.
Seven or eight minutes till impact, if I remember correctly. I had the precise time with me there, but of course they would evade before the torpedos were near! The impact would happen at roughly 100 degrees to the Nelson's port, and indeed, against all possible odds, both torpedos struck!
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9093/twofish5jw.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=twofish5jw.jpg)http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5931/breaks26au.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=breaks26au.jpg)http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/245/breaks32us.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=breaks32us.jpg)
As if hypnotized by how the Royal Navy could afford such blind men, my eyes were stuck with the periscope, as the Nelson listed heavily. I would say twenty degrees, if not more, but she wasn't going down. They all started their maneuvers, and the flank destroyers, baffled to say the least! - made searches in their areas. The helmsman, having read my thoughts, ordered a course away. This was indeed something we would demand awards for! I feel confident we shall wet ourselves in the bar in Brest after returning from this patrol!
The British sailors do deserve our admiration, still: She went ahead in a speed not changed a bit. One torpedo looked as if it struck right beneath her fore ammo bunker; indeed, had we launched one more, she would have gone down immediately.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7992/listing6tf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7108/listing28in.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=listing28in.jpg)
We were much too far away for any of the destroyers to find our tiny periscope, and we soon found a comfortable depth of 50 meters.
We had run into our first task force. Would we see another?
Who knows, but I highly doubt the Nelson will find anything else waiting for it than scrapping. Today we fired not only upon a ship and its crew, or a task force and its ships, but we fired upon the famous Admiralty and one of their missions! This might have saved the lives of thousands of our own soldiers, without even killing more than some of the enemy's.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3007/concern9fz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The event took place a mere six hours ago. Soon we will surface, and radio the message to BdU.
[In real life, after this I popped up far behind the TF and started tossing 8.8 shells at them (from 10,000m! :D) Hit the Nelson once (fired four and paused, external camera forward to check the splashes and repeat) and destroyed one of the depth-charge racks of a destroyer (guys went wheeee into the air!)]
:arrgh!:
The weather was nice, and we were assigned to grid AM21, between Loch Ewe and Reykjavik.
Early on, in fact few seconds after I order engines ahead, our escort corvette reported mechanical problems, so we left the harbour without it. We will all remember that depature, seeing as as we were leaving, a Hipper entered the harbour with a destroyer!
http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/5453/ahoyhipper4np.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ahoyhipper4np.jpg)http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/280/hipper2sy.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hipper2sy.jpg)http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/7641/hipper26mr.th.jpg (http://img358.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hipper26mr.jpg)
All hands that wished to were given the possibility to see her from the bridge. Later that day, it seemed the calls and waves from her sailors were to result in a bit of extra vigor for my own crew.
We had just rose from the deep to take a last bit of air, I believe this was around four o'clock, just after dinner. "Aircraft!" I hear from the bridge, waking me up from my short nap. Helmut, not even a minute after he went up the ladder, had spotted a fighter.
I sit up in my bed, giving my eyes a stroke to get the uncomfort out of them. Not even ten hours since we had departed.
We fairly quickly waved the aircraft off, seeing as Helmut had brought with him the flak gunner. Steady, thudding sounds are heard from the 20mm.
We hear the bridge sound out a call of positive surprise, as evidently a bomb is flinged far away from the u-boat. They had not gotten to him, but had at least forced him to drop his ordnance far away. We dived shortly after, and I resumed control over the bridge.
We remain on a steady depth of 40 metres until night falls, and we surface to bring our submarine with speed out of the suspected air cover. We would like to travel without more air attacks.
Days pass in all their silence, our lives lead to the theme of either a the battery thumming along or the heavier thuds of the diesel engine. We are just south-west of Ireland when Friedrich von Düngen, one of our men at the hydrophone, gives us the message of a fast-moving warship, a tad on our north. After ninety seconds he gives me a loose vector, and after five minutes a better one, on which we are steaming at under the ocean at about 6 knots, trying to minimize the distance between the two ships. It's broad daylight, but fortunately there are two G7es in one of the four fore tubes.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed before we gave periscope depth. Friedrich could tell me it was a fast moving one, definitely a warship and not just an armed trawler or an Elco. In the periscope, far ahead, was a smokestack. Squinting, one could eye the shape of a destroyer. Normally, I would go for this, but we all agreed the speed seemed much too high, at least twenty knots, and the AOB looked to be close to 90 degrees. We would never make it within reasonable distance.
The situation repeated itself, with a different destroyer coming from a mirrored direction. Effort was put into intercepting it, but of course it was also headed away at a quick pace.
Course was resumed, and at nightfall we surfaced. The weather was lovely, and I went to bed, leaving officer Karl with the command. I got up early, around three in the morning to use the ocean as my toilet, to find a sailor FISHING (!) from the bridge. He was immediately sent to his workstation, and will have a reprimande from me as soon as we arrive at Brest. In the worst case, his imbecile doings could have resulted in a destroyed propeller! That could have left us to our destruction or capture here in hostile waters.
Two hours later, I found Helmut shouting like mad from the bridge, and I was with him within fifteen seconds. I saw what he saw, just as the sun rose from the east and gave light to some ships to our north-west. This was definitely an enemy task force! With all watch crew but one - who I believe would rather be looking with us than to secure our backs - pointing their binoculars at the enemy ships, it soon became apparent what we were facing:
http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/6387/tf5uc.th.jpg (http://img316.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tf5uc.jpg)
In a column formation, steaming ahead just as fast as the other ships we met:
A destroyer, followed by a Nelson BB, followed by a Revenge BB, followed by four destroyers. To their flanks, a rough seamile out, two destroyers.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7154/nelsonandrevenge1vu.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nelsonandrevenge1vu.jpg)
Once again, one could hear the collective moan of the crew as slowly we worked out a solution: They were moving at over 20 knots, directly south while we were headed directly north. At best, there were seven kilometers between us, six if we gave speed to the west. Only two torpedoes were loaded that might stand to this task: I and II, both G7as. It was 4:40 in the morning, the visibility was excellent, and the odds were minimal.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6307/revenge2fy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
None of the crew would like to return to Brest without at least having FIRED at a battleship, and nor would I. We set speed ahead, and delivered our eels as soon as the solution had been gathered from my weapon officer.
Seven or eight minutes till impact, if I remember correctly. I had the precise time with me there, but of course they would evade before the torpedos were near! The impact would happen at roughly 100 degrees to the Nelson's port, and indeed, against all possible odds, both torpedos struck!
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9093/twofish5jw.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=twofish5jw.jpg)http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5931/breaks26au.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=breaks26au.jpg)http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/245/breaks32us.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=breaks32us.jpg)
As if hypnotized by how the Royal Navy could afford such blind men, my eyes were stuck with the periscope, as the Nelson listed heavily. I would say twenty degrees, if not more, but she wasn't going down. They all started their maneuvers, and the flank destroyers, baffled to say the least! - made searches in their areas. The helmsman, having read my thoughts, ordered a course away. This was indeed something we would demand awards for! I feel confident we shall wet ourselves in the bar in Brest after returning from this patrol!
The British sailors do deserve our admiration, still: She went ahead in a speed not changed a bit. One torpedo looked as if it struck right beneath her fore ammo bunker; indeed, had we launched one more, she would have gone down immediately.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7992/listing6tf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/7108/listing28in.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=listing28in.jpg)
We were much too far away for any of the destroyers to find our tiny periscope, and we soon found a comfortable depth of 50 meters.
We had run into our first task force. Would we see another?
Who knows, but I highly doubt the Nelson will find anything else waiting for it than scrapping. Today we fired not only upon a ship and its crew, or a task force and its ships, but we fired upon the famous Admiralty and one of their missions! This might have saved the lives of thousands of our own soldiers, without even killing more than some of the enemy's.
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3007/concern9fz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The event took place a mere six hours ago. Soon we will surface, and radio the message to BdU.
[In real life, after this I popped up far behind the TF and started tossing 8.8 shells at them (from 10,000m! :D) Hit the Nelson once (fired four and paused, external camera forward to check the splashes and repeat) and destroyed one of the depth-charge racks of a destroyer (guys went wheeee into the air!)]
:arrgh!: