TreverSlyFox
08-27-05, 03:51 AM
Personal Log; Hans Fitzgearld, Oberleutnant z. S.
U-Boat; U-45
Type; VIIB
Flotilla; Saltzwedel
Base; Wilhelmshaven
Patrol; 2
Grid; AM19
Date; October 19, 1939
October 19, 1939, 23:58
Finally we're on the way. We should have cast off by 18:00 but the supply truck with our fresh provisions broke down, three and a half hours of waiting. You'ed think the Reich would have more than one truck to use, so we wait until it's fixed. We rush to get the supplies loaded, maybe a little too fast, one of the Seamen dropped 5 dozen eggs on the gangway. I thought I might have to come down from the tower and save his hide, the cook was so mad.
Good weather, no wind and fairly comfortable tempratures for October, I get out the gray wool sweater the wife knitted during our first patrol. She insists on using my grandmother's spinning wheel from the old country, I've had to fix it twice now.
My cousin Ian says if I can get word to him before a patrol takes us close to Ireland he'll make arrangments to meet us off the coast of County Down and bring me a brand new Irish Wheel. Well it won't be this trip, AM19 is well East of Ireland, and the channel I imagine, is being better patroled every day by the damm Brits.
I'll see if our IRA contacts could get it to me off the West coast around Gweedore maybe, there's good deep water of at least 50 meters there within 5 minutes rowing of the shore, just need a Patrol area of around AM55.
October 20, 1939, 22:00
Weather holding, no wind seas calm. A beautiful sunrise this morning with a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and a pot of the cook's special coffee. Have to get this boat squared away today, we rushed last night to store everything, now we need to put it in the proper places.
I'll hold off until tomarrow morning for diving practice, might as well start with a crash dive just after breakfast to really wake them up.
October 21, 1939, 03:30
Damn, we could have lost the boat!! During the layover after Patrol 1 they re-packed the Port Shaft stuffing box, the idiots didn't torque the cap bolts!! She started to get sluggish to respond and we were down a quarter bubble by the stern. By the time helm reported the problem the Stern Torpedo room bilges were overflowing the floor plates, they were all asleep there, so no one noticed the water.
CE quickly had a handle on what it was but he's too big to get to the stuffing box. Seaman Dieter is the smallest of the crew, 5' 4" and 54.5 kilos, with a mouth airline, goggles and wrench he made it to the box and tightened the bolts, he says they were almost all the way out. Pumps quickly had the water down, but a few more minutes and it would have flodded the battery compartment, gas isn't a nice way to die.
Dieter will get the first IC 2nd when we're back. I'm going to kill a repair officer when I get my hands on him when we get back. Will talk to the crew later this morning, they need to understand that ANYTHING out of the norm must be reported at once. All they had to do was just mention it to the Watch Officer and we would have found it hours ago. My God, another 3 hours and we would have been in the middle of a practice crash dive, what would the stuffing box have done with that kind of pressure on it and loose bolts with over a 800+ m of water under our keel and 200+ m over our head.
They'er young and it's only their second patrol so they'll get a free pass on this one, but you only get ONE on this boat. Nothing hurt so we'll chalk it up to training this time, besides the helm crew is cleaning up the stern torp room right now. I doubt they'll forget it.
October 22, 1939, 21:30
Weather still holding, no wind and calm seas. Diving practice went well yesterday though we took it slowly and in stages all the way to 225 m, CE says she'll do at least 240 m, but we'll hold that for a real need.
CE showed the new ones a little trick, he taped a piece of string tightly across the hull in aft quarters before the dive and then had the newer crew go see it at 225 m. They were amazed at the amount of slack in it, now they know how much the pressure squeezes the pressure hull. I swear two of them were green after seeing it.
Maybe I over did the lecture yesterday on reporting anything out of the norm right away, CE says he now has a list of 53 items to be fixed reported in just the last 14 hours, all little stuff, loose screw in a bunk, cracked glass in several gauges, that kind of stuff. I told him if the list gets to 100 items I'd talk to the crew again, he wasn't happy.
October 23, 1939, 21:18
Weather holding, sounds like a broken record, no wind, calm seas. We should enter Scapa Flow straits tomarrow, shallow waters and air cover close by, I've got a good Flack man but I'ed rather dive quickly than fight it out on the surface. We can fight a plane or two but we can't fight their radios when they call in the surface ships to pound us.
Had the radioman put on some records on the gramaphone for an hour after supper, it echoed through the ship quite nicely. Caught a new crewmember hanging some nude pictures from a magazine up in Bow quarters. I tore them down and told him I won't have that garbage hung up in my boat, if the crew wants to see nudes they can hang any nude pictures of their wife up for everyone to see, otherwise keep them to themselves. Someday a crewman will do it and I'll be eating my words I'll bet.
October 24, 1939, 17:45
Just a quick note before supper, the cook informs me it will be served in 15 minutes sharp. Geesshh, you'd think he runs the boat, but he's a good cook and an excellent baker, so I'll not antagonize him by pointing out just who the Kaptain is on this boat.
Making good head way at 9 kts, the Chief Engineer say's he doubts we could streach another meter per hour out of the fuel than we are now. We've entered the Flow so we've kept a good lookout for any aircraft.
We've had two radio contacts of lone ships but their positions were well South of us and we'd have to have turned back to intercept their course, we've kept heading to our patrol area and we'll see them another day. Still good weather and the sea is like glass and a pleasure to sail on her in this state. But truth be told I'd prefer a little chop to help hide the scope head when we need it.
October 25, 1939, 18:40
The weather changed!! Well for a little bit, we had a few hours of a 2 mps breeze this afternoon, then it dropped off, no wind, seas calm for the rest of the time.
A truly great supper this evening, baked ham with pineapple, sweet potatos, pickles, fresh bread and baked apples. Though I see quite a few hams hung up all over, by the end of the patrol we'll hate ham I bet. Last patrol it was sausages, lots and lots of sausages. Right now I'd kill for a glass of fresh milk, we have canned milk and the cook does doctor it up well but it's just not the same.
Have written my 5th letter to the wife, maybe this patrol we'll meet up with a returning sub or ship so she'll actually get them before I'm home. No one in the crew has needed sick call yet, guess they know the closest thing we have to a doctor is a crewman with three years of medical school this trip.
October 26, 1939, 23:38
Arrived on station AM19, NE Qtr. Weather holding, sea still like glass. We'll sit here for a few hours until just before dawn, rotating crew on deck for a smoke and such as they wish, who knows when they'll get a chance like this again.
So far just the two radio contact reports by the Flow, maybe we'll get lucky and find a nice tanker or cargo this trip. Ahhhhh, the cook is making his famous Greek Coffee and it's heaven in a cup, will pick this up later.
October 27, 1939, 04:10
Radio contact report, Large Enemy Task Force at 6 kts, heading East about 32 Km South and 40 Km West of us, #2 working up intercept course. We should be on their track in about an hour and 20 minutes then we'll swing West and meet them.
October 27, 1939, 05:38
We're 1500 meters North of their predicted track, have just turned West to meet them, slowed to 9 kts. Sea still like glass and a good moon, will pray for a little overcast and some chop before we meet.
October 27, 1939, 06:22
Watch has spotted lead ship, don't know class yet but probably a DD, 6200+ meters, ordered parascope depth, at 4500 meters we'll go to silent and 3 kts. Hydraphones picking up lots of screws. Looks like 4 lanes of 4 ships each plus 1 lead, 2 flank and 1 drag escorts. Have sound man concentrating on the four lead ships in the center two lanes, he says he'll ID them at 2500 meters by their screws.
October 27, 1939, 06:45
3 kts silent, lead escort is a Hunt DD. Sound says he has a 5th WS in lead, lane 2, with Tankers following and Tankers in lead, lane 3. Lane 3 sounds differant maybe Heavy Tankers. Lane 2 maybe Medium Tankers, says the WS in lead Lane 2 sounds like a Cruiser. Have turned South, will cross their track at about 100 degrees and just inside lane 1. Sea still like glass, moon large and full, will have to be quick on the scope. Working plots on the lead 2 ships in lanes 2 and 3 by sound contacts, will refine with scope as we close.
October 27, 1939, 07:13
2 tubes fired, lead ship lane 2 Aux Cruiser 13,000+ ton class, 2nd ship lane 3, Heavy Class Tanker. The moon helped ID their flags all Brit.
Fired tube 1, Steam torp, depth 4.5m Impact under stack of Lane 3 2nd Heavy Tanker, 1st Heavy Tanker covered by cruiser, should have lead her a little more, torp missed aft from 1230 m.
Tube 2 at Crusier, Steam torp, depth 4.5 m Impact, under stack at 536 m, torp impact, popped scope, she's burning with a Huge fire ball over the stack, she's breaking up.
Ordered STB hard over at 3 kts silent. We'll just miss the Cruiser going down then line up on the 1st Heavy Tanker in lane 3 and maybe get a second shot at the 2nd Heavy Tanker. Also plotting 2nd Medium Tanker in lane 2 behind us, we may get a shot with aft tube torp 5 if it works out but we won't get a shot at the 1st Medium Tanker in lane 2, way to much angle.
October 27, 1939, 07:30
2 forward, 1 aft torp fired. Tube 3, Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact under stack Lead Heavy Tanker lane 3 at 376m, she split in half just forward of the aft house.
Tube 5 at 2nd Medium Tanker lane 2, aft Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact, hit just aft of stack at 465 m, on fire going under by stern.
Tube 4 Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact, 2nd shot at 2nd Heavy Tanker Lane 3 just under stack at 485 m. Had to wait for it a bit, kept the scope up, bit of a chance but worth it, hit just forward of the stack, huge explosion, broke in half forward of aft house.
Heading 205 degrees making for 115 m depth, 3 kts silent. 5 torps, 4 kills for an estimated total of 39,676 tons, 1 Aux Crusier, 2 Heavy Tankers, 1 Med Tanker. Life is good!
October 27, 1939, 09:48
Surfaced, 9 kts heading 43 degrees. Torp crews have loaded Ext. Torp storage, 1 aft, 1 forward. Have forwarded Contact Report and Status to BDU.
Those escorts must be really green, they didn't even come close to us. The lead turned back right after the first hit but never entered the convoy. After that he went back forward and stayed there. Flanks and drag never did anything to our notice. Not one ping out of anyone.
A bottle of Brandy has been located from my stores and passed around. A good start for patrol #2, continuing Patrol AM19. I think I'll add the brandy to the cook's special coffee with my breakfast. Weather still holding.
U-Boat; U-45
Type; VIIB
Flotilla; Saltzwedel
Base; Wilhelmshaven
Patrol; 2
Grid; AM19
Date; October 19, 1939
October 19, 1939, 23:58
Finally we're on the way. We should have cast off by 18:00 but the supply truck with our fresh provisions broke down, three and a half hours of waiting. You'ed think the Reich would have more than one truck to use, so we wait until it's fixed. We rush to get the supplies loaded, maybe a little too fast, one of the Seamen dropped 5 dozen eggs on the gangway. I thought I might have to come down from the tower and save his hide, the cook was so mad.
Good weather, no wind and fairly comfortable tempratures for October, I get out the gray wool sweater the wife knitted during our first patrol. She insists on using my grandmother's spinning wheel from the old country, I've had to fix it twice now.
My cousin Ian says if I can get word to him before a patrol takes us close to Ireland he'll make arrangments to meet us off the coast of County Down and bring me a brand new Irish Wheel. Well it won't be this trip, AM19 is well East of Ireland, and the channel I imagine, is being better patroled every day by the damm Brits.
I'll see if our IRA contacts could get it to me off the West coast around Gweedore maybe, there's good deep water of at least 50 meters there within 5 minutes rowing of the shore, just need a Patrol area of around AM55.
October 20, 1939, 22:00
Weather holding, no wind seas calm. A beautiful sunrise this morning with a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and a pot of the cook's special coffee. Have to get this boat squared away today, we rushed last night to store everything, now we need to put it in the proper places.
I'll hold off until tomarrow morning for diving practice, might as well start with a crash dive just after breakfast to really wake them up.
October 21, 1939, 03:30
Damn, we could have lost the boat!! During the layover after Patrol 1 they re-packed the Port Shaft stuffing box, the idiots didn't torque the cap bolts!! She started to get sluggish to respond and we were down a quarter bubble by the stern. By the time helm reported the problem the Stern Torpedo room bilges were overflowing the floor plates, they were all asleep there, so no one noticed the water.
CE quickly had a handle on what it was but he's too big to get to the stuffing box. Seaman Dieter is the smallest of the crew, 5' 4" and 54.5 kilos, with a mouth airline, goggles and wrench he made it to the box and tightened the bolts, he says they were almost all the way out. Pumps quickly had the water down, but a few more minutes and it would have flodded the battery compartment, gas isn't a nice way to die.
Dieter will get the first IC 2nd when we're back. I'm going to kill a repair officer when I get my hands on him when we get back. Will talk to the crew later this morning, they need to understand that ANYTHING out of the norm must be reported at once. All they had to do was just mention it to the Watch Officer and we would have found it hours ago. My God, another 3 hours and we would have been in the middle of a practice crash dive, what would the stuffing box have done with that kind of pressure on it and loose bolts with over a 800+ m of water under our keel and 200+ m over our head.
They'er young and it's only their second patrol so they'll get a free pass on this one, but you only get ONE on this boat. Nothing hurt so we'll chalk it up to training this time, besides the helm crew is cleaning up the stern torp room right now. I doubt they'll forget it.
October 22, 1939, 21:30
Weather still holding, no wind and calm seas. Diving practice went well yesterday though we took it slowly and in stages all the way to 225 m, CE says she'll do at least 240 m, but we'll hold that for a real need.
CE showed the new ones a little trick, he taped a piece of string tightly across the hull in aft quarters before the dive and then had the newer crew go see it at 225 m. They were amazed at the amount of slack in it, now they know how much the pressure squeezes the pressure hull. I swear two of them were green after seeing it.
Maybe I over did the lecture yesterday on reporting anything out of the norm right away, CE says he now has a list of 53 items to be fixed reported in just the last 14 hours, all little stuff, loose screw in a bunk, cracked glass in several gauges, that kind of stuff. I told him if the list gets to 100 items I'd talk to the crew again, he wasn't happy.
October 23, 1939, 21:18
Weather holding, sounds like a broken record, no wind, calm seas. We should enter Scapa Flow straits tomarrow, shallow waters and air cover close by, I've got a good Flack man but I'ed rather dive quickly than fight it out on the surface. We can fight a plane or two but we can't fight their radios when they call in the surface ships to pound us.
Had the radioman put on some records on the gramaphone for an hour after supper, it echoed through the ship quite nicely. Caught a new crewmember hanging some nude pictures from a magazine up in Bow quarters. I tore them down and told him I won't have that garbage hung up in my boat, if the crew wants to see nudes they can hang any nude pictures of their wife up for everyone to see, otherwise keep them to themselves. Someday a crewman will do it and I'll be eating my words I'll bet.
October 24, 1939, 17:45
Just a quick note before supper, the cook informs me it will be served in 15 minutes sharp. Geesshh, you'd think he runs the boat, but he's a good cook and an excellent baker, so I'll not antagonize him by pointing out just who the Kaptain is on this boat.
Making good head way at 9 kts, the Chief Engineer say's he doubts we could streach another meter per hour out of the fuel than we are now. We've entered the Flow so we've kept a good lookout for any aircraft.
We've had two radio contacts of lone ships but their positions were well South of us and we'd have to have turned back to intercept their course, we've kept heading to our patrol area and we'll see them another day. Still good weather and the sea is like glass and a pleasure to sail on her in this state. But truth be told I'd prefer a little chop to help hide the scope head when we need it.
October 25, 1939, 18:40
The weather changed!! Well for a little bit, we had a few hours of a 2 mps breeze this afternoon, then it dropped off, no wind, seas calm for the rest of the time.
A truly great supper this evening, baked ham with pineapple, sweet potatos, pickles, fresh bread and baked apples. Though I see quite a few hams hung up all over, by the end of the patrol we'll hate ham I bet. Last patrol it was sausages, lots and lots of sausages. Right now I'd kill for a glass of fresh milk, we have canned milk and the cook does doctor it up well but it's just not the same.
Have written my 5th letter to the wife, maybe this patrol we'll meet up with a returning sub or ship so she'll actually get them before I'm home. No one in the crew has needed sick call yet, guess they know the closest thing we have to a doctor is a crewman with three years of medical school this trip.
October 26, 1939, 23:38
Arrived on station AM19, NE Qtr. Weather holding, sea still like glass. We'll sit here for a few hours until just before dawn, rotating crew on deck for a smoke and such as they wish, who knows when they'll get a chance like this again.
So far just the two radio contact reports by the Flow, maybe we'll get lucky and find a nice tanker or cargo this trip. Ahhhhh, the cook is making his famous Greek Coffee and it's heaven in a cup, will pick this up later.
October 27, 1939, 04:10
Radio contact report, Large Enemy Task Force at 6 kts, heading East about 32 Km South and 40 Km West of us, #2 working up intercept course. We should be on their track in about an hour and 20 minutes then we'll swing West and meet them.
October 27, 1939, 05:38
We're 1500 meters North of their predicted track, have just turned West to meet them, slowed to 9 kts. Sea still like glass and a good moon, will pray for a little overcast and some chop before we meet.
October 27, 1939, 06:22
Watch has spotted lead ship, don't know class yet but probably a DD, 6200+ meters, ordered parascope depth, at 4500 meters we'll go to silent and 3 kts. Hydraphones picking up lots of screws. Looks like 4 lanes of 4 ships each plus 1 lead, 2 flank and 1 drag escorts. Have sound man concentrating on the four lead ships in the center two lanes, he says he'll ID them at 2500 meters by their screws.
October 27, 1939, 06:45
3 kts silent, lead escort is a Hunt DD. Sound says he has a 5th WS in lead, lane 2, with Tankers following and Tankers in lead, lane 3. Lane 3 sounds differant maybe Heavy Tankers. Lane 2 maybe Medium Tankers, says the WS in lead Lane 2 sounds like a Cruiser. Have turned South, will cross their track at about 100 degrees and just inside lane 1. Sea still like glass, moon large and full, will have to be quick on the scope. Working plots on the lead 2 ships in lanes 2 and 3 by sound contacts, will refine with scope as we close.
October 27, 1939, 07:13
2 tubes fired, lead ship lane 2 Aux Cruiser 13,000+ ton class, 2nd ship lane 3, Heavy Class Tanker. The moon helped ID their flags all Brit.
Fired tube 1, Steam torp, depth 4.5m Impact under stack of Lane 3 2nd Heavy Tanker, 1st Heavy Tanker covered by cruiser, should have lead her a little more, torp missed aft from 1230 m.
Tube 2 at Crusier, Steam torp, depth 4.5 m Impact, under stack at 536 m, torp impact, popped scope, she's burning with a Huge fire ball over the stack, she's breaking up.
Ordered STB hard over at 3 kts silent. We'll just miss the Cruiser going down then line up on the 1st Heavy Tanker in lane 3 and maybe get a second shot at the 2nd Heavy Tanker. Also plotting 2nd Medium Tanker in lane 2 behind us, we may get a shot with aft tube torp 5 if it works out but we won't get a shot at the 1st Medium Tanker in lane 2, way to much angle.
October 27, 1939, 07:30
2 forward, 1 aft torp fired. Tube 3, Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact under stack Lead Heavy Tanker lane 3 at 376m, she split in half just forward of the aft house.
Tube 5 at 2nd Medium Tanker lane 2, aft Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact, hit just aft of stack at 465 m, on fire going under by stern.
Tube 4 Steam torp, 4.5 m Impact, 2nd shot at 2nd Heavy Tanker Lane 3 just under stack at 485 m. Had to wait for it a bit, kept the scope up, bit of a chance but worth it, hit just forward of the stack, huge explosion, broke in half forward of aft house.
Heading 205 degrees making for 115 m depth, 3 kts silent. 5 torps, 4 kills for an estimated total of 39,676 tons, 1 Aux Crusier, 2 Heavy Tankers, 1 Med Tanker. Life is good!
October 27, 1939, 09:48
Surfaced, 9 kts heading 43 degrees. Torp crews have loaded Ext. Torp storage, 1 aft, 1 forward. Have forwarded Contact Report and Status to BDU.
Those escorts must be really green, they didn't even come close to us. The lead turned back right after the first hit but never entered the convoy. After that he went back forward and stayed there. Flanks and drag never did anything to our notice. Not one ping out of anyone.
A bottle of Brandy has been located from my stores and passed around. A good start for patrol #2, continuing Patrol AM19. I think I'll add the brandy to the cook's special coffee with my breakfast. Weather still holding.