No my friend...the next thing is to stay focused as a Sub Kaptain...continue as you have been, till you either get sunk or the War ends!

THEN...you and I and several others around here, can discuss you turning this story into a best seller

The countdown was almost exact.

We heard a dull explosion back on the bridge, at least signifying a hit.

"Looks like we punched him right on the nose, Kap!"

True enough, I had aimed more central, but the torpedo from second tube had gone off with a glancing blow on the bow. Between 3,000 and 4,000 tons, that ship was about to slip headlong below, as the sea rushed into her forward compartments and sucked her down.

The tanker went as well, moments later in a bright display, which brought delighted cheers from the Second Watch.

"I don't know what money they're paying them", mutters Oscar who has joined us on the bridge. "But you wouldn't get me sitting on thousands of gallons of aviation fuel."

"Not with the likes of us about, Doc!"..

LS

"Joachim, close all bow caps, we've nothing more to deliver. Cox, stand the boys down in the fore ends, good work again, after this tell them when they make their victory pennants they can sign their own name. No swastikas"

"We're not out of this yet, we've still got to do the dirty work". I nodded towards the deck gun ammunition cases. At least a couple who need finishing off, and we can't get away from it forever. Increase the bridge watch; let's sink these last few, and get to the River.

"Signal to Bridge!"

The hastily written scribble is passed up verbatim.

U-971

'Surfaced after long escort contact. Depth charge damage to bow. No forward firing torpedoes. Leaking. Can I go?

I scribbled back:

'Gut gemacht, jetzt nach Sante Nanny. Tiefer aus weg.'

"Get Viktor to send that to Emerson. I want him to get home ..

LS

Great stuff LS :yep: good to see were back in business :up: :rock:

Have started to read this story from the first page. But have to go to bed soon:cry:
I would love to see it one day as a book in the shops and i would love to have a copy of it. You have a special talent for writing i look forward to reading more keep up the great work Laughing Swordfish:up: :rock:

Keep up the good work

Just back from London where I found time in a break between meetings to visit a book collectors shop...couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what I thought was an old book with the LS on it's cover. Upon removing it from it's resting place and investigating further...it was a book on poems in Elizabethan times :oops: ...Moral: take your glasses with you when go out at break time :D

The seniors are all around the ward room.

"Ok, men, our small wolfpack is dissolving. U-100 has already gone back, Emerson in U-971 is also peeling away, but notched at least another; Andreas has got in amongst them last night, but it is now also retiring, with a bit of a dent in the hull by all accounts, but he took two more. We've cut them to pieces!"

"We have to try and scoop up the stragglers. Drop speed Otto, there's a couple lumbering in our wake. We'll hang off and catch them with the deck gun.

"I want extra hands on deck, especially in the Wintergarten when the sun comes up. Willi, get your watch together, and take whoever else you need."

Bruno started to protest, and was stopped with the flat of my palm.

"You and your crew have done enough, Bruno. Get some rest now. I want you to be at your best for when you take the salute back into port"

"You mean...?"

"Yes Bruno, you will take the docking honours. You've earned it on this patrol. In the meantime there are still destroyers about, and the RAF are bound to pay a visit. Let's not blow it now..."

LS

"Keep your eyes open, men!"

"There will almost certainly be jabos, and after the kicking we gave that convoy, they've probably got more escorts than merchants!"

The destroyers don't neccesarily know that we're the only contact boat left.

"Break open the 88s, and keep the hatches open, sod the comfy control room staff if they get splashed below. Jurgen you'll be responsible for your one if we have to crash, I'll be last down this one. Boys, if it comes to it I want you to fall down that bloody ladder and roll away, not climb it in your own time. Me and the Navigation Officer will be last, and rather keen to get inside ourselves, so don't keep us waiting".

LS

"There she is, Kap!"

That freighter is still desperately wallowing. making only about 2 knots.

"Put one over her bow, Joachim."

He dutifully sends one over, right where the captain or bridge watch can see it.

"Nice shot Joachim"

"There's a special skill to missing the target, Sir!"

I laughed.

"Let's hope they take the hint, and go to the boats. Any sign, Willi?"

The rest of the watch are peering restlessly at the evermore lightening sky.

Soon the planes could be here.

"One more, Joachim, do they think we're joking? And then give me rapid fire into her waterline on my command."

The next warning shot arcs over.

"Come on, jump ship.." young Hals mutters..

"Look to the sky, Junge!"

"There they go, Sir!"

The boats are finally being lowered, and it seems like the crew are leaving in an orderly fashion

"She's going of her own accord, Sir!" cries Kemp.

It's true, she has finally given up the ghost, and is settling too deep in the water to be saved.

"Get us away Willi. Let's put some distance in. I think the other straggler is heading West of here, but either way we don't want to hang around here".

LS

keep it comming :)

Riveting stuff LS
Salute :up:

Hard to northwest, and the other one isn't hard to find.

Chugging great plumes of black smoke, she too is doing her best to break for some friendly port.

"Deck Gun, Load! Make Ready! Straight into the waterline."

Frantic activity on the deck below. Ever since Joachim threw his steel helmet in the sea that time, none of his crew bother with theirs, but they are all either bareheaded, with the badge on their chest or still, daringly sporting it on the forage cap they still wear at a jaunty angle.

"After all, an aerial cannon from a jabo, or one of those Browning machine guns are going to blow it off anyway!"

So speaks Dieter, who lives for the moment, and as if he doesn't have a head sometimes anyway, and is pressed up onto the bridge to search the skies. Ok, which he's good at.

"Never mind a helmet! Dieter can't even even keep his trousers on every time we're in port", shouts Heins.

"Let's use his big fat bare arse as a buffer against bombs?" says Kals

"Lets use it for in port when we......."

"Lets all shut up, Third Watch; shall we..! Sir, your orders?"

Willi puts a stop to the nonsense on his watch before I do.

"Steer us absolutely straight out of the waves now; give it to Reuben, I shout below to the control room, give me a steady platform"

Oscar is still up on the bridge, and so is the sun looming up on our starboard.

"I'm sorry Doc, there won't be any warning shots this time. They've had plenty of time to get out. More than we ever would if they had the chance."

Joachim is calling the range, elevation and bearing.

"You don't have to explain it to me, Rollie, its just...

"Fire!"

"Blink the lamp for them to abandon ship, Willi"

The first one was short but a good ranging shot. They can see us they can see the danger, and they can see the futiltility of escape.

The next one hit. Forward of the bridge, but enough for the 88mm anti-ship shell to send a shudder through the stricken vessel.

("Come one Captain, you must know the game is up, neither of us can afford to hang around)

The next one into the waterline.

"Great shot Joachim. Repeat!

The freighter, I'm sure it's that big size one we hit earlier, is now also listing badly to starboard. the second one confirms it. She won't recover from that.

The light is upon us as Willi, is looking her up in Janes. to find out or guess it is the SS Queensbridge of approximately 8,000 tons. But he knows his ships better than me so who am I to...

"ALARM!!"

I am searching and scanning, Willi has already hit the crash button and we can feel the panic, those of us on the bridge, who want to get on the bus before it leaves.

"Who called it? Where away?"

"There, Sir, there!" a frightened young hand who'd probably just come up for a smoke and also to see our deck gun go and hit something.

"I see them Junge, good call, get below now to your action stations. But give me a drag of that cigarette before you go."

He smiled broadly, and went down.

A simple trick to display calm and confidence. Christ, I wish it was that simple.

Everyone else is already racing down and me and Willi are the last.

"Liberators, Willi! Three astern. Don't look, just get downstairs! I'll close the hatches"

The boat is heading down, as it's Kapitan tumbles down in a medley of curses into the control room.

"Don't you just hate that, men? When it always happens like that, right at the end?

"What?..."

"What Sir?..."

"Are we done for Sir?..."

"No, no, lads I'm talking about that last cold trickle of water you always get down the back of your neck, when you come down the ladder."

"Now full to port!"

"The only water we want is a hot bath, with fond attention back in Saint Nazairre, don't we boys!

(How deep Chief? Is that guage reading right?)

(15 metres and sinking, Kap)

(Get us deeper, much deeper, and open up everything on the electric motors, Reuben)

(Yes Sir)

It's hard to whisper in the control room, without raising alarm.

"Aircraft, men!" I say jauntily. "Apart from our other patrols this has been easy up to now.... so it may get bumpy again"

If we can get out of the pattern of three bombers that have seen us on the surface, if I have made the right decision to dive.

If I have got deep enough and moved far enough away, and in the right direction.

LS

more more more:rock:

A few of third watch are still lingering around Hans's sonar room

So every one can see when he wrenches off his headphones to protect his eardrums, and flings them aside.

"Wasserbomben!"

That get's them moving.

"Not in here, you idiots!"

Cox shoos them out of the Control Room.

"We're busy here. Get forward you apes!"

And the soaking wet remnants of Third Watch add their weight to the bow, as the U-46 dives for her life.

LS