"Red light on!"
Second Watch started gathering by the ladder in the Control Room.
Putting on wet and clammy oilskins. Muttering sleepily.
"Periscope depth, if you please Chief?"
Quiet commands were issued to his control men
I clambered up and had a sneak preview.
Nothing in the sky, and with the shake of Hans' head I was confident that that there was nothing on the surface either.
"Surface stations"
"Bring her up Chief. Tell the Cook to bring some hot coffee forward"
I turned to Willi.
"Up second on the ladder, Quartermaster, and take one of your ensigns up with you. Let's get a good star fix"
Bruno is organising the ready-use AA shells, he's my 2nd Leutnant
A young man, don't know why they call him Bruno, other than I've never seen a frightened bear called Bruno.
"Surface"
U-46 kicks upwards again, just on her diveplanes. A little ballast blown, and she surfaces magnificently. The Chief is watching his dials but I know him too well, to know he's smiling.
Young Bruno, Willi and the lads are already through the dripping conning tower hatches, and binos in place on every quarter.
I can afford to saunter up after them. Watch Willi take his fix, and instruct the midshipmen in astral navigation
Except I can't.
Now that we're on the suface and the weather seems to have abated.
Viktor is working hard on the morse key, and scribbling hard on the note pad on his table.
Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 11-27-06 at 10:55 PM.
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