[Majestik 909]

Col and Torpx - Many thanks. I really appreciate your experience.

I am not as skilled as you gentleman and your information helps greatly. I am a patient hunter. I usually pursue a convoy for many real time hours, closing to under a 1000 meters before firing a near perfect shot into my target from a point a few degrees off its bow. I also like to watch activity on deck as i am lining up for a shot.

Your methods have me intrigued and I want to experiment with them. I may have to ask you both some questions.

I got into some real trouble on a recent mission. U-796 was assigned to engage a convoy before it arrived in Port Elizabeth. I managed to intercept the convoy near Seychelles. To my surprise, my target was a Titanic-esque liner with lots of men walking along deck with at least 6 destroyer escorts. Since the liner was zig-zagging and blacked out, I began my approach through the escorts.

The destroyers were quick to detect me and I was soon working hard to avoid being sunk. I managed to close on the liner and hide by staying a few hundred yards off it's stern and anticipating its course changes.

I spent many hours hiding iin this fashion. Each time the liner would make a greater course deviation I would again be attacked.

Finally, with battery power getting low I decided to attack in dramatic fashion. I noticed the liner had no depth charge racks or guns, so I surfaced along it's starboard side while all escorts were on the port side. I saw two destroyers approaching the liner on a course that would take them across its port bow.

I set my pistols to magnetic, depth 1.5 meters on a course of 000. I fired in some way as one would fire at an aircraft. Not really aimed, but I figured I could hit them. I hit both destroyers and sank them both. I immediately submerged to periscope depth and used a combination of back emergency and full rudder to open distance between me and the liner as she turned to avoid the sinking destroyers. I was amazed to see the liner accidentally ram and sink an old freighter that was in the convoy.

I managed to line up on the liner at about 400 meters maybe 30 degrees off the starboard bow. With escorts in pursuit I just locked the liner in my periscope view and fired 3 fish. I began a crash dive at flank speed as soon as the last fish cleared the tubes. I set depth for 120 meters and waited for the depth charges. I heard three torpedo impacts snd curiously looked at the surface camera view to see the liner listing to starboard and on firr with many lifeboats in the water.

What followed was hours of being pursued and depth charged. I was finally able to surface at night in a storm and eventually made it back to Batavia. The liner, which is shown in the log i posted here previously, netted some serious tonnage.

I am eager to employ the methods you have described, but I am having a little trouble with the math.