SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post

Capt Bathtub · 12-25-06, 10:09 PM

With nothing sited during the 24h patrolling of our alloted area I made the decision to head towards Iceland and the harbour of Reykjavik, as this wasn't marked on any of the Kriegsmarine maps the navigator had to refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica owned by the radio operator, G. Vogler. He brings one tome on each patrol and thankfully this patrol was H to J. The British hold a garrison here as well as an air base and naval facilities, so a reconnaissance might yield a warship or too in harbour.

After an eerie journey further north than we have gone before, the sun only just set below the horizon and a creepy fog set about the boat, we arrived to within a hundred nautical miles of the coast. A mid-sized merchant was heard on the hydrophone and we tracked it for about half an hour until it mysteriously started sinking, the howls of the cracking hull echoed through the boat. It's usually about this time that someone, anyone, should lighten the mood with a ribald story of prostitutes and venereal disease but the crew remained silent.

The circuit of the harbour area took place in shallow waters, only about 6 fathoms deep, with the fog still hanging over the area. Several installations were reconoitered that weren't in the Britannica so notes were made of these and only two mid-sized merchant ships were spotted, bearing the neutral US flag. So, with much relief from the crew, I order a course west out of the harbour and as the batteries were nearly exhausted I ordered to surface soon after. The watch crew remained silent as we slowly edged away from this strange land where not a soul was spotted.

Unlike in the aft torpedo room, however, where gunner H. Markewitz was enthralling us with a rather risque number that was a pastiche of Herr Hitler and Charles Chaplin. This man is quite the wit when it comes to this sort of thing, apparently he spent a few years in Berlin during the thirties. He had just finished a song entitled "Oi Vey, it's a Gold Rush" when the number one whispered in my ear that perhaps it would be better if I went to the bridge as the watch crew were fairly wetting themselves not from mirth, but from fear.

After clearing the southern peninsula I ordered a course to the Western Approaches, our new favoured hunting grounds and a drop to periscope depth as it was getting lighter than the light of night time. Not long after that the hydrophone picks up a large merchant heading NNW so I make to intercept. On slower moving ships I have been employing what has become the boat's trademark firing solution, that being a stern shot followed by a bow shot - always two for the bigger ships. This stern eel was an electric that duds on the hull of the C2 and, annoyed at the officer that set the depth, I fire two bow eels into her before she starts zigging wildly.

Well things are starting to heat up a bit what with the constant threat from the air, the lack of lone merchants and the increased reports of convoys progressing along the shipping lanes. We have only come into contact with two convoys so far, the first being just north of Ireland, heading towards Liverpool with 20 merchants and four escorts containing them. We spent most of the time tracking the escorts, learning their tactics but we still managed to get into a suitable position for a hurried bow shot at three ships in the front line. Two were tracking a tanker, unknown size, and one each on small merchants. One eel detonated prematurely but three ran true disabling a coastal freighter and setting alight with a heavy starboard list one tanker. She sank an hour later.This first foray into convoy hunting was tentative, I will admit, but we learned a great deal and at no time were we detected.

As opposed to the second convoy we contacted, off the coast of Portugal, heading towards Gibralter, in heavy fog. Apparently this is known as a BAD THING TO DO, at least according to Carlewitz and that infernal Handbook. But I was determined and somewhat restless, two states of the captain that the crew have learned can cause them heart palpitations. So ever onward we plunged surfacing and diving, listening on the hydrophone for location. It was known to all onboard that as soon as we spotted a ship, they'd spot us so I had all the tubes flooded and the outer doors opened in preparation for some real "Yankee shoot from the hip" action. As far as I was concerned the rationale was sound if somewhat dangerous - in heavy fog the escorts will be slow to respond if they even do at all.

The next thirty minutes was probably the most hair-raising of this war with hurried shots at apparition-like ships that appeared and then disappeared and several ramming attempts. A large cargo ship was hit once with a stern shot that set the fore deck alight - quite the beacon in this weather! But all other attempts to come around for a bow shot ended with dramatic dives on our behalf. The merchant crews earned our respect this day for ,even without escort help, they were very aggressive in attempting to ram us. Admittedly half our eels were wasted with them fired at too sharp an angle for proper impact onto the hull but we came away with two confirmed mid-sized merchants sunk and a damaged cargo vessel that limped south at 4 knots.

The chief has asked that we don't do that again. I shall consider this. But now we have received a contact report of a convoy mid way from Iceland to Ireland, mainly neutral ships, just under 100 nautical miles form our current position. This time there is no fog, just 2-3m waves, lots of whitecaps, endless daylight and 7 torpedos ready to perform for the Fatherland. I'd better get some rest, I've calculated that we'll end up 11 nautical miles from their projected position at around 8am tomorrow.

12-25-06, 10:09 PM	#7
Capt Bathtub Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: in the bathtub Posts: 7 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	May 26th 1941 With nothing sited during the 24h patrolling of our alloted area I made the decision to head towards Iceland and the harbour of Reykjavik, as this wasn't marked on any of the Kriegsmarine maps the navigator had to refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica owned by the radio operator, G. Vogler. He brings one tome on each patrol and thankfully this patrol was H to J. The British hold a garrison here as well as an air base and naval facilities, so a reconnaissance might yield a warship or too in harbour. After an eerie journey further north than we have gone before, the sun only just set below the horizon and a creepy fog set about the boat, we arrived to within a hundred nautical miles of the coast. A mid-sized merchant was heard on the hydrophone and we tracked it for about half an hour until it mysteriously started sinking, the howls of the cracking hull echoed through the boat. It's usually about this time that someone, anyone, should lighten the mood with a ribald story of prostitutes and venereal disease but the crew remained silent. The circuit of the harbour area took place in shallow waters, only about 6 fathoms deep, with the fog still hanging over the area. Several installations were reconoitered that weren't in the Britannica so notes were made of these and only two mid-sized merchant ships were spotted, bearing the neutral US flag. So, with much relief from the crew, I order a course west out of the harbour and as the batteries were nearly exhausted I ordered to surface soon after. The watch crew remained silent as we slowly edged away from this strange land where not a soul was spotted. Unlike in the aft torpedo room, however, where gunner H. Markewitz was enthralling us with a rather risque number that was a pastiche of Herr Hitler and Charles Chaplin. This man is quite the wit when it comes to this sort of thing, apparently he spent a few years in Berlin during the thirties. He had just finished a song entitled "Oi Vey, it's a Gold Rush" when the number one whispered in my ear that perhaps it would be better if I went to the bridge as the watch crew were fairly wetting themselves not from mirth, but from fear. After clearing the southern peninsula I ordered a course to the Western Approaches, our new favoured hunting grounds and a drop to periscope depth as it was getting lighter than the light of night time. Not long after that the hydrophone picks up a large merchant heading NNW so I make to intercept. On slower moving ships I have been employing what has become the boat's trademark firing solution, that being a stern shot followed by a bow shot - always two for the bigger ships. This stern eel was an electric that duds on the hull of the C2 and, annoyed at the officer that set the depth, I fire two bow eels into her before she starts zigging wildly. Well things are starting to heat up a bit what with the constant threat from the air, the lack of lone merchants and the increased reports of convoys progressing along the shipping lanes. We have only come into contact with two convoys so far, the first being just north of Ireland, heading towards Liverpool with 20 merchants and four escorts containing them. We spent most of the time tracking the escorts, learning their tactics but we still managed to get into a suitable position for a hurried bow shot at three ships in the front line. Two were tracking a tanker, unknown size, and one each on small merchants. One eel detonated prematurely but three ran true disabling a coastal freighter and setting alight with a heavy starboard list one tanker. She sank an hour later.This first foray into convoy hunting was tentative, I will admit, but we learned a great deal and at no time were we detected. As opposed to the second convoy we contacted, off the coast of Portugal, heading towards Gibralter, in heavy fog. Apparently this is known as a BAD THING TO DO, at least according to Carlewitz and that infernal Handbook. But I was determined and somewhat restless, two states of the captain that the crew have learned can cause them heart palpitations. So ever onward we plunged surfacing and diving, listening on the hydrophone for location. It was known to all onboard that as soon as we spotted a ship, they'd spot us so I had all the tubes flooded and the outer doors opened in preparation for some real "Yankee shoot from the hip" action. As far as I was concerned the rationale was sound if somewhat dangerous - in heavy fog the escorts will be slow to respond if they even do at all. The next thirty minutes was probably the most hair-raising of this war with hurried shots at apparition-like ships that appeared and then disappeared and several ramming attempts. A large cargo ship was hit once with a stern shot that set the fore deck alight - quite the beacon in this weather! But all other attempts to come around for a bow shot ended with dramatic dives on our behalf. The merchant crews earned our respect this day for ,even without escort help, they were very aggressive in attempting to ram us. Admittedly half our eels were wasted with them fired at too sharp an angle for proper impact onto the hull but we came away with two confirmed mid-sized merchants sunk and a damaged cargo vessel that limped south at 4 knots. The chief has asked that we don't do that again. I shall consider this. But now we have received a contact report of a convoy mid way from Iceland to Ireland, mainly neutral ships, just under 100 nautical miles form our current position. This time there is no fog, just 2-3m waves, lots of whitecaps, endless daylight and 7 torpedos ready to perform for the Fatherland. I'd better get some rest, I've calculated that we'll end up 11 nautical miles from their projected position at around 8am tomorrow.