[Checkmate King 2]

While cruising in our 2nd cruise in the U-53 VIIB towards our patrol grid BE31, I decided to take a gamble to check out a "certain port" in England that has been known by the BdU to have a "certain" capital ship docked there in late summer, early fall, in 1939. While attempting to sneak into the harbor, around 07:30, we were able to avoid the 2-3 boats patrolling the main entrance to the south by hugging the shoreline at periscope depth. I picked out a nice spot to wait until dusk, before I made any attempt to raise my scope to see if any ships were in port.

While getting very close to my "waiting area", I received a report that we were receiving damage. Son-of-a-gun!!!; We ran into a submarine net!!! I immediately stopped the boat and sent the damage control party into action. After fixing the minor damage I received, I tried to reverse out of the net. It was no use. We were stuck!!!!!

While trying an emergency reverse, our stern starting to raise, since the bow was hooked to the net. I stopped all engines before the stern broke the surface. Next, I lowered the depth of the boat to as close as I could get to the harbor floor without hitting bottom. I then tried an emergency reverse again and I started to receive more bow damage. I had the repair crew fixing what they could. The noise from trying to get out of the net was getting louder and louder!!!! The boat started to move!!! Finally, we were free from the net but what about the patrol boats? .....Had they heard us?

Nothing!!!! The enemy still does not know we are here!!!! Boy, were we lucky!!!

Was I invincible or foolish? Only time would tell!!!

Since we had not been detected yet, I decided to run parallel to the net and try to find an opening. Lucky for us, we found the end of it less than 100 feet to the west. I continued to press on. We preceded north until we were close to one of the sea walls. I decided to raise my scope, for a quick 360 degree look, to see what was around, and then lowered it. The harbor looks almost deserted!!!! There were 1-2 small ships!!! Where are the big ones!!! I decided to do another quick look. While, scanning the harbor, I saw the same small ships I had seen the first time.........but wait what was that!!!! I spotted the mast and superstructure of a capital ship barely visible due to a dock structure blocking it. I dropped the scope and went in closer for a better look.

There she is!!!!! The HMS Hood still moored in her berth!!!!

I was able to position my U-boat so I could get a bow shot and still have the proper distance for the torpedoes to run. We fired 4 eels and registered 3 hits all in the same location. The Hood started to sink right away. With her resting on the bottom of the harbor sea floor, at her berth, the sea water didn't even touch her decks. After seeing her radar still rotating , I attempted fire another torpedo however, it just bounced off the hull. I decided I was really pushing my luck; time to get out of here!!!
We were successful in exiting the harbor, the same way we came in. Lucky for us, I had remembered to mark the location of the submarine net and its opening on the map and proceeded to exit the area.

About 20 -30 minutes after clearing the nets, I decided to raise the scope to see what the patrol boats were doing. Panic over took my face as I saw an ASW trawler less then 300 feet away and closing right on top off me (hydrophones had picked up nothing). I yelled out for ahead flank, hard to port. The trawler came right over me and dropped 3-4 DC’s. Wham!!! Wham!!! Wham!!! Next, I receive the dreaded news, “Sir we are taking on damage!” I did a quick check on the damage screen; all 4 bow tubes destroyed!!!!

For over an hour we tried to shake off repeated attacks from the trawler with a small PT type torpedo boat covering him. The trawler is slowly ripping my U-boat apart with numerous successful DC attacks in shallow water. Things are getting more and more critical my the minute as our carbon dioxide level is getting high. I need to do something. Do I attempt to surface and try to out run him or do I try to put an eel in him from aft; my single remaining working torpedo tube?

After raising the scope again, I saw that the trawler was all by himself. The PT type boat was not too far away however, I saw the PT boat must have gone to get his sister; there were two of them now heading back in my direction.

I quickly flooded the aft tube as I had gained a lock on the trawler. The seconds are going by as hours!!! I hold out on firing as long as I dare, while trying to put some distance between us. Finally, 425, 450, 460, 470, FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It wasn’t long before we heard an explosion!!!! The trawler was hit!!!! Within a minute she started to sink stern first. Lucky for us…..the PT boats don’t know where we’re at!!! Maybe we’ll be able to sneak out of here!!!!!

We made it out of the area and back to port with no more excitement.

We were very lucky!!!! The dock workers will be very busy fixing the U-53; We arrived back at home port with our hull integrity at a 52.32% !

From getting untangled from a submarine net to penetrating an enemy harbor in daylight and sinking a big capital ship; It will be a patrol I"ll never forget!!!