Turning south west towards the Canaries, put us right in the teeth of a gale. Gaining force 9 from a swirling depression in the Azores.
On the second afternoon Bruno dropped down the ladder with the rest of his drenched shivering and utterly exhausted crew from Second Watch.
"Ok, Bruno?"
He looked at me sourly and with out his usual cheeky humour.
"Hard to keep a cigar alight up there, Kaleun"
We almost lost Willi's 3rd Watch altogether straight after. They had just had time to buckle on to their hooks on the bridge, when a freak 20 metre wave deluged the boat. U-46 like all German Type VIIs is designed to ride out or under such waves, we are a u-boat after all. But tell that to Willi and his gang buffeted almost senseless and holding their breath for long seconds before the boat pierced back through the back of the wave.
All naval protocol gone, "Get us back in, Rollie!" Willi gasped down the tube once he had caught his breath, and the speaking tube had deposited several litres of sea water over the Control Room deck to emphasise his words.
"Bring them down, Willi. Reuben, set depth for 30 metres when the last man is reported in."
LS
LS
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