12/18/1938 Mediterranean Sea 48th day at sea
Ship 44 hasn’t encountered a single enemy since the last report, now Hartmann the I. Offizier, Navigation officers, and the mine officer laid out a plan to mine 2 harbors and part of the supply route. Working north to south Ship 44 mined the Port of Valencia during the night of 11/28-29 79 EMC mines were laid without being detected. During the day Ship 44 laid a larger minefield (121 mines) along the Odessa Supply route this minefield was laid where the Odessa-Cartagena and Odessa-Valencia routes meet. Moving North towards Barcelona Ship 44 laid her remaining 27 mines, undetected she left the area passing between the Islands of Majorca and Menorca at 17 knots. On December 1, 1938 Ship 44 and the freighter Kybfels met during the night they transferred prisoners so as to keep the identity of the Kybfels anonymous.
The following morning the Kybfels disguised as an Italian freighter proceeded west towards the Strait of Gibraltar and off to Vigo where the prisoners would be released.
For 10 days Ship 44 remained changing her disguise yet again and overhauling the Diesel engines, she would take on the identity of the Kybfels
1. Outer hull painted black
2. White superstructure
3. Yellow masts height remained the same
4. Ventilators, winches, etc. painted dark yellow
5. Funnel painted in DDG Hansa line livery height
and width remain the same
6. 4 Derricks removed
7. Cannons I and X disguised as deckhouses both
are painted white
8. German merchant flag hoisted on the signal deck
During the night the main radio room reported the first success of the minefields,
1. Soviet freighter ANASTASIA 7,310 grt (TLOZ)
2. Soviet freighter LOTZ 2,616 grt (UNTZ)
3. Spanish Republican freighter LUISA 1,300 grt (BYTM)
4. Spanish Republican tanker BRANKO 7,960 grt (YMLZ)
5. Spanish Republican tanker TOLEDO 6,000 grt (BOMM)
6. Soviet tanker MOLOTOV 9,360 grt (PMOM)
Total tonnage sunk: 34,816 grt
Hartmann reported the success to the 1/SKL and at 08:00 hrs.
Radio message 1366/38 Anlage 169/38
“Have sunk 10 ships for 49,565 grt”, 3 minefields laid off Valencia, Barcelona, and the Odessa shipping route”.
Ship 44
Just over an hour later, Ship 44 received the following radio message,
Radio message 1513/38 Anlage 1761/38
“Congratulations to the Kommandant and crew, released from combat operations, proceed as directed (gkdos 1773/38 anlage 1923/38 V.1.9.28)”
1/Seekriegslietung
Ship 44 set sail for La Spezia arriving 3 days later meeting the freighter Hamburg and the tanker Hansel. She remained at La Spezia for 3 days her departure delayed due to bad weather her next stop is Piraeus, Greece. After that she will spend time training in Mediterranean south of Island of Cyprus.
