April 25, 1941–reporting from Corrientes. I have finished my 12th patrol, which sent me much further south than I've ever been. On my way to my assigned square I picked up a convoy and sank 5 ships before abandoning it because all my torpedoes were in external storage.
Two days later the weather was calm enough to bring the torpedoes in. I got a radar contact on another convoy, but I ignored it in order to finish my 24-hour patrol. From there I headed toward Freetown with only 6 torpedoes left. On my way I got a radio contact for a convoy and plotted an intercept. While in route to intercept it, I got another radio contact for the same convoy and I was able to plot a perfect course for the convoy and lie in ambush for it. In heavy rain I spotted a tanker at 600 meters and hit it with a two-torpedo salvo. It sank immediately for more than 10,000 tons.
I dived to 170 meters and headed off surfacing some 5,000 meters from the nearest escort, but the weather had cleared and I was in easy spotting range. However, there was a straggler ship. I looked at it through the UZO and saw that the front of it was dipping into the sea. I decided to take a chance and headed straight for it at 8 knots. At 2,400 meters from the ship I was spotted by the frigates, and they opened fire, so I gunned the engine and lit up the hapless ship. I sank it and crash dived before the frigates could zero in on my position. Cruising at 150 meters I was set to re-engage the convoy when a frigate got in a lucky ping. I went to 190 meters to shake it off and then had to go around to the front again.
I set up a perfect shot on a large ship of some sort and fired a two-torpedo salvo, but one of them clanged off the hull. I crossed my fingers and hoped that it would sink, but it never did. Cursing my luck I headed out and around the convoy again where I engaged some large ship with the last of my torpedoes. Both of them hit and from my 20 meter depth I heard the explosions light up the night sky. Throwing caution to the wind I dove to 180 meters at ahead full and then set course for Corrientes.
Once I was some 12km from the convoy I surfaced and headed straight home, but as luck would have it I ran into two unescorted ships headed somewhere. So I went over to investigate and decided they were hostile when they opened fire. I manned the deck gun and sank both without so much as a scratch.
Back on course to Corrientes, I ran into another two ships. Again, when I investigated, one opened fire on me. I sank it to avoid the shots. It was a coastal vessel–not even 2000 tons, but the other one was worth some 4800 tons. I had to resort to the anti-aircraft gun to finally put her down.
End result:
112,895 tons.
My first patrol with all T2 torpedoes.
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