U48 - Type VIIb - 2nd patrol - part 2 - 1940 looks promising
January 3, 1940 Grid AN34
0938 In the last few days we managed to perform some proper training and functional checks.
Crew was busy identifying and fixing minor problems on the boat.
Had a small party on new year day just to raise morale a bit.
Weather has been stormy till yesterday but today the sea is very calm and visibility quite good.
We just dived for a sonar check and...surprise!...we got a contact south of us, possibly a merchant moving west.
U48 will surface again and get into visual range.
Hopefully this will be our first prey.
1006 U48 is now ahead of the target: a lone large merchant sailing West at 6 knots...we are still quite far away and cannot spot the flag...will dive soon and close in submerged to ascertain if it's an enemy ship.
1017 It's a polish large merchant! I did not think to find one around...good! We are going full to close the gap...seems unarmed...if so we will use our deck gun.
1021 No visible weapons so....up we go!
1026 Large merchant is going down!...first few shells set it ablaze...we stopped firing and got even closer...another handful of hits were enough...if only all of our preys were this easy.
U48 resumed plotted course and is now leaving the area, will go full for half an hour the slow down to one third. Nice start!
1522 AN46 Faint sound contact almost straight behind us...seems to be moving southward...turning around and closing the gap
1612 Lookouts spot a ship NE of our position heading SSW...changed our course to mantain distance while we close to her plotted course...seems another big ship...
1618 Diving for a stealthy approach. Seems like another large merchant moving at 7 knots...possibly british..if it's unarmed we will use our deck gun again.
1629 Our target is an unarmed bristish large merchant...no other sound contact in the area...U48 is now running parallel to it about 600 meters off to the starboard...time to surface and spoil their day..surface the boat!
1634 Used both deck gun and flak gun on our target...which is being rocked by secondary explosions and quickly sinking...two large merchant down and we have yet to use any torpedo.
Year 1940 is looking good so far
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