[CaptBones]

Back to my SH4/OM career after a l-o-n-g break and encountered something very unpleasant. Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen, particularly in SH4 with OPMonsun/ATO.

Underway from St. Nazaire on 21 April '41 for my second patrol in command of U-96. First patrol was not particularly noteworthy, only 25K tons after 1-1/2 months cruising the Western Approaches; heavy air patrols and only two well-guarded convoys, no loners or stragglers. So, I hope for better luck in new patrol area south of Iceland.

Anyway, 0-dark-thirty in the early morning of second night after departure, sighted a good-sized steamer (5500GRT, keel depth 7.3m) running at 10kts, without nav lights, on an east-northeasterly course towards St. George's Channel. Set up a good surface torpedo attack position and observed a Red Ensign at 1500m. Fired one G7e at 1100m, depth 8.5m, magnetic pistol. Did not get a red line (time of impact) on my chronometer when the eel left the tube, so went to the attack map to see if the torpedo was tracking to the target.

Mein Gott! It's only 200m off my stbd side, circling to the right, heading astern of me and will spiral right into my port side. Damn the torpedo, full speed ahead! Too late; the fish swims below me, dead center under the control room.

But, no detonation...right full rudder, ahead flank, let's get away from this thing...and done. The British steamer must see the commotion, he's starting to zig-zag and firing a deck gun in my general direction. That's enough excitement for one night; we clear the area and resume our course to the assigned patrol grid.

In the wardroom for a "hot wash-up" to figure out what happened, all I can come up with is that the depth setting for the eel must have been too deep to activate the detonator some 3.5+m below my keel. Had it been a daylight submerged attack, we'd have been just another boat that failed to report.