U-66 Tiger Shark Patrol Log Part 6

[William516]

Well after a huge delay and many life changing events including getting married I continue the patrol of the U-66 Tiger Shark. For those that are new to the forum then you can find the previous parts of the story at the link below. The newest part of the story does not incorporate any GWX content. I also do not have photos so it may become very harsh on the eyes, for this I apologize.

Enjoy.

For previous patrol logs click here
U-66 Patrol Part 1-4 (Click here)
U-66 Patrol Log Part 5

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Several days have passed since the encounter with our first enemy ship and the weather conditions have continued to deteriorate. The U-66 struggles forth in heavy seas, waves constantly would splash over the bow of the Tiger Shark sending cold sea water on the watch crews. Many of them have switched into rain gear to keep from being drenched by the salty sea. There was no sign of rain but the clouds above let us know that this would just be the beginning of what was to come. The radio operator was not able to receive or transmit signals back to BDU but it was not from the storm. I walked into the room and asked for a status report on the system.

“Sir, the radio is not functioning; all I get on it is static.” The operator responded with distress in his voice. I glanced at the radio and asked him when the last report was received. He fumbled through his pages of notes and pointed to words that he had scribbled down.
“Last radio message was received thirty-six hours ago” The operator continued “It was a response from BDU about sinking that enemy ship in friendly waters”
“Since that message the radio has not functioned.”

At first I thought it may have been the storm; many submarines have problems transmitting and receiving when in storms. The radio on our boat was not as powerful as that of larger ships and so I did not want to make a commotion over the problem just yet.

The Tiger Shark continued to plow through the waves nearing as we approached the assigned patrol grid. I climbed the ladder from the conning tower onto the bridge. It was midday but with the cloud cover you could not tell. Everything looked the same grayish color as it had six hours ago. I held on to the rails of the bridge and widened my stance; trying to keep from being knocked over as the Tiger Shark pitched widely with each wave. The visibility had now dropped to less then two kilometers with dense fog just ahead. This would make visually sighting any ship very difficult; if not impossible.

Just then there was a blinding flash of light in front of me followed by an enormous crash; that made my body vibrate from the tone. My eyes struggled to refocus after the lightning bolt, but could only manage to see a white haze. It felt like the bolt of lightning had actually struck our ship; it was that close. Several minutes passed and the glare in my eyes went away. The storm was greeting us now; welcoming us in to its arms. The lightning was Gods way of reminding us just how small we are and how powerful he is. Being in command; I sometimes would forget this but the blinding light sure reminded me fast of how trivial I am compared to his awesome power.

I turned to the watch officer; who was still shaking off the effects of being partially blinded, and said
‘Sure was close wasn’t it?”
“Yes Sir that was to close for my comfort” The officer replied
“Just goes to show you who really is in command out here” I shouted; over the second crack of thunder.
I smiled as I watched the lightning lead from cloud to cloud. It looked as if the whole sky was lit up with each bolt. It truly was a site that words could not describe. I had seen many storms from the barracks; but each storm at sea is unique. It brings a rush of emotions with each thundering crash from heaven. Ever since I was a child; lightning had always fascinated me, and nothing but my age has changed since.
“Have your crew ready to submerge in fifteen minutes, we will be performing an acoustic search” I yelled to the watch officer.

Gazing off into the horizon, I watched several streaks of lightning come down and touch the water, before leaping back into the clouds. Then came the thunderous crash that echoed across the water. I opened the hatch to the conning tower and climbed back inside the safety of the submarine.

Once I reached the command room; I briefed everyone on what we would be doing next. They listened to each word as I gave the instructions. The crew of the U-66 was preparing for an acoustic search.

The fifteen minutes I had allotted had now passed and it was time to dive once again.
I stood in the command room with one hand on the metal bar to steady myself.

“Prepare to dive the boat”
“Sound the dive alarm” I commanded.
The diving bell began to ring; followed shortly by then watch crew on the bridge scurrying down the conning tower ladder. The last man in made sure the hatch was dogged. All the interior doors were shut as well and dogged just like we had practiced. The sound of air rushing out of the ballast tanks filled the command room and was slowly replaced by rushing water.
“All compartments report ready to dive, Sir!”
“Board is green” The executive officer reported
“Make depth 20 meters”
“Secure diesel engines, and shut vents” I commanded the crew as the U-66 slowly tilted forward and shook as her bow entered the waves. There were a few more shudders as the waves pounded her steal haul.
“Five degrees down bubble”
“Ready electric motors”
Responses were being shouted all around me as the Tiger Shark continued her slow decent to the desired depth.
“Current depth 15 meters, sir” the XO responded

The diesel engines were now silent and the whole boat was engulfed with the sound of rushing water passing by the hull. A calming sound for the most part; but one that takes some years to get used to. The U-66 continued her shallow dive without any outside propulsion; she simply glided like a large fish through the ocean.

“Depth now 18 meters” The executive officer sounded off again; I snapped back into action again
“Zero dive planes, maintain 20 meters”
"Pump from forward trim to after trim.”

The Tiger Shark slowly leveled out and began pumping water between ballast tanks to trim her.

“Depth 20 meters, Sir” the officer stated.

“Begin acoustical search of area, all quite on the ship” I ordered to the crew and soon the U-66 was silent. The only sound that could be heard was the bubbles escaping from the trim tanks; and the occasional creak of the hull.

The sonar operator placed his headphones on his head and then flicked the switch for the power. There was a quick flick of the compartment lights and a light hum from the machine. He began to turn the wheel in small increments passing through each degree surrounding our ship. His hands gripped the wheel firmly as he continued to turn it. Being a sonar operator was an art and each one I ever met had his own way of doing things. This man was no different. He would turn the wheel through each degree and reverse back over any item that sounded like a contact. The needle on the large machine continued to rotate; passing the 45 degree mark, and then his hands stopped suddenly. He gripped the wheel and held it fast at 55 degrees; then quickly went back ten degrees, and returned to 55 degrees.

“He must have found something” I thought to myself
I was quickly interrupted by words from the sonar operator
“Sir, contact bearing 55 degrees starboard bow” He quickly turned the dial to 235 degrees to check the direction of the contact. Then he started calling out contact information.
“Sir; slow screws possibly large merchant vessel, contact poor, bearing 56 degrees starboard bow closing.”
I snapped my head around quick and began shouting orders.
“Plot intercept course for contact; come to heading of zero, six, zero.”
The helmsman turned the device that control rudder function and the U-66 begin a shallow turn starboard.
“Port and starboard motors ahead one third”
The lights dimmed once more and slowly intensified, as the large electric motors turned over. I heard the quite whine of the electric motors as they slowly accelerated to the ordered speed.
“Port and starboard motors at ahead one third” the officer responded.
“Single contact now bearing zero, one, zero starboard bow” The sonar operator said.
I asked the sonar operator to track the contact and report to me changes as we slowly moved forward.

The Tiger Shark straightened out and continued on course to intercept the unknown vessel. The sonar operator had identified the contact as a large merchant vessel; based on the information he could gather from the turn count. The contact was moving slow; possibly from the rough seas, but we could not get a range due to the noise of the ocean. We would have to get closer.

The sonar operator shouted, “Merchant contact lost, last known bearing zero, zero, two, dead ahead”

I did not understand how we could lose contact with this vessel after following it for so long; so I questioned the sonar operator

“What happened to the contact; try and find it quick!”
“Sir it appears that my hydrophone unit is malfunctioning; I can’t hear anything through the ear piece”
I stared at the equipment and it appeared the operator was correct. The large center dial, that was once lit, now appeared a dull grey color. I picked up the earpiece and help it to my ear; there was nothing but silence. Quickly I examined the cord; checking the connections at both ends for any sign of trauma, I could find none. I called to one of the electrician to come over and examine the equipment.

We were now a blind u-boat and if the problem could not be fixed I would have no choice but to return to port. It was a choice that I did not wish to make, but a submarine without a hydrophone was useless in the war.

The electrician arrived in the sonar room and I briefed him on the problem. The young man bent down and crawled under the small ledge and began looking at wires leading into the equipment. He moved the chairs and all the obstacles out of his way; then began to look at all the fuses.

The Tiger Shark continued on the plotted course; in hopes of intercepting the merchant in our assigned patrol zone. Without the hydrophone it was all up to guess work. The navigator broke out the charts and began plotting, what he assumed would be the ships course, since we had not been detected. The helmsman adjusting the course to fit the desired solution of the navigators, and the U-66 turned slowly towards the new heading.

The sonar compartment now was bursting with activity. When I had walked into the command room there was only one person working on the problem; when I returned I found three men crawling around scrutinizing the equipment. I spoke to one of the men and he told me that everything looked in order; he could find no problem with the equipment. I then ordered two men to examine the electrical generators and batteries.

Then there was the sound of crackling electricity followed by a blinding flash of light. Sparks showered the compartment and the crew; followed by total darkness. I could no longer see my hand waving in front of me. The crackling of the electricity stopped and so did the electrical generator and motors. I heard the sickening sound of the motors slowly winding down; a sound that is scary as hell twenty meters below.

“Get the emergency light out, and open the command room hatch.” I shouted into the darkness. The men scrambled to through the darkness to find the large emergency lights. It was no easy task; navigating around a u-boat is hard enough with light, in the dark however it can be hazardous. I placed my hands out to the side trying to get a feel for where I was and what or who was around me. My hand touched the cold steal of the hull and I steadied myself and slowly walked forward. My hand continued to trace the contours of the hull; providing me with the only information I could get. The darkness had no end and I continued forward cautiously. My boot touched something soft and soon there was a screech of pain. Quickly I picked removed all the pressure of the person and picked my foot up.

“Are you ok, I’m sorry” I said to the unknown man I had just trampled. His cry of pain continued and I knew I may have hurt this man. I didn’t know what I had stepped on; had I broke his hand, finger, or something else? There was no time to think about it at current time; I had to get power back on to the ship.

Several minutes had passed by now; yet it seemed like an eternity, my eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. The adjustment made no difference; I still had to feel my way around.

“Hey, I found the emergency light.” A lone voice behind me stated
I was overtaken by a huge sigh of relief as the crew member turned on the blinding light. The beam of light cut through the darkness, just like knife. The entire compartment radiated with the light and I could finally see my way to the command room.

“Shine that light over here!” I yelled, over the other men’s screams
The light shifted over to the hatch and I could see the hatch. I opened the hatch only to find the command room in darkness as well.

“What the hell happened?” The XO exclaimed we lost almost all of the instruments and half the submarine has lost electrical power.
“Calm down.” I firmly replied as I placed a hand firmly on his shoulder.
“Let us work the problem; we take in one thing at a time.”
“What was the last contact report we had?” I called out into the sonar room.
The sonar operator responded quickly “Last contact report, single contact, bearing zero, zero, two degrees dead ahead.

I leaned forward looking through the open hatch, “Was that the only contact you picked up?”
“Yes sir, contact was believed to be large merchant, slow screws, closing distance.”

I had no choice; the U-66 would have to surface to examine the problem. I ordered an emergency blow of all the tanks. The motors had stopped and bow plane control was in manual mode.

A deafening sound engulfed the Tiger Shark as the main and trim tanks emptied. I could feel the submarine begin to riser; another sigh of relief.

“Prepare for emergency surface!” I screamed out
“Deck and Flack gun crew muster to your stations”

Several men rushed from the rear compartments and stopped in the command room waiting for the submarine to fully surface. With half the instruments out in the command room we had to rely on the feel of things to know where we were. After a tense five minutes the conning tower broke the surface and the U-66 was surrounded by choppy waters.

The deck and flak gun crew climbed the metal ladder and opened the hatch. They were immediately showered with salt water pouring into the command room. The light from the grey sky lit up the dim command room and was a welcomed site. I needed to speak to the engineer or mechanic. The electrical failure has compromised the mission and safety of our ship and crew.

My XO stepped forward approaching me slowly.
“I need a damage report now.” I firmly declared
“I need to know if this ship can be fixed; how long it will take, what it will take.”
“If it can not be fixed I need to know”
“Tell the crew to conserve all battery power, turn off everything that is nonessential”

He quickly snapped back a yes sir, and then disappeared down the dark corridors. The U-66 was rocking violently with each wave; pitching forward and aft. The deck gun crew climbed back down into the command room.

The young crew member stood still and faced me
“Sir, sea conditions to rough to safely man the deck gun.”
There was no way I could argue with this; at times I was having a hard time standing up.
I nodded my approval
“Ok, go see if they can use you aft”
The young crew member snapped me back a proper salute and walked through the hatch into the darkness.

I followed behind the young man walking slow and cautiously. The smell of burnt wire and electrical equipment filled the sonar compartment and men still were lying on there back checking the equipment. I continued my tour further aft; entering the stern crew quarters, the smell still lingered. I ducked through the hatch that leads to the electric motors compartment and quickly noticed they still had some electrical power.

My XO quickly approached me and handed me the damage report I requested earlier. I took it from him and began to read it. I was amazed at how many systems were down throughout the ship.

Damage Report
U-66
Sonar: Malfunction (No power)
Hydrophone: Malfunction (No power)
Radio: Malfunction (Damaged, No power)
Bow Dive: Malfunction (No power)
Forward Lighting (No power)
Emergency Lighting (Port): (No power)
Emergency Lighting (Starboard): (No power)
Forward Ventilation: (No power)
TDC: (No power)
Primary buss A: (Damaged) (No power)
Secondary buss A: (No power)

I continued to read the list and each system and subsystem affected. I was sure the problem had to be electrical. The electrical switch bus and battery switch bus were being scrutinized by the mechanics. It did not take long to for them to find the first of many problems.

“Get some fuses quick!” a man called across to a young seaman. The young man ran to the grab the spare fuses and handed them to the mechanic. The mechanic groaned as he pried the charred fuse from its base; quickly replacing it with the new one. He turned his face away and closed the knife switch. There was a large electrical arc and sudden flash and the bus board lit up once again. The emergency lights began to light up the boat slowly once again.

“Captain come look at this.” My XO shouted from sonar room.
I quickly walked over to him.
“I think we found part of the problem” He said pointed his finger to a large black spot on the submarine steal hull. It was the remains of wire that had shorted out. The short had actually welded the wire to the hull and left a burn mark five to eight inches in diameter. The wires that had burned up went directly to the radio unit but also had managed to damage the wires going to the sonar and hydrophone.

“Get someone up here and get this fixed, now!” I commanded.
I knew that without the sonar and hydrophone navigating back to port would be very difficult; if not impossible.
Several crew members ran forward and began the process of fixing the equipment. It would not be an easy task to perform, and the weather outside was only making it worse.

The crew worked diligently for many hours bringing system after system back online. Main power was restored in most of the ship; but subsystems were still affected and offline.

Power to the diesel starter batteries was repaired and I made a decision to start engines and follow the contacts last known course. We would continue repairs on the surface for as long as possible. Electric motor controls were still down and being worked on. The short from the damaged wires must have blown every fuse from all the bus panels.

It was now 20:15 hours; almost eight hours since the electrical short caused havoc on the U-66. Many of our systems were back online. The crew has worked past the point of exhaustion and many of them are fatigued; struggling to stay awake.

“Ship spotted, bearing two, eight, five; on the horizon.” The watch officer called out.
“Range unknown, visual sighting.” He continued
The contact was right where we had plotted it should be. I ordered the diesel to slow ahead and continued pursuit of the target. The weather had gotten far worse then before and storm cloud ridden skies told me the worst was still to come. The vessel was still too far ahead to get contact identification.

The Tiger Shark crept forward steady and slow, stalking the vessel. The hydrophone, sonar, and many other systems used for targeting were still damaged; this included the TDC.

“Guess we will do this the old fashioned way” I quietly said to myself.
I grabbed my binoculars and peered into the vast ocean at the last heading called out. Sure enough on the horizon was a large merchant vessel. She was running without lights and this action, in of itself, was reason to open fire. Just in case though, we would close the distance and try to identify the target. I continually called out the ships heading and started doing the manual calculations for speed. I grabbed my stop watch from my pocket and pressed the button.

Tick ….tick…..tick ….was the only sound in my mind as I watched the clock very closely and awaited the three minute mark. We inched closer to the ship and I could now see that it was a large cargo vessel. It was displaying the British flag just like the small ship we had sunk just the other day.

The second hand continued to tick away and I ready my hand on the top button to stop it where I wanted it. I peered through the UZO and looked at where the marks crossed my targets box.

“Set speed eight knots.” I shouted down to the torpedo room. The watch officer continued to call out target distance and bearing. He relayed the information to me and then to the crew in the torpedo room.

“Open doors one, two, and three, make depth six meters.”
There was the slow hum of the three torpedo doors opening.

The whole ocean lit up a bright white color, followed by a huge crash a thunder, but through the blinding light I could see a site that made my heart skip a beat or two.

“The son of a ***** is armed!” I shouted to my watch officer, whom also stared in shock. The blinding lightning had revealed that the cargo vessel was not only an enemy, but it was also armed with four deck guns. We were still experiencing electrical problems and could not dive.

“Kill all the lights and go silent on the motors, keep the bow perpendicular to the target”
“Man the deck gun!”

I started calling out orders to till I was out of breath. Another blinding flash of lightning lit up the night sky and the ocean around us. The dark silhouette of the ship radiated with light. I prayed that there watch crew was not as observant as mine.

“Set torpedo speed on tubes two and three to fast”
“Set torpedo speed on tube one to slow”
“Make preparations for long range torpedo solution”

The deck gun crew was now making the way out onto the pitching deck. Any other time I would simply keep them below deck and make a quick dive; however, this was not an option with the electrical problems being worked out.

The bow of the Tiger Shark slammed down into the water sending a huge spray onto all of us on the upper deck. I grabbed the metal railing on the conning tower to keep my footing. The men up front struggled in the cold water to ready the deck gun. At time the water would wash up on the deck and be up at the men’s waist. I knew that having the men on the deck in the heavy seas was a risk but we had no other method of defending ourselves. If we turned back the enemy vessel might see us and open fire. The best thing we could do is to go silent and prepare to send he down.

I was drenched from head to toe and I took one final look through the UZO. I aimed the crosshairs towards the aft section of the ship. This was shown to be the engine room or fuel storage tanks. I called out the final bearing and distance below deck.

“Fire Tube 1!” I shouted below decks.
There was the sound of air quickly escaping as the torpedo shot out of the tube. A large bubble trail made its way towards the still unsuspecting ship.

Just as quickly as the first shot I now had my second shot lined up. The crosshairs now on the middle section of the ship, I fired tube 2. The third and final torpedo was fired and away. This torpedo aimed at the bow of the enemy vessel. Now we played the waiting game. I had calculated the first torpedo would hit the target in two minutes and twenty five seconds, the second and third would follow fifteen seconds after. The second hand ticked away and I prayed everything went the way it should, that all the calculations were correct. I started counting aloud.

Five, four, three, two, one, torpedo impact, but there was no explosion, not even a small splash. Had the calculations been wrong? The answer came much faster then I had expected.

The enemy vessel now turned on two large search lights and began scanning. The torpedo hit but it was damn dud. The large lights searched the vast ocean for the U-66 but did not find her. They did however see the bubble trail of two more torpedoes coming in fast.

The merchant engines fired fast and she veered hard to port but it was no use. The second and third torpedo struck the vessel exactly where I wanted them too. Over the rolling thunder came a thunderous explosion that I felt in my bones. A large fireball erupted from the hull and splintering pieces of the ship flew everywhere. The large vessel listed heavily. I continued to watch the critically wounded ship through the binoculars. I felt a shower of water and looked quickly to my left. A second geyser of water showered me with sea water.

“Enemy ship is engaging us, sir” the watch officer cried out. It was true the crew of the wounded ship had opened fire on us. The men of the ship had turned the weapons to bear on us and had commenced fired. It was a futile attempt but you have to admire the brave crew. There ship was lost. The helpless vessel was listing so heavily to starboard that the crews could no longer fire weapons at us. The guns would not allow the angle required to fire a shell. This did not stop the crew from returning fire; they instead, grabbed riffles and firearms and began showering the sea with small arms fire. Again this was a futile attempt and not one shell came close.

Several secondary fires were breaking out all over the ship and it would not be long before the sea claimed her. The crews continued to try and douse the flames and save her scurrying around the deck looking for any way possible to keep our prize afloat. After an hour, they gave in and decided to abandon the listing ship. I watched the men heave life boats over the side and quickly climb into them trying to row away for the burning ship. Several more life boats launched with about thirty or so men in them. Suddenly they disappeared into a blinding flash of light as a fourth explosion tore through the hull lifting the large vessel and cracking her backbone. When the explosion cleared the boat was floating in two pieces and burning debris rained all around the area. Several pieces of decking fell and hit the deck of our ship. Then men who were rowing away for the stricken ship had disappeared into the sea and the lifeboats had been overturned, probably by the shockwave. A large oil slick was now set ablaze and burned all around the area the men had once been. The brave crew had fought a losing battle and they should have abandoned ship long before.

I scanned the water looking for any signs of survivors and found none, several bodies but not one sign of life. The sea was quite and the remains of the ship slowly disappeared from view. A few minutes later I spotted several men clinging to a piece of decking. They appeared exhausted and badly burned but they were alive. They started swimming in our direction shouting and screaming in a foreign language. I did not know what they were saying but I knew what they wanted anyways. They wanted what everyone wants, to live and go home. They would rather be taken prisoner then slowly perish out here in the sea. It broke my heart but I had to give the orders to reverse engines and pull away. There was no room for prisoners on this ship and I did not have radio communications with BDU. I knew that these men would soon die and I was allowing it.

I often wondered, to myself if I belonged in the position of a captain. Maybe I had too much compassion towards my crew and the enemy. Every time I fired a torpedo or every time a crew member would perish I would feel remorse and guilty, it was a feeling that never subsided. The faces of the men I have lost were always in my mind and the haunting nightmares of those I have taken never cease. I never really get to see the face of my enemy but I surely can hear his cry. I do not think I could take seeing the face of my enemy like some snipers and infantry men do, that would drive me mad.

The thoughts running through my head faded away like the screams of those men in the water. The men I had left for dead. The flaming debris and water slowly faded in the distance until it was only a memory. Below the decks the crew was in celebration with the first large kill of the patrol. I marked it down in my patrol log. I sat down on my bed and placed my cold and soaked hands on my head. I was trying to suppress the nausea inside me; I’m not sure if it was the rough seas or leaving those men to die, whatever it was it took all I had not to vomit.

Repairs on the electrical systems continued and slowly but surely each system were brought online; however, we still could not submerge until the seals on the outer hull were fixed. This presented a major problem because the U-66 was now being tossed around like a small toy by the giant waves. Normally in severe weather I would drop to twenty meters or so and ride it out; however, this was different. If we dove under the waves the U-66 would leak once again and cause more problems then we already have. We had no choice but to stay on the surface and ride her out.

I ordered that everything that was loose to be quickly and tightly secured; with each wave objects that were unsecured could become hazardous. Just walking inside the Tiger Shark was a challenge. Sometimes she seemed to rise ten or fifteen meters only to come crashing down hard once again. The whole process was stressing the hull of our ship and the U-66 would groan loudly with her anger, with each wave. The watch crew was being pounded by each wave and I ordered them to come below decks even though they were tied off. They slowly climbed down the ladder soaked to the bone with cold seawater and walked off to the bow quarters. It was very risky to leave the bridge unattended but I did not wish to lose my crew members to a huge wave.

I raised the observation scope and scanned the horizon but could see nothing. With in a few seconds the lens was covered in sea water and vision was zilch. At best the visibility outside had dropped to fifty meters or less. The bow of the u-boat was even hard to see at times. Many of my crew was now finding out just how bad the sea could treat people. There was no simulation that I could make up, to prepare the crew for such a storm. We needed to get under the waves or the hull could buckle from the force of each strike.


I braced myself as the Tiger Shark pitched violently fore and aft. My hands now sore from the tight grasp of anything I could hold fast to. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of stale air, trying to calm the nauseating feeling inside. It didn’t help much and only repressed the feeling for a moment or so. If I was feeling this bad, I could only imagine the feelings of my crew. Many of the men were turning shades of green, and were breathing slow and deep trying to keep from getting sick. The overpowering smell of vomit would creep in the command room from time to time and I knew my crew was suffering.

With each crashing wave the Tiger Shark shook violently. It felt like God himself was grasping out boat and shaking the hell out of it. Items came crashing down all around me and the U-66 groaned, as the hull absorbed each impact. She was deeply upset at the way we were treating her and made it very well known. The violent vibrations were slowly taking their toll on the tired submarine and soon we found ourselves sealing off pipes that were coming apart. The sea was tearing us apart piece by piece.

I made a desperate decision to fix the seal on the radio antenna. Normally this would not be difficult thing to do but in this storm it was going to be near impossible. I slowly made my back to the engine room. It was full of diesel fumes from the engines and my eyes burned.

I grabbed the officer in charge and told him the plan to seal the leak and what it would require. He agreed and chose a person from his rested crew to do the job. The crew member stood up fast but I could tell in his eyes he was nervous about the job he was going to do.

I helped him gather his gear and we cautiously made our way back to the coning tower ladder. I put my hand on his shoulder and spoke to him softly trying to calm his nerves.

“I need you to seal the leak by the radio antenna, so we can dive the ship.”
“At this point we have no choice but to dive under this storm” I grabbed a long rope and tied it around his waist.
“We got one hell of a storm out there but this will keep you safe, I will tie this off so you don’t get washed overboard.”
“Seal the leak and get back down here as quick as possible”
The young man looked at me with eagerness and fear, in his eyes
‘Yes captain, I will get it sealed”

He climbed up the ladder and I followed closely behind. We reached the hatch and opened it. Within seconds we were overcome by a deluge of sea water. My damp clothes were not soaked and dripping down into the command room. Instantly my body began to shiver from the temperature. The young man stopped took on last look at me and slowly climbed out of the coning tower. Within another large waved crashed onto the pitching deck of the U-66 sending buckets of water down into the command room. I watched the crewman stumble to his feet and cautiously make his way around the side of the coning tower. Now it was my turn to climb out, I braced myself and quickly climbed out of the hatch. I think my heart skipped a beat knowing that I was now outside the safety of the submarine and starring at towering seas.
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Hope you enjoyed this continuation of the story. Part 7 comming soon, hopefully be able to add some of the awesome GWX content into the story as well.

William
Captaint
U-66
Tiger Shark