"The war" #2 said "is passing us by"...

Silverleaf · 12-19-08, 06:21 AM

So the day had come at last. Being trained to lead a boat of sailors was my goal, but getting there had been tough. I lost good friends in the last 12 months, some to service in other countries and a few close friends when the U-Boat they were on never came back. A type II was my destination and my largest fear wasn't death but letting the men see that I was scared stiff. Patience, breathe deep and we'll get through this, or so I thought..

Our first patrol in August had been a shake down of sorts, the men getting used to a brand new ship and me getting used to them. Petre was my #2, a good man whom spoke little but whose actions demanded attention. I had no concerns about him, nor the enlisted men, but a junior officer named Koenig was testing my patience with slow reports of sonar readings.

Our first conversation about a missed merchant ship almost came to blows, though if it weren't for the torpedo man affectionately called Bull, he might have got away with it. Funny how that works, I know Bull's sister, a shapely lass who has her eye on capturing Petre's heart. She's always inviting us over for drinks and on the rare occasion when I can't make it, he begs off for some other "important" task. I think she's wearing him down.

We were to patrol sector AN18, and after I found it on the map, I gave an appreciative whistle. Hans our resident Helmsmen smirked as he plotted in our course, saying just loud enough for me to hear "We'll see what she's made of huh?" I clipped him on the back of the head and said over my shoulder as I went top side "...and I'll see what your made of too."

24 days, three missed merchant signals and one pissed off Captain later, we arrived back at port - five fish wasted and nothing to show for it. Petre tried to talk to me about it, but the only consoling I could stand was a bottle of schnapps.

September 8, 1939

AN42...

Well it's a bit closer this time I thought, throwing the orders down on the table and staring out the window overlooking the docks. I was thinking about strategy, replaying in my mind everything I had been taught and a few tricks that Hebert had shown me on a napkin last night at the club. As I watched a seagull dive down to the water I was snapped out of my revelry by some commotion on the dock. Looks like a child got caught stealing something, the vendor's screaming and threatening to hit her. Even though I'm two stories up, I can't help but want to leap through the window and beat the stuffing out of him, she's just a kid, hungry, scared, we all are.

A hand comes out of no where, blocks the arm and knocks the vendor to the ground. Well, well.. that's Hendrek, my can't hear a damn thing Sonar man coming to the rescue. The merchant gets up, curses Hendrek and fades into the shadows. He kneels down and wipes her face with a hankerchief then quickly looks around and hands her some money. A whisper in the ear, a smile on her face and she's gone to stave off starvation for another day. He heads to the club, and I'm thinking I need to buy him a drink.

Two days out and I've had another conversation with Hendrek, only this time Petre's involved. Something about money lost in a bet, though I can't get the whole story. I tell them it's finished till we get back to Keil, your wasting my time. Up on watch theres a foul wind blowing, the radio's been buzzing with reports of high seas and terrible rain. Our chief screams from below "All right you bastards, time to see what your made of", I can only smile, look at the fading stars, and wait for the impending storm.

"Contact Battleship, bearing 110, long range" comes the reply. It's about time I think and head down to the sonar to take a listen. 36 hours later, we've been making little headway against this storm. I think it's good to be below the waves and out of that wind, but damn Chief, what should we do? He smiles, takes a long draw of powerhouse coffee and doesn't say a word. I can see where this is going Chief, thanks!. I go to my quarters, "#2 you have the con", I need to think...

I awoke 4 hours later to the sound of electric engines humming, not whining. When I popped out to the control room and looked around "The war" #2 said "is passing us by"...

12-19-08, 06:21 AM	#1
Silverleaf Wild Night in Bangkok Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 179 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	"The war" #2 said "is passing us by"... So the day had come at last. Being trained to lead a boat of sailors was my goal, but getting there had been tough. I lost good friends in the last 12 months, some to service in other countries and a few close friends when the U-Boat they were on never came back. A type II was my destination and my largest fear wasn't death but letting the men see that I was scared stiff. Patience, breathe deep and we'll get through this, or so I thought.. Our first patrol in August had been a shake down of sorts, the men getting used to a brand new ship and me getting used to them. Petre was my #2, a good man whom spoke little but whose actions demanded attention. I had no concerns about him, nor the enlisted men, but a junior officer named Koenig was testing my patience with slow reports of sonar readings. Our first conversation about a missed merchant ship almost came to blows, though if it weren't for the torpedo man affectionately called Bull, he might have got away with it. Funny how that works, I know Bull's sister, a shapely lass who has her eye on capturing Petre's heart. She's always inviting us over for drinks and on the rare occasion when I can't make it, he begs off for some other "important" task. I think she's wearing him down. We were to patrol sector AN18, and after I found it on the map, I gave an appreciative whistle. Hans our resident Helmsmen smirked as he plotted in our course, saying just loud enough for me to hear "We'll see what she's made of huh?" I clipped him on the back of the head and said over my shoulder as I went top side "...and I'll see what your made of too." 24 days, three missed merchant signals and one pissed off Captain later, we arrived back at port - five fish wasted and nothing to show for it. Petre tried to talk to me about it, but the only consoling I could stand was a bottle of schnapps. September 8, 1939 AN42... Well it's a bit closer this time I thought, throwing the orders down on the table and staring out the window overlooking the docks. I was thinking about strategy, replaying in my mind everything I had been taught and a few tricks that Hebert had shown me on a napkin last night at the club. As I watched a seagull dive down to the water I was snapped out of my revelry by some commotion on the dock. Looks like a child got caught stealing something, the vendor's screaming and threatening to hit her. Even though I'm two stories up, I can't help but want to leap through the window and beat the stuffing out of him, she's just a kid, hungry, scared, we all are. A hand comes out of no where, blocks the arm and knocks the vendor to the ground. Well, well.. that's Hendrek, my can't hear a damn thing Sonar man coming to the rescue. The merchant gets up, curses Hendrek and fades into the shadows. He kneels down and wipes her face with a hankerchief then quickly looks around and hands her some money. A whisper in the ear, a smile on her face and she's gone to stave off starvation for another day. He heads to the club, and I'm thinking I need to buy him a drink. Two days out and I've had another conversation with Hendrek, only this time Petre's involved. Something about money lost in a bet, though I can't get the whole story. I tell them it's finished till we get back to Keil, your wasting my time. Up on watch theres a foul wind blowing, the radio's been buzzing with reports of high seas and terrible rain. Our chief screams from below "All right you bastards, time to see what your made of", I can only smile, look at the fading stars, and wait for the impending storm. "Contact Battleship, bearing 110, long range" comes the reply. It's about time I think and head down to the sonar to take a listen. 36 hours later, we've been making little headway against this storm. I think it's good to be below the waves and out of that wind, but damn Chief, what should we do? He smiles, takes a long draw of powerhouse coffee and doesn't say a word. I can see where this is going Chief, thanks!. I go to my quarters, "#2 you have the con", I need to think... I awoke 4 hours later to the sound of electric engines humming, not whining. When I popped out to the control room and looked around "The war" #2 said "is passing us by"... __________________ Last edited by Silverleaf; 12-19-08 at 06:22 AM.