The Liverpool Experiment

January 28th, 1941. The crew and I, having spent some time waiting in stormy weather roughly 10-15km outside Liverpool, were expecting the convoy to arrive any moment. Our beloved Type IXB was nearly out of torpedoes, having had no chance to fire the deck gun on the entire patrol, due to the especially bad weather.

Heinrich spotted a shadowy vessel coming out of the fog. The convoy had arrived! We moved into a better position, identified the choice targets and commenced our attack. Expending the last of our eels, we proceeded to sink a Large Merchant and Large Cargo vessel. Thus encouraged, we dove to 35m, cursing the comparatively shallow waters, and headed away. The A&B escort searched frantically, and was soon joined by two other warships, and a patrol boat. Thus began their 5 hour hunt. Dawn was swiftly approaching.

Eventually, having made our way quite a distance from the original attack position, and having taken some minor damage to the scopes and flak guns, I began to wonder if we were going to make it. I had made a particular effort to keep the engines pointed away from the probing menace. We would escape for a while, only to be picked up again by the A&B, which continued to make use of the infernal sonar. Pinging, and pinging, driving us mad with terror, as the warships hammered us with depth charges.

The A&B was full astern of our boat, racing full on, about to lay down, what was likely to be a devastating blow, and then it happened... That is to say, nothing happened. Where once, the air was dominated by the roar of the predator's engines, there was now only the dull hum of our own engines. Instantly, I questioned Johannes, my best sonar man. He could only locate three of the vessels. I had the rudder turned, adjusting my heading numerous times, hoping to get a better angle for his search. Nothing. The fourth and original ship was gone!

It was then that I put two and two together... Johannes could not pick up the convoy 135 degrees of our position. They were there a moment ago! I assumed the obvious. The A&B vessel, the cargo ships.... They were obviously some sort of new British experiment, and had somehow been teleported out of harm's reach, along with their defender! The British had preceded the Americans and their Philadelphia Experiment by nearly three years! We were saved!

Without their sonar capability, our getaway was simplicity itself. Hours later we congratulated ourselves on our luck, and proceeded home toward Lorient, as fast as we could manage. ...but never again did we forget our brush with the Liverpool Experiment!


P.S. - I love fortunate programming decisions!