The Black May Patrol - Page 2

mookiemookie · 04-27-09, 10:50 PM

Date: late evening of May 22, 1943 Location: Grid ET51

We've made it to our assigned patrol grid as of May 17th. U-519 has only three aft torpedoes left. Our grid is as of yet unproductive. We've had a couple of sound contacts of patrolling destroyers and one small convoy, but no viable targets. We continue to patrol our assigned area and are making daily reports to BdU. Fuel supplies are ample and our food stocks are fine. We shall continue to patrol as ordered.

mookiemookie · 05-02-09, 11:23 AM

Date: the afternoon of June 6, 1943. Location: Grid ET53, approximately 200 km southwest of Freetown

Our patrol continues, yet boredom has started to set in. Our last successful attack was on May 16th. Since then, we've heard only the sound of our radar warning receiver and the props of patrol ships above. Merchant traffic in our assigned Grid of ET51 was non-existent and after a week of no merchant contacts, BdU granted my request for a new patrol area. We are now ordered to the east, to grid ET 53.

The men go about their daily chores dutifully, but yet I can sense a lull in them. I shake things up by ordering a couple of unscheduled crash dive drills. I try to take their mind off of the monotony by holding contests. We have a couple of would-be bakers on board so a bread baking contest is held with the prize being me taking over for the winner's next watch detail. I've also organized a limerick contest. The winning entry is not fit to relate here; suffice to say that it involved the excretory opening of Winston Churchill and cigars.

The afternoon of June 5th is warm with scattered clouds. Suddenly a shout from the conning tower! Merchant ship spotted! I order the boat to periscope depth and raise our scope.

She's small, but we'll take it. The men excitedly get to their battle stations. We make our underwater approach. Seeing as we only have aft torpedoes remaining, when we get to within 1500 meters, I order the boat turned 180 degrees at flank speed. A single eel is launched from tube 5 with a magnetic pistol set. After a moment of eagerly staring at the stopwatch we hear an explosion. A hit! Raising our scope I see the Brazilian merchant settling by her keel. Georg our soundman reports that she's rapidly flooding and going down.

Another small success for U-519. We put down another 2000 tons into the log and spend the rest of the day submerged to avoid any air counter attacks.

The patrol continues. With only two torpedoes left, I know we'll be making our return trip soon. The thought of crossing the Bay of Biscay worries me, but I put it out of my mind. We have to focus on the task at hand.

Peto · 05-02-09, 03:18 PM

Glad to hear you're still out there. THe time lapse had me thinking you may have "gone under"

!

Good Luck on the return trip!!!

UnderseaLcpl · 05-02-09, 03:22 PM

I love reading this patrol log! Thanks, mookie

mookiemookie · 05-02-09, 04:47 PM

Date: the evening of June 8th, 1943. Location: Grid ET53

We come upon a small tramp steamer making its way to Freetown. Trimming the boat low in the water, we make a stern shot approach. Everything goes according to plan and the shot is textbook simple. One steam powered torpedo with a magnetic pistol directly under the keel.

The ship goes down shortly thereafter. Another 2200 tons in the books for us. I make the decision to head home and send a message to BdU of our intentions. Afterwards, I announce to the crew over the intercom that we have set a course for home and a cheer arises throughout the boat. I thank the men for their tenacity and tell them that our battle is only half over. The seas and skies are teeming with British patrols and every man must not let himself get complacent.

Obersteurmann Wieczorek plots our return course up the west coast of Africa. The days and nights go by much as before, but we are cheerful, having put 60,000 tons of Allied shipping on the ocean floor. Our radar detector chirps here and there and we dive while English destroyers pass by on patrol. Off the coast of Morocco we stuble upon a convoy and head deep to avoid the escorts. We have our bag and I am leaving one torpedo in the stern tube as an insurance policy. After surfacing we send a report to BdU. My number one jokes that we have to leave some ships in the ocean for our other boats.

The mood is light hearted but I know we will have to make our run across Biscay....blasted Biscay, that graveyard. I gaze at the ocean and suddenly I remember a conversation I had in the officer's barracks before our last patrol. I slide down the conning hatch ladder.

"Herr Obersteurmann!"

"Ja wohl, Herr Kaleun?"

"Plot this course"

I lean over the navigation map and show Wieczorek the waypoints.

We'll be taking the Piening Route home to avoid Allied air patrols. I can't speak for the effectiveness of this route, and it's longer than a straight shot but Biscay has me nervous.

As we make our turn towards the east around the tip of Spain, the skies darken. I've never been so happy to see a storm in my life. Our boat is tossed around but no matter. Seeing as our fuel stocks are enough to get us home and then some, I order standard ahead speed. We dive at night and surface in the day. The storm doesn't let up.

The morning of June 22nd, as I'm having coffee with Erwin and discussing his upcoming transfer to Commander's Training School, a shout from the bridge rings throughout the boat.

"FLUGZEUG!!!"

Apparently a Sunderland has dropped out of the overcast skies and is damn near on top of us. How could he have known we were here? The Metox didn't sound any kind of warning at all! The pitching and tossing of the waves precludes any kind of meaningful flak gunnery attempt so I immediately order a crash dive.

The Sunderland is in its full on attack run. I clench my fists and pray that we have enough water overhead. The men brace themselves against whatever stable surface they can.

*SPLASH..BOOM* *SPLASH..BOOM*

The explosions shake the boat. Close, but not close enough. The reports come in from all compartments. No serious damage aside from some bumps on the head and personal effects tossed around.

That was close. How did he know we were there through the overcast skies?

We spend the rest of the day submerged and surface at night. The rain has picked up again, to my relief. No English flyboy, no matter how daring, is going to be out in this mess. We continue on past the ports of Bordeaux and La Rochelle, exchanging recognition signals and greetings with our patrol destroyers.

We arrive at Lorient on the morning of June 26. As we conn the boat into the harbor, we are dismayed that the poor weather will preclude a welcome home committee of nurses and staff girls. Ah well, at least we have made it back in one piece, which is more than I can say for some of our dear freinds on other boats.

As we round the dock to our slip, the men's eyes light up. A full band and a compliment of Kriegsmarine staff, nurses and staff girls included, is cheering at the docks!

Apparently word of our patrol successes has preceeded us and we're the recipient's of a heroes' welcome!

We tie up to the dock and Fregattenkapitän Kals is there. I salute him and he shakes my hand and offers a warm welcome home to me and the men. He hands me a box with a smile and I open it to find I am the recipient of the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Someone pushes a beer into my hand and the men behind me all take turns patting my shoulders. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that our Black May patrol is over.

Captans Log:

30.4.43. 0411 Patrol 7
U-519, 2nd Flotilla
Left at: April 30, 1943, 04:11
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid ET51

2.5.43. 1437 Grid BF 76 Ship sunk! SS Lycaon (Large Merchant), 11971 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 51. Crew lost: 23

3.5.43. 1648 Grid BE 99 Aircraft destroyed! Wellington

12.5.43. 0720 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Port Nicholson (Ore Carrier), 7879 tons. Cargo: Phosphates. Crew: 82. Crew lost: 32

0722 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Matheran (Large Merchant), 11644 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 56. Crew lost: 46

0757 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Ixion (Ore Carrier), 7880 tons. Cargo: Iron Ore. Crew: 96. Crew lost: 7

16.5.43. 0641 Grid ET 11 Ship sunk! SS Sea Wren (Large Cargo), 7030 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 52. Crew lost: 42

0650 Grid ET 11 Ship sunk! SS Port Auckland (Ore Carrier), 9457 tons. Cargo: Phosphates. Crew: 67. Crew lost: 41

6.6.43. 1319 Grid ET 61 Ship sunk! SS Kilissi (Small Merchant), 1946 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 41. Crew lost: 33

8.6.43. 2101 Grid ET 53 Ship sunk! SS Prosper (Tramp Steamer), 2270 tons. Cargo: Coffee. Crew: 30. Crew lost: 11

26.6.43. 0930

Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 8
Aircraft destroyed: 1
Patrol tonnage: 60077 tons

Peto · 05-02-09, 07:19 PM

Good Report! I enjoyed it! Now I look forward to your Black and Blue June play-by-play

!

EDIT: Or will that be July/August?

nikbear · 05-03-09, 06:28 AM

Excellent patrol MM,really looking forward to the next one,congrats to you and the crew of U-519

04-27-09, 10:50 PM	#16
mookiemookie Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9,404 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 1	Date: late evening of May 22, 1943 Location: Grid ET51 We've made it to our assigned patrol grid as of May 17th. U-519 has only three aft torpedoes left. Our grid is as of yet unproductive. We've had a couple of sound contacts of patrolling destroyers and one small convoy, but no viable targets. We continue to patrol our assigned area and are making daily reports to BdU. Fuel supplies are ample and our food stocks are fine. We shall continue to patrol as ordered. __________________ They don’t think it be like it is, but it do. Want more U-boat Kaleun portraits for your SH3 Commander Profiles? Download the SH3 Commander Portrait Pack here.

05-02-09, 11:23 AM	#17
mookiemookie Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9,404 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 1	Date: the afternoon of June 6, 1943. Location: Grid ET53, approximately 200 km southwest of Freetown Our patrol continues, yet boredom has started to set in. Our last successful attack was on May 16th. Since then, we've heard only the sound of our radar warning receiver and the props of patrol ships above. Merchant traffic in our assigned Grid of ET51 was non-existent and after a week of no merchant contacts, BdU granted my request for a new patrol area. We are now ordered to the east, to grid ET 53. The men go about their daily chores dutifully, but yet I can sense a lull in them. I shake things up by ordering a couple of unscheduled crash dive drills. I try to take their mind off of the monotony by holding contests. We have a couple of would-be bakers on board so a bread baking contest is held with the prize being me taking over for the winner's next watch detail. I've also organized a limerick contest. The winning entry is not fit to relate here; suffice to say that it involved the excretory opening of Winston Churchill and cigars. The afternoon of June 5th is warm with scattered clouds. Suddenly a shout from the conning tower! Merchant ship spotted! I order the boat to periscope depth and raise our scope. She's small, but we'll take it. The men excitedly get to their battle stations. We make our underwater approach. Seeing as we only have aft torpedoes remaining, when we get to within 1500 meters, I order the boat turned 180 degrees at flank speed. A single eel is launched from tube 5 with a magnetic pistol set. After a moment of eagerly staring at the stopwatch we hear an explosion. A hit! Raising our scope I see the Brazilian merchant settling by her keel. Georg our soundman reports that she's rapidly flooding and going down. Another small success for U-519. We put down another 2000 tons into the log and spend the rest of the day submerged to avoid any air counter attacks. The patrol continues. With only two torpedoes left, I know we'll be making our return trip soon. The thought of crossing the Bay of Biscay worries me, but I put it out of my mind. We have to focus on the task at hand. __________________ They don’t think it be like it is, but it do. Want more U-boat Kaleun portraits for your SH3 Commander Profiles? Download the SH3 Commander Portrait Pack here.

05-02-09, 03:18 PM	#18
Peto Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The details of my life are quite inconsequential Posts: 1,049 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Glad to hear you're still out there. THe time lapse had me thinking you may have "gone under" ! Good Luck on the return trip!!! __________________ If your target has a 30 degree AOB, the range from his base course line equals the current range divided by 2.

05-02-09, 03:22 PM	#19
UnderseaLcpl Silent Hunter Join Date: May 2008 Location: Storming the beaches! Posts: 4,254 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I love reading this patrol log! Thanks, mookie __________________ I stole this sig from Task Force

05-02-09, 04:47 PM	#20
mookiemookie Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9,404 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 1	Date: the evening of June 8th, 1943. Location: Grid ET53 We come upon a small tramp steamer making its way to Freetown. Trimming the boat low in the water, we make a stern shot approach. Everything goes according to plan and the shot is textbook simple. One steam powered torpedo with a magnetic pistol directly under the keel. The ship goes down shortly thereafter. Another 2200 tons in the books for us. I make the decision to head home and send a message to BdU of our intentions. Afterwards, I announce to the crew over the intercom that we have set a course for home and a cheer arises throughout the boat. I thank the men for their tenacity and tell them that our battle is only half over. The seas and skies are teeming with British patrols and every man must not let himself get complacent. Obersteurmann Wieczorek plots our return course up the west coast of Africa. The days and nights go by much as before, but we are cheerful, having put 60,000 tons of Allied shipping on the ocean floor. Our radar detector chirps here and there and we dive while English destroyers pass by on patrol. Off the coast of Morocco we stuble upon a convoy and head deep to avoid the escorts. We have our bag and I am leaving one torpedo in the stern tube as an insurance policy. After surfacing we send a report to BdU. My number one jokes that we have to leave some ships in the ocean for our other boats. The mood is light hearted but I know we will have to make our run across Biscay....blasted Biscay, that graveyard. I gaze at the ocean and suddenly I remember a conversation I had in the officer's barracks before our last patrol. I slide down the conning hatch ladder. "Herr Obersteurmann!" "Ja wohl, Herr Kaleun?" "Plot this course" I lean over the navigation map and show Wieczorek the waypoints. We'll be taking the Piening Route home to avoid Allied air patrols. I can't speak for the effectiveness of this route, and it's longer than a straight shot but Biscay has me nervous. As we make our turn towards the east around the tip of Spain, the skies darken. I've never been so happy to see a storm in my life. Our boat is tossed around but no matter. Seeing as our fuel stocks are enough to get us home and then some, I order standard ahead speed. We dive at night and surface in the day. The storm doesn't let up. The morning of June 22nd, as I'm having coffee with Erwin and discussing his upcoming transfer to Commander's Training School, a shout from the bridge rings throughout the boat. "FLUGZEUG!!!" Apparently a Sunderland has dropped out of the overcast skies and is damn near on top of us. How could he have known we were here? The Metox didn't sound any kind of warning at all! The pitching and tossing of the waves precludes any kind of meaningful flak gunnery attempt so I immediately order a crash dive. The Sunderland is in its full on attack run. I clench my fists and pray that we have enough water overhead. The men brace themselves against whatever stable surface they can. SPLASH..BOOM SPLASH..BOOM The explosions shake the boat. Close, but not close enough. The reports come in from all compartments. No serious damage aside from some bumps on the head and personal effects tossed around. That was close. How did he know we were there through the overcast skies? We spend the rest of the day submerged and surface at night. The rain has picked up again, to my relief. No English flyboy, no matter how daring, is going to be out in this mess. We continue on past the ports of Bordeaux and La Rochelle, exchanging recognition signals and greetings with our patrol destroyers. We arrive at Lorient on the morning of June 26. As we conn the boat into the harbor, we are dismayed that the poor weather will preclude a welcome home committee of nurses and staff girls. Ah well, at least we have made it back in one piece, which is more than I can say for some of our dear freinds on other boats. As we round the dock to our slip, the men's eyes light up. A full band and a compliment of Kriegsmarine staff, nurses and staff girls included, is cheering at the docks! Apparently word of our patrol successes has preceeded us and we're the recipient's of a heroes' welcome! We tie up to the dock and Fregattenkapitän Kals is there. I salute him and he shakes my hand and offers a warm welcome home to me and the men. He hands me a box with a smile and I open it to find I am the recipient of the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Someone pushes a beer into my hand and the men behind me all take turns patting my shoulders. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that our Black May patrol is over. Captans Log: 30.4.43. 0411 Patrol 7 U-519, 2nd Flotilla Left at: April 30, 1943, 04:11 From: Lorient Mission Orders: Patrol grid ET51 2.5.43. 1437 Grid BF 76 Ship sunk! SS Lycaon (Large Merchant), 11971 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 51. Crew lost: 23 3.5.43. 1648 Grid BE 99 Aircraft destroyed! Wellington 12.5.43. 0720 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Port Nicholson (Ore Carrier), 7879 tons. Cargo: Phosphates. Crew: 82. Crew lost: 32 0722 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Matheran (Large Merchant), 11644 tons. Cargo: Foodstuffs. Crew: 56. Crew lost: 46 0757 Grid DT 69 Ship sunk! SS Ixion (Ore Carrier), 7880 tons. Cargo: Iron Ore. Crew: 96. Crew lost: 7 16.5.43. 0641 Grid ET 11 Ship sunk! SS Sea Wren (Large Cargo), 7030 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 52. Crew lost: 42 0650 Grid ET 11 Ship sunk! SS Port Auckland (Ore Carrier), 9457 tons. Cargo: Phosphates. Crew: 67. Crew lost: 41 6.6.43. 1319 Grid ET 61 Ship sunk! SS Kilissi (Small Merchant), 1946 tons. Cargo: Coal. Crew: 41. Crew lost: 33 8.6.43. 2101 Grid ET 53 Ship sunk! SS Prosper (Tramp Steamer), 2270 tons. Cargo: Coffee. Crew: 30. Crew lost: 11 26.6.43. 0930 Patrol results Crew losses: 0 Ships sunk: 8 Aircraft destroyed: 1 Patrol tonnage: 60077 tons __________________ They don’t think it be like it is, but it do. Want more U-boat Kaleun portraits for your SH3 Commander Profiles? Download the SH3 Commander Portrait Pack here.

05-02-09, 07:19 PM	#21
Peto Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The details of my life are quite inconsequential Posts: 1,049 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Good Report! I enjoyed it! Now I look forward to your Black and Blue June play-by-play ! EDIT: Or will that be July/August? __________________ If your target has a 30 degree AOB, the range from his base course line equals the current range divided by 2.

05-03-09, 06:28 AM	#22
nikbear Sea Lord Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Northampton,UK Posts: 1,859 Downloads: 86 Uploads: 0	Excellent patrol MM,really looking forward to the next one,congrats to you and the crew of U-519 __________________ 'It is not surely known when the grey wolf shall come upon the seat of the gods' Ericksmal.