Close Call (story) - Page 2

Lord_magerius · 07-05-10, 09:19 PM

That's what I was afraid of...

frau kaleun · 07-05-10, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

That's what I was afraid of...

Do not taunt the Valkyrie.

Lord_magerius · 07-05-10, 09:27 PM

*pulls wing*

frau kaleun · 07-05-10, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

*pulls wing*

That does it, I'm tellin'.

DAAAAAAD!!!

Now you're really in trouble.

Lord_magerius · 07-05-10, 09:47 PM

He won't do anything, I'm needed at Ragnarok.

frau kaleun · 07-06-10, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

He won't do anything, I'm needed at Ragnarok.

Bucking for a seat in Valhalla, are we? Hoping to be among the einherjar, hmmmmm?

I suppose you have no idea who gets to pick them out from among the fallen.

Mwahahahahaha!

They don't call us "choosers of the slain" for nothin', ya dig?

Lord_magerius · 07-06-10, 09:55 AM

Damn, I should really think before I start taunting valkyries...

frau kaleun · 07-06-10, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

Damn, I should really think before I start taunting valkyries...

Crécy · 07-06-10, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santini

There should be an AAR subforum

Yes indeed!

Great story! Well written.

Jimbuna · 07-06-10, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

Damn, I should really think before I start taunting valkyries...

Either that or book a room

frau kaleun · 07-06-10, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Either that or book a room

A hospital bed would be a good bet.

Jimbuna · 07-06-10, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

A hospital bed would be a good bet.

Not the maternity suite I hope

frau kaleun · 07-06-10, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Not the maternity suite I hope

I think he can prolly hold off on that until his water breaks.

Schöneboom · 07-06-10, 08:35 PM

[Ah, the wonky wi-fi came back on -- must post quickly before it conks again!]

"Good job, Heinrich," I said. "Now change into some dry clothes and go lie down."

"But, Herr Kaleun..."

"You've fixed everything that can be fixed, right? Don't worry, I'll look after the boat for you."

Heinrich relented. We looked at the many boards wedged against the pressure hull. "No stern shots on this patrol," said Heinrich.

I met with Rolf in the Zentrale. Though weary, he was relieved to see Heinrich pass by. But the destroyers above were not finished with us. Wabos exploded, close enough to send tremors through the hull, and us. At full speed, our e-motors were straining to make 4 knots.

"He fixed all the leaks back there, eh?"

"Almost all," I replied. "So, Rolf, you still want to command your own boat?"

After a moment's pause, he simply nodded. Had he smiled just then, I would have doubted his sanity.

"Ahead slow," I ordered. Rolf described the situation in whispers, pointing up at the sounds of propellers.

"That one at 140 degrees is listening. He'll attack next. I'm trying to see if there's a regular pattern in the way they turn--"

"Don't bother. They're too clever for that," I said.

The depth gauge read 170 meters. "Keep us at this depth," I said. We waited... and sure enough, the 'listener' became the 'attacker'. Coming in from astern. But his attack run did not go quite overhead.

"All right... wait for it... Full speed!"

The concussion of the wabos gave our boat a hearty shove upwards. "Rudder, hard to starboard!" I said. "New course, 270 degrees. Go to silent running, 50 rpm!"

The order was passed along all the compartments. Real silent running. At last.

We watched the compass turn lazily as our speed drifted down to 1 knot. Most importantly, the depth needle stayed steady, without the pumps.

However we were not entirely unscathed. A pipe fitting in the Zentrale drooled water. We couldn't fix it yet, of course. Willi swept droplets off the map table with his hand.

"So, Willi, our course for home. Is it ready?"

"Jawohl, Herr Kaleun," he answered. "For Peloponnese, we steer to 344 degrees."

"Sehr gut," I said, addressing the Zentrale team generally. "Once the Tommies realize they've lost contact, they'll try to scare us into doing something foolish."

One more course change, and we were on our new heading for Greece. As I expected, the Tommies plastered our last known position with wabos. The blasts were deafening; it was as if we were being pounded inside a gigantic drum over and over.

Lying in my bunk, listening to Oskar's reports, I tried to visualize the destroyers up there. It seemed they were expanding their search pattern, but away from us. For the moment, our luck was holding -- like the repairs to our hull, and the surviving batteries.

However I knew that in an office somewhere, some flunky had just stuck a pin in a map of the Med. I imagined him drawing a circle around that pin. In that circle, if we lived to see the morning, airplanes would be searching for us. And with every sighting, another pin would be stuck in the map, and another circle would be drawn. It would be a long trip home.

timmy41 · 07-07-10, 02:50 AM

great story! i hope it continues!

07-05-10, 09:19 PM	#16
Lord_magerius Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Right by the hydrophone station Posts: 724 Downloads: 96 Uploads: 0	That's what I was afraid of... __________________

07-05-10, 09:27 PM	#18
Lord_magerius Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Right by the hydrophone station Posts: 724 Downloads: 96 Uploads: 0	pulls wing __________________

07-05-10, 09:47 PM	#20
Lord_magerius Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Right by the hydrophone station Posts: 724 Downloads: 96 Uploads: 0	He won't do anything, I'm needed at Ragnarok. __________________

07-06-10, 09:55 AM	#22
Lord_magerius Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Right by the hydrophone station Posts: 724 Downloads: 96 Uploads: 0	Damn, I should really think before I start taunting valkyries... __________________

07-06-10, 08:35 PM	#29
Schöneboom Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 651 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	[Ah, the wonky wi-fi came back on -- must post quickly before it conks again!] "Good job, Heinrich," I said. "Now change into some dry clothes and go lie down." "But, Herr Kaleun..." "You've fixed everything that can be fixed, right? Don't worry, I'll look after the boat for you." Heinrich relented. We looked at the many boards wedged against the pressure hull. "No stern shots on this patrol," said Heinrich. I met with Rolf in the Zentrale. Though weary, he was relieved to see Heinrich pass by. But the destroyers above were not finished with us. Wabos exploded, close enough to send tremors through the hull, and us. At full speed, our e-motors were straining to make 4 knots. "He fixed all the leaks back there, eh?" "Almost all," I replied. "So, Rolf, you still want to command your own boat?" After a moment's pause, he simply nodded. Had he smiled just then, I would have doubted his sanity. "Ahead slow," I ordered. Rolf described the situation in whispers, pointing up at the sounds of propellers. "That one at 140 degrees is listening. He'll attack next. I'm trying to see if there's a regular pattern in the way they turn--" "Don't bother. They're too clever for that," I said. The depth gauge read 170 meters. "Keep us at this depth," I said. We waited... and sure enough, the 'listener' became the 'attacker'. Coming in from astern. But his attack run did not go quite overhead. "All right... wait for it... Full speed!" The concussion of the wabos gave our boat a hearty shove upwards. "Rudder, hard to starboard!" I said. "New course, 270 degrees. Go to silent running, 50 rpm!" The order was passed along all the compartments. Real silent running. At last. We watched the compass turn lazily as our speed drifted down to 1 knot. Most importantly, the depth needle stayed steady, without the pumps. However we were not entirely unscathed. A pipe fitting in the Zentrale drooled water. We couldn't fix it yet, of course. Willi swept droplets off the map table with his hand. "So, Willi, our course for home. Is it ready?" "Jawohl, Herr Kaleun," he answered. "For Peloponnese, we steer to 344 degrees." "Sehr gut," I said, addressing the Zentrale team generally. "Once the Tommies realize they've lost contact, they'll try to scare us into doing something foolish." One more course change, and we were on our new heading for Greece. As I expected, the Tommies plastered our last known position with wabos. The blasts were deafening; it was as if we were being pounded inside a gigantic drum over and over. Lying in my bunk, listening to Oskar's reports, I tried to visualize the destroyers up there. It seemed they were expanding their search pattern, but away from us. For the moment, our luck was holding -- like the repairs to our hull, and the surviving batteries. However I knew that in an office somewhere, some flunky had just stuck a pin in a map of the Med. I imagined him drawing a circle around that pin. In that circle, if we lived to see the morning, airplanes would be searching for us. And with every sighting, another pin would be stuck in the map, and another circle would be drawn. It would be a long trip home. __________________ Dietrich Schöneboom, U-431 "Es wird klappen, Herr Kaleun. Ganz sicher." Last edited by Schöneboom; 07-06-10 at 08:51 PM.

07-07-10, 02:50 AM	#30
timmy41 Weps Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 367 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	great story! i hope it continues!