(Story) U-46 puts to sea again - Page 52

Laughing Swordfish · 07-12-07, 08:02 PM

There was a lot of planning to do, so I didn't see Heidi anymore on that home run, she had to go back to Kerneval, and she and those people must have been busy.

The channels had to be swept for mines, and fresh AA guns brought in for the estuary and harbour defences from the Luftwaffe. Even before the rebuilding could begin. Destroyers had to be diverted, and in fact became our escorts as in groups of two or three, we slipped up to the coast to Lorient, or down to La Rochelle, which were the nearest and the only available ports able to berth us, finish our re-equipping and send us out again.

Extra work for those ports too, and I imagine other boats were sent out on the hurry-up. It was a major upheaval for the u-boot waffe.

There were boats coming in to be diverted, some low on fuel; the boats that were in the pens had all survived, like ours but had to make way. But all had sustained minor damage in some way because of the blast. Some like the unlucky U-304 who had limped back to the nearest friendly base on one propellor, and a hole shored up in her deck plating, and had then lost 2 crew members to enemy raid when she got there, would stay a little longer. They had things of all natures to attend to.

U-100 and U-666 have already gone, under the AA protection of Z52, the Hans Ziegel, a destroyer like all ours, well armed with AA guns.

We are to go out with U-213, which has been in dock for a while, and now needs to go to sea again. Under the protection of Z33, the Roland Fischer.

Willi, well he's superstitious, thought this a good sign.
Even though for a hazardous exodus, that the enemy must have at least guessed at, having forced it in the first place.

"The destroyer's name, is almost the same as yours, Kap!"

I stared at him.

"Not now, Willi! Just plot me a course that avoids the sand banks. I've just had a discussion with the Kapitan of the Z33......."

My mind cast back to the discussion around the briefing table an hour earlier...

LS

Scape · 07-14-07, 01:31 AM

I was worried you stoped postin. I joined this forum just to give kudos. Nice work!

Laughing Swordfish · 07-15-07, 03:39 PM

We were around the French North West Coast map at 7th Flotilla HeadQuarters

The destroyer captain was talking.

He wanted to hug the coast tight enough for no harm to become of his ship, and to come under the umbrella of the luftwaffe and other naval defenses. I have the feeling that there is a new note of caution with surface ships since the Bismark was lost.

I had Willi's charts with me.

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 07-15-07, 04:01 PM

"Sir, I have standing orders from Admiral Doenitz, as does every other U-boat commander to find and engage the enemy. Destroyers have torpedoes too, I know, we've sunk a couple of them ourselves, how about you, Kapt Keppler?"

He spluttered about that.

"We cannot sail that close to the coast, even with the comfort of coastal AA batteries. My boat, the U-46, knows about these things. Destroyers can look after themselves with all their AA guns. We need to dive and need at least 50 metres depth to do that and some open sea ("where you should be" I thought, "where the British destroyers and convoys are")

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 07-16-07, 01:30 AM

To be fair, our destroyers took hell during the invasion of Norway. Ten of them were trapped in a Fjord by the Brits who brought up a battleship as well. Not one made it out. A lot of them had been diverted to contesting the English Channel, or being modified to support Operation SeeLowe (which with Barbarossa now in full bloody swing, is now not going to happen). Others had seen action escorting the big capital ships. But it was a constant source of speculation and debate in boat wardrooms and the Black Cat, what would happen if some could be spared to make surface sorties aginst the convoys further out. After all the Tommies have theirs out there, and don't we know it.

And it looks more and more as if the u-boats are carrying the war to the enemy, at least on the high seas; many of the best sailors even on the big ships are transferring over.

In the end I won the argument. As we studied the charts it was clear that we had to push a little further out to sea. For a U-boat to run aground when diving or not have room to dive under air attack would mean certain destruction.

We devised a plan. Both U-boats would be slightly seaward of Z33. U-46 would take the lead, then Keppler in Roland Fischer, AA guns bristling, in the middle, and Maximillian in U-213 bringing up the rear.

When the jabos come, and we fully expected them to because we knew the enemy would take full advantage of having shaken the nest and brought us all out, then the two boats would dive if they could and head out West to deeper water still, while the Fischer blazed away, and zig zagged like crazy, and would then turn back South. After half an hour or whenever it was safe, Max and I would take a peek, and surface, by which time the destroyer has drawn them off, or at any rate by turning about, and then about again, not raced too far ahead for us to catch up.

U-100 and U-666 had already got through, but they were ready to sail almost immediately. We could look forward to a rougher ride now.

LS

Lagger123987 · 07-16-07, 01:38 AM

Woah, I got lots of reading to do, been away for sometime.

Laughing Swordfish · 07-18-07, 07:14 AM

It's no coincidence that I wangled it to go out with U-213.

That's Max's 'Oinking Pig'. A hard drinking, hard fighting boat with many patrols and sinkings. The story goes around the Flotilla that instead of diesel and provisions, Doenitz just fills Max, his crew and his boat full of schnapps and rum and just sets them off.

Max is an excellent Commander, if not in the Prussian officer mould. What some would call reckless, I regard as aggressive spirit, that's Max. The French Army had an expression "Toujours l'attaque!". Well it didn't do them much good, because we did all the attacking, and now the likes of Max and me are taking it out to sea.

Like us, maybe dented and hurt, he always brings the boat and the crew back.

He normally buddies up with Freddie who makes his own luck with his Ace of Spades boat, but this time his boat is still out on patrol, and still reporting, so that's ok.

"The buggers caught us napping this time, hey Rollie!"

Big Max orders more drinks in the Cat. There are people coming and going all the time, the Brits really did stir up a hornet's nest this time.

"So now you're an infantry captain too! I heard about you and your second engineer playing cowboys against the red indians!"

"Yes all right Max. You only wish you were there!"
In fact we just huddled down behind whichever was the reserve section of the platoon (as they rotated through the assault, always leap-frogging). We fired off a load of MP40 rounds, but I don't suppose we hit a thing. But anyway me and Francks are being put forward for the Infantry Assault Clasp, that's a first for the u-boat service!

LS

Jimbuna · 07-18-07, 12:54 PM

The fuel of life LS

Laughing Swordfish · 07-20-07, 06:52 AM

Actually Max, to his great chagrin, slept through the whole thing upstairs at the Cat, empty bottles on the carpet and a girl snuggled up on each arm.

And he envies me for my adventure, the idiot!

"How's Josie and Heidi?" he enquired.

"Josie's up and about in a wheelchair now. She'll be ok, I think she has someone big and strong to wheel her around."

"You mean that big Army brute.....There can only be one winner there"

"Yeah, Josie will soon knock him into shape!"

"Heidi's good too, a couple of cuts and bruises, and now she's working round the clock at Headquarters. Those Tommies really messed us around.

"Looks like you got a bit of a bash yourself, Rollie?"

He's looking at the long bruise down the right side of my face. No reason to tell him that I ran smack into a lamp post in the middle of the battle. A heroic shrug will do just as well.

"How's the other Max, anyway"

Max is a pig that U-213 adopted as a mascot, and it even went on patrol with them once. Like I say, U-213 is a crazy boat. But now it's kept somewhere on a farm in Southern Germany I think. It's a huge talisman for Max and it's crew. And so their conning tower emblem is a big pink pig. Someone always goes to look after him when U-213 docks.

"He's fine by all accounts, Rollie. I should get over to see him myself more regularly. Gunther and Lens are with him now. We're going to have to sail without them. Maybe they can be recalled in time to RV with us at Lorient"

"How many eels have you got, Max?"

"Only three loaded forward. You?"

"Nothing"

"Well they'll sort us out at Lorient, and we can get out again. Hey! you know what we should do?"

"What?"

"Let's sneak up the Solent, and get into Portsmouth Harbour. Give them a taste of their own medicine!"

We both laughed, but I know Max. He was only half joking.

LS

Kpt. Lehmann · 07-20-07, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laughing Swordfish

...No reason to tell him that I ran smack into a lamp post in the middle of the battle. A heroic shrug will do just as well.

Its good to know that our heroes are human too.

Laughing Swordfish · 07-21-07, 02:20 PM

Anyway we're out again. Past the wreck of the destroyer, and our naval docks, and the inspection crews now (much more cautiously) going over her and the hulks of one or two patrol boats that we caught.

Out into the Bay, and we turn north and north west, lights winking at the Roland Fischer, and Max bringing up the rear. Willi is giving me regular soundings. When we get a steady 50 metres under the keel we flash back. Z33 takes up station, and now it is us that is the convoy. But we've made the most of the darkness, by dawn we should be only an hour or two away...........

.......Willi shakes me awake. That short nap was longer than I intended.

"Steady 70 metres below us Kap. On a north-westerly course. First watch going up to relieve my guys".

"Thank you Willi"

"It's getting light, Sir"

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and put on my leather jacket on my way up to the bridge.

"Good morning Sir!" Christian smiles. He already has Jurgen and the boys back on the new AA gun. His team are scanning the skies. Z33 is still on station, and I can just make out Max in U-213 coming along behind.

"Have you lads had any coffee yet, Christian?"

"Kuki is sending some up. A mug for you too, Kap"

"You're a life saver, Number One!"

We nursed our mugs in both hands as we peered into the rapidly appearing daylight.

"How's your chest now Christian?"

"Oh not so bad, Kap, I hardly ......"

...He dropped his mug onto the Bridge platform, and jabbed a finger forward at 6 black dots in the distance ahead of us...

"...Here they come!"

LS

Jimbuna · 07-21-07, 04:31 PM

Great

Laughing Swordfish · 07-24-07, 07:21 PM

"Hard to Port all engines! Prepare to dive Otto!

It is Christian's call.

I shout to Jurgen and his boys who are already traversing to starboard, as the U-46 swings round and brings their gun into play.

"Too far out for us, but closing Sir!"

"I don't care! Give them the full clip, it's better than any other air alarm, and then make yourselves scarce, I'll stay here till you do, but be quick for God's sake. I reckon they'll be overhead in a couple of minutes. By then be below, we're running down to sea"

Our fast turn and the immediate but futile pump of Jurgen, Dieter's and George's 20mm gun was enough to alert our friends even if it had no chance of hitting at that range.

Our destroyer is also turning, although not as quick as us. Down everyone,.. Christian you first. Is everyone in? Get Otto to crash us to 50 metres, 275 degrees....
"Hurry up, Christian...!"

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 07-24-07, 07:47 PM

U-46 is canting down, and twisting away at full revs, and dropping down ever deeper.

We don't have to be quiet from an aircraft when we're underwater, we just have to quieten Willi sometimes.

"Was that the yellow or the blue mug, I lent you up on the Bridge, Christian? Don't tell me you lost my....."

"It's ok Willi! I lost the yellow one. Noone in the entire Navy is allowed to use your Lucky Blue one. It's kept in the Kapitan's cabin for safe keeping and emergencies. Now come on, this isn't an emergency! Help us keep our depth and course this would be a bad time to get stuck"

Christian rolled his eyes at me as he led him back to the chart table.

"Wait for it Lads! We'll see this one out!"

"Any time now..........."

LS

Laughing Swordfish · 07-26-07, 12:53 PM

We can hear the throb of of the Roland Fischer as she turns about behind us. I saw before I hurtled down the ladder that she was already moving as to the plan. Back on herself but Keppler had put her at an angle to bring most of his guns to bear.

Hans tells me he has an underwater contact at high speed heading on westerly parallel course. That'll be Max's Pig.

Our depth gauge is already reading 30 metres.

Let's see...

LS

07-12-07, 08:02 PM	#766
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	There was a lot of planning to do, so I didn't see Heidi anymore on that home run, she had to go back to Kerneval, and she and those people must have been busy. The channels had to be swept for mines, and fresh AA guns brought in for the estuary and harbour defences from the Luftwaffe. Even before the rebuilding could begin. Destroyers had to be diverted, and in fact became our escorts as in groups of two or three, we slipped up to the coast to Lorient, or down to La Rochelle, which were the nearest and the only available ports able to berth us, finish our re-equipping and send us out again. Extra work for those ports too, and I imagine other boats were sent out on the hurry-up. It was a major upheaval for the u-boot waffe. There were boats coming in to be diverted, some low on fuel; the boats that were in the pens had all survived, like ours but had to make way. But all had sustained minor damage in some way because of the blast. Some like the unlucky U-304 who had limped back to the nearest friendly base on one propellor, and a hole shored up in her deck plating, and had then lost 2 crew members to enemy raid when she got there, would stay a little longer. They had things of all natures to attend to. U-100 and U-666 have already gone, under the AA protection of Z52, the Hans Ziegel, a destroyer like all ours, well armed with AA guns. We are to go out with U-213, which has been in dock for a while, and now needs to go to sea again. Under the protection of Z33, the Roland Fischer. Willi, well he's superstitious, thought this a good sign. Even though for a hazardous exodus, that the enemy must have at least guessed at, having forced it in the first place. "The destroyer's name, is almost the same as yours, Kap!" I stared at him. "Not now, Willi! Just plot me a course that avoids the sand banks. I've just had a discussion with the Kapitan of the Z33......." My mind cast back to the discussion around the briefing table an hour earlier... LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-13-07 at 09:41 AM.

07-14-07, 01:31 AM	#767
Scape Gunner Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Kanada Posts: 92 Downloads: 57 Uploads: 0	Yeah! I was worried you stoped postin. I joined this forum just to give kudos. Nice work!

07-15-07, 04:01 PM	#769
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"Sir, I have standing orders from Admiral Doenitz, as does every other U-boat commander to find and engage the enemy. Destroyers have torpedoes too, I know, we've sunk a couple of them ourselves, how about you, Kapt Keppler?" He spluttered about that. "We cannot sail that close to the coast, even with the comfort of coastal AA batteries. My boat, the U-46, knows about these things. Destroyers can look after themselves with all their AA guns. We need to dive and need at least 50 metres depth to do that and some open sea ("where you should be" I thought, "where the British destroyers and convoys are") LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-16-07 at 01:31 AM.

07-16-07, 01:38 AM	#771
Lagger123987 Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2007 Location: Little Saigon, San Jose, California Posts: 944 Downloads: 323 Uploads: 4	Woah, I got lots of reading to do, been away for sometime. __________________

07-18-07, 07:14 AM	#772
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	It's no coincidence that I wangled it to go out with U-213. That's Max's 'Oinking Pig'. A hard drinking, hard fighting boat with many patrols and sinkings. The story goes around the Flotilla that instead of diesel and provisions, Doenitz just fills Max, his crew and his boat full of schnapps and rum and just sets them off. Max is an excellent Commander, if not in the Prussian officer mould. What some would call reckless, I regard as aggressive spirit, that's Max. The French Army had an expression "Toujours l'attaque!". Well it didn't do them much good, because we did all the attacking, and now the likes of Max and me are taking it out to sea. Like us, maybe dented and hurt, he always brings the boat and the crew back. He normally buddies up with Freddie who makes his own luck with his Ace of Spades boat, but this time his boat is still out on patrol, and still reporting, so that's ok. "The buggers caught us napping this time, hey Rollie!" Big Max orders more drinks in the Cat. There are people coming and going all the time, the Brits really did stir up a hornet's nest this time. "So now you're an infantry captain too! I heard about you and your second engineer playing cowboys against the red indians!" "Yes all right Max. You only wish you were there!" In fact we just huddled down behind whichever was the reserve section of the platoon (as they rotated through the assault, always leap-frogging). We fired off a load of MP40 rounds, but I don't suppose we hit a thing. But anyway me and Francks are being put forward for the Infantry Assault Clasp, that's a first for the u-boat service! LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-26-07 at 01:19 PM.

07-15-07, 03:39 PM	#768
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	We were around the French North West Coast map at 7th Flotilla HeadQuarters The destroyer captain was talking. He wanted to hug the coast tight enough for no harm to become of his ship, and to come under the umbrella of the luftwaffe and other naval defenses. I have the feeling that there is a new note of caution with surface ships since the Bismark was lost. I had Willi's charts with me. LS

07-16-07, 01:30 AM	#770
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	To be fair, our destroyers took hell during the invasion of Norway. Ten of them were trapped in a Fjord by the Brits who brought up a battleship as well. Not one made it out. A lot of them had been diverted to contesting the English Channel, or being modified to support Operation SeeLowe (which with Barbarossa now in full bloody swing, is now not going to happen). Others had seen action escorting the big capital ships. But it was a constant source of speculation and debate in boat wardrooms and the Black Cat, what would happen if some could be spared to make surface sorties aginst the convoys further out. After all the Tommies have theirs out there, and don't we know it. And it looks more and more as if the u-boats are carrying the war to the enemy, at least on the high seas; many of the best sailors even on the big ships are transferring over. In the end I won the argument. As we studied the charts it was clear that we had to push a little further out to sea. For a U-boat to run aground when diving or not have room to dive under air attack would mean certain destruction. We devised a plan. Both U-boats would be slightly seaward of Z33. U-46 would take the lead, then Keppler in Roland Fischer, AA guns bristling, in the middle, and Maximillian in U-213 bringing up the rear. When the jabos come, and we fully expected them to because we knew the enemy would take full advantage of having shaken the nest and brought us all out, then the two boats would dive if they could and head out West to deeper water still, while the Fischer blazed away, and zig zagged like crazy, and would then turn back South. After half an hour or whenever it was safe, Max and I would take a peek, and surface, by which time the destroyer has drawn them off, or at any rate by turning about, and then about again, not raced too far ahead for us to catch up. U-100 and U-666 had already got through, but they were ready to sail almost immediately. We could look forward to a rougher ride now. LS

07-18-07, 12:54 PM	#773
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 181,457 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	The fuel of life LS __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!! GWX3.0 Download Page - Donation/instant access to GWX (Help SubSim)

07-20-07, 06:52 AM	#774
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Actually Max, to his great chagrin, slept through the whole thing upstairs at the Cat, empty bottles on the carpet and a girl snuggled up on each arm. And he envies me for my adventure, the idiot! "How's Josie and Heidi?" he enquired. "Josie's up and about in a wheelchair now. She'll be ok, I think she has someone big and strong to wheel her around." "You mean that big Army brute.....There can only be one winner there" "Yeah, Josie will soon knock him into shape!" "Heidi's good too, a couple of cuts and bruises, and now she's working round the clock at Headquarters. Those Tommies really messed us around. "Looks like you got a bit of a bash yourself, Rollie?" He's looking at the long bruise down the right side of my face. No reason to tell him that I ran smack into a lamp post in the middle of the battle. A heroic shrug will do just as well. "How's the other Max, anyway" Max is a pig that U-213 adopted as a mascot, and it even went on patrol with them once. Like I say, U-213 is a crazy boat. But now it's kept somewhere on a farm in Southern Germany I think. It's a huge talisman for Max and it's crew. And so their conning tower emblem is a big pink pig. Someone always goes to look after him when U-213 docks. "He's fine by all accounts, Rollie. I should get over to see him myself more regularly. Gunther and Lens are with him now. We're going to have to sail without them. Maybe they can be recalled in time to RV with us at Lorient" "How many eels have you got, Max?" "Only three loaded forward. You?" "Nothing" "Well they'll sort us out at Lorient, and we can get out again. Hey! you know what we should do?" "What?" "Let's sneak up the Solent, and get into Portsmouth Harbour. Give them a taste of their own medicine!" We both laughed, but I know Max. He was only half joking. LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-31-07 at 06:46 AM.

07-21-07, 02:20 PM	#776
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Anyway we're out again. Past the wreck of the destroyer, and our naval docks, and the inspection crews now (much more cautiously) going over her and the hulks of one or two patrol boats that we caught. Out into the Bay, and we turn north and north west, lights winking at the Roland Fischer, and Max bringing up the rear. Willi is giving me regular soundings. When we get a steady 50 metres under the keel we flash back. Z33 takes up station, and now it is us that is the convoy. But we've made the most of the darkness, by dawn we should be only an hour or two away........... .......Willi shakes me awake. That short nap was longer than I intended. "Steady 70 metres below us Kap. On a north-westerly course. First watch going up to relieve my guys". "Thank you Willi" "It's getting light, Sir" I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and put on my leather jacket on my way up to the bridge. "Good morning Sir!" Christian smiles. He already has Jurgen and the boys back on the new AA gun. His team are scanning the skies. Z33 is still on station, and I can just make out Max in U-213 coming along behind. "Have you lads had any coffee yet, Christian?" "Kuki is sending some up. A mug for you too, Kap" "You're a life saver, Number One!" We nursed our mugs in both hands as we peered into the rapidly appearing daylight. "How's your chest now Christian?" "Oh not so bad, Kap, I hardly ......" ...He dropped his mug onto the Bridge platform, and jabbed a finger forward at 6 black dots in the distance ahead of us... "...Here they come!" LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-24-07 at 09:06 AM.

07-21-07, 04:31 PM	#777
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 181,457 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Great __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!! GWX3.0 Download Page - Donation/instant access to GWX (Help SubSim)

07-24-07, 07:21 PM	#778
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	"Hard to Port all engines! Prepare to dive Otto! It is Christian's call. I shout to Jurgen and his boys who are already traversing to starboard, as the U-46 swings round and brings their gun into play. "Too far out for us, but closing Sir!" "I don't care! Give them the full clip, it's better than any other air alarm, and then make yourselves scarce, I'll stay here till you do, but be quick for God's sake. I reckon they'll be overhead in a couple of minutes. By then be below, we're running down to sea" Our fast turn and the immediate but futile pump of Jurgen, Dieter's and George's 20mm gun was enough to alert our friends even if it had no chance of hitting at that range. Our destroyer is also turning, although not as quick as us. Down everyone,.. Christian you first. Is everyone in? Get Otto to crash us to 50 metres, 275 degrees.... "Hurry up, Christian...!" LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-26-07 at 12:39 PM.

07-24-07, 07:47 PM	#779
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	U-46 is canting down, and twisting away at full revs, and dropping down ever deeper. We don't have to be quiet from an aircraft when we're underwater, we just have to quieten Willi sometimes. "Was that the yellow or the blue mug, I lent you up on the Bridge, Christian? Don't tell me you lost my....." "It's ok Willi! I lost the yellow one. Noone in the entire Navy is allowed to use your Lucky Blue one. It's kept in the Kapitan's cabin for safe keeping and emergencies. Now come on, this isn't an emergency! Help us keep our depth and course this would be a bad time to get stuck" Christian rolled his eyes at me as he led him back to the chart table. "Wait for it Lads! We'll see this one out!" "Any time now..........." LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-25-07 at 09:50 AM.

07-26-07, 12:53 PM	#780
Laughing Swordfish Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Posts: 713 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	We can hear the throb of of the Roland Fischer as she turns about behind us. I saw before I hurtled down the ladder that she was already moving as to the plan. Back on herself but Keppler had put her at an angle to bring most of his guns to bear. Hans tells me he has an underwater contact at high speed heading on westerly parallel course. That'll be Max's Pig. Our depth gauge is already reading 30 metres. Let's see... LS Last edited by Laughing Swordfish; 07-26-07 at 01:32 PM.