1939 - close encounter outside Portsmouth

[VonApist]

Restarted carrer - Back to the basics now commanding a Type II from Wilhelmshaven.After an uneventful patrol i decided to try my luck in Portsmouth Harbor. Still 1939 so I thought I could make a try for it - and i was right. Running submerged during the day while crossing the channel, I "moored" 5 Kms away from the mouth of the harbour, submerged and all stopped at 30m depth (shallow waters made all of the crew quite edgy). At 22:00, surfaced the boat, recharged batteries and got some fresh O2. 01:30 made my way, surfaced, to the "mouth" checking depth under keel every 10 mins to get a feeling of the "legspace" i might need. Suprisingly, no destroyers around! The moment i passed the "mouth" of the harbour, day is breaking i again submerge (17m with harbour depth at 20m) and wait the day out. At 23:00 we make the surface , replenish oxygen and head towards the docks. Nothing spectacular. 1 tanker + 1 Merchant. 3 torpedoes later, they are down in flames and i make my way ahead full towards the "mouth". An armed trawler is shooting at me, but i have no deck gun not the will to engage in the harbor. Luckily i make it to the mouth without serious damage (hull integrity 98%). I keep my boat on the surface ahead full. Its after midnight and now a destroyer is after me. Depth under keel 35m - no point in submerging and i have no aft torpedo tubes. Well not many options here, as the destroyer is now close enough and starts shelling. I try to zig zag as much as possible - depth under keel now at 50 so i crash dive at 45m full rudder right. 1 torpedo has been reloaded so im not completely naked. I order silent running. Destroyer is almost above me so full ahead and rudder full left - i hear the charges splashing but at 45m it wont take much time. Bang Bang Bang... No damage, but very close. Full ahead, i have a some mins until the destroyer's sonar man recalibrates after the explosion - turning my boat towards the destroyer - at 45m she wont ram me. I dont want to shoot as the angle is tight and if i miss she will spot me in a moment. I make a pass beneath her and order silent running again.Now she is bearing 170 making circles - distance 750m. I keep my running silent and try to put more distance. I get pinged again. I decide to engage as if i hold the hide and seek , another destroyer will appear and in 50m depth i will have no chance. When I am at periscope depth she is at 600m and the angle is acceptable. I fire tube 1 (slow speed, depth 7m, magnetic) - make or break. Thank God its "make" and the destroyer gets it. Periscope down, depth 45 full ahead. Im lucky enough to hit probably the engines. She's not down but moving very slow (slower than me which is a feat!). Putting distance now, i've been very lucky. Surfacing, its 02.30 full ahead to deeper waters. Job done with a great amount of luck... The crew probably thinks I am the "iron coffin guru" but we were very lucky that its 1939, there was only one destroyer and that it was night. Back to port...

[Gerald]

Then it went all right pretty, lucky you not stumbled upon a few mines around the Portsmouth vicinity, though later in the war, so is the larger presence on the mines, if I'm not completely wrong track...

[desirableroasted]

I get chills just reading this.

Portsmouth harbor entrance is only 220 meters wide, and I have in fact grounded there in August 1939.

They just don't pay me enough to go there unless they order me.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Harbour raids in the early years are great, if it's shallow enough and you get it right the idiots drop the depth charges and sink themselves

Later on though the mines and nets come more into play and I'd rather be in some deeper Atlantic water by then.

Well played though

[Johnfb]

Cool post that

[maillemaker]

Here's to nailing pesky destroyers!