Funniest thing I've seen yet!

seafarer · 09-13-05, 04:51 PM

I started a new career (after completing many by now).

In a type V!!B, November 1939, our second patrol, so still a pretty green crew. Off Ireland, we get a convoy report, close and intercept, at night.

So here we are, submerged - I'm working the sonar since I have no qual'd operators yet. Next thing, I go to the periscope, and there's a corvette, passing mere meters down our stbd side.

Down 'scope, momentary panic (having just survived the end of the war in U105 last weekend), pause, wait.

Now, up 'scope, and there she is, directly astern at 290 yards and going away. So, can't let that slip by - line up the stern tube (pretty simple solution, given the situation), and let fly.

The torp (type I, contact), actually hits her rudder, bounces back a bit, but then surges forward (it's still under full steam at max speed), and BOOM, blows her stern off! I was so surprized watching it, that I forgot to snap a pic - can't image the crews momentary thoughts - CLANG, what the hey??, then BOOM.

Never seen anything like that - if the angle astern hadn't been 0, I'm sure the torp would have veered off after the initial impact. Instead it just hung there a fraction of a second, then plunged ahead and hit the hull.

Now off to sink a T2 and a C2 or two - I'll take bizarre and lucky any day :rotfl:

09-13-05, 04:51 PM	#1
seafarer Commodore Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 622 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Funniest thing I've seen yet! I started a new career (after completing many by now). In a type V!!B, November 1939, our second patrol, so still a pretty green crew. Off Ireland, we get a convoy report, close and intercept, at night. So here we are, submerged - I'm working the sonar since I have no qual'd operators yet. Next thing, I go to the periscope, and there's a corvette, passing mere meters down our stbd side. Down 'scope, momentary panic (having just survived the end of the war in U105 last weekend), pause, wait. Now, up 'scope, and there she is, directly astern at 290 yards and going away. So, can't let that slip by - line up the stern tube (pretty simple solution, given the situation), and let fly. The torp (type I, contact), actually hits her rudder, bounces back a bit, but then surges forward (it's still under full steam at max speed), and BOOM, blows her stern off! I was so surprized watching it, that I forgot to snap a pic - can't image the crews momentary thoughts - CLANG, what the hey??, then BOOM. Never seen anything like that - if the angle astern hadn't been 0, I'm sure the torp would have veered off after the initial impact. Instead it just hung there a fraction of a second, then plunged ahead and hit the hull. Now off to sink a T2 and a C2 or two - I'll take bizarre and lucky any day :rotfl: