Action in BE63

[Von Scheerbach]

“Keep as sharp a watch as you can, Walter! I’m going below!�

I had to lean close to my watch officer’s ear and shout to be heard over the sound of the wind, but a nod and a shouted back “Jawohl, Herr Kaleun!�, told me that my watch officer had gotten the message. I slipped down the ladder and shrugged out of my rain gear. Helmut, our cook, was waiting for me with a hot cup of coffee.

“�Danke, Helmut. You always seem to be in the right place at the right time with the right thing.� I say, and give him a smile.

“On a night like this, it is not hard to figure out what a man coming from the bridge will want, Herr Kaleun! Enjoy your coffee. I will hang these things in the galley to dry out for you.� He scoops up my rain gear and heads back to his tiny galley. God knows where he will hang those things, there’s hardly any room for his pots and pans as it is. But dry they will be, the next time I need them. I hold the cup in both hands to warm them and take a sip of the hot, black brew…. brandy! I smile and shake my head. If the crew ever found out he had brandy on board…. The warm coffee and brandy start to take the chill out of my bones. It almost makes me feel guilty leaving Walter and the other members of the watch crew up there, but sometimes a captain has to exercise a little prerogative.

The Chief makes his way over to me. “Excuse me, Herr Ka…..leun. Sorry, sir. The batteries are fully charged.�

I look at him closely and he seems a little green around the gills. We had been pitching pretty badly in this storm the last few hours while we were charging the batteries. “Are you alright, Chief?�

“I’ll be alright, sir. I don’t think Hel…..mut’s schnitzel is agreeing with me very well, at the moment.�

I glance around the control room and everyone seems to be just a touch whiter than normal. Maybe the boys could use a break. I know Walter’s watch crew won’t complain. “Prepare to dive, Hugo. We’ll take her down to 25 meters and listen for awhile.�

“Jawhol, Herr Kaleun�. He didn’t say “Danke�, but I could hear it in his voice and in the sighs of relief from the crew.

“Herr Kaleun! Incoming radio message!�

“Belay that order, Hugo. Let’s see what BdU has to say first. Bring me the message as soon as you have it decoded, Karl!�

10 minutes later Karl hands me a slip of paper. I read it over, and make my way to the map table. “It seems BdU has found the hunter some prey. What is our position, Erwin?�

Our navigator points at the map. “Here, sir. Southwest corner of BF41, heading 235.� I glance back at the message. A large convoy, southeast corner of BE39, heading southwest at 7 knots. I study the map for a moment. I wonder how someone spotted it in this mess.

“Very well, Erwin. Chief, we’ll be staying on the surface! Come right to course 315, all ahead full!� I turn back to Erwin as Hugo starts barking orders to the helmsman. “If he holds course and speed, we should meet up with him somewhere in here in about 6 hours or so�. I tap the table just to the left of the 63 in the middle of the grid square.

Erwin glances up at me. “That sounds about right, sir, as long as we can make 13 – 14 knots in this gale.�

“No problem, Erwin! U-64 is a fine ship. She can get us there. She can smell the Tommies!� Erwin glances up at me and smiles, but doesn’t respond. “I’m going forward for another cup of coffee and to update the log. Make sure second watch takes over for Walter in an hour. And make sure Helmut has some hot soup ready for them when they get down.�

“Yes, sir. But I don’t think I need to tell Helmut anything, do you?� And indeed, you could already smell the aroma of the soup cutting through the bilge/oil/diesel stench of the sub.

“No, I suppose not�. I head forward and plop down on my bunk. I pull the log from the shelf and glance over at our soundman, Otto, who hasn’t had much to do the last few hours, and won’t have for quite a few more. He’s stifling a yawn. “Bored, Otto? Hopefully we’ll be keeping you plenty busy in a little while!� He smiles sheepishly and starts to fiddle with something in the hydrophone room. Everyone needs to try and look busy when the captain is about, even if they have nothing to do and I know it. I chuckle to myself and jot down the last message and my intentions in the log. I plop the pen down in the open log book and lean back against the wall, watching Otto try to keep busy. I swallow the last of my coffee….damn, I wanted to get another cup. It’s hard to believe Helmut hasn’t read my mind and isn’t here with……

“Sir? Sir?�

The hand on my shoulder is shaking me very gently. “Hmmm? What?� I open my eyes and stare blankly for a moment at the Chief. I can’t believe I fell asleep. I’ll have to tell Helmut to cut down on the “coffee� next time. I give my head a little shake to clear my mind. “Yes, Chief. What is it?�

“We’ve arrived on the western side of BE63, sir.�

“Very well, Chief. Ready, Otto? It’s time for a listen.�

“All ready, sir.� He replies. As I slip forward into the control room, I hear him mumble “It will give me something to listen to besides your snoring!� I catch Hugo giving Otto a fierce look, and manage to stifle a chuckle. My wife has listened to my snoring much longer than Otto has….

“Where are we, Erwin?�. He taps the map with the compass just to the left center of BE63.

“We should be right about here, sir. The waves have calmed down somewhat, but they may still have pushed us off course a few degrees either way.�

If I was right, the convoy should just be coming up on out starboard stern. “Chief, come right to new course 045. After you get on course, take her down to 25 meters. We’ll see if I’ve guessed right.�

“Aye, aye, sir. Full right rudder! Come right to zero four five! Prepare to dive!�

The watch crew comes scrambling down the ladder. The third watch was up there. I slept straight through the second watch. Good man, that Erwin. I head over to the warrant officer who heads third watch. “How’s the visibility up there, Hartwig?�

“Not very good, sir. Less than 1000 meters. Still raining, although it has let up some and the waves aren’t as bad.�

I nod. This will be a tricky hunt. It’s not good to be blundering about in bad weather with a convoy lumbering somewhere nearby. “Very well. Go get yourself some hot soup and dry clothes�.

“Five degree down angle on the planes. Take her down to 25 meters�. Hugo is standing with his hand on the shoulder of the planesman. They hate that, and he knows it. But it doesn’t stop him from doing it. After several minutes he says “Zero angle on the planes. Our depth is 25 meters, Herr Kaleun.�

“All ahead slow�, I reply. I glance through the open hatch to Otto. He has both hands on the hydrophone, but one foot out the door of his small cabin, as if he is ready to bolt the moment he should hear something. “Concentrate on bearings between 315 and 045, Otto�, I whisper. He nods, but doesn’t reply. His mouth is hanging open and his eyes are fixed on some distant point in space, as he listens intently to his hydrophones. He moves the phones slowly back and forth. “Anything?�, I ask after several minutes.

He slowly shakes his head. “There’s still a lot of surface noise from the storm, but I should be able to hear screws through it�. He sighs heavily. “Nothing, Herr Kaleun.�

Damn! “Take her up, Chief. All ahead one third�. I walk over to the chart table. Erwin watches me silently. “They should be here.� Where are they?

Erwin sighed. “Maybe they turned right for Halifax or New York?�

“Possible�, I stare at the map. My instinct was telling me they were headed for Africa, though. The Med? Gibraltar?

“Incoming radio message sir!�

BdU is being very chatty today. Karl brings me the message. I look at Erwin. “They’ve turned inside of us. They’re in the east side of BE63, now heading SSE!� Due east of us! The watch crew had just arrived in the control room, and was getting ready to head up the ladder. “Keep alert up there, men. There is a convoy just east of us. We’ll be heading southeast to get in front of it. I wouldn’t want to go charging in on an escort.� They head up the ladder and crack the hatch. The cool rush of fresh air comes pouring down from the conning tower. You never know just how bad it smells in here until that hatch opens. “Chief, come right to 135. All ahead full.� I turn back to the map table. “We’ll run southeast for an hour, then turn northeast. It should put us right in front of them.�

“As long as they don’t turn again, Herr Kaleun.� Ever an optimist, that Erwin.

An hour later I order a turn to 035 and slow to one third. I don my rain gear (dry, and warm, of course), and climb up onto the bridge. It’s still raining, and visibility is 500 meters or so, from what I can tell. “Nothing in sight, sir!� Walter shouts. “But with this visibility….� His voice trailed off. He didn’t need to say anymore to let me know a visual search was pointless.

“Get below! We should be close enough to hear them by now!� I shout back. The watch crew scrambled down the ladder as I took one last look around……was that a shadow off the starboard bow? I peer intently through my binoculars, but the rain keeps covering the lenses. I climb down and pull the hatch closed behind me. “Chief, all ahead slow. Periscope depth�. The boat hisses as it starts to slip below the waves.

I walk over to the observation scope. “Up scope�, and it slides up out of it’s well. I peer around the stormy sea, trying to catch a glimpse of anything….

Then from Otto: “Sir! Multiple contacts!� Then nothing…

Exasperated, I reply “Where, man? WHERE?�

Otto’s eyes come back from wherever they are looking, and he turns his head slowly to me.

“Everywhere.�

I stare at him a moment, unbelieving, but his hands are turning the hydrophone a full 360 degrees.

“Set all torpedoes for impact fuse, depth 2 meters, speed 45 knots! Open all outer doors! Otto, give me the bearing to the nearest contact!�

He turns the hydrophone slowly. “Zero two five, sir.�

I press my eyes back against the scope and turn it to 025. Coming out of the mist is a C2, 750 metres away. The angle on the bow is not good. “Visual, C2 Cargo! Range 750! Speed, 5 knots! Right full rudder! Make ready tubes 1 & 2!� There’s not going to be time to get a 90 degree angle on the bow. I give the boat a few more seconds to turn. “Rudder amidships! Fire one!� I wait for 2 seconds. “Fire two!�

The whoosh of compressed air fills the ship as both torpedoes are sent on their way. Walter has taken up station as the weapons officer with no orders from me, and has the stopwatch in his hand. Otto interjects “Sir! Close contact coming up on out stern! Bearing 165! I swivel the periscope around. “Another C2. Range, 800 meters! Make ready tube 5! Right 15 degrees rudder!� This one we’ll be able to get almost a 90 degree AOB. Just then a rumble fills the ship, followed shortly by a second.

“Two hits, sir!� It’s Walter. I swivel the scope back around. The C2 has a decided list, but doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It disappears into the mist, still chugging along at 5 knots.

“She’s getting away anyway, Walter. They didn’t slow her down a single knot. The English are starting to build them better, I think.�

I swing back around and check on the merchant behind us. Just as I’m about to give the order to fire, Otto reports another contact close aboard, bearing 325. “In a moment, Otto. Second C2, range 600, speed 5 knots!� I pause a few seconds, aim just under the stack. “Fire 5!� Again I hear the ticking of Walter’s stopwatch. I swivel back around to the bow. If this keeps up, my head will be spinning soon. “Visual contact! C3 cargo! Range 750, bearing, 345! Speed 5 knots! Make ready tube 3!� Another rumble fills the boat, but I don’t have time to look just yet. “Fire 3!� I’m turning back around even before the torpedo has left the tube. “This one won’t be getting away. We broke her back.� The two halves of the ship drift slowly apart, then slowly start to sink. I turn back to the C3, and ship goes up like a roman candle just as I settle the scope back on her. “There goes number two. No need for a second torpedo.�

“Herr Kaleun! Close contact, bearing 270!�

The control room goes silent as I spin quickly to the left. A coastal merchant emerging from the rain, just 700 metres away, bearing down on us! “All ahead flank! Make ready tube 6 for a snapshot!� I keep my eyes glued on the merchant as U-64 starts to surge forward. I can feel everyone’s eyes burning a hole in me as I slowly swivel the scope left, towards the stern. I can hear them silently screaming at me “Turn it faster! Turn it faster!� It becomes evident quickly that we are clear, and now I am just lining up the shot. “Fire 6! All ahead slow!� The ship was just 320 meters away when we fired, and the eel takes just over10 seconds to find its mark. The coastal merchant begins to sink immediately.

“Chalk up number 3, Hugo!� I realize Otto has been silent for a bit. “Otto?� I ask.

“Only one more in front of us, Herr Kaleun. Bearing 330�. I turn back to the bearing and watch through the scope. Another C3, but she is starting a turn to port, away from us.

“All ahead standard, Hugo. Rudder 5 degrees left. She’s trying to turn away. Make ready tube 4. Range 650, speed 7 knots.� I let the gap close to 500 meters, bring the rudder amidships, and fire my last torpedo. It takes just 20 seconds, and the C3 goes up. I step back from the scope.

“All ahead slow. Anything else out there, Hugo?� I ask.

No, sir. I think the two C3’s were in the outside line of the convoy. No warship screws in front of us or to port. I wonder where all the escorts are?�

“Well, let’s not wait around to find out. Hugo, make your depth 50 metres. Come to new course 015. Let’s slip out the back and fade quietly away. Down scope!�

I step away from the scope as it slides back into it’s well and glance around the control room. It’s amazing how quickly the tension drains away after a successful attack, especially when there is no depth charging to suffer through afterwards.

“Sir?�

“Yes, Chief?�

“When we are clear and the tubes are reloaded, do you want to surface and give chase?�

Everyone in the room is stone faced. Even though they don’t show anything, I know they would gladly beat Hugo to a pulp for even bringing the subject up. Not a group to play poker with, my crew. Once again, the tension starts to rise.

“Chief� I say loudly. “Once those tubes are reloaded…� I pause, and feel the crew stiffen, dreading the next words out of my mouth. “…get the two cases of Beck’s out from under my bunk and make sure everyone gets a half bottle! Continue on course 015 at 50 metres until further notice.�

I wonder if the English picked up the cheer on their hydrophones?