Patrol # 2
14 May to 1 June 1942
5 merchants sunk for 22416 tons
1 Sunderland shot down
Two crew lost in action
Awards: Iron Cross 1st class and Knight's Cross with oak leaves
Awarded Lt. jr. Adolf Carlewitz the Iron Cross 2nd class for his actions as part of the watch crew
Promoted Hermann Sander to Chief Seaman for his actions as part of the watch crew
Chief Sr. Seaman Heino Mannesmann will be qualified as a machinist before we leave port (he has been greatly helpful to my engineering crew during th epast two patrols and has learned much in the engine bay)
I managed to pick up two new crew already: Sr. Seaman Matthias Euler and Sr. Seaman Hartwig Abel to round out my crew. Word spreads quickly when a relatively successful boat enters port.
My boat is scheduled for some routine maintenance so we will have a few weeks of shore leave. We are scheduled to begin our third patrol on the 29th of June.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Heading Home
28 May 1942
10:00 local time
A radio transmission had my heart pounding until i took a look at the charts and realized we could never intercept the convoy that was reported. Of course with onyl one torpedo we may not have been able to do much except shadow them so that other captains might have a chance.
We are currently 1000km due west of Brest and laying low during the clear daytime weather.
17:43 local time
A small tanker was spotted just after 11:00 this morning. The blue skies benefitted us for once as the lookouts saw her at roughly 6000 meters. We had plenty of time to prepare for our attack and sent our last eel out on a perfect track. There was a large explosion and the tanker began to sink aft. I ordered the boat up to the surface to engage the target witht he deck gun, but the effort was unneeded. We sent out a contact report and slipped beneatht he waves before air support had time to arrive on the scene.
30 may 1942
6:12 local time
A British destroyer was spotted in the murky weather at 3500 meters just after midnight. We dove for cover but it appeared that he did not take any notice of us. A lone Hurricane was spotted at first light and didn't seem to notcie us., though a Sunderland came roaring in half an hour later forcing us below the surface yet again.
31 May 1942
1649 local time
After several hours of rain the weather broke to reveal three type 34 destroyers! Our friendly pickets there to welcome the u-boats back home. We were even happier to see them when a flight of hurricanes decended and the sky lit up with a flak barrage! One manage to drop a depth charge near us before succumbing to the deadly atrillery of our escort. With the approaching nightfall I've decided to ring up full speed ahead and make our final run for port!
1 June 1942
4:12 local time
We are home! The crew has just completed the docking procedures and it's time to set foot on dry land once again. Despite the long hours spent watching and waiting for anything to happen I just realized I have not had a chance to actually sit and think about the patrol. I guess the constant worry about keeping to schedules, overseeing the officers and crew, and the lack of sleep has kept me in a constant state of worry since we left this very same dock. or maybe I've been dreading the thought of the men I lost off the French coast not soon after this patrol began. I'll have some difficult letters to write after i see the boat tied up in her berth.
10:00 local time
A radio transmission had my heart pounding until i took a look at the charts and realized we could never intercept the convoy that was reported. Of course with onyl one torpedo we may not have been able to do much except shadow them so that other captains might have a chance.
We are currently 1000km due west of Brest and laying low during the clear daytime weather.
17:43 local time
A small tanker was spotted just after 11:00 this morning. The blue skies benefitted us for once as the lookouts saw her at roughly 6000 meters. We had plenty of time to prepare for our attack and sent our last eel out on a perfect track. There was a large explosion and the tanker began to sink aft. I ordered the boat up to the surface to engage the target witht he deck gun, but the effort was unneeded. We sent out a contact report and slipped beneatht he waves before air support had time to arrive on the scene.
30 may 1942
6:12 local time
A British destroyer was spotted in the murky weather at 3500 meters just after midnight. We dove for cover but it appeared that he did not take any notice of us. A lone Hurricane was spotted at first light and didn't seem to notcie us., though a Sunderland came roaring in half an hour later forcing us below the surface yet again.
31 May 1942
1649 local time
After several hours of rain the weather broke to reveal three type 34 destroyers! Our friendly pickets there to welcome the u-boats back home. We were even happier to see them when a flight of hurricanes decended and the sky lit up with a flak barrage! One manage to drop a depth charge near us before succumbing to the deadly atrillery of our escort. With the approaching nightfall I've decided to ring up full speed ahead and make our final run for port!
1 June 1942
4:12 local time
We are home! The crew has just completed the docking procedures and it's time to set foot on dry land once again. Despite the long hours spent watching and waiting for anything to happen I just realized I have not had a chance to actually sit and think about the patrol. I guess the constant worry about keeping to schedules, overseeing the officers and crew, and the lack of sleep has kept me in a constant state of worry since we left this very same dock. or maybe I've been dreading the thought of the men I lost off the French coast not soon after this patrol began. I'll have some difficult letters to write after i see the boat tied up in her berth.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Patrol Zone Reached
21 May 1942
6:23 local time
Another cloudy day, rough seas. At least it will give us a chance to run on the surface and make up some lost time.
22 May 1942
5:48 local time
Yet another cloudy day, no traffic heard or spotted.
12:22 local time
We have finally arrived in our patrol zone. It is freezing cold and everything is damp. Spirits are still high from our convoy encounter but there is little else to smile about right now.
23 May 1942
14:02 local time
We have spent our required time in the patrol zone and are turning for home. With only a single torpedo in the aft tube and being out of any major traffic lanes I do not see any point in remaining here any longer. I plotted a course to take us further south on the return trip to try to avoid Allied air cover for as long as possible.
24 May
6:00 local time
Nothing new to report. No traffic and the usual overcast weather.
25 May 1942
5:55 local time
Rain moved in overnight and should let us have a good run on the surface since the waves aren't too bad; at least not yet. Gottfried informed me that the boat is down to 50% diesel, so I'll have to keep that in mind while we continue to cruise south. As I currently have our course we are roughly 2000km from Brest.
26 May 1942
7:51 local time
A lone Sunderland pounced on us from out of the cloud cover this morning. It was too close for comfort as a string of depth charges fly right past us and exploded off the port side. Some fragments hit the hull, but there are no signs of any damage; at least from what we can see from the inside. Looks like our turn east has brought us back into aircraft range. We'll lay low during the day for the rest of this cruise.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Lost cause
19 May 1942
6:00 local time
The weather has cleared and we are well clear of the convoy. The calm seas have given us the opportunity to load our external torpedoes before heading below the surface for our daytime run. The crew is clearly elated by our victory and had a certain rhythm to their work today.
22:40 local time
We picked up a visual contact in the distance; a large cargo ship roughly 6500 meters ahead. As we closed I noticed that she was armed with deck guns so, the seas being too rough to man ours, I ordered us down to periscope depth. A second ship, a small merchant, appeared behind her not long into our pursuit. I lined up a perfect shot and let loose my last two bow eels. The first connected with the small merchant and she began to sink while the other either missed or did not explode against the C3. I ordered my boat hard over to port to bring the aft tube into a decent firing angle as the ship began to move away and let go another torpedo. Karl said he distinctly heard it hit the side of the ship, but alas no explosion! With only one remaining torpedo, the deck gun unusable, and the merchant able to outgun us I had no choice but to give up the chase. At least we scored another small victory, but it pains me to have to let that meaty cargo ship continue her voyage to England!
20 May 1942
4:30 local time
Calm seas and clear skies this morning. We do not know if Allied air cover extends this far so we are keeping to the safe side and running underneath the waves today. Glancing at the charts we are 1000km west of our patrol zone and 1000km due south of Iceland. Not much out there but cold water. Hopefully we won't have any interference between now and when we reach our patrol zone since we are running a bit behind schedule.
6:00 local time
The weather has cleared and we are well clear of the convoy. The calm seas have given us the opportunity to load our external torpedoes before heading below the surface for our daytime run. The crew is clearly elated by our victory and had a certain rhythm to their work today.
22:40 local time
We picked up a visual contact in the distance; a large cargo ship roughly 6500 meters ahead. As we closed I noticed that she was armed with deck guns so, the seas being too rough to man ours, I ordered us down to periscope depth. A second ship, a small merchant, appeared behind her not long into our pursuit. I lined up a perfect shot and let loose my last two bow eels. The first connected with the small merchant and she began to sink while the other either missed or did not explode against the C3. I ordered my boat hard over to port to bring the aft tube into a decent firing angle as the ship began to move away and let go another torpedo. Karl said he distinctly heard it hit the side of the ship, but alas no explosion! With only one remaining torpedo, the deck gun unusable, and the merchant able to outgun us I had no choice but to give up the chase. At least we scored another small victory, but it pains me to have to let that meaty cargo ship continue her voyage to England!
20 May 1942
4:30 local time
Calm seas and clear skies this morning. We do not know if Allied air cover extends this far so we are keeping to the safe side and running underneath the waves today. Glancing at the charts we are 1000km west of our patrol zone and 1000km due south of Iceland. Not much out there but cold water. Hopefully we won't have any interference between now and when we reach our patrol zone since we are running a bit behind schedule.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)