patrol off the west coast of England, merchants were easy picking if not scattered. After 2 confirmed sunk and attempts to intercept 3 others we ended the patrol due to lack of fuel, 10k tons to the deep!

1st patrol - 29877 tons, 10 ships. Hunted up and down the North Sea coast.

Incidences - Had a PT Boat approach at high speed off Hartlepool after a sinking. Evaded.

Morning light, jumped by unidentified aircraft same position return leg. Attack was utterly ineffective.

Several contacts with neutral vessels.

Machinist is fatigued all too easily. Will look for a replacement from the billet when we return.

Weather turned foul as we approached October. 15 m/s wind, seas confused, heavy lightning.

Pleased with the boat and the crew, for the most part. Watch Officers will recieve commendations upon return to port.

Disposition upon returning - ~33% fuel left, 1 stern torpedo, 60 deck gun rounds, no damage.

Returned to port after exactly one month at sea.

2nd patrol
 

2nd patrol - Heading for the grounds upon which we had so much success last trip - just off Hartlepool.

3 contacts thus far - 2 Norwegian, 1 Dane. Set up solutions on each, only to abort last minute. Frustrating.

Sea is flat calm, wind 4 m/s.

19:06 - on the surface, batteries recharging, full watch complement.

Our new patrol took us off Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. Found a C/D-class DD and sank her with an eel planted directly under her first stack. Blew the stack clean off and sank her in short order. Then sniped a J/K-class DD that headed to investigate the sinking. After another J/K-class DD was seen in the area decided to not push our luck and moved off.

Intercepted no less than TWO so-called 'Task Forces', which turned out to be nothing more than DD flotillas. Not wanting to tempt fate, we let them pass unmolested. Headed to an area off Lowestoft and managed to catch sight of part of a convoy. Sank a Large Merchant with two fish and disabled a Modern Tanker with a third. Then when the two escorting ASW trawlers moved to attack, we moved off, but kept the tanker in sight, later moving back in to finish her off. Currently attempting to intercept a REAL Task Force (and not a verdammt DD flotilla!) in an effort to emulate the earlier sinking of H.M.S. Rodney on our second patrol, but bad weather's closing in, so somewhat doubtful of our chance of success.

And the beat goes on...

Attempt to intercept task force failed AGAIN. Headed across North Sea and along Norwegian coast...NOTHING. Desperate for targets, made a pass at Barentsburg, sinking a Coastal Tanker and my first Whale Factory Ship at anchor. Was then FINALLY able to go home. Handed out awards and promotions to my crew and accepted the Oak Leaves to my Knight's Cross.

First Mission
 

U-47
Total Tonnages: 47512
7 Ships sinked:
3 Merchant
4 Tankers

The crew was anxious as we sailed closer to our target, the days of avoiding patrols in order to get close enough had their nerves fried. Giving the order at 1800 the submarine sailed in the eastern entrance into Scapa Flow. After dodging the beached tankers we made flank speed under the cover of night to our target. At 21:23 we were within striking range of the harbor, spotting a large troop transport and a destroyer close by I gave the order to the Weapons Officer to launch the torpedoes. Turning the boat around to set for a hasty retreat I saw 4 large splashes through my para-scope, and sent the order towards more friendly waters. Beers all around when we reach port.

Total Tonnage
1. Troop Transport (x1)-9084k
2. Destroyer (x1)-1375k

Rethinking my idea to hunt the deeper water "holes" off Hartlepool and Firth of Forth. Popped out of my hole to pursue a sound contact. Yet another Norwegian. On the way back to my hole, very nearly ran over an ASW trawler in the dark. How they didn't see/detect us is baffling.

Going to use a little more caution from now on. :o

I once had a collision with an armed trawler in 500 meters visibility. Luckily it wasn't totally head on but more of a scraping the paint of the type II and getting some minor hull damage kind of traffic accident. I just continued on the surface and lost the trawler to the fog. They did notice me, but I was out of visual range before they had finished turning. Luckily it was 1939 so they could not find me with radar :)

After that I made a habit of continually checking the area with the hydrophone, if there's fog. I haven't kept the habit though, so now I'm probably going to end up dead in a collision sooner or later.

After the enemy gets radar, staying surfaced in fog is suicidal. One needs to stay below or keep making hydrophone checks.

U-48 Type VIIB Third War Patrol 18 May to 2 June 1941

Patrol Assigned Grid BE38

Afternoon of 22 May 1941 encountered a medium convoy with three destroyers escorting. Visibility excellent. Began to end around when the port side destroyer spotted my boat. Was forced to submerge, the destroyer was unable to find us. After dark I was able to slip behind the port column and fired one torpedo at a large merchantman in the second column. Range 2500m AOB: port 100 Gyro 50 degrees. Detonation was heard approx 4 minutes after firing. Ship hit was a small merchantman in the starboard column.

Fired two torpedoes at the trailing ship in the port column. Range 1200; AOB 180 (0) No hits observed.

Slowed to increase distance from the escorts and reloaded tubes.

23 May 1941

Maneuvered ahead on the starboard side of the convoy. Weather deteriorating, dark night, was able to close to 1500 meters from the enemy.

Fired one torpedo each at two large merchantmen. Range 1000m; AOB starboard 80; gyro angle 340 and AOB starboard 110; gyro angle 20. Observed hits on both targets which sank.

As dawn was breaking I maneuvered to track the convoy for the day and intended to resume the attack after darkness.

Visibility poor. Lost the convoy, It must have turned to port (south).

24 May Grid BE 62

Ran into the starboard side of a large convoy. Medium visibility. Ships in the near column were all small freighters, however the next column in had a large ammunition ship. Fired two torpedoes AOB starboard 90; Range 1500m, target speed 6k. Observed one hit which caused massive explosions. The ship sank in one minute. My boat was spotted in searchlights and starshells and forced to dive. Evaded three destroyers for one hour. Heavy seas made for poor detection.

26 May 1941

Seas moderated enough to strike the external torpedoes below. The last ones aboard. One forward and one aft.

Recieved message that BISMARCK needed assistance. Was approx. 4 hours away and set course in heavy seas with medium to poor visibility. At 0800 hours submerged to listen for contacts. Warships were heard bearing 90 degrees relative. Changed course and surfaced at Ahead Full.

0900: Lookout spotted ship bearing 300 relative. Was HMS RODNEY! One minute later HMS KING GEORGE V was spotted trailing in column. Both ships were seen to fire their main battery to port at a unseen target opposite me.

Submerged the boat and made ready the last forward tube. Enemy speed was estimated at 16 knots. As RODNEY had passed KGV was targeted. AOB starboard 80; Range 2000m. G7a type gyro angle 350d

As soon as the torpedo left the tube, lowered the periscope and went to flank speed and full starboard rudder to bring the last torpedo (stern) to bear. The bow shot missed ahead.. I overestimated the target speed so reduced the setting to 12k. Fired the stern shot AOB starboard 110; range 1800m. G7a torpedo ran to amidships of the target and PASSED UNDERNEATH THE SHIP! The depth setting was 6m and must have run at least 5 meters below its setting.

The shot was perfect. The crew was very disappointed and it was a long sail back to Lorient....

I bet some British tars soiled their trousers watching that torpedo go right at them !!!

AD

Here's my latest war diary, 31 pages, mostly weather reports:)

http://i.imgur.com/YjJ5M.jpg

Nice work sublynx! Very much like some of the actual logs I have read.

2nd patrol
 

23712 tons, crew and boat in good shape. Would have been over 30,000 but our last target (ore carrier) settled in shallow water, and cannot be claimed in good faith. For want of a handful of deck gun rounds to pierce the air pocket in the bow, we cannot claim her, as she was not well and truly sunk.


3rd patrol - Have abandoned the idea to hunt deeper water pockets off Hartlepool and Firth of Forth/Rosyth, mainly due to aircraft presence, but also concern about targets grounding instead of sinking.
9000 tons on our way to AM02 AM52. Was concerned with sinking merchants so close to Scapa Flow, but we had opportunity, and seized it. No doubt BdU will advise to "be more aggressive".

"I bet some British tars soiled their trousers watching that torpedo go right at them !!!"
:up:

Now that we have the water - ran crash dive drills. They could be a little better.
Currently testing our boat's limits. Passing through 160 meters. The L.I., and some of the new crew, are turning green. She, and they, must be able to take it.