U-51
Type VIIB
2-Flotilla, Wilhelmshaven
Kptlt Kurt Dennert, Commander

Our five day trip to Vigo and the resupply ship Bessel proved uneventful; no sightings of any craft approaching either by sea or air as we ran ESE towards the Spanish coast. Our diesels, thankfully, had taken no damage from our most recent encounter with the enemy, and I asked as much from them as I dared. That this was always slightly more than the LI could bear without casting a bearded grimace in my direction on occasion went without saying.

We had no radio to relay news of our impending arrival, but whatever surprise the Bessel's master and crew felt at our sudden appearance in their neutral haven that fine May morning soon gave way to an orderly determination to see us as well fitted out as possible for the return leg of our patrol. And the long spring day we spent by her side also proved a tonic for U-51's crew; it might not have been shore leave in Wilhelmshaven, but it was a very welcome respite nonetheless. The weather there remained fair and calm, allowing everyone on board to take his turn at a leisurely moment or two in the sun as those on duty worked to ready the boat for what we hoped would be a direct passage home.

It wasn't long after she'd reported our position and status that a reply began working its way through the usual channels and in due time was handed off to me by the Bessel's master. We would, indeed, return immediately to Wilhelmshaven for the completion of whatever repairs could not be sufficiently handled at Vigo; targets of opportunity encountered en route could be dealt with at my discretion, depending on the condition of our boat and whatever rearmament the Bessel could provide us for the journey.

The weather remained clear and calm long after we'd lost sight of our temporary shelter and pointed our bow first northwest and then due north toward the still distant waters between Rockall Banks and the British Isles. Our only contact before reaching them turned out to be another u-boat, a Type VIIC running due east across our path, making for the busy sea-lanes south of Ireland. Her bridge watch and their commander waved and yelled and signalled their greetings and good wishes; we offered them the same in return. From there it was another long stretch of empty sea and sky until we sighted a lone Granville-type freighter plowing due west between Rockall and the Faroes.

It only took a moment to make my decision. Night was falling, and the weather had grown increasingly rough as we traveled northward; we were out of range of RAF Coastal Command; and it wasn't as though our tubes were completely empty. The wolf might be scarred, she might be tired, and she might be looking forward to a well-deserved nap in a dry, warm den - but she still had some teeth left. And if by chance the freighter turned out to be armed and dangerous... well, we could always outrun her and disappear once more into the darkness whence we came.

As it turned out, there was no need for that. One hit below her funnel was all it took in the heavy seas of the night's approaching storm; we were still shadowing her and lining ourselves up for a possible second attack when an explosion tore through her midsection, sending her funnel up and then crashing down over the side into the deep. More explosions shook the air and illuminated her fate as the sea took her. We scanned the surface from a distance for men or lifeboats amid the debris, and saw none. Her end had come too fast and too hard.

After that we made our way through ten more days and nights of high seas and pounding rain before sighting, at long last, the familiar lights of Wilhelmshaven. The sky was still pouring buckets down our backs as we pulled slowly into our pen and came to a welcome and long-awaited stop.

Home at last, and even in those dark wet hours just after midnight, it never looked so good.

U-51
Type VIIB
2-Flotilla, Wilhelmshaven
Kptlt Kurt Dennert, Commander

Final report, patrols 6/7

March 28, 1940, 16:35
Departed: Wilhelmshaven
Mission Orders: Patrol grid BE21

April 1, 1940, 14:05
Grid AN 43
Ship sunk: SS Prince (Large Cargo), 7531 tons
Cargo: Aircraft
Crew/lost: 54/19

April 12, 1940, 06:41
Grid AF 61
Ship sunk: HMS Warspite, 36450 tons
Crew/lost: 1069/652

April 28, 1940, 08:37
Grid AM 11
Ship sunk: Talthybius (Ore Carrier), 6938 tons.
Cargo: Iron Ore
Crew/lost: 74/24

May 15, 1940, 05:54
Grid BE 74
Ship sunk: SS Wray Castle (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons
Cargo: Paper Products
Crew/lost: 100/12

May 15, 1940, 08:27
Grid BE 74
Ship sunk: SS Sovereign of the Seas (Medium Cargo), 4479 tons
Cargo: Textiles
Crew/lost: 60/35

May 21, 1940, 07:07
Arrived: Vigo
Rendezvous with the Bessel for repair, refueling, and rearmament

May 22, 1940, 11:52
Departed: Vigo
Mission Orders: Return to Wilhelmshaven

May 27, 1940, 02:35
Grid AM 23
Ship sunk: SS Woodbury (Granville-type Freighter), 4707 tons
Cargo: Military Stores
Crew/lost: 51/22

June 6, 1940, 00:15
Arrived: Wilhelmshaven
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 6
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonnage: 64812 tons

Awards: Kapitänleutnant Kurt Dennert, Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross; Oberleutnant z. See (Ing.) Hans Woiwode and Stabsoberbootsmann Gerhard Petersohn, Iron Cross 1st Class; Oberfähnrich z. See (Ing.) Ulrich Kaeding, Iron Cross 2nd Class and U-Boat War Badge; Matrosengefreiter Paul Hansen, U-Boat War Badge

Promotions: Oberfähnrich z. See Johannes Hutterer, to Leutnant z. See

Career Totals

Days at sea: 239
Crew losses: 0
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Merchants sunk: 39, 164864 GRT
Warships sunk: 2, 37700 GRT
Total ships sunk: 41, 202564 GRT

Thank you for reading and enjoying it! :sunny:

Really nice report frau kaleun. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, thanks for sharing it with us:up:

Thanks for reading it!

This is my longest career so far and the first where I've paid so much attention to managing my crew (thanks SH3 Commander!) and it really does bring a whole new aspect to the game... I'm starting to get attached to the little buggers (and of course to my boat) and it makes it more like there's a real "story" going on every time we go out.

With such a successful patrol I'm guessing there's no room for Bernard, it's a shame as he's just sat here on the quayside dangling his legs in the water like a lost schoolboy looking all forlorn!
:lost:

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif










http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...eywolftail.gif

BE EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE!!
http://gearsofresearch.files.wordpre...4/godzilla.jpg

:har:

I finished my 5th patrol, and with some success indeed ;-)

On my way to my patrol zone AM79, I passed in front of a Dutch port and I sank a French Mittelgrosser Frachter. Then I decided to pass in front of the british coast, going north, then circumnavigate the tip of Scotland to go then south and reach the patrol zone. In the process I stubmled on and sank all these:

30.10.39. 2332 Planquadrat AN 58 Schiff versenkt! SS Abinger (Küstenfrachter), 1871 BRT. Fracht: Eisenerz. Mannschaft: 22. Mannschaftsverluste: 5
31.10.39. 0142 Planquadrat AN 58 Schiff versenkt! SS Alice Marie (Kleiner Frachter), 2228 BRT. Fracht: Holz. Mannschaft: 27. Mannschaftsverluste: 23 2015 Planquadrat AN 47 Schiff versenkt! MV Hildasay (Trawler), 98 BRT. Mannschaft: 34. Mannschaftsverluste: 6 2243 Planquadrat AN 18 Schiff versenkt! Bewaffneter Trawler, 1100 BRT 1.11.39. 0310 Planquadrat AN 18 Schiff versenkt! PT-173 (Elco Torpedoboot), 45 BRT. Mannschaft: 15. Mannschaftsverluste: 6 1712 Planquadrat AN 14 Schiff versenkt! SS Tacoma Star (Großes Frachtschiff), 8120 BRT. Fracht: Fracht allgemein. Mannschaft: 109. Mannschaftsverluste: 50 11.11.39. 0206 Ergebnisse
Verluste: 0
Versenkte Schiffe: 7
Zerstörte Flugzeuge: 0
Versenkte Tonnage: 18618 Tonnen

I then went on and docked at the Refueling Ship in front of Greenland. Total tonnage sunk: 18618 Tons, not bad at all.:arrgh!:

It was fun when I sank that Elco torpedoboat. I did not use the cannon because I had a quite nasty experience once when a colleague killed all my deck gun crew so I decided to play it safe and therefore I used a torpedo. The eel impacted on the stern and it sent the Elco literally flying in the air, with various explosions trailing behind it, and then it landed in the water again, it started burning vehemently and finally it sunk.
Eh eh eh, it created more confusion than a battleship! :DL

Colleghi Comandanti,

On my SH session today, I am discovbering how wonderfully pleasant it is trying to target and sink with torpedoes something in a sea that to define rough is to make a compliment to it...

On the plus side anyhow, at periscope depth you become almost invisible (almost).

I managed to sink an V&W class that happened to be north of Scotland and crossed my path at 90° basically on its own, but how complicated... Now I'm trying to send to the bottom another destroyer.

Any suggestion on how to target and fire in these awful conditions?

Set the torpedo at something like 2 metres and on impact setting....still no guarantee of success though.

Masters of the storms!
 

In rough seas that are too difficult to attack in submerged try to aim for a surface attack at night,or decks awash if it is a light night compared to a pitch black one.Ideally the attack should be made at between 1-2000m (light conditions permitting) bow on so your profile is narrower and with impact tips set high (as Jim mentioned),NEVER use mag tips in those conditions!.
I personally like attacking in storms myself.
Master the storms and you master the seas! :arrgh!:
And always remember,
BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! (sorry Jim hehe)

http://www.nerdtests.com/picsarea/c7...c77587107c.jpg

Well.....
 

http://www.nerdtests.com/picsarea/c7...c77587107c.jpg[/QUOTE] If you go to the pub,and take a couple of drinks,"maybe,remember I say maybe" you are more stable on the hand, no more staggering, I like heavy water,no big deal at all,even if the eels go far from target sometimes,but to adjust aob this is great :haha:

Note: I heard about "short-break" and calm sea..... :hmmm:

U64 IXB. Maiden Voyage.
 

Left Willy on 29.mar.40.

22.apr.40: current position AF84.
Have had no enemy contacts since leaving Willy.
With over 3/4 fuel remaining we are awaiting release from the campaign around Norway.

current position, AM27
Spotted HMS Rodney
used up the last of my 3 torps... all hit...
target still afloat... returning to base...
persued by escorts... damage minor...
casualties... 0...
torps... 0...
fuel... less than 50%...