=War Diary=
U-109 (IXB)
1st Flotilla
Kptlt. Egon Roth
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Freitag, 3-08-1940
=3:32 PM=
Have just returned from patrolling NW/N of Ireland in grids AM51, AM52, and AM02. After a relatively short patrol (12 days total), have managed to sink 7 enemy ship with torpedoes and cannon fire for a grand total of 43,261 GRT.
The highlight of this patrol however (and the one for which my crew and I received medals from Adm. Doenitz himself was the sinking of the large passenger liner S.S. Highland Brigade.
We received word of a nearby convoy as we were patrolling in AM52, the report told of a Convoy to our west most likely making its way for the relative safety of the shallow waters and large number of patrolling Destroyers present in the so called "Irish Sea".
We immediately made our way west, but due to heavy storm weather we could not make visual contact with the convoy, however upon submerging under silent running to "put an ear to the ground" so to speak, my sonar operator (Warrant Officer Karl Creutz) whom wholly deserved the Iron cross 2C he received for his superb work on this patrol), immediately informed me he detected a large number of screws ahead of us just off the starboard bow (about 1-2 o'clock) and they were VERY close, so we altered course to intercept. I immediately raised my periscope and after a couple minutes I began to see ships appear out of the storm Identifying the first one I saw as a Destroyer I lowered my periscope and against what seems like long odds, he drifted harmlessly past our port side (his mistake). once I was sure he was behind me I ventured raising my periscope...and there she was.
Looming out of the fog off our port bow was the biggest ocean liner I had ever seen, right in the middle of a convoy was this enormous sea cow of a passenger liner, and she was just plodding along at 9 knots as unaware of us as could be. by a quick estimate I assumed she was around 400 meters away and approaching, and we had 6 fish hot and ready to go. Making a quick decision I ordered both rudders hard over to port and lined up our shot, once the bow was at the appropriate angle I ordered all 4 bow shots released and waited, what seems like moments later all 4 struck her, one just behind the foremost area of the bow, one beneath the bridge, one bettween the funnels and one just aft of the funnels.
Immediately I ordered a dive to 90 meters to try and avoid detection and once my sonar officer informed me the liner's engines had gone silent I ordered a slightly circular course to stay near the Liner incase further action against her was necessary. Perhaps god was on our side that day, or perhaps it was dumb luck I do not know, but somehow the hunting escorts (by now well aware of our presence amongst their "charges") did not detect us. Hours later the entirety of the convoy had apparantly passed by (according to sonar) so we came to periscope depth to have a look around, and lo and behold there was the liner, she was dead in the water bobbing uselessly like an oversized bath toy.
Since the forward torpedoes had yet to be reloaded (the boat spent the last few hours under silent running) only tubes V and VI in the stern were loaded. Knowing this I ordered U-109 to come around to the port side of the liner (where we had hit her before), and fired off tubes V and VI into her, they both struck her mid ships, and about 2 minutes later she finally rolled over and slipped under.
The rest of the Patrol was nothing special, par for the course really, attaining kills over a Small Merchant, 2 Coastal Merchants, a C2 Cargo, and two C3 Cargo vessels, before making our way safely north of Scotland and back to Wilhelmshaven yesterday, the 7th of March.
For now we shall rest and refit and go back to sea whenever BdU orders us back out, if we keep having such successful patrols I do not doubt that those "tommies" will be begging to surrender to our forces by next year, or the year after if they are stubborn.
~Hope that wasnt TOO long, but I've never gotten a 'liner before
~