[UKönig]

My navigation officer sounds the depths at regular intervals until there is just enough water under the keel to operate at periscope depth.
I raise the sky scope from the control room, because I am too lazy to climb the ladder to the attack scope. Besides, I was using the attack scope when the depth charge that destroyed our forward deck and cannon went off, and the shock wave shivered the glass. It's like looking through a mass of spider webbing, so I'll just use the one that's clear. I spin the lens all around looking for aircraft and when I see the skies are empty but for the moon and stars, I lower the scope and begin the surfacing action.
"Auftauchen". I order.
U-110 struggles to the surface.
"Blow main ballast by diesel, start the starboard engine" I order.
Once the pressure is equalized, I finally drag my lazy ass up the ladder to the bridge, to open the the hatch. My 2WO follows behind, the Chief stays at his station in the control room.
At this moment, I prefer to keep few men on the bridge, mostly because of its condition.
As our port engine is not worthy of the name, it takes us three times longer than normal to wend our way through the fjords to the submarine pens at Bergen. When we are about 20 minutes travel time from the base, we transmit a short wave signal, informing them of our impending arrival. And nothing else.
We get a reply telling us we are cleared for arrival at sub-pen #1. And nothing else.
At a little after 0100 hrs, with the cover of early morning darkness, which is not much because of the season and latitude, U-110 glides up to and enters submarine pen 1. Any longer and the whole of Norway could see how badly damaged we were. How embarrassing.
"All stop".
During the usual docking ritual, one of the workers looks up in slack jawed amazement at the shredded foreship and asks "What happened to your deck gun?"
"Idiot". Out of the corner of my mouth I mutter to the 2WO on my left. To the worker I shout back "Take a guess!"
I instruct the 2WO that I am going ashore first, to hand in my reports, but I want the officers and crew to take their personal belongings from the ship, and muster in the parade square in 20 minutes.
I'm barely back on dry land when one of the base staff approaches and asks if I've heard the news. "I just got back in a leaky boat with a busted leg and a dodgy radio, what kind of news would I have heard?"
The officer ignores my tone. "Two of the latest class U-boat, the type twenty-ones, have arrived from Germany. They docked the day before yesterday and rumor has it, one of the Captains on roster here, at this base, will be given command of one of them."
"Well that probably won't be me. Have you seen the condition of U-110? It's more scrapheap than submarine."
"Yeah well, the base commander wants to see you in his office right away."
I think to myself 'I'll just bet he does'.
As I work my way towards the base compound and the offices of the CNC U-boats Norway, I rehearse the things I plan to say. The little demon on my left shoulder teases "you are in a lot of trouble this time captain. Your 1WO and flak crew, all highly decorated I might add, are dead because of your bravado. Your boat is a virtual write off at a time when what we need are *more* ships at sea, and you brought back a pittance in tonnage. Yeah, you'll be lucky if they don't execute you for this."
The little angel on my right shoulder is a bit more reassuring with "Now come on, you have sunk over one million GWTs for the reich, so far, and you are one of the most decorated captains with the most decorated and senior crews in the fleet, against all possible odds, I might add. It's doubtful they will shoot you as soon as you step through the door. They'll probably wait for you to close it first."
Finally I arrive at the Commander's office. I knock on the door and am granted permission to enter. I close the door behind me and take a quick look around the room. With his high backed chair facing away from me, I see the base commander seated, looking out the windows.
I brace at attention and salute "Kapitanleutnant Konig reporting as requested, Sir."
"It wasn't a request."
No, it never is.
Suddenly, he swivels his chair around and I hear the report of a loud bang. I look and see that the commander is holding...a champagne bottle. He produces two long stemmed glasses from beneath the desk and pours a measure into each. Handing one to me, and ignoring the shocked look on my face, he says "Congratulations Kapitanleutnant, I have good news for you...."