[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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U 115
- KTB -
First War Patrol
(17th war patrol overall)

Sunday, 9 May 1943 - West of Vigo

- continued from 9 May 1943, 1215 -

1657 - Qu.1755CG top right - Diving for FuMB Detection (No Magic Eye) in 210°true, E=13000.

1700 - At T=30, one bomb at the diving position and again at 1701.

1703 - At A-Meter, no sound contact.

1723 - At A-20, Sound contact warship bearing 328°, E=14000, on course NW. Seems to be too far from the position of the last contact at noon, to be the same escort group.

1729 - Reception Depth.

1737 - S-Tiefe. U Class Destroyer bearing 330° on search pattern, E=7500. Anything further cannot be seen due to the high swell and the destroyer is too close to be able to surface.

1741 - Boat turning to course 321°.

1748 - The destroyer runs off at high sped on course West.

1757 - Surfaced after 1h and 3.1nm.
Escort Carrier sighted bearing 323°, on course 323°. Boat changing course to 304° and A.K.

1815 - Qu.1752CG bottom left - Boat is attacked by carrier-based A/C with machine guns and bombs, E=2500. Turing toward the approaching A/C hard to port, which cause the two bombs to overshoot the boat. After the fly-over, "ALARM!".

1817 - At T=25, ejecting one Bold (9 pcs. left), and running off on course 004°.

1818 - At A-Meter no further bombs or damages, but two destroyers are approaching our diving position.

1821 - At E=7000 to destroyers, rigging for Silent Running. The Escort Carrier seems to have reduced its speed, most likely zig-zagging.

1832 - The two destroyers run off from our diving position, in direction toward the Escort Carrier. As before, one very fast and the other at medium speed.

1842 - At Reception Depth. Secured from Silent Running.

1845 - S-Tiefe. A G&H Destroyer bearing 225°, E=6500, still on search pattern.

1855 - In the B-Periscope a carrier based A/C is seen on our stbd. beam, approaching from NNE, on opposite course, and dropping two bombs in the area of our last diving position, 4250m astern.

1910 - At E=10000, the Destroyer is out of sight (a faint smoke trail can still be seen in the B-Periscope).

1915 - Surfaced after 1h and 3.1nm.

1918 - Qu.1752CG top left - Right after the boat is ventilated and the Compressed Air Supply is filled, the boat is attacked by an Avenger A/C with Machine Guns, bombs and RP-3 Rockets, direct approach from West. Again, turned toward the approaching A/C with A.K., which cause the bombs and rockets to overshoot the boat. Right after the fly-over, "ALARM!".

1921 - At A-Meter, rigged for Silent Running and ran-off on course 0°.

1930 - As the two destroyers about 13000m away are not approaching, secured from silent running.

1940 - A-20.

2015 - After the watch change, set for Reception Depth.

2028 - Surfaced from S-Tiefe after 1h 10min. and 3.1nm.

2033 - Boat ventilated. On course 65°.

2037 - Compressed Air Supply filled.

2040 - Charging batteries (80%): Stbd.Diesel, Charging/496RPM; Port.-Diesel, Propulsion/285RPM/8kn. FuMB-Detection in 250°true, E=14500 (No Magic Eye). Boat stays surfaced.

2108 - Sundown. Weather and Sea unchanged in 38h.

2220 - Batteries charged: 1h 40min. for 20%.

- to be continued -

Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

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U 115
- KTB -
First War Patrol
(17th war patrol overall)

Sunday, 9 May 1943 - West of Vigo

- continued from 9 May 1943, 2220 -

2233 - Outgoing F.T.: To B.d.U.:
9.5., 0920, Qu.1577CG, Escort Group with Escort Carrier and three Destroyers and again at 1700 in Qu.1755CG, both on course NW, 18kn. Both times not able to attack due to attack of carrier based airplane and high swell at day time. No damages. Suspect two different escort groups. Switching to Circuit Amerika-I. 497cbm. 15 eels. ENE5/4, clear, visibility 7.5nm, >1000mb. - RST -

2304 - Incoming F.T.'s:
From O.K.W.:
a) The German occupation government in the Netherlands declared martial law.
b) The "San Marco" Italian naval infantry regiment surrendered at Bizerte, Tunisia.
From O.K.M.:
a) In order to make it possible for the boats to guide in other boats when they themselves have sighted a convoy even when there are major differences in fixes, a shadower's signal buoy has been constructed and two boats (U 358 and U 381) have been equipped with one to try out. The buoy is to be fired as a star or rocket in the same way as the former signal rocket with axial staff, and will be distinguishable by very obvious characteristics from star signals and illuminant rockets, as the enemy often uses these to lead our boats astray. If these buoys are satisfactory, it is intended to use them operationally.
From B.d.U.:
a) U 666 Oblt. Herbert Engel) brought down a "Halifax" (misidentified as a Sunderland) with 6 shots at 1028 in the Bay of Biscay, Qu. BE 6888. The Halifax only strafed the boat on its first attack and received AA hits in one of the port engines during a second run. The pilot then apparently lost control when turning to come in again and the Halifax crashed into the sea about 500m (546 yds) from the boat, killing the crew of eight.
b) U 648 (Oblt.d.R. Peter Arthur Stahl), 168, 381 and 226 refueled from U 459 (KrvKpt. Georg von Wilamowitz-Möllendorf).
c) U 663 (KrvKpt. Heinrich Schmid) was not found and so far, has not reported. According to dead reckoning she must enter port at the latest on 12.5.
d) U 531 and 438 were probably caught unawares and sunk in the thick fog while operating on convoy No.36, U 438 was probably lost after a daylight attack. U 630 and U 192 (Oblt. Werner Happe) did not report at all after attacking the convoy. Last message from U 630 was dated 21.4. as she left the supply boat in BD 25. U 192 last radioed on 3.5. from AJ 3757 (Convoy No. 33). Both these boats may therefore have been lost earlier.
5 boats must be considered lost.

RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115