I appreciate the comment Rwearjr but I’m hardly a writer!
The Type II uboat would be useful for port raids, mining operations, and reconnaissance and would greatly expand the operations of the raider, however there is no way to transport the vessel realistically. The uboat can’t be carried in pieces as there would be no way to assemble the boat nor a way to launch it without a heavy duty boom (279 tons). I have read about these uboats being transported on barges for operations in the Black Sea and in the couple pictures I’ve managed to find they are transported with hulls fully assembled with the exception of the conning tower and the 2cm MG C/30 ahead of the conning tower. On top of that the hold would be extraordinarily long which would be unusual for a merchant ship of the era. With that being said the ship is already a stretch being 606ft in length and equipped like a light cruiser, I’d like to keep it as realistic as possible. There is the option of a joint operation like Schiff 33 and UA carried out briefly in the South Atlantic all that amounted to was the resupply of the uboat with torpedoes, fuel, and provisions and being towed to another operational area. But in my opinion a more in depth and long term operation would both hamper the Hilfskreuzer and the uboat which could result in both being sunk.
