[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

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

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KTB - U 113

Thursday, 22 January 1942 - South of Bald Head Island -

0032 - Incoming F.T.: From U 82:
Have sunk from convoy ON.56, the British tanker Athelcrown, 11999ts. - Rollmann -

0115 - Qu.3955DB - Water Depth 280m.

0505 - Qu.3945DB - "Commander to Bridge, Surface Vessel!".
A small American merchant relative bearing 29°Stbd., on course 82°, E=1800m.

0507 - Turning boat hard to stbd. and to course 355°.

0508 - Slow Ahead. "Battle Stations!".

0509 - Flooding tube I.

0510 - Qu.3945DB - Single Shot with tube I: G7e/G7H (K-b/AZ); Running depth 4.5m; Vt30. Own course 355°; Own speed 5kn ahead; Shooter: Ltnt.z.S & I.W.O. Rainer SCHEUFLER.
Target ship: Small Freighter of 1710ts, draught 6.8m.
Target course 82°; Target distance 1110m; Target angle green75°; Target speed 7kn; Firing angle α 357°.

=> Torpedo is hit amidships after 66 Sec.!

Steamer immediately looses headway and settles in the water, and sinks over the stbd. beam within 1-2 minutes. No radio message intercepted. After about 1 min., loud underwater explosions. Water depth here is 185m.

0520 - Questioned and supplied 3 survivors in one boat, and ran off on westerly heading. 2x235RPM/7kn. "Dismissed from Battle Stations!".

0600 - Water Depth 130m.

0707 - Qu.3866DB - Water Depth 55m.

0955 - Early Morning Dawn.

1000 - Diving for torpedo reloading. Water Depth 35m.

1010 - T=32. Depth under keel is 5m. Commencing torpedo reloading.

1021 - Tube I reloaded with G7e/G7H (K-b/AZ).

1026 - At Reception Depth.

1104 - Sunrise. Depth under keel is 14m.

1140 - Sound contact turbine bearing 262°, approaching at medium speed on course 350°, E=19000. Heading directly for our position.

1148 - O₂ = 20%.

1200 - Qu.3864DB - Days Run: 118.5sm - ↗ 103.6sm (15h 35') - ↘ 14.9sm (8h 25').
144.2cbm (0.9cbm/24h). On course 270°. Battery 9500Ah. T=20. O₂ = 20%. 13 internal and 8 external torpedoes.

1212 - S-Tiefe. In the A-Periscope, the patrol vessel comes into sight, bearing 248°, E=8000. Is identified as a Patrol Boat of 925ts, draught 2.5m, top speed 12kn.

1233 - Crossing our stern at a distance of 4300m.

1236 - I.W.O. manning the A-Periscope. Continuing Lunch Break until 1300h.

1300 - Patrol Boat has gone out of sight, still on course 350°. Surfaced after 1h and 2.9sm since Etmal, and 3h and 8.1sm in total. Battery 9400Ah. Weather unchanged since Sunrise, 21 January.

1308 - Boat ventilated. 2x235RPM

1445 - Qu.3855DB - Water depth 30m.

1508 - Diving from a Single Engine Airplane in 140°true., on course NNW, E=8000. Before closing the Conning Tower Hatch, noticed that the airplane is crossing exactly Qu.3855DB and at a distance of about 5000m behind the boat, turns around and flies off again on course 164°. Suspect that the center of Qu.3855DB is used as a navigational fix point.

1548 - Surfaced after 40 min. and 1.9sm. Battery 9300Ah.
Weather unchanged since Sunrise, 21 January.

1902 - Incoming F.T.: From U 553:
Have sunk the Norwegian tanker Inneröy, 8260ts. - Thurmann -

2105 - Sundown. Weather unchanged since Sunrise, 21 January.

2120 - On new course 305°.

2200 - Running along the coast of Kiawah Island from East to West and back again, until 0030h.

Boat operating acc. to Op.-Orders "Paukenschlag".

RST

Kptlt.&Cmdr.

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

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KTB - U 113

Friday, 23 January 1942 - Kiawah Island -

0030 - Ocean Park -

0250 - In front of the entrance to Charleston, between Cummings Point and Sullivan's Island. As nothing can be seen, running off on course 77°.

0600 - Charging Batteries (9300Ah):
- Port Engine Propulsion 285RPM/6kn;
- Stbd.Engine Charging, 496RPM.

0632 - Incoming F.T.: From U 82:
Have sunk from convoy ON.56, the Norwegian tanker Leiesten, 6118ts. - Rollmann -

0645 - Batteries charged (45' for 700Ah). 2x235RPM/7kn.

0810 - F.T.-Intercept: On 600m-Wave:
SSS SSS SSS Thirlby SSS SSS SSS
sinking quickly
43.20N 66.15W

Cmdr.: The position given in the radio intercept is Marqu.BA9955, which is in the Op.-area of Paukenschläger Bleichrodt (U 109).
Later we will learn, that SS Thirlby was a straggler from convoy SC.66 and indeed sunk by U 109.

0955 - Early Morning Dawn.

1108 - Qu.3831DB - Sunrise - Weather unchanged in 48h.
"Commander to Bridge, Surface Vessel!".
A steamer bearing 339°, on course 235°, E=6000m, approaching with angle to bow 0°.

1110 - Diving for submerged attack. S-Tiefe. Trying to get distance from the course line of the steamer on course 90°.

1125 - Turning a full circle hard to stbd. and Full Ahead to bring the bow tubes to bear. However, the steamer is much faster than anticipated and by the time we have reached our attack course of 325°, is already crossing our bows.

1128 - "Battle Stations!". Flooding tube I.

1129 - Qu.3831DB - Single Shot with tube I: G7e/G7H (K-b/AZ); Running depth 4.5m; Vt30. Own course 325°; Own speed 3kn ahead; Shooter: Kptlt. & Cmdr. RST.
Target ship: Small Panamanian Merchant of 2180ts, draught 5.6m.
Target course 235°; Target distance 1289m; Target angle red90°; Target speed 10kn; Firing angle α 316°.

=> Torpedo is a failure, Early Detonator!

1130 - Qu.3831DB - Single Shot with tube II: G7e/G7H (K-b/AZ); Running depth 4.0m; Vt30. Own course 325°; Own speed 3kn ahead; Shooter: Kptlt. & Cmdr. RST.
Target ship: Small Panamanian Merchant of 2180ts, draught 5.6m.
Target course 235°; Target distance 1289m; Target angle red90°; Target speed 9kn; Firing angle α 304°.

=> Torpedo is a failure, Early Detonator!

1140 - Running off on course 60°, as a pair of Seversky P-35 are flying over the merchant on course NW and fly off again on course SE. "Dismissed from Battle Stations!".

1155 - Surfaced after 45 min. and 2.7sm. Battery 9700Ah.
Heading East to deeper waters for torpedo maintenance and reloading.

1200 - Qu.3831DB - Days Run: 152.4sm - ↗ 144.9sm (21h 35') - ↘ 7.5sm (2h 25').
140.7cbm (3.5cbm/24h). On course 90°. Battery 9700Ah. 11 internal and 8 external torpedoes. Weather unchanged since Sunrise, 21 January.

- to be continued -

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