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Old 06-07-23, 04:56 AM   #453
Kapitän
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Default U 115 - First War Patrol (2nd leg) - Meeting with Supply Ship

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Originally Posted by Kapitän View Post
Started new career in August 2019 to commemorate the beginning of WWII, 80 years before ...

+++++++

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

Sunday, 6 June 1943 - South-Atlantic

1125 - Early Morning Dawn.

1200 - Qu.5582FS - Days Run: 15.7nm - ↗ (24h)
Total: 5761.4 (32tg 22h) - ↗ 5525.2nm (29tg 8h 44') - ↘ 236.2nm (3tg 13h 16')
435cbm (1cbm in 24h); Battery 74.3%; At Merchant Raider; 3xT-3, 2xEtoFat, 1xT-4; 9xBold; SSE6/5, clear, visibility 5.7nm, >1000mb (Weather and Sea unchanged in 5days, 20h)

Cmdr.: As there is no improvement of the sea state, I decide to dive for Torpedo Maintenance.

1300 - Giving Flag Signal to Merchant Raider. Diving without forward speed. T=10 after 2min.

1302 - 96rpm.

1309 - T=50. Course 180°. 65rpm.

1310 - Beginning of torpedo maintenance.

1401 - Tube I serviced.

1452 - Tube II serviced.

1543 - Tube III serviced (Tubes I-III are T-3/Pi39H). - Break until Watch Change -

1656 - Tube V serviced (EtoFat/Pi39H).

1747 - Tube VI serviced (T-4/Pi39H). CO₂ Warning at 1.7% (after 4h 48min.).

1800 - Dinner -

1845 - 96rpm. Setting for T=20.

1851 - At Reception Depth. Battery 68.6%; CO₂ 1.9%.

1900 - Qu.5585FS - Surfaced after 6h and 11.9nm. - Weather and Sea unchanged.

1901 - Boat ventilated.

1910 - Running back to Merchant Raider.

2012 - Decision to attempt supplying at the Leeward side of the Merchant Raider.

2115 - Fuel hose connection done by crane. Supplying of provisions by rope connection. Charging batteries.

Messages transferred by Merchant Raider (see Annex I to KTB).

Had to interrupt supply process due to slight ramming caused by heavy swell - no damage.

2145 - Decision to break-off supply process and battery charging due to heavy sea state.

2150 - Running off on easterly heading.

2332 - Sundown. Weather and Sea unchanged in 6 days and 7.5h.

RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115


Annex I to KTB:

O.K.W.-Report:
a) The new French Committee of National Liberation made a radio broadcast from Algiers, French Algeria, pledging to abolish the "arbitrary powers" imposed by the French government in Vichy and to restore "all French liberties, the laws of the Republic and the Republican regime".

O.K.M.-Report:
b) The USAAF made its first operational sortie with the North American A-36 Invader (also known as Apache) when the 27th Fighter Bomber Group based at Rasel Ma in French Morocco participated in a mass fighter-bomber assault on the Italian Island of Pantelleria.

B.d.U.-Report:
a) U 177 (IXD2; Kptlt. Robert Gysae) situation: Miss at inward-bound freighter on 3.6. in GR 5319, end-of-run detonation after 7 minutes. At dusk on 5.6. convoy coming from Saldanha Bay sighted, consisting of about 12 ships with destroyers and corvettes. Deterrent depth-charges. Shadowed by hydrophone bearing as far as GR 2536, in fog, with visibility about 200 meters. Then, while she was preparing for a surface attack, the fog lifted and she found herself in the center of the convoy. Heavy gunfire from all ships. Boat shook off pursuing vessels. She was bombed by a flying boat. No damage.
b) U 198 (IXD2; Kpt.z.S. Werner Hartmann) sank the British "Durma", 2,304 GRT, in KP 5989, course 2500, speed 7 knots, and in KP 9754 the American "William King", 6,800 GRT, main course 2800, speed 10 knots. She took the Chief Engineer of the first ship on board and the Captain of the second.
c) U 119 (XB; Kptlt. Horst-Tessen von Kameke) is steering for CD 4855 to deliver her remaining fuel to "Milkcow" U 488 (Oblt.d.R. Erwin Bartke).
d) U 214 (VIID; Oblt. Rupprecht Stock) reported minelaying operation in Dakar carried out.
e) U 450 (Oblt. Kurt Böhme) was attacked by an aircraft with bombs and aircraft armament at 1050 in AE 8542 and severely damaged. Watertight stern, No. 1. and No. 3. main ballast tanks and all external fuel tanks damaged. Strong trace of oil, 7 wounded, 4 of them seriously, including the C.O. Boat dived after the third attack. She reported at 0100 course 200, and requested assistance. Boats in the vicinity were ordered to make for U 450. She herself was to continue on her passage to W. France. Unfortunately there is no boat with a M.O. nearby.

For distribution of M.O.'s:
The orders given to boats for beating off aircraft in surprise attacks will necessarily mean that bridge personnel will be wounded more often. C-in-C Navy therefore gave orders some time ago that by the beginning of July every second boat to leave port should, if possible, carry a M.O. So far 29 Medical Officers were appointed to IXd2 boats and tankers according to plan and a further 17 were available for other boats. There are at present 16 M.O.'s at sea. The special training of new M.O.'s is now so far advanced that from now on every other boat to leave port in June will have a M.O. on board. Boats leaving W. France will also carry M.O.'s in accordance with orders, provided the officers asked for are appointed in time.

B-Dienst Report:
a) U-boat sightings by the enemy: GR 2530, and 5 others from the Iceland area including 3 D/c attacks (U 450). An English a/c also reported a surfaced U-boat in 36° 30' N and unknown longitude (U 594 - 409?) The a/c returned to its base owing to engine damage and because the navigator was wounded. 2 other a/c reported a D/c attack.
b) 4 enemy Gibraltar a/c were ordered at 1715 to return to their base at once, and not to attack U-boats (Probably own S/m's in the vicinity).

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

+++++++

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

Monday, 7 June 1943 - East of Brazil -

0708 - Qu.5573FS - Supply Ship in sight. Diving for Trial Dive.

0715 - A-Meter. Beginning of Trial Dive acc. B.d.U. Standing Order No.507 and No.308. 145rpm/3kn.

0751 - Boat is safe and secure at 2A-Meter.

0752 - Setting for T=20 with 96rpm.

0809 - Reception Depth. (17min. for 140m). Battery 67.2%; CO₂ 1.2%.

0818 - Surfaced after 1h 10' and 3.9nm. - Weather and Sea unchanged.

0819 - Boat ventilated. 2xSmall-Ahead.

1140 - Early Morning Dawn.

1200 - Qu.5548FS - Days Run: 110.9nm - ↗ 95.1nm (16h 50') -
↘ 15.8nm (7h 10')
Total: 5872.3 (33tg 22h) - ↗ 5620.3nm (30tg 1h 34') - ↘ 252.0nm (3tg 20h 26')
434cbm (1cbm in 24h); Battery 67.2%; At Supply Ship; 3xT-3, 2xEtoFat, 1xT-4; 9xBold; SSE6/5, clear, visibility 5.7nm, >1000mb (Weather and Sea unchanged in 6days, 20h)

1234 - Sunrise.

1335 - Supply Ship in sight, bearing 17°, E=14000.

1500 until 1750 - Second attempt supplying at the Leeward side of Supply Ship.

S u p p l y :

1.) Meeting was good (including Recognition Signal exchange).
2.) Fuel oil transfer according to plan and smoothly (76 cbm in 2.5 hours; 510 cbm/100%) Batteries charged (2h 48' for 32.8%).
3.) Provisions transfer considerably complicated and delayed because in addition to inflatable boat as cargo boat only 1 small boat from the supplier as towing boat (Launch of the motorboat and torpedo loading not tried because of the poor sea state).
4.) Signal personnel at tanker at a strength of 1:1 was sufficient but is not enough for group supply.
5.) Beyond fuel and provisions the supplier was not fitted out for supply (hardly any spare parts etc.).
6.) The kindness of the supply ship Captain to the last crew member was exemplary.
7.) Supply was great for morale of own boat and for the raider crew.
8.) Sea conditions throughout were consistently poor with high winds and swell.

Messages transferred by Supply Ship:

From B.d.U.:
a) Because of the successes reported by U 198 (IXD2; Kpt.z.S. Werner Hartmann) the following boats in the same sea area have been given freedom of action: U 181 (IXD2; KrvKpt. Wolfgang Lüth) to the E to square KQ inclusive, U 196 (IXD2; KrvKpt. Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat) to the N including U 198's attack area and U 178 (IXD2; KrvKpt. Wilhelm Dommes) in addition the same attack area as U 196. U 177 (IXD2; KrvKpt. Robert Gysae) is proceeding E and is to haul out far to the S, so that she can use Bachstelze.
b) U 450 (Oblt. Kurt Böhme) was in AK 3218 course 225, at 2000. Boat was bombed by day and the C.O. reports that she cannot be controlled much longer. So far no other boat has reported that she is proceeding to U 450's assistance, U 341, which is about 550 miles away has been detailed to do so at maximum speed. U 592 (Kptlt. Carl Borm) has also been ordered there to give medical assistance. She can reach the position at earliest in 5 days time. Towards 0500 U 669 (Oblt.d.R. Kurt Köhl) reported her position in AL 3214. She must therefore be near U 450. U 450 has again been instructed that if it is necessary to abandon ship, the crew is to stay together at all costs and if possible starshell are to be fired every hour.
c) U 202 (Kptlt. Günter Poser) last reported on 1.6. from AJ 6335. Since 2.6. she has several times been ordered to report her position and the weather, but has not replied. She must therefore be presumed lost. There are no attack or sighting reports for this area and the cause of her loss is unexplained. It is not impossible that American S/m's which were operating at this time were responsible, although our own boats had been warned of their presence.

B-Dienst Report:
a) British S.S. "Alva" (1,584 GRT) ran into the minefield laid off Halifax by U 119 (XB; Kptlt. Horst-Tessen von Kameke) and sank.
b) British Cruiser HMS Cumberland sailed from Iceland to Spitzbergen, Norway.

1800 - Casting off Supply Ship and operating on Ship Contact Report 1500/7/6, at 1500 in Qu.5743FS, course ENO, slow speed.

2239 - Qu.5575FS - Ship sighted bearing 347°, E=11000. It is ship contact report 1500/7/6. Sighted as caculated by dead reckoning. On course 58°, speed 6-7kn.

Going on parallel course ahead of the stbd.-side of the steamer. Is an English Clan Type Transport of 2359ts, draught 6.9m. Has upper deck cargo in crates and a deck gun on the stern.

2250 - Outgoing F.T.: To B.d.U.:
Message for Widder: Ship contact report 1500/7/6 sighted in Qu.5574FS center. Course 58°, speed 6-7kn. Will keep contact. Free to engage when coming into sight. - RST -

2350 - Sundown. Weather and Sea unchanged in 7 days and 8h.

RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115
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