Quote:
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)
Wednesday, 12 May 1943 - East of the Azores
0302 - Qu.5355CF - Course 208°.
0610 - Early Morning Dawn.
0731 - Qu.5613CF - Course 180°.
0732 - Sunrise. Weather and Sea unchanged in 16h.
0735 - Alarm for Training: T=10 after 40sec. (heavy swell).
0737 - A-Meter, 98rpm.
0750 - T=50. Commencing of Torpedo Maintenance.
0807 - Tube III (AtoFat) pulled. - Watch Change -
0847 - Tube III serviced and loaded.
- Step 1 of Op.-Order completed -
0938 - Tube IV (T-3) maintenance completed.
1029 - Tube II (T-3) maintenance completed.
1120 - Tube I (T-3) maintenance completed.
1154 - Tube V (EtoFat) pulled and serviced.
1200 - Qu.5616CF - Days Run: 163.1nm - ↗ 151.4nm (19h 35') - ↘ 11.7nm (4h 25')
Total: 1496.6nm (7tg 22h) - ↗ 1443.3nm (7tg 2h 45') - ↘ 53.3nm (19h 15')
491cbm (1cbm in 24h); Course 180°; T=50; Battery 90%; Compressed Air 290Atü; CO₂ = 1.7%.
Note: Possible salvo shots with 3 torpedoes are: I-II-III and II-III-IV.
1223 - Tube V loaded and maintenance completed. CO₂-Warning at 1.7%. - Lunch Break until 1300. -
1351 - Tube VI (T-4 "Falke") maintenance completed.
1400 - Commencing of Trial Dive acc. Standing B.d.U.-Order No.507 & No.308; 145rpm.
1441 - Boat is safe and secure at 2A-Meter.
1445 - Setting for T=20.
1502 - At Reception Depth.
1505 - S-Tiefe. Note: Compressed Air 260 Atü, i.e., it took 30 Atü to ascend from 2A-Meter to S-Tiefe. CO₂ = 2.1%.
1507 - Incoming F.T.: From U 89:
Attacked by aircraft and escort. Sinking. - Lohmann -
1509 - Incoming F.T.: From U 456:
Attacked by aircraft and escort. Sinking. - Teichert -
Cmdr.: For details, refer to the below B-Dienst Report.
1510 - Surfaced after 3h 10min. and 9.0nm since Etmal (Total: 7h 35min. and 20.7nm).
1516 - Boat ventilated and Compressed Air Supply filled.
1520 - Charging batteries (83%): Stbd.Diesel, Charging/496RPM; Port.-Diesel, Propulsion/285RPM/8kn.
1652 - Batteries charged: 1h 32min. for 17%. 225RPM/8kn.
1826 - Qu.5673CF - Course 227°.
1748 - F.T. from U 186:
Wabo and surface attack from destroyer. Sinking. - Hesemann -
2141 - Sundown. S7/6, clear, visibility 6.5nm, >1000mb.
2303 – Incoming Radio Reports:
From O.K.W.:
a) Japanese troops crossed the Yangtze River near Baiyang, Hunan Province, China and attacked Chinese positions on the opposite shore.
b) 105 survivors of the "San Marco" Italian Naval Infantry Regiment, were evacuated from La Galite Island by motored torpedo boats.
From B.d.U.:
a) U 178 (IXD2; KrvKpt. Wilhelm Dommes) has been allocated KY 60, 90 and KZ 40 and 70 as attack area. Focal point off Port Elizabeth.
b) U 528 (Oblt. Georg von Rabenau) did not report, despite repeated challenges. U 558 (Kptlt. Günther Krech), who had been detailed to render assistance; heard about 40 detonations (bombs) between 1220 and 1330 on 11.5. It must be assumed that U 528 was attacked a second time by planes and destroyed. Loss is probable.
B-Dienst-Report:
a) Just 17 months after the first conceptual meeting for an acoustic homing torpedo, the Mark 24 FIDO aerial torpedo had its first operational victory when a Liberator bomber of RAF Coastal Command’s 86 Squadron caught German submarine U-456 (Kptlt. Max-Martin Teichert) on the surface in the mid-Atlantic, while operating on convoy HX.237. As the submarine dove, the bomber dropped one Mark 24 torpedo that guided itself to the submerged submarine and exploded, causing major damage. Later that same day when U-456 was forced to dive deep to avoid a depth charge attack by destroyer HMS Opportune, the previous damage proved too great and the submarine sank with all 49 hands.
b) An enemy submarine situation report received on 11.5. gave several of our patrols or supply groups in the North Atlantic, and it is becoming increasingly clear, that the enemy has excellent radar gear capable of picking up the submarines without their knowing it. In the case of these known dispositions not enough radio messages were sent to provide the enemy with sufficient material for his deductions.
c) Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier USS Card (CVE-11) arrived in New York Harbor, anchoring off Tompkinsville, Staten Island.
RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115 |
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)
Thursday,
13 May 1943 - East of the Azores
0310 - Qu.5855CF -
0630 - Early Morning Dawn.
0749 - Sunrise. Weather and Sea unchanged in 10h.
0819 - Qu.5877CF Center - "ALARM!" for Flying Boat, only medium speed. Was initially sighted at 0818 in 100°true, E=8800, on course NW. Turned towards the boat in 60°true and E=5800.
0822 - At A-Meter 1 Wabo and at 0823 another 2 Wabos - no damages.
Suspect the same airplane that was sighted on 11 May, at 1828, in Qu.6155CF.
0917 - At Reception Depth.
0919 - Surfaced after 1h and 2.8nm.
0920 - Boat ventilated.
0925 - Compressed Air Supply filled.
1032 - Qu.8133CF bottom left - FuMB-Detection (also, Magic Eye) and shortly after a Flying Boat sighted in 280°true, E=12000. Boat remains surfaced.
This seems to be again the same airplane as sighted at 0819h and on 11 May.
1107 - Qu.8135CF top right - FuMB-Detection in 330°true, E=15000 (no Magic Eye).
1108 - Diving for Flying Boat identified as Sunderland, in 335°true, E=10600, on course SE.
1110 - At Reception Depth no bombs.
1138 - Surfaced after 30min. and 1.5nm.
1139 - Boat ventilated.
1200 - Qu.8135CF -
Days Run: 162.0nm - ↗ 148.7nm (19h 20') - ↘ 13.3nm (4h 40')
Total: 1658.6nm (8d 22h) - ↗ 1592.0nm (7d 22h 05') - ↘ 66.6nm (23h 55')
489cbm (2cbm in 24h); Course 227°; Battery 96%; Weather and Sea unchanged in 14h.
Note: Possible salvo shots with 3 torpedoes are: I-II-III and II-III-IV.
1550 - Qu.8155CF –
1736 - Qu.8157CF bottom left - FuMB-Detection in 145°true, E=14300 (also, Magic Eye). Shortly afterwards, appears "our" Sunderland again in 145°true, on course 306°, E=10900.
1737 - Diving for Sunderland. At T=20 no bombs.
1817 - Surfaced after 40min. and 1.9nm.
1818 - Qu.8173CF - Boat ventilated. Shortly after surfacing, the boat is attacked by the Sunderland from 250°true, is already very close. The airplane must have been equally surprised to see us, as we them, because the 3-4 Wabos fall wide to port. Sunderland flies off on course SE, machine gun fire from the tail turret. Boat remains surfaced.
Boat sustained 2% hull damage; total of 4% for this patrol (230m x 96% => 220.8m)
Cmdr.:
This sea area is certainly highly patrolled by air - usually an indicator for high value shipping traffic.
2155 - Sundown. Weather and Sea unchanged in 24h.
2304 –
Incoming Radio Reports:
From O.K.W.:
a) At 1100, the Axis Forces in Tunisia, accepted the terms of unconditional surrender. Besides 130,000 German and 120,000 Italian troops, General von Arnim and 25 further Axis Generals have been taken prisoner of war.
b) The Royal Navy has begun with the bombardment of Pantelleria.
c) 26 B-24s of USAAF 44th Bomb Group launched from Benina Airfield in Libya at 0400 hours. 20 of them reached their target, the Wiener Neustadt Air Frame Works.
From O.K.M.:
a) Italian torpedo boats stationed at Yalta, Ukraine, conducted their last sortie from this base.
From B.d.U.:
a) U 180 (IXD1; Fregkpt. Werner Musenberg) Situation report: From 4-7 May stalked E-W traffic off Durban but found nothing. No traffic in KP 39 either. Destroyer and corvette in KP 9123, course 220°. Probably shot down a Handley Page on 12.5. in KZ 4155. Coastwise traffic off Cape St. Lucia according to bearings obtained.
b) U 217 (VIID; Kptlt. Kurt Reichenbach-Klinke) reported that she had carried out minelaying task. Mines were laid in AM 8926 and 28.
c) U 218 (VIID; Kptlt. Richard Becker) met Milkcow U 461 (Kptlt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler) to get medical attention for a sick man with a broken leg, who was subsequently transferred to U 461.
RST
KorvKpt.& Cmdr. U 115