U48 - Type VIIb - 1st patrol - part 4
December 19, 1939 Grid AN55
1948 U48 just reached this area and is now diving.
Sea conditions are not that bad but visibility is really poor, so I plan to dive quite often to do a sonar check and see if we can pick up what could be our last target of the patrol.
No contacts since we sank that steamer but for a group of three torpedo boats patrolling.
2224 Sonar reports a warship coming our way...let's see if it's alone or escorting something.
2302 Seems like we have a Trawler-Torpedo boat team or at least they sound like that...cannot see them even if they are not that far...will change course to east to put some distance between us as they are coming almost straight to us...
2321 the warship duo is passing right in front of us, about 2000 meters away...ASW trawler barely visible...torpedo boat not spotted. We have a new sound contact...SE of our position, faint but growing louder...seems like a merchant is coming our way...will move east to get away from these warships then surface and dash toward our target.
December 20, 1939 Grid AN55
0022 Sonar has been following this merchant for a while and it seems to be on a NNW course...visibility is still quite poor but it's coming straight for us...should see it pop out of the fog quite soon
0036 Here it comes...ship is emerging from the fog about 2500 meters away...and seems like a big one...a large merchant?
0040 It's a British large merchant moving 7 knots...U48 is now moving at full speed to get into firing position..we will attack from starboard and shot our last two eels...weather doesn't allow for a deck gun attack...we still have all our shells I believe.
0044 Opening tubes...we are really close...let's adjust spread to 6 degrees...fire!....both eels away and running....Impact!...and again!..nice spread, got her in the bow and just ahead of the propellers...small fire on the bow deck...time to wait...
0122 Large merchant is now very slow, perhaps two knots, listing to starboard and low on the water...fire is not visible but she is smoking quite a lot...
0156 Secondary explosion on her stern deck! That started a new big fire! A small fire is visible on her bow again...looking good...
0232 Target is dead on the water, very low, heavily listing to starboard and burning...but still afloat...if only weather was better...
0252 At last! With a final firework display she surrendered to the sea...for a moment I feared she would stay there burning forever. Surfacing and starting our way back home.
December 23, 1939 Kiel
0219 U48 is now docking at Kiel. On our way back weather was quite awful and rainy.
we met a couple of neutrals and nothing more.
Our first patrol from this base went well but for the weather...never had a chance to use deck gun, really.
Still, we managed to sink 9 ships and that's not bad, really.
Also, we made it back here just in time for Christmas...crew will be happy about it.
I look forward to having dinner at Nightclub and hear the later gossips...but hopefully some important info too.
Patrol results:
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 9
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonnage: 37767 tons
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