Hilfskreuzer Schiff 44 (HSK-16) “Afrika”

[CPTLTJASON]

1.3.1940 Barents Sea 72°52’N, 25°51’E 30th day at sea

Schiff 19 continues to hunt for shipping. The day after sinking the tanker and freighter on the bridge Oblt.z.S Wessel and Mtr.O.Gfr Richter sighted a smoke column on the starboard bow. Kapitan.z.S Hartmann ordered the ship steered towards the sighting and soon 3 small coastal freighters were sighted. At a range of 2200m, set war flag, and decamouflage fore battery, and fire a warning shot on leading vessel with the 7.5cm cannon. Hoisted signals to stop and do not use wireless. All vessels comply and 3 search commandos simultaneously go aboard the ships. (Picket Boat Nr. III L.z.S Schmidt, Picket Boat Nr. I L.z.S Neumann, and Picket Boat Nr. V L.z.S Fischer). All three were found to be carrying contraband and were sunk with demolition charges The demolition commando (Oblt.z.S Wolff Picket Boat Nr. IV) completed the work just after noon and by 13:00 hrs. all three ships went to the bottom.

All three coastal freighters were enroute from Narvik to Grimsby, England. 66 crew were taken aboard including a Royal Norwegian Navy officer Lieutenant Bjorn Hansen after hours of interrogation he gives no details or reasonable explanation for him being aboard the coastal freighter. Kapitan.z.S Hartmann suspects that these vessels are in fact spy ships enroute to German ports to spy on naval and merchant sailings. Some of the crew stated that a large tanker and another British vessel were overdue at Narvik by a week as no other surface raiders or submarines are operating in this area and therefore no further sinkings have occurred we presume that it’s the PINEDALE and the NORTON.

The Seekriegslietung informs of the sailing of Schiff 16. Due to the sailing of the Hilfskreuzer we will have to delay our entry into the North Atlantic so Kapitan.z.S Hartmann now plans to operate as far as the Kara Sea. For this she will venture north towards the Spitzbergen to change her disguise from Norwegian Freighter to Soviet auxiliary ship.

Ships sunk:
BUD 981 grt
GOLMA 1,110 grt
BRANA 880 grt
Total sunk: 22,269 grt

[CPTLTJASON]

8.3.1940 Barents Sea 76°10’N, 23°36’E, 37th day at sea

Since the last report no sinkings have occurred. Kapitan.z.S Hartmann decided to make for the sea area between Spitsbergen and Hopen Island where he will change the disguise of the raider to that of a Soviet Naval Auxiliary ship then sail as far east as the Kara Sea and even into the Laptev Sea. During the voyage to the sea area the ship was battered by heavy seas. On the afternoon of 4.March Schiff 19 stopped to launch her Arado Ar 196 aircraft on a reconnaissance flight, unlike her pervious reconnaissance flights this time she was launched fully armed. Her orders were to conduct a reconnaissance of Hopen Island and her surroundings. The pilot and observer were instructed to report any sightings. In the meantime, Schiff 19 would continue on its present course and heading. At around 19:19 a VHF transmission was received by the aircraft “steamer and radio station destroyed, have taken damage am off Kapp Thor” At once the radio officer was summoned to the bridge. No distress signals to report was the radio officer’s report to the Kommandant. It was an unexpected but welcomed success. Later the B-Dienst reported that the steamer sunk was the Norwegian motorship DALHOLEN 7,170 grt NKGT this vessel was apparently tasked with supplying the radio station. Schiff 19 arrived off Kapp Thor where she took aboard the aircraft which was damaged by splinters and had small shell holes in her fuel tank and floats. Schiff 19 arrived at her hiding place early on 5.March she anchored in position 76°45’N, 25°0’E from the 6th to the 8th the camouflage was changed from the Norwegian freighter ‘BATAVIA” to the Soviet Auxiliary ship “KOSMONOV” 7,200 grt SVKO homeport Murmansk.
Paint and camouflage of the ship:
1. Soviet nationality markings
2. Smokestack and masts lowered, smokestack insignia
3. Forwards bulwark lengthened
4. Superstructure white
5. Bridge and signal deck brown
6. Soviet naval flag hoisted on the signal deck.

With her new disguise complete and seaplane operational Schiff 19 resumes her war cruise at 04:00 hrs. course 097°, speed 12 knots, 1 engine.

[CPTLTJASON]

27.3.1940 Barents Sea 75°34’N, 46°23’E 56th day at sea

Schiff 19 continues the hunt for merchant shipping with no success. The Kara Sea according to the Meteorological office is still frozen solid with ice and therefore unpassable until May. Kapitan.z.S Hartmann decided to abandon the plan to enter the Kara and Laptev Seas and return to operate between Narvik and Bear Island till the end of the month so far only 4 Soviet ships have been sighted as the majority of traffic passes close to the coasts where Hartmann does not want to take the raider for fear of meeting a Soviet warship.

Operation Weserübung is scheduled to begin soon on 9.April which Kapitan.z.S Hartmann plans to be well clear of the area. However, the S.K.L. has other plans under operations order Gkdos 1139/40 V 1.2.10 Anlage II to the Operations Orders of Schiff 19 the raider is to conduct a raid on independent merchant shipping in the Norwegian Sea a dangerous task which Hartmann is not enthusiastic about, as fellow Hilfskreuzers are beginning to set sail and above all the presence of naval units of both sides are feverishly operating in the area.

Nevertheless, Hartmann plans to operate in the area, minelaying operations are also being planned on the east coast of England as most of the ports are being protected only by small escort boats and trawlers on Anti-submarine patrols as British naval forces gather in Scapa Flow to counter the German invasion of Norway. Hartmann plans to breakthrough into the North Atlantic by the beginning of May.