(Story) Happy Time

Bosje · 04-13-13, 04:53 AM

He detected the first grey hair in his stubby beard this morning. Only 30 years old and already turning grey. And bald. Well, maybe it would make him look wise and knowledgeable.

Oberleutnant zur See and Commander of U-46. It sounded impressive. At least to the girls of negotiable affection if to no-one else.

January 8th 1940, the North Sea is calm and U-46 makes her way slowly but steadily north by northwest. Around Great Britain, then all the way around Ireland and then to their patrol area in the Atlantic. Western Approaches. Convoy country. At least a week before they are there, and that's in ideal circumstances.

January 10th, Peter decodes the radio messages which keep the officers up to date. A taskforce is racing straight towards the English East Coast, looks like the target is Newcastle. he wonders what their intentions are, but it looks like an exciting raid. He smiles at the thought of a handful of modern surface vessels, speeding across the waves, all the daring and bravado of the old Prussian school of warfare. How unlike the cunning and unchivalrous nature of unrestricted submarine warfare.
Another U-boat is reporting in, close by, a comrade operating North of Scapa Flow.

Their latest instructions, issued through a highly coded radio message: U-boats in English waters are to attack unobtrusively and submerged to preserve the illusion of mine hits.

Yeah.
Bernd Bauer rubs the stubble on his chin. It's all about the tonnage and he is rapidly making a name for himself as a gross consumer of tonnage.

Bosje · 04-13-13, 05:55 AM

January 12th, storm, diving drills, boat is holding fine at 180 meters.

January 15th, weather clears up, Ireland is now some 200 km to behind them to the east.
A week has passed and boredom sets in. It's their fifth patrol so they are used to it by now. Being bored all day while keeping a sharp lookout. So much for the glory of war, if there ever was any.

Bosje · 04-13-13, 07:34 AM

January 17th, 8:00, the urgency is visible on Peter's face as he waves the sheet of paper in his hand, contact report, fast moving lone freighter inbound, just 30 km from their position! If she's moving fast then she must be valuable enough to hunt down. U-46 turns east and as her diesels are powering up to make full speed, the crew is getting into gear. Everyone can feel it, with the course change and the increase in speed, adrenaline is being fired up all across the slender boat.

They dive at 9:15 as the sun is coming up against a very eye-pleasing pink-blue horizon in front of them. Before closing the hatch, Commander Bauer looks around and behind them it's still night. The wonders of the open ocean. Anyway, they dive to listen for any hydrophone contacts. There are none, minutes later the boat is again speeding east on the surface, in pursuit of the runner.

Bosje · 04-13-13, 07:52 AM

He plans to do another hydrophone check at 10:00 but at 9:45 a shout from the sailor standing to his right on the crowded bridge. Ship spotted! Big basterd at 60 degrees. His arm points to a patch of horizon just right of the sun which has just cleared the horizon. He squints against the light as he tries to keep the sunrays out of his zeiss special binoculars. There it is, a huge big bastard indeed. Definately a tanker, big smokestack on the back. Possibly a converted whale factory ship. Fat target. He tries to judge the light conditions and, more importantly, the light conditions as they will be in an hour's time. The tanker is still ahead of them, it's going to be quite a hunt, but worth the effort for what looks to be over 10.000 tons. They start taking estimates of her range, speed and course.

13 knots, 15 km, east by northeast. She is going steady on the very edge of their visibility. Which means they get to spend the rest of the day outflanking her to get into attack position. That's fine.

11:30, they are now ahead of the huge tanker. Slowly but steadily getting into position for attack. Bauer had his eyes glued to the tanker when the same young lookout to his right shouts it out: Another ship on the horizon! Another big bastard, too!
Commander Bauer cannot believe his luck when he gets the second ship in his sights. He recognises the profile immediately. Large merchant 10.000 tons. Heading almost on a collision course. Also on the edge of visibility. A few minutes later they worked it out. 10 or 11 knots, they plot its course so they can intercept it after dealing with the big tanker. It also means commander Bauer is getting in a hurry to do so, before the other big prize gets out of range. They stumbled right onto this month's path for fastrunning loners, it seems. He grins in his stubby beard.

Sailor Steve · 04-13-13, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bosje

girls of negotiable affection

There is nothing like a good euphemism, and that's the best I've heard in a good long while.

Oh, liking the story too.

Bosje · 04-13-13, 09:35 AM

thanks,
but credit for the eufemism has to go to Terry Pratchett

Bosje · 04-13-13, 09:49 AM

At 13:10 they are in position. Not as close as he would have liked but they would need another hour to get so far ahead that they could close in under the surface. So as it is, they launch 2 torpedoes from 2500 meters. Electric torpedoes, which don't have a visible wake. Both slam into the tanker, he witnesses the great columns of water and debris, one after another, with his eye pressed to the ocular of the attack periscope.

The tanker steams on as though nothing happened. Being the damned big bastards that they are, they are used to having their hull full of liquid.

Normally, they would shadow the tanker for several hours before taking any rash actions, but he is in a hurry this time. Surface the boat and engage the target with gunfire. His order causes a frown on the face of his 1.WO. But what about the orders to preserve the illusion of mine hits?

Two mines out here in the middle of the Atlantic? Colliding with the tanker within 10 seconds? Come now. And every minute the other big prize gets further and further away. Might as well add the illusion of freak exploding 88mm hailstones plunging from the skies

The boys are doing a lot better with the deckgun than on previous patrols. Also because their target is bloody huge. After 10 shells the tanker is on fire and bits and pieces are flying off it all across the great hull, which is now bathed in thick black smoke. That will do, as they turn around to speed off in the opposite direction they watch as the tanker gives up, its tail already dips beneath the waves and they put her in the log for an estimated 12000 tons.

Again the sun is right in front of them, but this time it's a sunset which treats them to a pretty scenery. At 1900 hours they re-acquire the other target. Or at least they spot a large merchant, 10000 tons, heading west at 10 knots. It has to be the same one. They spent most of the day running on the surface at full speed. The Chief Engineer is in a sour mood but that's only because he can't keep his mind off the fuel which is guzzled away into the diesels. It will all be worth is, the commander comforts him.

Bosje · 04-13-13, 12:37 PM

20:40 and they are ready to attack, using the cover of darkness they sneaked ahead and now they are looking at the merchant's profile as it passes by 1200 meters ahead of them. Fire tube 4, it's a perfect shot, 85 degree angle on the bow. Target speed is well known after hours and hours of chasing and overtaking it. 9 knots is all she is making.

Boom! A big column rises up exactly at her forward mast, which is where the commander aimed the shot. Most U-boat captains like to aim at the engine rooms but he has a preference for watching his targets bury themselves as they dip their noses in the waves ever deeper and deeper due to flooded forward compartments. They go to periscope depth, just in case, after the shot.

At 22:00 they surface, put a few more shells into the limping and listing merchant to add to the flooding and then they watch her slowly sink.

22.000 tons in the log, it's still january 17th and they haven't even reached their patrol area yet. 11 torpedoes still remain, quitly, menacing, there is something eery and eager about them.

Then they get the contact report. Big convoy, inbound, moving slow, 10 hours to intercept if they hurry. The LI looks grim when Commander Bauer draws the picture on the charts.

CaptBones · 04-13-13, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

There is nothing like a good euphemism, and that's the best I've heard in a good long while.

Oh, liking the story too.

Luv these stories too...but that euphemsim knocked me off the chair and onto the floor laughing...brought back a lot of memories (some maybe even printable!) of cruises in WPAC, the MED, the IO, UNITAS, RIMPAC, STANAG, etc., etc.

Thanks Bosje...good work.

04-13-13, 04:53 AM	#1
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	(Story) Happy Time He detected the first grey hair in his stubby beard this morning. Only 30 years old and already turning grey. And bald. Well, maybe it would make him look wise and knowledgeable. Oberleutnant zur See and Commander of U-46. It sounded impressive. At least to the girls of negotiable affection if to no-one else. January 8th 1940, the North Sea is calm and U-46 makes her way slowly but steadily north by northwest. Around Great Britain, then all the way around Ireland and then to their patrol area in the Atlantic. Western Approaches. Convoy country. At least a week before they are there, and that's in ideal circumstances. January 10th, Peter decodes the radio messages which keep the officers up to date. A taskforce is racing straight towards the English East Coast, looks like the target is Newcastle. he wonders what their intentions are, but it looks like an exciting raid. He smiles at the thought of a handful of modern surface vessels, speeding across the waves, all the daring and bravado of the old Prussian school of warfare. How unlike the cunning and unchivalrous nature of unrestricted submarine warfare. Another U-boat is reporting in, close by, a comrade operating North of Scapa Flow. Their latest instructions, issued through a highly coded radio message: U-boats in English waters are to attack unobtrusively and submerged to preserve the illusion of mine hits. Yeah. Bernd Bauer rubs the stubble on his chin. It's all about the tonnage and he is rapidly making a name for himself as a gross consumer of tonnage. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!

04-13-13, 05:55 AM	#2
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	routine January 12th, storm, diving drills, boat is holding fine at 180 meters. January 15th, weather clears up, Ireland is now some 200 km to behind them to the east. A week has passed and boredom sets in. It's their fifth patrol so they are used to it by now. Being bored all day while keeping a sharp lookout. So much for the glory of war, if there ever was any. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!

04-13-13, 07:34 AM	#3
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	Schnelle Einzelfahrer (for those who watched Das Boot in German) January 17th, 8:00, the urgency is visible on Peter's face as he waves the sheet of paper in his hand, contact report, fast moving lone freighter inbound, just 30 km from their position! If she's moving fast then she must be valuable enough to hunt down. U-46 turns east and as her diesels are powering up to make full speed, the crew is getting into gear. Everyone can feel it, with the course change and the increase in speed, adrenaline is being fired up all across the slender boat. They dive at 9:15 as the sun is coming up against a very eye-pleasing pink-blue horizon in front of them. Before closing the hatch, Commander Bauer looks around and behind them it's still night. The wonders of the open ocean. Anyway, they dive to listen for any hydrophone contacts. There are none, minutes later the boat is again speeding east on the surface, in pursuit of the runner. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!

04-13-13, 07:52 AM	#4
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	hunting big game He plans to do another hydrophone check at 10:00 but at 9:45 a shout from the sailor standing to his right on the crowded bridge. Ship spotted! Big basterd at 60 degrees. His arm points to a patch of horizon just right of the sun which has just cleared the horizon. He squints against the light as he tries to keep the sunrays out of his zeiss special binoculars. There it is, a huge big bastard indeed. Definately a tanker, big smokestack on the back. Possibly a converted whale factory ship. Fat target. He tries to judge the light conditions and, more importantly, the light conditions as they will be in an hour's time. The tanker is still ahead of them, it's going to be quite a hunt, but worth the effort for what looks to be over 10.000 tons. They start taking estimates of her range, speed and course. 13 knots, 15 km, east by northeast. She is going steady on the very edge of their visibility. Which means they get to spend the rest of the day outflanking her to get into attack position. That's fine. 11:30, they are now ahead of the huge tanker. Slowly but steadily getting into position for attack. Bauer had his eyes glued to the tanker when the same young lookout to his right shouts it out: Another ship on the horizon! Another big bastard, too! Commander Bauer cannot believe his luck when he gets the second ship in his sights. He recognises the profile immediately. Large merchant 10.000 tons. Heading almost on a collision course. Also on the edge of visibility. A few minutes later they worked it out. 10 or 11 knots, they plot its course so they can intercept it after dealing with the big tanker. It also means commander Bauer is getting in a hurry to do so, before the other big prize gets out of range. They stumbled right onto this month's path for fastrunning loners, it seems. He grins in his stubby beard. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen! Last edited by Bosje; 04-13-13 at 08:07 AM.

04-13-13, 09:35 AM	#6
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	thanks, but credit for the eufemism has to go to Terry Pratchett __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!

04-13-13, 09:49 AM	#7
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	The illusion of freak mines against all odds At 13:10 they are in position. Not as close as he would have liked but they would need another hour to get so far ahead that they could close in under the surface. So as it is, they launch 2 torpedoes from 2500 meters. Electric torpedoes, which don't have a visible wake. Both slam into the tanker, he witnesses the great columns of water and debris, one after another, with his eye pressed to the ocular of the attack periscope. The tanker steams on as though nothing happened. Being the damned big bastards that they are, they are used to having their hull full of liquid. Normally, they would shadow the tanker for several hours before taking any rash actions, but he is in a hurry this time. Surface the boat and engage the target with gunfire. His order causes a frown on the face of his 1.WO. But what about the orders to preserve the illusion of mine hits? Two mines out here in the middle of the Atlantic? Colliding with the tanker within 10 seconds? Come now. And every minute the other big prize gets further and further away. Might as well add the illusion of freak exploding 88mm hailstones plunging from the skies The boys are doing a lot better with the deckgun than on previous patrols. Also because their target is bloody huge. After 10 shells the tanker is on fire and bits and pieces are flying off it all across the great hull, which is now bathed in thick black smoke. That will do, as they turn around to speed off in the opposite direction they watch as the tanker gives up, its tail already dips beneath the waves and they put her in the log for an estimated 12000 tons. Again the sun is right in front of them, but this time it's a sunset which treats them to a pretty scenery. At 1900 hours they re-acquire the other target. Or at least they spot a large merchant, 10000 tons, heading west at 10 knots. It has to be the same one. They spent most of the day running on the surface at full speed. The Chief Engineer is in a sour mood but that's only because he can't keep his mind off the fuel which is guzzled away into the diesels. It will all be worth is, the commander comforts him. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!

04-13-13, 12:37 PM	#8
Bosje Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 732 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 0	20:40 and they are ready to attack, using the cover of darkness they sneaked ahead and now they are looking at the merchant's profile as it passes by 1200 meters ahead of them. Fire tube 4, it's a perfect shot, 85 degree angle on the bow. Target speed is well known after hours and hours of chasing and overtaking it. 9 knots is all she is making. Boom! A big column rises up exactly at her forward mast, which is where the commander aimed the shot. Most U-boat captains like to aim at the engine rooms but he has a preference for watching his targets bury themselves as they dip their noses in the waves ever deeper and deeper due to flooded forward compartments. They go to periscope depth, just in case, after the shot. At 22:00 they surface, put a few more shells into the limping and listing merchant to add to the flooding and then they watch her slowly sink. 22.000 tons in the log, it's still january 17th and they haven't even reached their patrol area yet. 11 torpedoes still remain, quitly, menacing, there is something eery and eager about them. Then they get the contact report. Big convoy, inbound, moving slow, 10 hours to intercept if they hurry. The LI looks grim when Commander Bauer draws the picture on the charts. __________________ And when an 800-ton Uboat has you by the tits... you listen!