Chapter 287: The North Atlantic

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On the surface of the turbulent sea, a small object cut through the waves. This metal tube moved slowly on the sea surface, exuding an air o

On the surface of the turbulent sea, a small object cut through the waves. This metal tube moved slowly on the sea surface, exuding an air of strangeness and danger.

A few meters underwater, the surging feeling of the surface seemed to be lost. Although it was still swaying here, it seemed much calmer.

A huge submarine was sailing silently here, pushing aside schools of fish. The light and shadow cast down from the surface were reflected on its hull, making it look mottled and weathered.

Its bow was still as sharp as a knife, but its body was even larger. This submarine incorporated Germany’s most advanced submarine technology and was the mainstay of the German Navy’s submarine force, as well as the world’s top underwater killer.

It was equipped with diesel engine snorkel technology, which was not yet widely equipped in the rest of the world. It could charge the entire submarine at periscope depth and maintain a high speed at this depth. Of course, it also had a wider hull, carried more fuel and supplies, and could travel to more distant places to ambush its prey.

In the periscope, the round field of view with its engraved degree markings was the tool for judging distance and speed. Although primitive, it was fairly accurate. And at this very moment, a German submarine captain was staring at his prey not far away, a huge prey.

“Maintain course! Slow to standby!” he commanded loudly, his face pressed against the periscope. “Enemy ship! This is a British merchant ship! It’s flying the British flag! It can be sunk… Bow torpedo tubes 1 and 2, prepare to flood! Prepare to fire!”

Inside the submarine, apart from the captain’s commands, everyone was waiting quietly. They were like sharks waiting for an opportunity, fierce and intelligent, unafraid of hardship, and yet more calm and composed.

“Aim for the target!” The captain’s eyes were still pressed to the sight, focused on his target. When he felt the time was right, he gave the order.

“Torpedoes ready!” the torpedo operator replied.

“Bow torpedo tubes number 1 and 2, prepare!” the captain continued.

“Torpedoes 1 and 2!” the torpedo operator echoed.

“Fire!” the captain shouted his attack command.

“Fire!” The torpedo operator pressed the electric button to fire the torpedoes.

“Thump!” Everyone inside the boat heard the sound of the submarine firing its torpedoes. With a sudden shudder from the submarine and the muffled noise of the machinery, two torpedoes, trailing bubbles, shot out from the front of the U-boat U-211, leaving their unique wakes on the surface of the sea as they sped toward their target.

Unlike Prien’s attack on stationary, moored warships, attacking an opponent with torpedo weapons in actual combat was a trivial matter that could keep commanders busy for a while. Contrary to common belief, attacking a moving surface target from a moving platform like a submarine with torpedoes was a very difficult and complicated job.

This required courage and patience, as well as synchronized joint operations and some shooting techniques and talents that some U-boat commanders were born with and others never possessed. And most of the time, the submarine officers and men completed a powerful torpedo attack through cooperation.

When a lookout on watch saw a ship on the distant horizon through a special, extra-large pair of binoculars, he would immediately notify the other officers and soldiers. If the captain decided to attack this prey that had entered his range, they would immediately begin to deal with many problems, such as whether this ship was a friend or an enemy, a warship or a cargo ship, and what its draft was.

Submarine officers would learn to distinguish the silhouettes of these ships. They would carry a detailed manual with them, which was the product of the hard work of the spies from the Wehrmacht’s intelligence agency. The manual contained detailed records and markings of the silhouettes of enemy ships from the broadside, 45-degree, and 60-degree bow angles. After comparison, they could know a lot of detailed information about the other party.

Then came the further judgment of the speed and direction of the distant ship, and under the constantly changing distance and bearing, the calculation of how to attack the ship. The adjustment of position sometimes took several hours—a direct shot, like Prien’s method, was the simplest, but this situation was actually the least common in combat.

This simple attack mode of aiming at the bow of the target, then firing the torpedoes, the torpedoes reaching the target, exploding with a “boom,” and then the target sinking to the bottom of the sea, was almost impossible to occur in a real combat engagement.

What often happened was that the submarine would attack from a perpendicular direction, or fire torpedoes while sailing in the opposite direction. So the most common situation everyone encountered was to fire the torpedoes at a specific angle and then, relying on experience, to have the torpedoes hit the target, or rather, to have the target hit the torpedoes.

The firing angle could be calculated very accurately and quickly, because there was a device on the submarine that was similar to a computer. This device was called the torpedo data computer in the submarine. This mechanical computer stored information such as the submarine’s position and speed, the captain’s estimated speed and distance of the target ship, and its course. Then this machine would immediately calculate an angle based on these parameters and display it on a scale.

If the data were adjusted on the fly, then this calculator would also change the corresponding angle answer, very accurately and quickly. This result was immediately sent to the torpedo room. Based on this, the operators would adjust the corresponding data on the torpedo’s gyroscope and set the torpedo’s firing angle.

After this setting was completed, once the torpedo was fired, it would first travel in a straight line for a distance of less than ten yards, then turn at the special angle set by the gyroscope, and then adjust to a straight line again to charge toward the target. If the captain, the calculator, and the crew’s operations were accurate, and everyone had completed their respective tasks without any problems, then this torpedo would hit its target and completely destroy the distant ship.

This captain had already estimated the target’s parameters, the calculator had also accurately calculated the angle, and the torpedoes had all been adjusted. So there was no possibility of this attack failing. Soon, a huge explosion was heard in the distance, and the sonarman told the captain the sound he had heard. “Sir! Our torpedoes have hit the target!”

After scanning the surroundings for a week with his periscope and finding no other ships, the captain finally nodded and gave his next order. “Submarine, surface! Let’s go and see what kind of ship was sunk!”

“Surface! Watch your heading! Steady! Steady!” the first mate repeated the order in detail on the side.

Just two minutes later, the submarine broke through the surface of the water, revealing its slender form. The hatch was opened, and a shower of residual seawater fell down, hitting the cap on the head of the man below and splashing a cold spray.

The German captain took off his cap, shook the seawater from it, and then put it back on his head. He then shook out his leather greatcoat and raised his binoculars to admire his handiwork. And the several soldiers behind him let out a cheer of victory.

In the distance, a British transport ship was spewing thick smoke, the entire ship was slowly sinking. From the deck of the German submarine, the huge and conspicuous cloud of smoke could be seen with the naked eye. However, what was seen through the binoculars was even more spectacular. The British crew were frantically jumping ship. It seemed they also knew their ship was beyond saving.

Several Englishmen were frantically lowering the ship’s lifeboats. Some were waiting anxiously on the side. And their transport ship, due to the inrush and pressure of the seawater, seemed to be breaking in the middle. The great fire was spreading on the deck, like a living hell.

“Ready the camera! Start taking pictures!” the captain said, lowering his binoculars and then speaking to his first mate and two other officers. “Bring the submarine closer. Grab a live one and ask what kind of cargo this ship was transporting. Make a detailed record. Don’t be lazy! Be quick!”

“You few, load the Bofors anti-aircraft gun behind the conning tower!” the first mate immediately nodded and then began to help the captain issue orders. He shouted down the open hatch at his feet, “Bring the rifles up! We’re going to take a prisoner!”

Soon, the submarine had reached the position of the sinking ship. More than twenty British sailors in life jackets were floating in the water. They looked in terror at the German submarine passing by them, the enemies on board pointing their rifles at them.

“Who is your leader?” a German sailor asked in broken English. All the British in the water subconsciously looked at an elderly gentleman.

“No offense, we just want to ask, what was your ship transporting?” the German soldier continued to ask.

“Steel. That’s why it’s sinking so fast,” the British captain, with a gun pointed at him, said without the slightest hesitation. “Steel purchased from America, and some aluminum ingots. Don’t shoot. I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Thank you,” the German officer leaning against the conning tower said in relatively authentic English, and then ordered the submarine to leave.

“Sir, are we not going to carry out the necessary rescue of the sailors of this sunken ship, according to the laws of the nation? To do so is a blatant violation of international treaties and will be used by the Americans and the British to make a big fuss,” an officer asked with a frown, looking at the British sailors who were floating on the undulating sea, getting farther and farther away.

“Son, the war has already begun! We don’t have time for mercy, and we don’t have time to give alms, understand?” the captain said with a sigh. “Go down! We will begin to dive in three minutes.”

He couldn’t be blamed for being so careful. This was an important British shipping lane. At peak times, there were hundreds of merchant ships passing through. On such a thoroughfare, with countless ships passing by, of course, one could not just surface casually. If they were spotted by a destroyer, then it would be all over. But if they were spotted by those merchant ships, then the cooked duck would have flown away, which would be enough to make everyone depressed for a while.