GatorSub1942
05-03-2007, 07:18 PM
I've just had an (unsuccessful) patrol, where the action started when I picked up a radio report about a huge Japanese convoy.
The crew whiled away the hours, as our sub and the Japs grew ever closer. At around 1900 hrs, the order to come to battle-stations was given.
'General quarters, come to battle-stations!' The command echoed through the confines of our underwater steel tube and the alarm sent crew members of all ranks running to their stations.
'Periscope depth, aye aye sir!' The sub rose gradually through the murky waters of the Phillipine sea and upon raising the periscope, the crew were treated to a fantastic sight:
Four or five great big juicy freighters and several smaller cargo ships, with two or three Jap destroyers. The sub cruised, sharklike, between the lead two destroyers and once again raised the periscope. A nice large Jap freighter swam into view and the order was given:
'Open tubes 1-3!!'
'Fire One!'
'Fire Two!!'
'Fire Three!'
Scanning the horizon with the periscope, I spotted another freighter, with a smaller one behind it. The remainder of the bow tubes were fired at these two and just as the deadly torpedoes launched themselves out of the tubes like some lethal mechanical shark, there was a muffled explosion, followed by another and a third! Upon looking through the scope, I saw the large freighter on fire and badly down by the bow! Jubilant cheering erupted in the control room, only to be sternly rebuked by the watch officer. He was a man of discipline and only when the job was done would he allow the crew to vent their emotions in such a manner.
The sub sliced through the remainder of the convoy and when all torpedoes, save one had been fired, the sea was littered with damaged, burning and sinking Japanese ships.
It was then we made the fatal mistake. I decided to try to make use of the final torpedo, but being an inexperienced captain (it was my first patrol), I kept the periscope up just that bit too long and the pesky Jap search plane that had been flying around the scene must have spotted the 'scope and relayed our position to the destroyers. Too late, the resonant ping, Ping PING of the Jap sonar echoed through the claustrophobic control room.
'CRASH DIVE' the order was yelled out and the sub began its descent.
'Rig for silent running!'
'New depth: 210 feet!'
The thrumming of the DD's propellers grew louder and louder, until it was directly overhead. We waited, hardly daring to breathe, for the depth charges.
'BOOOOOOM'!!! The sub rocked as though it was being shaken by a giant hand and water began to squirt into the sub. More explosions and then a desperate cry from the engine room:
'We have flooding!' I at once gave the order to secure from silent running and sent the damage repair team to work on the buckling bulkhead in the engine room. The sub sank deeper as the flooding worsened, the only mercy being that we'd passed the thermal layer, so the Japanese hunter above lost contact with our sub. The team worked feverishly to repair the damaged hull, but as the sub slid deeper and deeper, it was clear that there was only one option:
'BLOW BALLAST!! EMERGENCY SURFACE!'
The sub gradually began to rise, but as soon as we popped up out of the thermal layer, the dreaded pinging began once again. Having used only some of our compressed air, I gave the order to maintain depth, at around 100 feet. The team seemed to have nearly fixed the bulkhead, the flooding was under control and we started to believe we might actually make it!
'KABOOOM'!!!! Another terrific shaking of the sub as the DD unleashed another, ultimately fatal attack. Water began to burst in all over the sub, the damaged engine room bulkhead was the first to give way and most of the men were unable to escape it.
In the control room, some of the men had lost control, some cowering in the corner, whimpering, some praying to God, while the desperate voice yelled:
'450 feet'
'500 feet'
'550 feet'
'600 fe... We're diving too deep!!!' In vain, I yelled for the order to blow ballast once again, but the sub was fatally wounded and my last coherent thought was of the terrifying creaking, the water gushing in, some of the men screaming to God for a last second reprieve...
If only we'd saved that last torpedo and returned to Pearl, we may have spared our families terrible anguish and grief, knowing that they'd never see us again...
The crew whiled away the hours, as our sub and the Japs grew ever closer. At around 1900 hrs, the order to come to battle-stations was given.
'General quarters, come to battle-stations!' The command echoed through the confines of our underwater steel tube and the alarm sent crew members of all ranks running to their stations.
'Periscope depth, aye aye sir!' The sub rose gradually through the murky waters of the Phillipine sea and upon raising the periscope, the crew were treated to a fantastic sight:
Four or five great big juicy freighters and several smaller cargo ships, with two or three Jap destroyers. The sub cruised, sharklike, between the lead two destroyers and once again raised the periscope. A nice large Jap freighter swam into view and the order was given:
'Open tubes 1-3!!'
'Fire One!'
'Fire Two!!'
'Fire Three!'
Scanning the horizon with the periscope, I spotted another freighter, with a smaller one behind it. The remainder of the bow tubes were fired at these two and just as the deadly torpedoes launched themselves out of the tubes like some lethal mechanical shark, there was a muffled explosion, followed by another and a third! Upon looking through the scope, I saw the large freighter on fire and badly down by the bow! Jubilant cheering erupted in the control room, only to be sternly rebuked by the watch officer. He was a man of discipline and only when the job was done would he allow the crew to vent their emotions in such a manner.
The sub sliced through the remainder of the convoy and when all torpedoes, save one had been fired, the sea was littered with damaged, burning and sinking Japanese ships.
It was then we made the fatal mistake. I decided to try to make use of the final torpedo, but being an inexperienced captain (it was my first patrol), I kept the periscope up just that bit too long and the pesky Jap search plane that had been flying around the scene must have spotted the 'scope and relayed our position to the destroyers. Too late, the resonant ping, Ping PING of the Jap sonar echoed through the claustrophobic control room.
'CRASH DIVE' the order was yelled out and the sub began its descent.
'Rig for silent running!'
'New depth: 210 feet!'
The thrumming of the DD's propellers grew louder and louder, until it was directly overhead. We waited, hardly daring to breathe, for the depth charges.
'BOOOOOOM'!!! The sub rocked as though it was being shaken by a giant hand and water began to squirt into the sub. More explosions and then a desperate cry from the engine room:
'We have flooding!' I at once gave the order to secure from silent running and sent the damage repair team to work on the buckling bulkhead in the engine room. The sub sank deeper as the flooding worsened, the only mercy being that we'd passed the thermal layer, so the Japanese hunter above lost contact with our sub. The team worked feverishly to repair the damaged hull, but as the sub slid deeper and deeper, it was clear that there was only one option:
'BLOW BALLAST!! EMERGENCY SURFACE!'
The sub gradually began to rise, but as soon as we popped up out of the thermal layer, the dreaded pinging began once again. Having used only some of our compressed air, I gave the order to maintain depth, at around 100 feet. The team seemed to have nearly fixed the bulkhead, the flooding was under control and we started to believe we might actually make it!
'KABOOOM'!!!! Another terrific shaking of the sub as the DD unleashed another, ultimately fatal attack. Water began to burst in all over the sub, the damaged engine room bulkhead was the first to give way and most of the men were unable to escape it.
In the control room, some of the men had lost control, some cowering in the corner, whimpering, some praying to God, while the desperate voice yelled:
'450 feet'
'500 feet'
'550 feet'
'600 fe... We're diving too deep!!!' In vain, I yelled for the order to blow ballast once again, but the sub was fatally wounded and my last coherent thought was of the terrifying creaking, the water gushing in, some of the men screaming to God for a last second reprieve...
If only we'd saved that last torpedo and returned to Pearl, we may have spared our families terrible anguish and grief, knowing that they'd never see us again...