A dive for a hydrophone check means I can post a pic of the control room featuring the FM New Interior mod. As well as moving the default control room viewpoint, it adds numerous boxes of food around the boat and hangs rows of sausages from the roof, as seem here. By linking the quantity to fuel state, the stored food visibly reduces as the patrol progresses. There is now also a seat for the helmsman adjacent to the hydroplane operators, and a helmsman occupying it while submerged.



The mod also adds a detailed engine room amongst other compartments (no stern torpedo room yet).



We spend the day cruising in a search pattern in the Western Approaches.



The hours pass by...



...and I'm beginning to wonder if the traffic has dried up...or been diverted away from us. Daylight ends without any further contacts...



...but as midnight approaches, there's a report of shipping to our south-east. By now, we're down to under 50% of our fuel reserves, so it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere near our original patrol area, not at this stage. Knowing that, I'm happy to plot a dog-leg interception course, which is neither particularly clever nor fuel-efficient, but it works nearly every time.



The bridge watch stare into the darkness as we make our move.



Conditions are still at the mill pond end of the scale, so are fine for another attack with the deck gun.



However, the target is another small steamer who's closing at an angle. I can't see if she's armed, so rather than find out the risky way, I submerge...



...to complete the pursuit underwater.



There she is, lined up in the attack periscope! She's making seven knots so will soon be where I want her.



Time to start shooting!



At this range I can hardly mission, and the eel isn't a dud. The wake visible in the foreground is from my periscope.



By this time, I've established that the steamer isn't armed. I could have surfaced and used the deck gun after all. But I'm using up my fuel so I reckon that might as well use up my torpedoes, too. I surface nevertheless so that if necessary, I can finish her with gunfire, rather than using a second eel.



But that won't be required.



A good night's work! I've been reporting every sinking to BdU, so they know that I'm not where they sent me, but I'm getting only congratulations in response. I can live with that!

...to be continued!