Time to check how many eels we have left. The answer is, one for each of the four forward tubes, and a reserve under the forward casing, reloading which will be impossible in other than calm conditions in daylight. For the stern tube, there's one torpedo 'up the spout', a spare stored internally, and another under the rear casing. All in all, enough to wreak significant further mayhem. Fuel is plentiful so we can continue to hunt.



It's not long before we run into the second steamer - the one that was coming up behind our earlier victim.



In fact, in the murky conditions, he's actually sweeping past us before he's spotted. The bridge watch have been caught napping!



A surface torpedo attack is clearly the only option now. From the bridge, I'm soon tracking the steamer in the UZO.



The target is close but zig-zagging. I try to time the shot right and the eel races away, stopwatch counting down the seconds until the estimated time of impact, shown by the red hand.



Got him! A bit earlier than expected - he may have turned into the torpedo.



This one goes down quickly...



...and we race away into the darkness.



That was easy, despite the fact that he nearly ran us down! The lookouts will need to do a better job, next time, poor conditions or not.

...to be continued!

Right, let's try another zig-zag search pattern, this time a short way to the west, the remaining legs back east, towards home. This will be the last one, I decide. I'm not a big believer in pushing my luck.



Just as I'm nearing the end of the last eastwardly leg with darkness falling again, there it is - another contact!



A relatively short dog-leg brings me onto a reciprocal course. Two hours later, there she is, off the port bow.



She's far enough away for me to get below without being spotted.



The unsuspecting steamer is fine off the starboard bow at under 400 metres when I decide it's time to shoot.



Got her!



Question is, will she go down or am I going to have to fire off another one of my dwindling stock of torpedoes?

...to be continued!

The merchantman staggers along, gradually losing way with her rear deck cargo burning.



There she goes!



The stern dips rapidly under, putting out the fire, but the vessel is clearly doomed.



Once again, there's nothing left by the time we're back on the surface.



Let's have a look at the tally. Eight small steamers, total just over 17,000 tons.



Easily the most successful patrol so far! I'm already beginning to think fondly of the welcoming party back at Brest, with eight pennants proudly flying and the band playing on the quayside.

...to be continued!

Great stuff, as usual, 33Lima!

I may have to scratch that SH3 itch again myself.

Thanks BuckeyeBob! Been away from SH3 a long time myself and I'm really enjoying it - more so than first time around, in fact!

The weather shows no signs of improving as U-100 ploughs on through the darkness, pitching and rolling, lashed by the relentless waves.



This has now become a significant problem. Not only can I not man deck guns, I can't reload my empty tubes using the last two spare torpedoes, which are located externally under the deck casing and need fair weather, time and a lot of heaving and hauling to lower into the torpedo rooms, using dismountable external brackets.



The officer on bridge watch is sensibly attired, at any rate.



Time to plot another course! Again I go for another zig-zag search pattern, to the west first then back east. I've already checked with the navigation officer and we have more than enough fuel left.



By early next morning, we have two contact reports to choose from - one to the south-east, and another to the north. I plot a course to intercept the latter, as it's closer.



It's only after daybreak that I realise I'm a bit off in my plotting, since my final leg is slightly offset from my target's reported track. Not by much, though.



We rattle steadily onwards, but here's nothing to be seen but empty horizons.



Poor navigation on my part? Inaccurate reporting of the contact? Or a change of course on her part? Whatever the reason, this one has got away!



...to be continued!

I plot another zig-zag course, back to the west, ignoring the old, fading contacts (one green, denoting a neutral vessel) and a distant one to the north.



That evening, another contact is reported, not far to the south. You'll do!



An interception dog-leg is soon plotted, this time more carefully...



...and some hours later, there she is, fine off the port bow and coming our way.



We don't seem to have been spotted, so this should be another good opportunity for a submerged attack. Down we go!



...to be continued!

I quickly pick up the target in the attack periscope. It's yet another small steamer, sailing independently. she's making a steady course and clearly has no notion that we're coming to get her.



After tracking her continuously for a while, I let fly with Tube 3 as the range comes below 800 meters.



Torpedo treffe!



She's on fire astern almost at once...



...and is quickly slipping below the waves, stern first.



We come to the surface to watch her end, but she's gone by the time we get there.



Considering we haven't met a convoy, this patrol is going rather well!

...to be continued!

I'm soon in pursuit of a fresh contact, a short distance to the west.



Another single steamer is soon in view off the port bow.



'Periscope depth!' Down we go, the control room watch intent on their work. The hydroplane operators should really be using the twin buttons above the centre of the back-up wheels they're using, but it's a small detail.



I turn to port and set up an attack with Tube 4.



Torpedo...los!



The second had on the stopwatch passes the calculated time of impact...nothing! Instead, the torpedo explodes well short of the target.



As the weather doesn't allow reloading the external reserve torpedos, that leaves the stern tube. Hopefully the boys back there will be glad of the action!

...to be continued!

The steamer is doing 6 knots and we're making just 8 submerged, so it takes a while to get to the point the stern tune can engage.



But it's another miss! This time, the torpedo explodes beyond the target! Perhaps it's run under her keel, as she's pitching considerably in the stormy seas.



My last hope is the internally-stored reserve torpedo for the stern tube. By this time, I've got a lot of tired crewmen, so to ensure the reload can take place, I get the tired seamen into the accommodation areas and mame sure the stern torpedo room is fully crewed. The bow compartment is no use to me now and I leave it empty.



I see it'll take 11 minutes to reload. The turn away to bring the stern tube to bear cost me distance so I decide I'll have to come to the surface to catch this one. I can't run the electric motors at maximum revolutions without quickly draining the batteries.



So up we go, and start running down my intended victim.



Let them spot us and start zig-zagging; we'll just catch them more quickly!



There's not much for the bridge watch to do in the meantime.



This will be my last attempt, so it had better be a good one this time!

...to be continued!

Exciting stuff!

Thanks Rick!

The range to the steamer winds down steadily. My plan is to turn to port to bring the stern tube to bear when I'm roughly abeam of her.



The steamer is by now definitely zig-zagging - and she nearly catches me out!



Having turned hard to port away from her, she's so close that I actually have to wait for the range to open out a little before firing. Which I do from under 400 metres.



Ka-boom!



I turn to starboard again, while the steamer is now on fire astern. Question is, will she go down? I've used my last internal reserve eel and it's too rough to man the deck gun, so this was my last throw of the dice.



...to be continued!

There's the confirmation. There's no way I'm going to be able to use the two external reserve tubes, unless the wind dies down and we find ourselves sailing suddenly in a mill pond.



Meanwhile, the steamer ambles on, burning and slightly down by the stern, but quite unwilling to slip below the waves.



I even try to man the 2 cm flak gun, thinking that being up on the wintergarten, it might be usable in the stormy conditions. But no luck there.



I hang around for a while, in the hope the situation will improve.



Which it does - for the steamer. Seems the crew has been able to put out the fire. A plucky lot, on a lucky ship.



I plot a course for home. There's no point pottering about in the Atlantic in these conditions, effectively disarmed, happy though the hunting grounds have been.



Conditions are little or no better when daylight arrives. I won't even be able to load my last two torpedoes for self-defence.



Now, I just need to make it back to Brest!

...to be continued!

As it happens, the trip back home is uneventful and conditions are more settled as the wintry French landscape comes into view.



The bridge watch are taking no chances with the weather, though. It's still very murky as Brest's harbour lights come into view.



We begin the passage between the protective mole and the port itself. Safe at last!



The quayside band plays, the bridge watch relax and we slip back into our berth. A final check confirms we were never close to being short of fuel. But there was no point using it up, cruising around in the open ocean looking for trouble, while hoping the conditions would mellow and enable the last two eels to be loaded.



Anyhow, that's the best tally so far - eight ships sunk, no less, from ten days at sea!



The icing on the cake is that I'm awarded the EK1 and have some awards and promotions to hand out to my trusty crew.



Mister Churchill will be very cross! As for U-100, she's well on the way to making a name for herself - hopefully she and her crew will last longer that the real boat!