For U-33's fourth war patrol, we make an early-morning departure from our usual berth at Wilhelmshaven. The Obersteurmann plots a course out to our assigned patrol area, Marine Quadrat AL30, WNW of Rockall Banks.
Daylight finds us making good time as we cross the North Sea in fine and settled conditions, unmolested by enemy aircraft.
On the morning of 6th January, NE of the Shetlands, we receive a report of enemy shipping that's close enough to intercept.
U-33 turns and races for the enemy, diesels pounding.
There she is, off the starboard bow! to the naked eye, just a smudge of smoke on the horizon.
Through the binos, I can see that he's a merchantman of some description. He's coming nearly straight for us, so we slow down and let him come to us.
Once we're close enough to make the run-in submerged, but still far enough away to avoid being spotted - I hope! - down we go to periscope depth.
We end up off the target's starboard bow. She's a smallish passenger/cargo steamer. I wait a few seconds longer to let the angle of impact become less acute.
From close to the minimum recommended range of 300 metres, we let fly - and score a hit!
The steamer begins to slow down, but isn't in any hurry to sink. This puts us on a collision course!
I crash dive and just about manage to scape beneath him. The wake rocks our boat but there's no damage.
Up we come, off the unarmed ship's port bow. The sea conditions don't look too rough but infuriatingly, they are just bad enough to prevent us from using the deck gun to finish her off.
We turn away...
... and let fly with the stern tube.
This looks to be running straight and true...
...but nothing happens!
So we turn around for another shot from the bow tubes.
I shoot from just 450 metres, with a low gyro angle and a close to perfect angle, near perpendicular on the bow.
This time, the torpedo explodes short!
I get off another eel as the ship crosses our bows.
U-33 increases speed to get back into position for another shot.
Once abeam of the ship, we turn to starboard and line him up for a shot from close range. As I usually do these days, I've reduced the running depth to 3 metres, so that a defective magnetic pistol will not result in the eel passing harmlessly underneath the target.
I don't use the 'event camera' in SH3 but resort instead to an underwater view of the target so as to see what happens this time. Which looks to be a certain hit.
The fuse works as advertised, this time...
...leaving the stricken ship's hull with a huge hole amidships.
He loses way as I slow down and come up abeam of him.
The damage is not surviveable and shortly after this picture was taken, the target slipped beneath the waves.
I waste no time in submerging so we can begin reloading our five empty torpedo tubes, which can't be done on the surface in the current sea state. Only two hits from three shots - not good.
After reloading is finished and hydrophone checks reveal no further contacts, we come back up and resume our run, out into the open Atlantic.
I order our success reported to BdU. Not even 2,000 GRT, but they all count! It's just a pity it took five eels to get him!
The early afternoon of 18th January 1940 sees U-33 ploughing through heavy seas in Marine Quadrat AM01, west of the Hebrides.
Visibility has been very poor, but when it improves slightly, a look-out spots a ship off our starboard beam. It's a small tanker, sailing independently.
U-33 comes about onto an interception course.
I've left submerging rather late but even in the fairly heavy seas, we're spotted. The ship begins evasive action and turns on a searchlight. I've located a mod which disables these on all but A/S vessels and will try it on my next patrol, as I don't think this tactic is realistic.
Down we go to periscope depth.
Shooting from close range, we get a hit with our first eel...
...then come to the surface to await developments.
Our victim is on fire, stopped and wallowing in the heavy swell.
We slowly motor around her. I'm not going to waste a torpedo if she's going to sink eventually. At the same time, I don't want to sail off and leave her afloat.
Only when it's clear that she's going down by the stern does U-33 resume her patrol.
We report our success to BdU...
...and then submerge so we can reload in calmer conditions. We still have eight eels and adequate fuel, so we're not done yet!
The day after our success, we have to crash dive when an aircraft is sighted to starboard.
It’s a Walrus amphibian. No bombs follow us, so it seems that we weren’t dectected.
We stay down for half an hour, running at low revolutions while the hydrophone operator listens for any shipping - with no result.
Back on the surface...
...the hunt continues.
In the early afternoon of 22 January 1939, the vigilance of the bridge watch is rewarded when they spot another ship.
It’s a nondescript steamer, making an estimated 9 knots. To digress, one thing about mods: they do add some wonderfully varied, detailed and textured ship models to stock SH3, really bringing the seas to life. At any rate, we’re in a reasonable starting position from this potential target, off her bows.
U-33 increases speed and alters course to intercept. The heavy swell won’t permit use of the deck guns so this is going to be another submerged torpedo attack!
I make the mistake of steering too directly towards her. I should have got well ahead of her before submerging. Instead, when I judge it’s time to dive to avoid being spotted...
...I leave myself having to make quite a long approach under water, running the e-motors hard. Still, I reckon we’ll make it.
To my surprise, the hydrophone operator’s reports indicate we’re no longer closing with the ship. Are his reports accurate? Has she altered course away from us? Or have I just miscalculated the approach?
Concluding that I probably won’t now catch her submerged, up we come again. I’m now relying on the target not being armed, so that we can attack on the surface. If she starts shooting, I’ll hope to have closed the range just enough while topside, to be able to resume a submerged attack run.
We’re soon spotted and the target starts weaving, but not shooting. In reality, she should have turned away and showed us her stern, while calling for help. This would have forced us either to try a difficult shot from astern once in range, or to make a long, wide circuit to hook around her, in an effort to submerge unseen ahead and lie in wait. But on she comes, slowly zig-zagging.
Running on the diesels again, I have no difficulty in closing with her.
At one point, the steamer alters her mean course towards us, as if trying to ram. I deal with this by turning away to starboard then back to port, towards her. This manoeuvre brings us onto her beam at under 750 meters. Time to get busy! I line her up in the UZO. For some reason, her speed has dropped away to an estimated 3 knots.
I take no chances and let fly with two eels, both set to run a metre shallower than default. They're both atos - as the steam/compressed-air-powered G7a types were known, as opposed to the electric-powered G7e etos - so their wakes are clearly visible as they race towards the nearly-stopped target.
…quickly followed by the second one. The explosion is particularly violent and the ship seems to convulse in the water. Ship's boats are thrown into the air like children's toys.
I order U-33 turned hard to starboard to avoid running into her...
...and then we slow down. The steamer’s on fire in several places and settling steadily in the water.
Within seconds, she’s visibly down by the bows, still blazing furiously.
Within minutes, there’s nothing left but a patch of white water. Even that is soon gone. We report our success.
Six torpedoes are now left, along with enough fuel to continue cruising for another few days. So we resume the hunt, following a deep, roughly north-south zig-zag pattern between Rockall and the Hebrides. Once again, the intention is to catch traffic that’s funnelling into or out from the North Channel bound to or from Liverpool, Belfast or Bristol. Without getting so close to enemy shores that aircraft are too much of a danger…I hope.
Privately, I’m annoyed at not getting at least an Iron Cross second class after my last patrol and I dearly want a few thousand more tons to my name, before we return. Although bringing my boat and crew safely back home remain the top priority.
The 26th January finds U-33 still sweeping the Atlantic east of Rockall Bank at economical cruising speed. The sea state is still too rough to bring in the two reload torpedoes stowed under the deck casing, so for the time being, we’re left with three eels in the front tubes, plus one in the rear tube with one internal reload.
Close to midnight, we change course to intercept a ship reported nearby. I’m not quite sure who’s supposed to be reporting contacts like this – it’s long after dark so unlikely to be recce aircraft in this case. There are settings and mods which do things like grey out the contact marker to disguise its nationality or remove the ‘pony tail’ directional indicator, which make life a bit harder but I’m not using these at the moment. I don’t much mind the realism of getting reports of convoys, but single ships seem much less likely to be spotted and reported in this fashion, although I have read of cases where a boat reported a single ship which it was unable to attack, believing another U-boat was in the vicinity.
Regardless, we’re soon in hot pursuit. As usual, I don’t try to calculate a direct interception point; instead, I motor to a point sufficiently far ahead of its estimated track then turn back towards it on a reciprocal course.
The problem is the weather. Not only is it dark, but the rain is lashing down. Visibility is nil. Nothing at all can be seen from the bridge.
So as we get closer, I start submerging for hydrophone checks.
It’s not long before we can hear a steamer off out port bow.
Tracking him for a while, I try to estimate an interception course from how his relative bearing changes. But each time we come up, we can see nothing. Even when it appears from the hydrophones that he’s crossing our bows at what must be close range.
Up and down we go, trying to catch him. I can’t chase him submerged all the time; he’s too fast.
In the end, looking through the UZO, I suddenly see the broken, hazy reflection of steamer almost directly ahead. If SH3’s water wasn’t a bit too reflective in other than calm conditions, I would have missed him all together. I can barely hold him in the UZO, but he’s very close and I try two eels at his starboard quarter. Despite a shallow depth setting, both fail to hit. After coming up more on his beam, I let fly with my last available front tube at minimum range.
This time, it's a hit!
Fortunately for us, one is enough. The steamer, blazing furiously from stem to stern, loses way and settles in the water.
We report the sinking from BdU and go on our way.
We now have a torpedo in the stern tube, one reload for it inside the pressure hull and another outside, plus an external reload for the front tubes.
I decide to proceed with my search pattern in the hope the weather will settle enough for us to bring in the two external reloads, before the fuel state compels us to return to Wilhelmshaven. The weather has prevented us from using our deck gun to sink or finish off the unarmed vessels we’ve encountered, and probably contributed to our high failure rate with the torpedoes. Now, I need it do to me a favour!
So our patrol continues. For a while, the seas are rougher...
..then conditions settle.
I wait till dusk, then order the flak gun manned while we start bringing in the two external torpedo reloads, hopefully now safe from molestation from the air. Unfortunately, when flak or deck guns are manned in SH3, the bridge watch is reduced to just the watch officer, which is nuts. But I haven't found a mod which changes this behaviour.
It's just after 0200 on the last day of January 1940 when we respond to another report of a ship to our south-east.
We race after it through the night and make contact as it's getting light again. Our target is a small steamer.
I get well ahead of her on the surface, while keeping far enough away not to risk being spotted.
Then we submerge...
...and creep towards her from just off her bows.
The hydrophone operator keeps me posted on her bearing...
...while the control room watch, maintaining the depths and courses ordered, are quiet but tense.
When the range has come down to 550 metres, I'm still a bit further from the ideal perpendicular attack angle on her bows. I let fly with my last forward torpedo.
The answer, this time, is no - though badly holed, she won't go down with a single strike. At least not quickly.
We surface nearby the unarmed ship and are promptly illuminated by her searchlights. they wouldn't bother if they were sinking, so another attack will be necessary.
The sea state is too rough for the deck gun, so we'll have to use our stern torpedo tube.
When we're ahead of her port beam, down we go. I'm hoping that if I stalk her long enough, she'll stop evasive action. She's now going so slowly that I'll be able to keep up when submerged.
I end up firing from a rather acute angle...
...and get no result.
After loading my last eel into the stern tube, I try again, this time from nearer the perpendicular. I'm sufficiently curious about the result to use the external ship camera view of the target from below the surface. My torpedo comes in low, and when directly uder the ship, just seems suddenly to stop, then fall to the bottom of the sea. Weird! Anyway, it's another dud!
I come back to the surface. My options are now (i) hang around in the faint hope the steamer will eventually sink, risking an air attack (ii) shadow her in the hope conditions improve enough to render the deck gun usable or (iii) go home. I decide to return to Wilhelmshaven.
Conditions do improve for a while, but by then, we're half-way across the North Sea.
Meanwhile, back at port, all is at peace, apart from the background noise.
Entering the Jade estuary, we're picked up by a minesweeper escort...
...which turns back as we approach the harbour itself.
The off watch crew dresses the deck as we come in past the still-incomplete Tirpitz...
...then make the turns to starboard for the run-in to our berth.
Concentrating on my approach, I forget to raise the attack periscope and unfurl the victory pennants. Never mind, U-33 is a working frontboot, not a show-boat.
A short application of reverse brings our boat to a halt right in front of the welcoming committee on the quayside. Might as well give the boys a good view of the female contingent.
So we ended up with four ships sunk, just over 10,000 GRT.
I've earned a U-boat badge, but still no medal! I also get some similar awards for the crew, which I quickly distribute - I believe this enhances crewmember effectiveness.
My personnel file is updated by SH3 Commander...
...which also provides a bit more detail on the results of U-33's fourth patrol.
Room for improvement; but still, it's a respectable showing, considering the difficulties we've faced. At any rate, we've survived till February 1940!