General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
Posted by:
JAYRSEE
()
Date: November 28, 2001 07:50PM
<HTML>To those of you who may have the answer:-
I will venture a question with respect to an experience my ship went through in the summer of '44, subsequent to the Normandy Invasion.
Around the middle of the middle watch of a moonless night, we were one of a group of Canadian Frigates (Hunter/Killers) doing A/S sweeps at the southwest end of the English Channel, closer to the French coast. Our RADAR operator reported a distant surface contact of a small object, too remote to identify. As time passed we closed the contact at a comparatively rapid rate but RADAR repeated an inability to define it.
The O/W eventually rang Action Stations, but before our gun crews had closed up, prepared to engage, the object had closed our position. I stepped out of my Huff Duff shack, located immediately below and abaft the bridge, on the port side, to see what was going on. The unidentified object "putt putted" its way down our port side as clean as a whistle, and was that close to the side of our ship that I could virtually have spit on the schnorkel. The after oerlikons got off a few rounds at the thing, but we lost contact with the sub as it carried on into our wake. Our Old Man was fit to be tied, but he didn't throw the O/W over the side for not ringing action stations sooner, but ce le vie!
It appeared at the time that had we not been on exact opposite courses that we would have collided with some portion of the schnorkel apparatus or the periscope housing. Our ship drew 14'4" at the bow and we were on an even keel, on a steady course.
Another Canadian ship had encountered a similar such a situation off the Irish coast and inflicted considerable damage on the sub, and some to the surface vessel itself.
I wondered at the time why the hydrophone operator on the sub had failed to detect the presence of our approaching vessel. Is it possible that the reverbrations of the engine exhaust through the schnorkel had caused a dead spot 'dead ahead' or maybe the guy had dozed off.
Would amyone care to comment or speculate as to how we managed to avoid some form of collision?
Yours Aye,
J.R.C.</HTML>
I will venture a question with respect to an experience my ship went through in the summer of '44, subsequent to the Normandy Invasion.
Around the middle of the middle watch of a moonless night, we were one of a group of Canadian Frigates (Hunter/Killers) doing A/S sweeps at the southwest end of the English Channel, closer to the French coast. Our RADAR operator reported a distant surface contact of a small object, too remote to identify. As time passed we closed the contact at a comparatively rapid rate but RADAR repeated an inability to define it.
The O/W eventually rang Action Stations, but before our gun crews had closed up, prepared to engage, the object had closed our position. I stepped out of my Huff Duff shack, located immediately below and abaft the bridge, on the port side, to see what was going on. The unidentified object "putt putted" its way down our port side as clean as a whistle, and was that close to the side of our ship that I could virtually have spit on the schnorkel. The after oerlikons got off a few rounds at the thing, but we lost contact with the sub as it carried on into our wake. Our Old Man was fit to be tied, but he didn't throw the O/W over the side for not ringing action stations sooner, but ce le vie!
It appeared at the time that had we not been on exact opposite courses that we would have collided with some portion of the schnorkel apparatus or the periscope housing. Our ship drew 14'4" at the bow and we were on an even keel, on a steady course.
Another Canadian ship had encountered a similar such a situation off the Irish coast and inflicted considerable damage on the sub, and some to the surface vessel itself.
I wondered at the time why the hydrophone operator on the sub had failed to detect the presence of our approaching vessel. Is it possible that the reverbrations of the engine exhaust through the schnorkel had caused a dead spot 'dead ahead' or maybe the guy had dozed off.
Would amyone care to comment or speculate as to how we managed to avoid some form of collision?
Yours Aye,
J.R.C.</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
|
JAYRSEE | 11/28/2001 07:50PM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
|
Rainer Bruns | 11/28/2001 08:27PM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
|
John Griffiths | 11/28/2001 08:44PM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
|
oliver | 11/28/2001 09:40PM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
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joe brandt | 11/29/2001 12:23AM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
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Terry Andrews | 11/30/2001 08:24AM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
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JAYRSEE | 12/01/2001 05:55PM |
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Re: Close Encounters of the U-Boat Kind
|
JAYRSEE | 12/01/2001 05:55PM |