bearing red o-five-o!
Propeller noises!'
'Periscope lookout to Captain: Distant mastheads bearing red o-five-o!'
'Number One to Captain: Captain on the bridge, sir!
A big ship entering the channel from the north-west!'
'Captain here. Lookout, what sort of ship? .Warship? I can't make her out from down here on the bridge.'
'In Armed merchant cruiser. A big one, Herr Oberleut' nant'
'Number One, get that periscope down with the bo'sun's chair and the look out! Quick!'
'Aye aye sir!'
'Captain to hydrophone operator: enemy's course, speed, distance?'
'Steering 120 degrees, sir, south-east by east–Sir! AMC is coming round on to a new course . . . one-one-o degrees .
. . coming round still . . . o-nine-o, steady on o-nine-o, now heading due east, across our bows . •
'Speed? Schnell, man!'
'Twelve knots – weeding up?
'She'll run herself ashore if she holds that course, Number One. Do you see her yet?'
'No, sir.'
'Damn this night sight! It's no bloody use at all!'
'I'd say she's manoeuvring for the mouth of the channel over towards Elizabeth Bay, sir. There's about four miles between us. When she picks up the ten-fathom line, I reckon she'll turn and steer right down the middle?
'And slap into us! Stand by! Action stations!'
'Aye aye sir! She's starting to come round again ... turning . . . turning . . . steady on course one-eight-o true . . increasing speed . . . fourteen knots now ..
distance?'
'Three and a half miles, sir'
51
`Captain to control room: Group down, slow ahead together, port fifteen!'
`Control room to Captain: Port fifteen it is, sir. Slow ahead together.'
`Helm steady amidships, sir!'
'Stand by to dear the bridge–what is it, Number One?' `
Shore party dinghy right astern, sir.'
`Belay that order. Stand by. Get those men aboard. Captain to control room: Stop engines! Slow astern both! Are all the men there, Number One?'
'All ours, sir. There's only one Jap though. Swakop got ashore all right.'
Get 'em aboard, quick! This is going to be a bloody difficult shot. I can't let her come too close or we'll blow ourselves up at the same time. I want the conning-tower just awash–understood? Just deep enough to be out of sight. Channel's too shallow for a submerged attack. Clear the bridge! Clear the casing!'
Àye aye, sir !'
`Captain speaking from control-room now. Conning-tower clear, Number One?'
`Conning-tower clear, sir. Hatch secured.'
'It's the Jap, sir. He's pretty upset about something. Can't 1 `
Good. Start the attack. Who's that talking? Silence!'
understand what he's saying.'
`Tell him to shut up. We're in action.'
`Very good, sir.'
Ènemy masts in sight now,'
Ùp periscope a bit more, sir?'
I
`No. Hold it. We mustn't be spotted. Their bloody radar's like magic. She's a big one, every bit of ten thousand tons. She's taking a hell of a chance in this shallow channel. What's her speed, Number One?'
'Plot reports fifteen knots-sin,'
`Stand by, torpedo tubes!'
Àll tubes ready, sir?
`Fire on HE bearings, sir?
`No. Visual. Port five. Easy now, What's her DA angle?' I
`Very fine, sir, Very tricky shot.'
'A quadruple spread should fix her. Flood tubes, open bow doors!'
Tubes flooded, bow doors open, sir!
52
'Permission to fire, sir?'
'No. Hold it. When she comes opposite the settlement, that's the best place. Slow ahead, Chief, SLOW! Don't let her go! Target's only thirteen hundred metres!'
'Fire now, sir?'
'Hold it, hold it!'
'Now, sir? Fire?'
'NOW!'
'Tube One, fire!'
'Tube Two, firer
'Rohr drei, llosss!'
'Rohr vier, Hone
'All torpedoes running, sir!'
'Coxswain, the time please!'
'Zero minus three, sir!'
'All torpedoes running, sir!'
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten! . :
'Coxswain?'
'Any moment now, sir ..
'Torpedoes running . .
'Christ, one and two have missed!'
'Hydrophone operator reports three and four still running, sir . .
'Donnenvetter! Hear that, Number One! A hit! Gut!' '
Hydrophone operator reports two torpedo explosions . . 'Got
Propeller noises!'
'Periscope lookout to Captain: Distant mastheads bearing red o-five-o!'
'Number One to Captain: Captain on the bridge, sir!
A big ship entering the channel from the north-west!'
'Captain here. Lookout, what sort of ship? .Warship? I can't make her out from down here on the bridge.'
'In Armed merchant cruiser. A big one, Herr Oberleut' nant'
'Number One, get that periscope down with the bo'sun's chair and the look out! Quick!'
'Aye aye sir!'
'Captain to hydrophone operator: enemy's course, speed, distance?'
'Steering 120 degrees, sir, south-east by east–Sir! AMC is coming round on to a new course . . . one-one-o degrees .
. . coming round still . . . o-nine-o, steady on o-nine-o, now heading due east, across our bows . •
'Speed? Schnell, man!'
'Twelve knots – weeding up?
'She'll run herself ashore if she holds that course, Number One. Do you see her yet?'
'No, sir.'
'Damn this night sight! It's no bloody use at all!'
'I'd say she's manoeuvring for the mouth of the channel over towards Elizabeth Bay, sir. There's about four miles between us. When she picks up the ten-fathom line, I reckon she'll turn and steer right down the middle?
'And slap into us! Stand by! Action stations!'
'Aye aye sir! She's starting to come round again ... turning . . . turning . . . steady on course one-eight-o true . . increasing speed . . . fourteen knots now ..
distance?'
'Three and a half miles, sir'
51
`Captain to control room: Group down, slow ahead together, port fifteen!'
`Control room to Captain: Port fifteen it is, sir. Slow ahead together.'
`Helm steady amidships, sir!'
'Stand by to dear the bridge–what is it, Number One?' `
Shore party dinghy right astern, sir.'
`Belay that order. Stand by. Get those men aboard. Captain to control room: Stop engines! Slow astern both! Are all the men there, Number One?'
'All ours, sir. There's only one Jap though. Swakop got ashore all right.'
Get 'em aboard, quick! This is going to be a bloody difficult shot. I can't let her come too close or we'll blow ourselves up at the same time. I want the conning-tower just awash–understood? Just deep enough to be out of sight. Channel's too shallow for a submerged attack. Clear the bridge! Clear the casing!'
Àye aye, sir !'
`Captain speaking from control-room now. Conning-tower clear, Number One?'
`Conning-tower clear, sir. Hatch secured.'
'It's the Jap, sir. He's pretty upset about something. Can't 1 `
Good. Start the attack. Who's that talking? Silence!'
understand what he's saying.'
`Tell him to shut up. We're in action.'
`Very good, sir.'
Ènemy masts in sight now,'
Ùp periscope a bit more, sir?'
I
`No. Hold it. We mustn't be spotted. Their bloody radar's like magic. She's a big one, every bit of ten thousand tons. She's taking a hell of a chance in this shallow channel. What's her speed, Number One?'
'Plot reports fifteen knots-sin,'
`Stand by, torpedo tubes!'
Àll tubes ready, sir?
`Fire on HE bearings, sir?
`No. Visual. Port five. Easy now, What's her DA angle?' I
`Very fine, sir, Very tricky shot.'
'A quadruple spread should fix her. Flood tubes, open bow doors!'
Tubes flooded, bow doors open, sir!
52
'Permission to fire, sir?'
'No. Hold it. When she comes opposite the settlement, that's the best place. Slow ahead, Chief, SLOW! Don't let her go! Target's only thirteen hundred metres!'
'Fire now, sir?'
'Hold it, hold it!'
'Now, sir? Fire?'
'NOW!'
'Tube One, fire!'
'Tube Two, firer
'Rohr drei, llosss!'
'Rohr vier, Hone
'All torpedoes running, sir!'
'Coxswain, the time please!'
'Zero minus three, sir!'
'All torpedoes running, sir!'
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten! . :
'Coxswain?'
'Any moment now, sir ..
'Torpedoes running . .
'Christ, one and two have missed!'
'Hydrophone operator reports three and four still running, sir . .
'Donnenvetter! Hear that, Number One! A hit! Gut!' '
Hydrophone operator reports two torpedo explosions . . 'Got
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