Chapter 26: Expanding the Spoils of War

  "Angle!"

  “358！”

  "Angle!"

  “003！”

  "Target confirmed, Target 1 - bearing 358, distance 1200! Target 2 - bearing 003, distance 1400! All bow torpedoes ready for launch, set depth to 2 meters! Engines started, proceed at one-third speed! Submarine turning left by 2 degrees!"

  Helson's eyes never left the periscope as he issued a series of commands. In an era without radar and sonar on submarines, he was the only one who could see what was happening on the surface, and everyone else had to place their complete trust in him and execute his orders faithfully and unconditionally.

  Zhang Hainuo stood beside the command platform, that is, next to He Sen. Among the crew members, he seemed to be the most idle one. He didn't go to the torpedo room which was closest to his profession. Firstly, the space there was small and he was afraid of getting in the way of the torpedo team. Secondly, when it came to torpedoes, especially submarine torpedoes, he could only be considered a newcomer, so on-site guidance was unnecessary.

  "Torpedo 1 launched! Torpedo 2 launched!"

  Every time he gave the order to launch a torpedo, Hessen would erupt in a frenzy, as if the louder his voice was, the more likely the torpedo was to hit its target. Immediately afterwards, he issued another command:

  "Submarine turn right 5 degrees!"

  This time, only 39 seconds after the launch of two torpedoes, a huge explosion came from not far away. Needless to say, it must have hit the target, but when the second explosion did not come as expected, the crew couldn't help but feel some disappointment.

  Then after about 50 seconds, Heson ordered the launch of No. 3 and No. 4 torpedoes, then without waiting for the result, he slammed shut the handle on the periscope.

  "Dive! Dive! Take her down!"

  Dive down to the seabed?

  Zhang Hainuo didn't learn this tactic from his instructors at the naval academy, but he had read about it in some articles and movies that described World War II. After all, large-scale submarine warfare had only just begun a little over two years ago, and many examples, tactics, and experiences hadn't been summarized and compiled into textbooks yet. Just because something isn't in a textbook doesn't mean it's wrong - many things are applied first and then written down!

  At 0:56, two consecutive explosions came from the sea surface.

  2 minutes 40 seconds, the submarine safely touched bottom at a depth of 39 meters underwater.

  "Torpedo room, load the spare torpedoes quickly! Everyone else, stand by and minimize all activities!" Hessen glanced at his watch, "It's now 21:23, we still have to stay here for several hours!"

  Although the battery can only supply the submarine to run underwater for about 1 hour, the air inside the boat can maintain at least 27 crew members underwater for at least 6 hours. If the spare oxygen generator on the boat is used, this time can be extended by one to two hours.

  Zhang Haino calculated that from the time they launched a torpedo at the cargo ship and dived, to now, 2 hours and 40 minutes had passed. This meant that U21 could stay submerged until after midnight before surfacing again. Of course, Hersing could also order the submarine to turn around and head back while it was still dark, but the uncertain situation with anti-submarine nets and minefields in the vicinity of their route, as well as the remaining British destroyers, would be a huge threat.

  This time, because everyone was silent, Zhang Hainuo deeply felt the length of time. The surface of the sea seemed to have been quiet for a while, but soon the humming sound of the engine and propeller came again. Sometimes it could be clearly felt that the British warship was just above their heads. Large and small explosions continued almost non-stop in the next two hours or so. Some were cannon fire - Hesen said that after being attacked by submarines, the British first used the hydrophones on the ship, a very primitive listening device. If they couldn't find the submarine, they would randomly bombard the water surface, seemingly intimidating the underwater submarine, and also seeming to boost their own morale and vent their anger. But some explosions were caused by another type of weapon that posed a greater threat to submarines. Hesen said those things that looked like sea mines would explode after reaching a certain depth. Zhang Hainuo thought, wasn't that just an early form of deep-water bomb? But without instruments like sonar that could clearly locate the position of the submarine, using deep-water bombs was probably mostly futile!

  The sound of the explosion gradually moved further and further away, and about two hours later, it seemed that the British had had enough and were tired. The sea surface was calm once again. Hessen told Zhang Hainuo that British warships usually wouldn't linger around for too long, after rescuing those who had fallen into the water and attacking suspicious targets, they would return with a clear conscience.

  Zhang Hainuo knew that it was a typical bureaucratic mentality, the British Navy had often made such seemingly foolish and ridiculous mistakes even in World War I and II, but from his current standpoint, it was a good thing!

  At 0:20, after surfacing to periscope depth and carefully observing the surroundings through the periscope, Hessen finally felt at ease and let the submarine surface. After being submerged for nearly 6 hours, when Zhang Haino emerged from the hatch again, the fresh sea breeze made him feel that fresh air was also something to be longed for.

  At this time, the sea surface was calm, and only the sound of the sea breeze and the waves hitting the boat could be heard outside. On the sea surface, various floating objects could be seen everywhere, such as wooden blocks, wooden boxes or barrels, jars, clothes, and oil, in short, almost everything that can float independently on a ship was here.

  Hersing stood on the conning tower, carefully directing the turning of the wheelhouse. During this time, the submarine did not start its diesel engines but instead used its batteries to drive it forward, producing much less noise. By the time the battery power was exhausted, U-21 had already covered a distance of about 7 or 8 nautical miles from the scene, and only then did the two diesel engines roar to life.

  "Hainuo, you stay here and watch for a while, I'll go down first! Report back if anything happens!"

  Although it was an order, Hesen said it in a tone of negotiation, which made Zhang Hainuo feel very comfortable.

  "Alright, Roderick, get some rest, I'll take care of these young ones!"

  Hesen had nothing to say and left.

  For Zhang Hainuo, the first time on a boat, the first victory, the first smooth withdrawal and this first proxy captain all came so quickly, life's journey seemed to suddenly become smoother. He leaned in front of the loudspeaker, cleared his throat, and said:

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Heino von Finkenstein, and from now on, I'm taking over the entire ship!"

  "Aye, aye, from the great hero of Sedlitz!" The petty officers on watch in each compartment responded with enthusiasm, and Hessen, who had returned to his cabin, also heard the voice through his own earpiece. He smiled, shaking his head, then opened up his thick navigation logbook.

  The sea surface was empty under the night sky, and U21 sailed alone on this vast sea like a solitary fish. 7 torpedoes were launched, confirming that one cargo ship and one destroyer were sunk, one destroyer was hit, and one destroyer was estimated to be hit. The results are not very impressive, but they are already quite good. Now there are only 3 torpedoes left on the boat, and there is still a certain distance from Hesen's planned target, which also means that U21 will continue to wander in the Mediterranean for some time.

  Zhang Hainuo thought for a while and still felt that Hersen's decision to let the submarine sink to the bottom was a very wise choice - it was absolutely unimaginable for the British!

  But he still had one thing that he couldn't figure out: without detailed sea charts of Malta, especially the depth of the seafloor, how did Hersing know that the water wouldn't be deeper than the maximum diving depth of the submarine?

  After thinking for a long time without any result, Zhang Hainuo had no choice but to continue standing at the high point of the submarine using binoculars to observe the surrounding sea conditions 360 degrees. However, it seemed that all Allied merchant ships had received news of German submarine activity near Malta and not one appeared again.