Chapter 55: Wrestling with the Sea

  Without GPS, without wireless telegraphy navigation, and even without a decent map, Zhang Haino commanded his 1,500-ton U-148 and all 48 crew members to pass through the treacherous Dover Strait and English Channel. After twelve days of sailing, the Azores Islands finally appeared in front of them.

  As a possession of Portugal, the Azores had a privileged geographical position as a stopover in the Atlantic, and many ships sailing across the Atlantic would come to replenish fresh water and supplies. At the same time, Portugal was also an ally of the Allies, although it had not directly participated in the war against Germany since declaring its alliance with Britain and France in January 1915, but in addition to providing assistance to the British army and navy, it also refused all ships related to Germany from entering Portuguese ports.

  Zhang Haino came here not to replenish fresh water, nor to attack the Allied ships passing by, but to take this place as the first navigation mark on the long voyage. After passing through here and heading to the United States, basically only half of the journey is left, but unlike sailing along the coastlines of France and Spain before, the next voyage will be in the vast ocean, until the coastline of the United States comes into view.

  Although such a voyage sounds somewhat lonely, it also means that Zhang Haino and his U148 can sail freely on the surface of the sea at 10 nautical miles per hour, 240 nautical miles per day. If nothing unexpected happens, they will be able to reach the eastern waters of the United States within 10 days.

  If Zhang Hainuo were standing in front of an old fisherman, he would tell the young German captain that when sailing on the high seas, never say "if nothing unexpected happens".

  Two days later, U-148 encountered a storm with hurricane-force winds more than 400 miles west of the Azores. Zhang Hainuo had never seen such strong winds in his four months in the Mediterranean and five months in the North Atlantic.

  For a submarine, the greatest advantage in encountering a storm is that it doesn't have to worry about being capsized by waves, and when strong winds are raging on the surface, they can still hide safely tens of meters underwater, where it's relatively calm.

  If Zhang Haino was commanding a submarine built twenty or thirty years later, it would be entirely feasible to stay submerged for an extended period to avoid the storm. However, as a product of the late 1910s, the batteries of the U-139 ocean-going submarine could only supply this submarine with enough power to run at full speed underwater for 90 minutes. In a floating state, the air inside could support 48 crew members for 8 to 12 hours.

  Unfortunately, the storm that occurred in May did not mean to stop within a few hours, and the huge waves on the sea surface were one after another. The largest submarine in Germany was like a small boat here, helpless, and continuing to move forward had become a luxury. The crew members were all praying that this submarine was strong enough, while Zhang Haino's wish was that his submarine would not be blown off course too far.

  When the amplitude of the rocking exceeds 45 degrees or even larger angles at any time, starting a fire to cook on the boat, washing your face and using the toilet have become high-difficulty challenges. Even drinking water requires caution from the crew members. Moving between cabins has become the most dangerous thing, and those beds that can normally eliminate people's fatigue have become terrifying rocking beds...

  "No way! Others may not go, but I must go. If enemy ships appear nearby, we won't even have a chance to hide!" Zhang Hainuo refused Edwin's kind advice and had his orderly bring over several thick ropes to tie around his waist. With the ship shaking so violently, the periscope was useless for observation, so going up to the command tower became the only way to keep watch on the sea situation.

  But on this submarine, the place with the largest amplitude of shaking is also the highest place - the submarine command tower. If there are no protective measures, a big wave can throw people standing on it out. In bad sea conditions, rescuing someone from the sea would be more difficult than reviving a dead person!

  "Let me go up, Lieutenant!" First Mate Simon grasped the rope in Zhang Hainuo's hand, his deep blue eyes still filled with determination and sincerity.

  Zhang Hainuo gave him a heartfelt smile and patted his shoulder with certainty, "You're in charge! I'm at ease! Try to keep the boat balanced!"

  "Hey, No., let me go with you, at least there's someone to take care of you!" Edwin took the rope from the sailor without asking and tied one end around Zhang Hainuo's waist, leaving about two meters of distance. Then he tightly tied the middle section of the rope around himself, making a dead knot, and handed the remaining end to the sailor standing beside him.

  He paused for two seconds, then nodded at him, "Good brother!"

  After preparation, the two people put on rain gear and started climbing up along the gangway. Before they even reached the hatch, their grip on the gangway was greatly strengthened. At the moment when the watertight cabin cover was opened, Zhang Haino was suddenly drenched by a large bucket of seawater.

  "Edwin, I'll go up first and secure the rope, then you come up!" Zhang Hainuo shouted, but his voice was easily drowned out by a gust of wind mixed with seawater.

  Zhang Hainuo carefully climbed out of the cabin, even in the midst of intense gunfire, he thought to himself that he didn't need to make such an entrance, but now the raging wind and waves were a more formidable enemy than the British warships. After reaching the edge of the command tower's half-man-high inverted U-shaped shield, he quickly tied the thick rope in his hand to the column used for raising and lowering the periscope, so that even if he lost his grip, he wouldn't be flung directly into the sea.

  Edwin stretched out half of his body from the cabin door, one hand holding the ladder and the other pulling on the two ropes tied to Zhang Hainuo's body until Zhang Hainuo secured the rope in his hand, then he let out a sigh of relief and climbed up without waiting for Zhang Hainuo's signal.

  "Be careful!" A big wave came, the submarine suddenly tilted to one side, and if there was no rope, the two would have almost fallen out of the command tower. When the submarine returned to level, Zhang Hainuo only then discovered that their hands, which were clasped together, had become numb from exerting too much force.

  This was brotherhood, Zhang Haino thought. After Edwin stood firm, he simply used a rope to tie the two men back-to-back to the pillar of the periscope, so they could survey the 360-degree situation around them without turning their heads.

  "How long can we hold on?" Zhang Hainuo panted heavily, not expecting that even tying a rope would be such an exhausting task in this situation.

  Edwin was also panting heavily, but his answer moved Zhang Hainuo:

  "I'll stay as long as you stay!"

  "Good brother, as long as you stay, I'll stay too!"

  From noon till night, Zhang Hainuo and Edwin stayed on the command tower for nearly 5 hours like prisoners under punishment until it was completely dark before they felt safe to return to the boat. When the two climbed down the gangway, they almost fell over due to exhaustion, fortunately, the crew members supported them in time.

  "Ensign... Lieutenant Junior Grade..."

  From the eyes of these sailors, Zhang Haino saw admiring glances, he had no doubt that this behavior would bring positive influence, but he hoped to cultivate all U148 sailors into an inseparable team in just a few months, which was crucial for his plan!

  Recommend a good book:

  A Chinese man accidentally travels to the Napoleonic era, accompanied by a changed history or a legend spanning thousands of years - "Napoleon's Eastern Marshal", produced by Kuai Shu Xuan, book number 189634.