Chapter 58: Panic Spreads Throughout the Metropolis

  New York, this port city, was not prominent on the North American continent at its inception, but after the American War of Independence, its economy developed rapidly. By the end of the 18th century, New York surpassed Philadelphia to become the largest trading port in the United States, and by 1830, it had also surpassed Mexico City to become the largest city in all of the Americas!

  As the capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790, New York's size also expanded over time. In 1898, after a popular vote, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx were all consolidated into New York City. By 1900, the newly enlarged city had a population of 3.43 million people, surpassing many historic cities around the world at that time!

  In the mid-to-late 19th century, when the German Empire had just achieved unity, the United States already surpassed Britain in terms of domestic production value. Entering the 20th century, while countries such as England, Germany, France and Russia invested a large amount of manpower and resources into war preparations, the United States continued to develop its economy with all its might.

  By the outbreak of World War I, as the economic center of the United States, New York had the most prosperous downtown area, the most modern public transportation system, and the most enviable skyscrapers in the world. To avoid the war, many European nobles, wealthy businessmen, and talents from all walks of life flocked to this modern city, making New York a super metropolis that stood out in the war.

  "We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this breaking news. At approximately 4:10 am today, a British-registered cargo ship exploded about 10 nautical miles outside New York Bay. The fully-loaded vessel is currently still afloat in the shipping lane. According to naval estimates, it will completely sink within two hours. Please be advised that passing ships should steer clear! The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, but a navy spokesperson says they will investigate and get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Preliminary indications suggest a boiler explosion. Citizens are urged not to worry. If someone near you claims it was a German submarine attack, please do not believe them and report these rumormongers to the relevant naval authorities immediately!"

  The female voice coming from the radio was very pleasant, but when Zhang Hainuo relayed the content of this news to the crew members, everyone burst out laughing. The US government's technique for covering up bad news is really clumsy, and it can actually say that a torpedo attack from outside is a boiler explosion. I don't know what those British sailors would think if they heard this news.

  From another perspective, Zhang Haino felt that the more the US government was afraid of such news causing panic among its citizens, the more favorable the situation would be for them. However, since sinking a British merchant ship outside New York Harbor in the morning, there have been large numbers of American warships in this sea area, forcing Zhang Haino and his crew to stay underwater for 5 hours until after lunch when they surfaced to listen to the radio broadcast.

  "Ensign, there are many more American warships outside New York Harbor than in Boston. Shall we go back to the Boston side?"

  Staff officer Lieutenant Otto von Griesheim, who was still under 20 years old, ventured his opinion cautiously.

  Zhang Hainuo looked at him with a kind gaze, and the clean face still had a few points of childishness. For him who had been on 4 submarines in succession and commanded 3 of them, the biggest characteristic of this U148 crew was their youthfulness. Except for the 26-year-old first mate Simon and two 25-year-old engine soldiers Kaylen and Wilhelm, all other crew members were under 23 years old!

  It is undeniable that the rejuvenation of the age structure has brought a lot of youthful vigor and motivation to the submarine, but the lack of experience will be their biggest shortcoming. This phenomenon also reflects from another aspect the predicament of the German army in terms of personnel - more and more young Germans like Anna's brother who have no war experience are being recruited into the army, many of whom will become cannon fodder in the war, all of which is similar to that war more than 20 years later.

  "Otto, your starting point is not bad, avoiding the real and virtual! However, on the battlefield we need to learn to think inversely. In the past three days, we already know that two of our ships were sunk by mines, one was damaged, and among them was an American warship. How the US government comforts their people is one thing, but I think their navy must have strengthened patrols and vigilance in the Boston area, and perhaps minesweepers are busy clearing the mines we laid. On the other hand, here in New York, although the Americans will quickly strengthen their vigilance, I think that due to those news reports, the alertness of merchant ships entering and leaving this port will not be very high, and with so many ships entering and leaving the port every day, the US Navy will inevitably have loopholes. This is where our opportunity lies!"

  Oto is a talented young man and he quickly understood what Zhang Hainuo said.

  "You're right, Lieutenant! It's just a pity we've run out of mines. If we could lay some in the areas where those merchant ships frequently pass through, we'd definitely get great results. Who knows, maybe we could even keep the merchant ships in New York Harbor from sailing for several days!"

  "If we had five, ten or even more submarines, it would be enough to blockade the entire port of New York for a long time, and not only would the port be in a panic, but the whole East Coast of America would be in unrest!"

  After hearing Zhang Hainuo's words, Edwin and Simon, who were sitting next to him, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Compared to the difficulties of fighting in the waters around Britain, hunting on the east coast of America was simply too easy!

  In the following week, Zhang Haino's strategy was to attack only one merchant ship sailing out of New York Harbor every day, not necessarily the largest one, but it would definitely be an American ship. From the radio, they could hear the news broadcast by the New York authorities every day. At first, they could still cover up the incidents as mine explosions, accidents or sabotage by German spies. However, after several days, possibly due to too many doubts from outside, the US Navy's spokesperson finally admitted that the explosion events outside New York Harbor were likely caused by a German submarine. Despite their repeated claims that the navy would strengthen port patrols and even dispatch warships for limited escort of single-sailing ships, Zhang Haino still clearly saw that the number of merchant ships entering and leaving New York Harbor every day was decreasing.

  Although he did not know what losses this would bring to the Americans, it was certain that some high-ranking officials in the New York City government, the US Navy Department, and even the White House were cursing themselves viciously.

  However, Zhang Haino and his crew were not affected by this curse. On June 15th, the 14th day after U-148 arrived in the eastern waters of the United States, Zhang Haino sank an American light cruiser sailing outside New York Harbor with the last two torpedoes on the boat. The lightly armored warship could not withstand the continuous attack of two German torpedoes and quickly disintegrated in a violent explosion. Due to the timing of this attack during dinner and its proximity to the entrance of New York Bay, many people were fortunate enough to witness this spectacular scene.

  Although the US Navy subsequently dispatched a large fleet of ships to search for the German submarine that caused the incident in New York Bay, they were unable to find it due to their limited underwater detection technology and the approaching nightfall, U-148 withdrew from the waters.

  With the rich harvest of sinking 5 merchant ships, damaging 3 and sinking 1 warship, Zhang Haino and his U148 set foot on the return journey. Their voyage was a success, but tactical victories can never make up for strategic defeats. When they returned to Wilhelmshaven again after a long voyage, there were no flowers or cheers on the dock, and the atmosphere in the military port was depressing and worrying.