Chapter 56: Joyful Hunt

June 2, 1918, 3:00 AM.

In the drizzling rain, the sea was shrouded in darkness, concealing the sleek and sharp hull of U148 amid the waves of the night.

Standing on the submarine's conning tower, Zhang Hainuo could see a lighthouse in his line of sight. The rain and the rudimentary sea charts made him unsure of his exact position, but according to his calculations based on the voyage, this should be the east coast of the United States, and the lighthouse ahead, radiating a bright beam even in wartime, must be a beacon outside a certain American port.

Had it not been for the storm that veered U148 off course by over a hundred miles for a whole two days and nights, Zhang Hainuo would have arrived here three days ago. Additionally, the excessive consumption of fuel had him somewhat concerned.

Woooo...

On the desolate and dark sea, a majestic whistle sounded, and Zhang Hainuo, who had been in this era for a year and eleven months, could easily distinguish it from the whistles of ordinary barges or light warships. Just moments ago, the sound wasn't one that a regular cargo ship or a light military vessel could produce.

"All hands, into the interior compartments, check the status of all watertight doors, torpedo compartments ready for launch!"

Although the entity producing that tremendous sound hadn't yet appeared in his line of sight, Zhang Hainuo promptly issued combat orders. With the urgent alarm ringing, the crew rushed to their battle stations, and the deck soon became deserted. Within two minutes, reports came in from both the forward and aft torpedo compartments, confirming readiness.

Woooo...

The sound reverberated once more, clearer and louder, instilling a pressing sense as if the colossal creature responsible would emerge from the mist at any moment and flip the submarine over.

Still standing on the submarine's conning tower, Zhang Hainuo, along with his staff officer Otto von Gluckauf, keenly felt the gravity of the situation.

Despite the illusion of an imminent collision and the palpable tension, experience assured Zhang Hainuo that there was no need to worry. The looming presence was at least five or six nautical miles away, far from passing by the lighthouse.

Hence, he calmly kept his gaze fixed on the sea ahead, soothing the somewhat anxious mood of the young ensign beside him.

Otto von Gluckauf, aged 19 years and 8 months, graduated from the Kiel Naval Academy six months prior. He belonged to the Baden nobility, and though his family held some renown in Baden, being the fifth son meant he neither inherited noble titles nor had many opportunities to lead the family. Hence, he chose to serve in the German submarine force. While respectful and diligent in his work before Zhang Hainuo, Otto seemed reluctant to get too close to the civilian-born crew and often assumed a superior attitude when speaking with them.

Several minutes later, Zhang Hainuo finally spotted a blurry silhouette passing by the lighthouse through the binoculars. While the lighthouse's light served as excellent guidance for vessels entering and leaving ports, it became a hazardous factor in wartime, exposing the port's location and attracting enemy ships. Therefore, European ports, including those of Germany, reluctantly switched to smaller navigational lights after the outbreak of war. However, the Americans, distant from the European theater of war, had yet to adopt this practice.

Zhang Hainuo wasn't sure how many submarines the German Navy had dispatched to the eastern seaboard of the United States before U148, but he believed U148 was neither the first nor the last. The threat posed by the supplies, food, and American soldiers coming from the United States was immense.

Though distant, Zhang Hainuo could discern that it was a vessel of thousands of tons. It might not have been bound for England from the United States, nor was it necessarily American or British, but he decided to use this "unfortunate soul" to lift the slightly low morale on board.

"One-third ahead, set torpedoes No. 1 and No. 2 to run at a depth of 3 meters, gyro angle 0! Torpedoes No. 3 and No. 4 set to run at a depth of 2 meters, gyro angle 0!"

Two minutes later, he ordered again, "Maintain one-third speed, alter course to 25 degrees!"

The submarine's slender hull largely offset the disadvantages of increased volume and enhanced its ability to adapt to sea conditions when navigating on the surface. Therefore, Zhang Hainuo was very satisfied with U148's navigational performance. If only the battery could hold more charge and the detection equipment were better, then this submarine would have been close to perfection in the early 20th century.

The blurry silhouette disappeared from view shortly afterward as it left the range of the lighthouse's illumination, but Zhang Hainuo swiftly calculated its approximate course based on its final heading and speed. Estimating that it was now close to the target's path, he ordered the submarine's engines shut down, and all four torpedoes in the bow were prepared for launch.

In comparison to previous medium-sized submarines, although U148's complement of six 500mm torpedo tubes hadn't increased much in quantity, its payload had nearly doubled! The bow torpedo tube carried six spare torpedoes, and two more were at the stern, in addition to the 12 naval mines on board. Thus, U148 posed a threat equivalent to that of two medium-sized submarines operating independently!

Perhaps due to recent attacks on cargo ships near the American coast, Zhang Hainuo noticed that the targeted merchant ship wasn't using searchlights or sounding its horn anymore. However, when it appeared just over 2000 yards ahead of U148, the sparse lights on the ship and its already enormous hull were sufficient for Zhang Hainuo and his torpedoes to lock onto the target.

Under such visual conditions, the crew on the ship failed to notice the German submarine, which glided just beneath the surface, some two to three meters away. Moreover, the light wind and fine rain favored the Germans—a gentle breeze and small waves wouldn't affect torpedoes speeding underwater at two or three meters, but they reduced the likelihood of the target spotting the torpedoes.

Thus, after calculating the optimal time for torpedo launch, Zhang Hainuo confidently ordered the firing of torpedo No. 1. A white line composed of numerous bubbles shot forward like someone drawing a line with chalk on a blackboard and vanished from his sight about 20 to 30 meters away.

In the early 20th century, although fluorescent powder had been discovered, its production technology was not yet advanced, and its high cost prevented widespread use. Therefore, Zhang Hainuo and his crew lacked night vision capability with their watches or pocket watches in the dark. Thus, Zhang Hainuo had developed the habit of silently counting seconds. After counting sixty times, he'd be at most a second or two off from the time on his watch—but only if he concentrated fully. This was still a far cry from the precise time sense of Hess.

As Zhang Hainuo counted to 103, the dark sea suddenly lit up, followed by the resounding explosion echoing across the water's surface, and a massive fireball stubbornly rose in the drizzle. In that moment, Zhang Hainuo saw clearly the face of the cargo ship

 and the flag flying on its mast—it was an unlucky American vessel!

Tilting his head back, Zhang Hainuo allowed the fine raindrops to fall on his face. He felt that being a German submarine commander was coolest and most dashing at this very moment.