Chapter 389 Operation Starvation (13)

The importance of the keel to a ship is equivalent to the spine in a human body; all the structures and compartments of a ship ultimately rely on the keel for support. Once the keel is severely damaged, the ship is essentially rendered useless.

The German 533mm torpedoes weigh 1528kg in total, with an explosive charge of 320 kg of nitrate compounds. Although it is extremely rare for a single torpedo to sink a battleship displacing tens of thousands of tons, an explosion near the keel is enough to severely damage a battleship.

Compared to destroyers displacing several tens of thousands of tons, these smaller destroyers of one or two thousand tons are even less of a concern. Destroyers that haven't had the chance to accelerate and evade are cut in half by the torpedoes and sink with resentment.

"Hunting time, surface!" After confirming there were no other destroyers, the submarine captains unanimously issued the order to surface.

With the most threatening destroyers gone, what's left are the panic-stricken transport ships. Using torpedoes against these transport ships is overkill; now is the time for the deck guns to show their power.

Due to various limitations of submarine technology during World War II, submarines spent most of their time sailing on the surface, making it essential to be equipped with a large cannon.

Firstly, in emergency situations, it can serve as a self-defense weapon. Many submarines were equipped with anti-aircraft guns and machine guns to deal with targets from the sea and air. Imagine if a submarine, while sailing, suddenly encounters enemy aircraft or patrol boats. It would be too late to dive immediately, so using the deck gun or anti-aircraft gun to hold off the enemy while the submarine gradually dives is the correct procedure.

Secondly, during World War II, merchant ships and cargo ships were rarely equipped with cannons and depth charges, so deck guns could easily capture or sink these vessels. Even if they encountered one or two armed merchant ships with small cannons, the submarines had time to dive and attack with torpedoes.

During the war, German Type I, VII, IX, and X submarines were all equipped with powerful deck guns, usually operated by 3 to 5 people led by the second officer. When using the deck gun, the submarine must be in a normal surface sailing state with no aerial threats, and it also requires three crew members to line up on the deck to transfer ammunition from the main locker below the control cabin to the gun. There is a small watertight ammunition locker on the deck of the submarine, allowing the gun to respond quickly and fire timely upon command. A skilled operator could fire at a rate of 15-18 rounds per minute.

By the middle and later stages of World War II, many Allied large convoys were escorted by multiple destroyers. In such cases, German submarines could only dive and attack with torpedoes, making the deck guns somewhat redundant. Therefore, most German submarines simply removed the deck guns to achieve faster underwater speeds.

The sailors swiftly ran to the deck, removed the protective covers from the guns, and aimed the muzzle at the distant transport ships. These guns were completely different from the most famous weapon of the war—the German Army's 88mm anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun—and even used completely different ammunition. The 88mm deck gun of the submarines fired shells weighing 12-14 kilograms (with a 9-kilogram warhead), with a base number of 250 rounds.

"Fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the firing order given, the sailors methodically loaded, aimed, fired, ejected the spent shells, and reloaded...

One shell after another rained down on the transport ships that had not yet escaped. It's important to note that cargo ships lack the thick protective armor of battleships, nor do they have explosion-proof water pressure hulls; they are essentially thin-skinned with large interiors, and one hit results in a large hole. A few hits and they're nearly done for. Moreover, these cargo ships, each fully loaded, can only reach speeds of about ten knots at best, unable to shake off the relentlessly pursuing submarines.

Listening to the continuous reports of abandoned ships, Hubert shuddered. Having just rushed through the minefield, they had lost more than a dozen transport ships; Hubert wished he could slap himself for receiving such a report. He then realized that the so-called minefield was merely a few dozen mines. If he hadn't issued the order to stop advancing and had just rushed through, they would have lost at most about thirty transport ships.

Although losing thirty transport ships is not a small number, it's much better than the current situation, where his foolish command led to the complete annihilation of the destroyers. Without the destroyers, the remaining three cruisers were no match for the wolf pack. It's like the game where the mouse eats the elephant, the elephant eats the tiger, the tiger eats the cat, and the cat eats the mouse; cruisers counter destroyers, destroyers counter submarines, and submarines counter cruisers...

Hubert gritted his teeth and decisively ordered, "Call the faster transport ships to immediately break away from the fleet and head for the homeland as quickly as possible! The rest of the ships, fend for yourselves!" This was also a move of desperation. With so many ships crowded together, large and small, naturally, some are faster and some are slower; he could now only save those with faster speeds, the rest would have to rely on divine protection.

Upon receiving the order, the fleet began to disperse, which posed a dilemma for the submarine captains. In the darkness of the night, it was not clear which ships were fleeing, creating a bit of a dilemma.

They decided, each would pursue their own target.

"Help! Help!"

The U-124 submarine was chasing a distant transport ship when suddenly, cries for help were heard nearby. The sailors on deck shone their flashlights in the direction of the sounds and saw several lifeboats bobbing with the rolling waves. A group of white men wearing life jackets were sitting in them, waving and shouting for help.

The sailors looked at each other in disbelief; they had attacked many ships but had never encountered anyone calling out to them for help before. They had no choice but to call the captain. "Captain, please come take a look."

Johann climbed up to the bridge. "What's the matter?"

The sailors pointed their flashlights at the lifeboats, and Johann saw the people shouting loudly. Although he didn't understand much English, he still made out the words "help" and "American."

"Americans?" Why would there be Americans here? After a moment of thought, Johannes turned and shouted into the cabin. "Hans, Hans! Come here for a moment!"

A sailor climbed up to the bridge. "What do you need, Captain?"

Johann pointed at the lifeboats. "Don't you understand English? Ask them where they're from."

Hans shouted a few times at the people, and after hearing their reply, he translated for Johann. "They say they are Americans and need help."

"I know they're Americans, but ask them why they are here."

After asking a few more questions, Hans reported back. "They say they are tourists visiting England."

"Tourists?" Johannes chuckled. "These Americans sure have a sense of humor. Since they're tourists, let them stay here and enjoy the sea view a bit longer."