Chapter 4: Bold Passage

"The interval between the two patrol ships could be 2 minutes, or it could be 15 minutes! Are the British patrols completely unpredictable?"

Muttering to himself as he stared through the periscope observation port, Zhang Hainuo spoke softly.

U148 had been lurking at the western end of the strait for over two hours, and Zhang Hainuo had been observing the surrounding environment the entire time. It was well known that the Strait of Gibraltar was like a giant hourglass laid flat—narrowing gradually from west to east. The narrowest section, between the British-held Rock of Gibraltar and the Moroccan Alhucemas Mountain, was the most effective chokepoint in the strait. The heavy guns deployed at the Gibraltar Fortress were enough to block the exit of this narrow 13-kilometer strait!

Undoubtedly, navigating through here without being detected was more advantageous at night than during the day, and today the heavens seemed to favor these bold German sailors even more: thick clouds covered the moon and stars, and there was not a single bit of natural light visible on the sea surface.

However, those patrol ships, perhaps only a few hundred tons in weight, armed only with small-caliber machine guns and rifles, seemed to appear in the vicinity like vigilant hounds. Passing through here on the surface was simply impossible!

Why not follow in the footsteps of Hessen and let the submarine pass through here by diving?

That was the suggestion of Staff Officer Otto. After learning of the abdication of the German Emperor, he fell silent for a long time, until Zhang Hainuo approached him for a face-to-face conversation after dinner. The mood of this aristocrat from Baden eased somewhat, and when the operation to cross the Strait of Gibraltar began, he reverted back to the Otto von Glennbrook who was adept at and dared to make suggestions.

No! That's too risky!

Intuition told Zhang Hainuo that the British could not have made no changes to their blockade line at Gibraltar in over two years. Their intelligence agencies might have known long ago about a batch of German submarines slipping into the Mediterranean under their noses. Perhaps the depths of this strait were already filled with bottom mines and anchor mines used to deal with submarines. If these were all unfortunate guesses by Zhang Hainuo, attempting to pass through the blockade line ahead in a large-sized U148 by diving would encounter enormous threats!

In an era without onboard radar and active sonar, U148 simply couldn't ascertain whether there were any mines ahead, and a single triggered naval mine was enough to sink it to the bottom of the sea!

Considering all this, Zhang Hainuo felt that navigating through the "narrow section" of the Strait of Gibraltar, which was less than 15 kilometers wide, in a surface or semi-submerged state might seem risky, but the chances of success would actually be greater—because the British also believed that German submarines wouldn't be bold enough to float past under their noses. This was the reverse thinking that Zhang Hainuo had learned from previous battles.

Half an hour later, something different finally appeared in the periscope. Looking into the distance, there were two lights floating on the sea surface, but as the distance gradually closed, a glint of insight flashed in Zhang Hainuo's eyes: Although it was just a ship with a tonnage of perhaps less than 4000 tons, its size was enough to provide cover for U148!

"Start the engines, one-third speed ahead!"

The sea beast that had been lurking underwater for a long time finally began to move its cold, hard body slowly. Bubbles were stirred up as the propeller turned, but fortunately, this slight disturbance on the sea surface escaped the attention of the British patrol ships under the cover of darkness.

"Angle!"

"191!"

With this answer, Zhang Hainuo hardly needed to think further. "Turn 2 degrees to 358!"

Then he closed the periscope handle. "Reel in the periscope!"

Shortly after the object, which was barely larger than a tin can, retracted under the water, a beam of searchlight swept from where it had just appeared on the sea surface.

Not far away, a patrol ship flying the Royal Navy's ensign was slowly approaching from that direction. Its signal lights were flashing signals:

"Identity of the approaching vessel!"

"Spanish merchant vessel Olusco, SP711, departing from New York, destination Malaga, requesting passage through the strait!"

The merchant ship decisively sent out this series of signals. Although the Strait of Gibraltar was Spain's "middle land," the balance of power between nations had long determined the situation here. Even if it was a Spanish ship, it had to bow its head obediently if it wanted to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.

After verifying the identity of the other party, the British patrol ship sent out another series of signals: "Permission granted, please follow me through the strait!"

The Spanish ship reluctantly signaled back: "Salute to the great King George V!"

At this moment, whether it was the proud British or the reluctant Spaniards, no one realized that there was a German submarine lurking beneath the surface nearby. Neither the small patrol ship nor the cargo ship following it had sonar devices to monitor underwater conditions.

Sixteen minutes later, Zhang Hainuo ordered the periscope to be raised precisely on time. If anyone who wasn't prepared saw the white hull so close, they would surely be startled, but when the magnification was reduced to the minimum, people would find that the ship was still thirty or forty meters away!

"Angle!"

"183!"

"Turn 2 degrees to 001!" After a pause of 10 seconds, Zhang Hainuo estimated that the ship in front was neither too close nor too far and quickly ordered, "Turn 2 degrees to 358! Reel in the periscope! Surface to semi-submerged state!"

If someone stood at the stern of the Spanish cargo ship and looked carefully behind, they would be surprised to find a blackish oval-shaped cylindrical object looming less than twenty meters away on the right rear side of the ship. What was even more eerie was that this seemed far from being the entirety of the underwater object!

The Spanish cargo ship ahead was within reach, and a British patrol ship was just a few tens of meters ahead. However, whether it was the Spaniards or the British, their attention was focused forward, and no one noticed the unwelcome guest following them!

The most dangerous place is often the safest place!

At this moment, Zhang Hainuo finally understood what it meant to combine courage with technique. If he were to write a memoir in the future, this experience would surely be a highlight! Whether the British looked at it with regret or cursed it as a pure lie, it didn't matter at all! After safely crossing the Strait of Gibraltar without incident, the world before him suddenly became clear!