The Invisible Enemy

[King Kurt]

Our U boats are slighter faster than our corvettes - about a knot according to Wiki - but they are faster than our convoy. On those grounds, I am happy to change my thoughts to those of Fischer. I think we should concentrate on the rear of the convoy and the eastern flank as they are farthest from the storm - we should keep an all round watch, but maybe place any extra boats in those areas.

[Fisherking]

When we get more boats we can think about that. For now we should have the teams of two front and flanks with the two destroyers and a corvette at the rear.

[Franconicus]

Well, you do not have any destroyers:

Your escort force currently consists of:

2 sloops Depthford and Stork
7 corvettes : Rhododendron, Marigold, Convolvulvus, Penstemon, Gardenia, Samphire and Vetch
1 escort carrier Audacity (Cdr MacKendrick)

In total 10 vessels.

A big storm front is coming from west to east; it already hit you, but the centre is still coming!

Could you please precise the position of your escort ships (front/rear, one ring/two rings ...) and their orders in case of an attack or any other event?

[Fisherking]

I stand corrected then, two sloops in back. :P

[King Kurt]

Hi guys - just to let you know I am off on my holidays again - back on the 6th of June - so no U Boat sinking until D Day!!

[Franconicus]

Chapter 9 – until noon, 19 of December

At 15:00 Walker sends signals to rearrange the order of the escort ships. He is willing to keep to rings to protect the convoy, even though three destroyers left the group. There is no more ship left to give the Audacity an extra protection, but the two sloops will be at the rear of the convoy and therefore close to the carrier. Walker is already looking forward for the protests of Mac Kendrick.
The escort ships have just taken their new positions, when the storm front arrives. From one minute to another the sky is getting dark and it begins to rain cats and dogs. Walker has always been thinking that ‘cats and dogs’ was a silly picture for heavy rain, but this night he changes his mind. The droplets fall as if they had the size of cats and the strong western wind drives them, so that they hit almost horizontal. But not the rain is the worst thin, neither the wind nor the darkness. All over sudden, huge waves come from port and hit the side of the Stork.
The little sloop is thrown from one side to another like a little toy. Walker has to use all his skills to get the Stork through the raging seas. He has no time to watch for the rest of the convoy or the submarines.
At the break of day the storm is gone. The sea is calm and the wind is an easy breeze. It stopped raining and the dark sky brightens.
After a stormy night in a small vessel Walker and his men feel like dead fishes, but there is still no time to rest. First of all, Walker has to get an overview of the situation.
The vessels of the 36th Escort Group report of minor damages caused by the storm: radio installations of the Rhodedendron is defect; the Marigold has a blocked 4-inch gun, and Samphire tells that ten depth charges fell overboard. The Audacity is alright.
The situation of the freight ships is more confusing. The columns dissolved and the ships are spread over an area three times as big as the original order. The fright ships did not suffer any serious damages, although Lago lost her radio installations.
Four ships are missing, the Adjutant, the Fylingdale, the Rucking, the Fagersten and the Sheaf Crown.
Walker decides to send the planes of the Audacity to search for the missing ships. It is noon, the convoy is at CF9399, when the planes return. They found a group of four ships 20 nm southeast and another ship 25 nm south.

Until now, the German boats haven’t attacked. But the situation is dangerous. The convoy is stretched so far, that it is impossible to build a dense defense with his boats. And the ships that left the convoy are easy targets.

So what is to be done?

[Fisherking]

I guess we will need to slow the convoy by a couple of knots and send a sloop to bring the sheep home.

The planes can spot any subs near the surface and help vector the lost ships home.

Meanwhile, it is not a total waste, the time can be used to regroup the main convoy, make repairs, and conduct a search of the area.

Let that be a lesson, also. Next time we turn to meet the storm.

[Franconicus]

Could you please give more precise orders. Which sloop do you want to send. Orders for the rest?

[Fisherking]

The 7 corvettes and the Stork will maintain station on the convoy.

The Deptford will herd the sheep. It should also use active mode for its ASDIC. It may cover some of the engine noise from the ships and give a little scare to any U-boats in the area. It will also make them easier to locate and as the ship is a way from the convoy it won’t be giving much away.

Air Patrols will be constant until the convoy is back in order and then resume the regular scheduled patrols. We need a second plane in the air for this operation.

Front team: Convulvulus & Vetch, Left flank team: Rhodedendron & Sapphire, Right flank team: Gardenia & Marigold. Walker, in the Stork and the Penstemon will maintain the trailing position until rejoined by Deptford.

Audacity will remain in the rear rank of the convoy in the company of the one CAM ship where we can keep an eye on the both of them.

We will add an extra lookout on each bridge crew and practice our zigzags until everyone is back at their stations.

The ship to the south at 25nm is in the most danger. The others are almost in visual range and my find their way here before the escort reaches them.

Once everyone is joined up we will steer a course for BE 78. Once there we will set course to AM 16 and then for home.

Is that enough detail or do you want to know the mess cooks name and what he plans for dinner?

[Franconicus]

The airpatrols around the convoy or the lost sheeps?

Well for dinner, it's plumpudding, I assume.

[Fisherking]

2 planes; One to patrol around the convoy, One to keep an eye on the lost sheep and help shepherd them home without incident.

By the way, have they fixed the fourth plane yet?

They should have a full machine shop, spare parts, and the facilities to make or repair just about anything. They only have four planes and I am sure they are carrying six spare power plants.

I wonder as to the competence of the skipper and crew.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 10 – noon until dusk, 19 of December

Although all of his men are tired from the stormy night, there is no time to rest. Walker gives his orders, the merchant have to take their places in the columns again, the securing ring has to be reorganized and those which lost their ways have to be gathered.

It will be the business of Lt Cdr HR White and the slop Deptford to look for those ships and to bring them home, Walker cannot spare any other escort ship, now that the convoy is spread out over the seas. But at least White will be assisted be the Martlets.

Walker feels that the defenses is spread out too far, that his convoy is very vulnerable. Lookouts are intensively staring out, but still there is no sign of any German boat. It is like fighting a phantom, Walker thinks. Maybe there is nothing out there; maybe they lost the convoy in the storm. Well maybe they just launched a torpedo to attack the Stork.

Walker changed the course of the convoy to northwest, and slowed it down, to give the missing ships an opportunity to return faster. The Martlets are already out. The southeastern formation was still on the wrong course, northwest, now they changed and will reach the convoy soon. White is already on the way. Walker worries more about the southern ships, the Sheaf Crown. It will take until dusk for her to reach the rest of the convoy.
Then the Stork receives a radio message: SSS – SSS- Rucking attacked submarines – hit by torpedo - SSS.
The Rucking is one of the ships in the southeast. Walker hurries to the radio installation. He wants to call White, but before he is able, other messages come in:
“SSS – Adjutant – attacked by submarines – burning”
“SSS – Fylingdale, … “
The last message is interrupted. The operator cannot get contact anymore. Instead there is a message from the Martlet, which operates over the combat area: “Here M1 - submarine – under surface – need reinforcement”
Walker finally reaches White, but the Lt Cdr heard the messages and is already within eyeshot. He hurries to the position, where the plane found the submarine.
In the meanwhile there is another message from the Adjutant:
“SSS – Adjutant – burning – Fylingdale sunk after torpedo attack, Rucking attacked twice and rapidly sinking - need help – urgent – SSS”

But now, HMS Deptford enters combat. The Martlet reports that the submarine is still close under water. When Deptford approaches, it is not diving deeper but just turning her bow against the English sloop. The Deptford passes the place where the submarine should be and throws a row of ash cans. The water is boiling. Deptford makes a tight turn and returns throwing cans again. When she returns she finds spill and wreckage on the surface of the sea. White reports Walker that he sunk a German submarine and that there are no survivors. As there are no other signals of German submarines, he turns to the place where the Rucking went down. The Sea is filled with wreckage and lifeboats. HMS Deptford begins to rescue the sailors, when there is a strong detonation at her heck. Ten minutes later, HMS Deptford disappears in the seas.

Half an hour later the Fagersten joins the convoy and takes her place in the column. The Adjutant radios that the fire went out and that the ships is able to run with 4 knots. At the same time, Walker receives a message from the Sheaf Crown. She is also hit by torpedoes and rapidly sinking. The captain asks for help.

Walker looks into the sinking sun. Three ships are lost, the Fylingdale, the Rucking and the Sheaf Crown. Adjutant is still behind the convoy. She is damaged and only able to run slowly. The worst news is that the Deptford is lost.

Walker shakes his head. There is no time to regret, the Adjutant needs help, there are still sailors from the sunk ships in need of rescue. Furthermore it is getting dark and the Germans may attack the convoy this night. And there is no doubt left that there are German submarines out there. And after all, Walker has to inform the headquarter about the latest events.

Before he makes decisions, he receives too new messages. One comes from the Audacity, telling him that all Merlets are ready for combat, again. The other one comes from England, telling him that there are four other submarines coming from the French coast to meet his convoy.

[King Kurt]

So you wait until your birthday to get the action going!!

Happy Birthday Franc - hope the heat from the candles is not too intense

[Franconicus]

Thank you very much! No, not too hot. Only one freight ship was burning, the others went straight down!

[King Kurt]

Franc - as a year older - do you feel wiser??

As for the predicament our Capt Walker is in, I think this needs a little thought. Several lessons need to be learnt:
1) We must never assume that debris/ oil means the U Boat is sunk - it was a common ploy to eject debris and oil to make ships think they were sunk. So if we see that again, we should depth charge that area immediately and press on with the attack. More definate evidence is needed - bodies in the water, our hydrophones picking up the sound of the sub breaking up etc.
2) In hindsight, we made a mistake by sending a single corvette to bring in the stragglers. Our strategy should be to attack any subs in numbers - the hunting group concept. If stragglers occur again, we should either leave them to catch up by themselves or take the whole convoy off to pick them up.

as for the future - I will ponder it over the weekend and come up with pearls of wisdom for Monday.

[Fisherking]

I think he is having a little joke at our expense.

I guess that skipper was a sub-lieutenant and dead drunk to boot, if he fell for a ruse like that or stopped to pick up survivors alone.

Either that or Franc had a bit too much to drink when he made the post.

[Franconicus]

Gentlemen, your move, please.

In the face of the falling night and the threat of a German attack I think it would be helpful if you make clear:

how should escorts act if they have contact to a sub?
how to proceed with sailors from sunk ships?
how to proceed with soldiers from sunk submarines?
where to place the Audacity and how to use her planes.

Deadline Monday, alright?

[King Kurt]

Monday looks fine - I will post my thoughts soon

[King Kurt]

When a sub is detected, it should be attacked with a minimum of 2 but preferably 3 escorts. This would allow 1 boat to be a looker - ie searching with sonar, possibly slower while the other 1 or 2 attack at the last known position or where the likely target is.
Each rear merchantman in the line within the convoy will be designated rescue boat. Escorts should concentrate on attacking subs.
Sailors from sunk subs are well down our list of priorities - we would only make an effort if it was deemed to be safe as they could be interogated for information. This is unlikely to happen at night.
Audacity to the front of the convoy with her escort. Maximum effort with planes - hopefully always a patrol up during daylight hours. When a sub is detected, it will be attacked and the report sent in to Walker ASAP. The plane will stay in area until escorts arrive to ensure that as much info as possible is passed on.

The emphasis will always be to attack any subs detected with as many elements as possible.

[Fisherking]

Moving Audacity to the front won’t make any difference in her operational abilities. It will just make her a better target.

She has no independent escorts, either. We have only the eight remaining escorts, seven corvettes and the Stork.

If a sub is contacted the escorts in that zone of responsibility are going to have to do the job and do it quickly.

With it being obvious that we are being hunted by a wolf pack a request for reinforcements needs to be sent.

Another two or three escorts would make it possible to be more of hunters than the hunted but at this point we are only able to defend the convoy and should not risk leaving any areas unprotected.

[Franconicus]

Now we have two players, one wants to place the carrier at the front and attack spotted subs with several escorst, the other wants to keep the carrier behind and attack only with single escorts.
Any chance to get a common view?

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

I want to take JC!!!!!

And you did post this in the wrong thread.

[Franconicus]

I want to take JC!!!!!

And you did post this in the wrong thread.

Well, if you are already here, why don't you jump into the game?

[Fisherking]

No one said anything about using single escorts!

There are two escorts in each sector. That would be front, back and sides.

And no, I want to use the planes just as much but don't want to risk the carrier maneuvering far outside of the convoy.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Well, if you are already here, why don't you jump into the game?

Naval stuff ain't my cup of tea! Let that old guy KK beat up on the Germans!

[King Kurt]

Naval stuff ain't my cup of tea! Let that old guy KK beat up on the Germans!

Some respect for your elders please!!!!!

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

KK!! Joke my friend,joke.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 11 – from dusk til noon, 20 of December

Walker’s convoy leaves the Adjutant behind and prepares itself for the night. Everybody expects that the Krauts will attack as soon night falls. However, nothing happens. Walker stares into the dark, but there does not seem to be anything out there. He went to the ASDIC-room, but there is only the noise of the convoy. Walker mistrusts the peace, he knows that several submarines are out there and he does not have the illusion that they are willing to give up.
At four o’clock Stork receives a radio message from England. WAC decided to send reinforcements, three ships from Gibraltar, two flower class corvettes and the already known HMS Stanley. Further more, a Black Swan Sloop which is already operating in the Bay of Biscay will be redirected to the convoy. Four ships, that will certainly change the balance of power to their favor. But until their arrival Walker has to defend the convoy with the ships he has. Walker goes on deck. Light fog is coming up. Walker wonders why the Germans hesitate to attack. Until know, they only attacked stragglers.
It is almost dawn, when Merigold reports a contact on the Northeastern side of the convoy. At once Walker gives her and Penstemon the order to chase the German submarine, if there is actually one out there. Both ships report of short contacts, but they are unable to detect the position of the submarine.
In the meanwhile, Walker receives a message from the Audacity. MacKendrick decided to start his planes with the first light of day and therefore he decided to place his ship a bit in front of the convoy. Walker curses. Right now, when the German begin to wake up, MacKendrick leads the only carrier to an exposed position. Yet, there is not a lot Walker can do. As he is at the rear of the convoy, he tells Lt. Connel of the Convulvulus to keep an eye on the carrier.
Moments later, Walker forgets about the carrier. Only some hundred yards in front of him, two torpedoes detonate. The target is the Switzerland a 9,000 tons freight ship. There is fire at the forward deck. Walker orders his sloop closer. The German must still be there. Snowflakes are fired, but Stork is not able to detect the submarine. Minutes later another torpedo hits the Switzerland, which begins to sink slowly. The crew tries to leave the ship in life boats. Still no signal from the German submarine.
On the southwestern edge of the convoy, Vetch and Rhodedendron detect a submarine. They begin to charge it immediately. The light of snowflakes and the sound of depth charges come from the left side of the convoy. The minutes pass slowly. Walker already gave the order for the columns to zigzag. Then Vetch reports that a submarine went up. The two corvettes open fire, but the submarine tries to escape. Rhodedendron tries to drive against it, but it fails the target. The submarine seems to be seriously damaged, but it is still swimming. German sailors jump into the sea. Then all over sudden, the submarine goes down and disappears. Vetch and Rodedendron leave the place of combat without caring for the Germans and return to their guarding positions.
There is not much time left to be happy about the success. Minutes later there are three detonations in the middle of the convoy. The captains of the freight ships begin to panic and order is lost. Finally Walker finds out, that three ships were hit, two sunk immediately, the third one is still running and will probably be able to continue the journey. The Switzerland is still swimming, too. The fire went out and the crew returns to the ship. Hopefully she will be able to keep our speed, Walker thinks. However, at this moment, two torpedoes hit the damaged ship, which begins to sink. An hour later, it is gone.
This is the last event. The sun comes up and the fog slowly disappears. Walker’s convoy is still heading northwest. During night, it lost three ships, but sunk one German boat. But the battle is not over. Walker knows that both sides are waiting for reinforcements and when night comes, the battle will continue.

[Franconicus]

???

[King Kurt]

Sorry Franc - I was waiting for some options/requests - do you want us to come up with some suggestions??