We Have Been Hit

Everything in the boat that wasn't tied down rolled to the front. Even the two torpedoes slid forward. I was sitting at the direction steering. The blast threw me with my stomach onto the compass so hard that I almost passed out. We had at least a 45 degree tilt down at the front. It all happened so fast that we did not have time to think what was going on with us. Everyone seemed to have to find himself on his own. Then a flashlight lit up forward. It was the Commander. "Emergency lights on now!" he called. "Jawohl." it came back from some dark corner. It took quite while until a hand generator could be found.

Gradually it became clear what had happened to us. A big bomb must have exploded aft under us which hurled us into the depths. At last the emergency lights were functioning so we could look around the disarray in the boat. We were not sinking anymore but were still suspended with the stern up. Maybe we were stuck in the mud. It looked deplorable in the boat. Our electrical system was completely ruined. Likewise the two depth-manometers. The Commander asks one by one if any are injured. Luckily no one was badly hurt. The pressure hull of the boat creaks and crackles like a layer of ice that is breaking up. The boat is sweating and dripping all over. We must be very deep. The Commander orders all men to aft trying to level the boat but all effort was of no avail.

The air was getting very bad. We can not add any oxygen since the ventilation system is not working. Now we carry all the trim weights to aft. Two men have to hold the pile of 25 kg and 50 kg (one kilogram = 2.2 lbs) in place. With the boat in that position, all they could do was lean with their backs against the weights and brace themselves with hands and feet. But the boat still wouldn't budge. It seemed like we have to die here miserably without a chance to save ourselves. It should not take too long.

The Commander lets the gramophone play to try to cheer up the men a little. Then he gives a speech but does not himself believe what he is saying. He only does it out of love for the crew, to pass the time and shorten the suffering. One man calls out for the rescue buoy to be released but that was vehemently turned down by all. We did not want to become prisoners of war. Besides that, it was doubtful that we could be saved before the boat was crushed by the water pressure or we all suffocated. The time passed very slowly. It has been only three hours but it seems like we have been here all night.

The gramophone had stopped playing. Nobody was listening to the spirited marches or the cheerful songs. Everyone was preoccupied with himself. One would pull out a letter from a loved one while another would look at a photograph, perhaps of his bride. Unusual shine in their eyes revealed the sadness. One who was not considered religious before had brought out a rosary. Does he still remember how to pray? Anyway, it helps to divert his thoughts. A couple of us indulge in some of the better canned foods. And why not? They don't taste so great anyway. It is just something to do.

How long are we going to last? If the boat holds up under the pressure some of us five and others maybe up to ten hours? The Commander and the Second go from man to man to tell them not to give up hope. They try to show a confident face but we could tell that they too understood that their fate was sealed. The Engine-master bursts out, "It is not hard to die for your country. But locked in down here where you can't defend yourself is just not fair." The Third is very apathetic. He lies on the divan as if he is already dead. Now and then he groans slightly. The air is getting worse by the minute. Even though the boat has cooled off considerably, everyone is soaking wet from the dripping water. How deep could we be? Eighty meters for sure (264 ft). The Commander is handing out cognac. We each get two shots and the mood gets livelier for a moment…but only for a moment. Then it is the same story again.

Some try to sleep but without success. How long? The Commander orders explosives to be set, four kilograms. Well, at least it will go fast. Oh, if I only could smoke a cigarette. For crying out loud, It's funny how often we got into a jam before and never worried so much about getting killed. But this time everyone wants to hang onto life. It must be that we have so much time to think about it. The Commander stands up and gives another speech. He thanks us for our loyalty. This was meant to be that last time. The the cognac bottle comes around once more.

When we returned from the engine room to the front there suddenly was a big jolt that shook the whole boat. Every man automatically went to his station. Another jerk and we felt the boat rising. The inside of the boat was dark, the light had fallen over. All wanted to help as we would normally do when surfacing. It felt like we were in an elevator, higher and higher until we could feel the rocking of the waves and knew that we've made it to the top. All eyes followed the Commander as he climbed up the ladder to the tower. No more doubt that we were up. All emergency lights were turned on. The Commander loosened the hatch cover very carefully and the air whistled through the gaskets Now we realized that we were almost in a vacuum. He closed the hatch again to let everyone stuff their ears with cotton and open their mouths. The pressure was still great when he opened the cover again. The diesel engine was turned on and we had good lights in the boat again. Apparently, only the battery was ruined. Blinded by the bright lights, we winked at each other.

Note: You might wonder why the diesel engine wasn't used to propel the boat out of the mud. But the diesel engine was only for surface running. When submerged the boat operated on battery power only.