Chapter 378 Submarine U-47

The German navy is moving towards the ocean navy. Battleships and aircraft carriers are starting construction one by one. However, in terms of submarines, Germany is not far behind.

Dönitz is still in charge of the submarines of the German Navy. Under his leadership, the performance of German submarines has been continuously improved, and now the VIIB submarine is being built.

The submarine force of the German Navy also has a long history. Although submarines were castrated after World War I, new submarines are constantly being built as they gradually get rid of the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles.

The latest version of this submarine has lengthened hulls, improved fuel tanks, installed superchargers on diesel engines, and installed stern torpedo tubes inside the pressure hull.

Through the optimized design, the operational performance was improved, and the speed and endurance of the submarine were improved. A total of 24 ships were produced before and after, which belonged to the absolute main force in the early stage of World War II.

And now, under the sea, quietly sailing, is one of the legendary submarines, U-47, which was commissioned last winter, and belongs to the Seventh Submarine Force.

The propeller at the tail is turning slowly, and the entire submarine is sailing in almost absolute silence.

Submarines in this era are very noisy. The most important way to reduce the noise is to reduce the speed! The propeller at the tail can be seen with the naked eye how slowly it rotates. The entire submarine is traveling at a very low speed of 1 knot.

Without starting the diesel engine, the current depth is tens of meters below the sea surface, and the distance from the bottom of the sea is probably only a few meters. This is an absolutely adventurous voyage!

Only the electric motor makes a slight humming sound under battery power.

Inside the submarine, it is almost dark. When the battery is working, all electricity must be saved. At the same time, almost everyone obeys the order of silent sailing.

No one spoke.

On the bridge in the middle, Captain Prien, the unshaven captain, was standing at his post with a serious expression.

Once the submarine sails, if it cannot float, then a special smell will gradually condense inside the submarine. The diesel oil volatile from the diesel engine and the smell of dozens of crew members will gradually condense together.

Therefore, once they go to sea, no one will care about their military appearance. Submarines are often shirtless. After all, it is not easy for them to be underwater.

That handsome uniform should be worn when you go back to the shore.

In front of Prien is the helmsman. At this time, the helmsman also has a serious expression. They know what a terrible place they are about to enter!

Half a month ago, they went to sea, and yesterday, they received an order to infiltrate Scapa Flow tonight and wait for the scheduled attack!

For the German Navy, everyone will not forget Scapa Flow, and many people have been thinking about how to attack Scapa Flow from the first day of being in the Navy!

Among them, including Captain Prien,

Priyan was just 30 years old, when he was at his most energetic.

Priyan was born in Osterfield, Saxony, Prussia, in 1908. Hours later, life was difficult, and his biggest dream was to follow in the footsteps of his hero, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama.

At the age of fifteen in 1923, he began to realize this life's ambition. After a few years of hard work, he became the captain.

When great prospects beckoned to him, the economic crisis came.

As the fleet was reduced in size, Priyan was unemployed, and in despair, Priyan followed the rising Workers' Party and started his new life.

Priyan went to the light cruiser Königsberg before being sent to the submarine training school in Kiel.

During the Spanish Civil War, he carried out two patrols aboard the U26 submarine under the command of Captain Weiner-Hartmann. Last year, he became commander of the current submarine.

On the entire submarine, only Prien knew that his destination this time was Scapa Flow from the time he left the port, so he has been studying it for the past few days.

Scapa Flow is 24 kilometers long from north to south and 13 kilometers wide from east to west. As an important port for the British Royal Navy, the defense here is not generally strict.

After all, during World War I, German submarine captains expected to drill down here to attack.

It is also very easy to defend submarines. There are 7 entrances to this port, all of which have anti-submarine nets and mine fields.

The anti-submarine net is very simple, just like ordinary fishing nets, it is arranged underwater, so that the warships on the water will not be affected, but the submarine sailing underwater will hit it head-on, and then once the propeller is wrapped around the net , then it is powerless to return to the sky, except to obediently surface, there is no other way.

At the same time, Operation Rainbow in previous years, those German shipwrecks, will also bring inconvenience to the navigation of submarines.

However, these underwater facilities, after all, have existed for many years, so many equipments have been aging.

For example, at the entrance of Kirk Strait, which is close to the land in the east of Scapa Flow, the palisade and anti-submarine net at the 7th entrance have been in disrepair and have lost their proper function. Dropped here, ready to refurbish!

This is the only chance!

The hull of the submarine suddenly tilted, grabbing the handrail beside him, Captain Prien looked calm, he knew very well that the sea outside was too turbulent.

The entire Holm Strait is turbulent, and this is an area that is almost impossible for submarines to reach. Submarines can only go up against the current when they sail at full speed. Once they sail at full speed, the huge noise will be exposed to the British.

Now, he can only sail silently at a low speed. Now, a sudden intrusion of water almost stopped his submarine abruptly, but he still did not give up.

Wait for your chance!

After a few minutes, suddenly, a bigger shaking came!

"Attention, get ready, we're about to enter Scapa Flow!" Captain Prien said.

Coming soon!

The huge sway just now was in the opposite direction. This is the Hoksha Strait, which is opening its locks. This current is just enough to rush the submarine into Scapa Flow. This is their only chance.

Sure enough, next, the entire hull became lighter and faster under the action of an ocean current!

As a submarine commander, you must use ocean currents proficiently! In this way, the submarine can be sailed even without the use of an engine! Historically, German submarines entered the Mediterranean Sea and did just that.

And now, with the help of this current, they successfully crossed the 7th entrance and entered Scapa Flow!