Uboats at altitude !

[Trampshipman]

Hi to all, I get the impression that maybe one or two actually accepted my `tale` about the `Baron Boats`and their `tinned pilchards`, Well, the pilchards bit was quite true, however the rest of it about Uboats with downward facing periscopes and the `tinned pichard trails` was certainly NOT true. Nevermind though , I` will now tell you one that IS ! :-

I remember one time we were one day out of port after loading iron ore, and we were hosing down the decks. Suddenly a Uboat periscope popped up not too far away from the ship. We had a deck gun but unfortunately the firing angle could not be depressed sufficiently enough to get a shot off. Well, the bloke on the hose came up with a `brainwave`, and he directed the water jet at the Uboats periscope and kept it playing on it. The Uboat commander obviously thinking that his boat had submerged a little, gave the order to continue surfacing. We simply just waited and let him come up and up and up until he got high enough for us to bring the gun to bear. Then of course we `shot him down` ! Actually, this tactic became widely adopted and in the course of the war a further 19 Uboats were lost in this manner. I`m quite sure that my one time friend Kapitan Otto Rhinehart of the Kriegsmarine would vouch for this account, but unfortunately he is `now deceased` !!!

Regards from Ken.

[Jim Brady]

Hi Ken,I've posted my reply to this on the tinned pilchards thread so here we go again.Your right about this action being commonly practised,and old hand told me it became part of the Gunnery Course here in Liverpool.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Trampshipman]

Jim, Absolutely brilliant ! There must have been loads of fun on that gunnery course !

Regards,
Ken.