Patrol 1, Day 19

These convoys of supposedly non-combatant ships are becoming embarrassingly obvious.  This time we have 4 in a column, two sampans, and 2 fishing boats. sighted at 1820 hours at Long 152° 26′ E, Lat   4° 58′ S. Seems like the more we sink, the bigger the little flotillas become. As it is after sundown, we […]

Patrol 1, Day 18

250825  JUN 1942- Clouds: Clear, Precipitation: None, Fog: Light Winds: None. We’ve spotted another covert patrol.  Two large sampans and one fishing boat at 0630 hours.  Again, I elected to make a submerged approach both to help train the crew and to use the element of surprise to quickly dispatch the enemy. Thanks to clearer […]

Patrol 1, Day 17

No shipping sighted. Aircraft spotted on SD radar 1805 hours.  Ordered us to a depth of 150 and maintained depth for 1 hour.  Surfaced and found skys clear. The hunt continues around the west end of New Ireland.

Patrol 1, Day 16

While we haven’t seen any more merchant traffic coming toward Rabaul, the watch spotted a large sampan at 1345 hours, and I decided it would be a good exercise to stalk it.  Radar made no report on the target, but given a sampan’s small size that’s hardly surprising. I order us to periscope depth, all […]

Patrol 1, Day 15

220429 JUN 1942 – Clouds: Clear, Precipitation: None, Fog: Light Winds: 10kts @ 150 I was awoken at 0420 by LTJG Skywalker informing me of a radar contact north of our position.  By the time I arrived in the Control Room, RM2 Bryne had determined that it was on a true course roughly east and […]

Patrol 1, Day 11

After a few unproductive days in The Slot, we have received orders to proceed to the northern Solomon Sea.  I hope that once on station we will have orders that will allow me the latitude to proceed west of of Blanche Bay as I suspect we’ll find heavy traffic there in and out of Rabaul, […]

Patrol 1, Day 1

We set out today from Brisbane, and I find I have full faith in the courage and skill of the crew under my new command. I wish the same could be said for the boat herself.  As we made preparations to get underway, I could not help but notice, with no small degree of envy, […]