GIBRALTAR CROSSING
After a brief at-sea trial, U-133 departed Lorient on 07-NOV-41 for Mittelmeer. The Allantik transit was uneventful until we reached CG8597, where we sighted a north-bound convoy. We engaged in the afternoon in moderate seas and sank a British Ore Carrier, Large Merchent and Liberty Cargo ship.
We then proceeded to our entry point, 300 KM west of Gibraltar in CG9779 and began our ingress the morning of 14-NOV-41. We timed our approach to be approximately 60 KM from Gibraltar at sundown. During the ingress, we had to dive several time upon sighting enemy aircraft, some of which dropped wasserbombs, but we sustained no damage. By sundown, the fly-overs ceased and we proceeded inbound decks awash until sighting our first warship and proceeded to periscope depth. The night was fairly clear with a light fog. We hugged the Moroccan coast at periscope depth and sighted or heard at least a dozen warships inbound to Gibraltar, including several patrol craft patrolling the southern Moroccan coast. We also sighted several destroyers patrolling to the east of Gibraltar.
We finally surfaced and by the morning of 16-NOV-41, we were 300 KM east of Gibraltar. Six hours later, we engaged and sank our first enemy merchant in Mittelmeer. On 19,20-NOV-41, we sank three more enemy merchants. We then proceeded south between Afrika and Sicily and observed several small enemy convoy attacks by Italian bombers. In these attacks, almost all the merchants were sunk, but the Italians did lose some aircraft and we spent a day rescuing downed Italian aircrewmen.
We then proceeded east-southeast along the Sicilian coast and turned southeast toward CO45. En route, we sank one more merchant and its escort. We then headed for Salamis. On 30-NOV-41, in heavy rain, fog and moderate seas, we were suddenly surprised by a destroyer coming out of the fog at 16 knots. We were particially submerged when we realized we had run into an Italian task force of six destroyers, a Litterio class Battleship and a Duga degli Abruzzi class Light Cruiser steaming on a heading of 155. We immediately surfaced and showed our colors to the task force.
The remaining journey to Salamis was uneventful.
