MITTELMEER PATROL 6
U-133 departed La Spezia, Italy, on the morning of 08-MAR-1943 and headed for patrol zone BLAU north of the Afrikan coast. We entered the PZ on the evening of 09-MAR-1943; a very dark night with heavy rain and high seas. We spent the night submerged. In the morning, we surfaced to much the same weather and were thankful for a radar and radar warning device. In fact, weather during the entire patrol was terrible for hunting and our torpedoes; but great for hiding from enemy escorts.
On the evening of 12-MAR-1943, we made contact on hydrophone with a ship to the northeast. We intercepted and spent a lot of time hugging up next to the Large Merchant, within 150 meters of her submerged, in order to finally identify her as Australian. We then backed off; surfaced; and got around in front of her to engage at 500 meters. Even at that range, keeping sight of her in the dark and rain was not easy. We initially fired two torpedoes – one missed and one was a dud. We fired two more eels – one missed and the other hit home, which was enough to eventually sink her.
Early the next morning, 13-MAR-1943, we got a hydrophone contact on a convoy to the west heading east. With rain and high seas, we decided our best chance was to go right in the front. The lead destroyer passed within 1500 meters of us without detection as we slowly crept in. At the center of the convoy, we fired two torpedoes at a Large Merchant, two at a Ceramic-type Troop Ship, and our stern eel at a Large Merchant passing behind. The first Merchant took two hits; the Troop Ship took one hit astern with one miss; and the stern torpedo proved to be a dud against the second Large Merchant. Our tubes empty, we decided to head to 140 meters dropping a decoy and hide from the 4 escorts observed. The convoy went in every direction after the torpedoes struck and eventually the Large Merchant and Troop Ship sank almost simultaneously in CJ7539. We were never detected and made our escape to the north.
Early morning on 14-MAR-1943, U-133 caught a single merchant on hydrophone. Unlike the earlier situation, we decided to track the ship through the night; running ahead and using our hydrophone to relocate her several times until dawn. We were then able to identify her as a Greek Tramp Steamer and sank her with one torpedo in CJ7616.
In chasing down the Greek steamer, we had departed our assigned PZ. We were on our way back when we started receiving multiple radar warnings to the southwest. U-133 immediately turned south to intercept in case it was a convoy. In CJ7642, we submerged and listened, picking up two merchants and two escorts on hydrophone. We waited for the ships to appear – an in-line convoy off two Troop Ships between two escorts. We fired our last two internal eels at the lead Troop Ship – one hit amidships and the other pre-detonated after 2 minutes of travel. The escorts did not search very hard, deciding to remain close and protect the two Troop Ships. After about 40 minutes, the Troop Ship sank and the remaining convoy departed.
With high seas and no internal torpedoes, we surfaced and made our way back to La Spezia without further incident.
Departed La Spezia 08 MAR 1943
Docked La Spezia 16 MAR 1943 after 9 days at sea
Sank 3 enemy merchants and 2 enemy troop ships for 40.344 GRT
Expended 12 torpedoes: 6 good detonations; 1 predet, 2 duds, 3 missesSome images overexposed for clarity ...
Spent a lot of time and torpedoes to sink this Australian Large Merchant
One of two hits on a British Large Merchant.
Poor weather did not give us much time to get accurate targeting data, but we were still able to get a valuable hit on a British Ceramic-type Troop Ship.
Large Merchant goes down with the convoy is disarray.
Ceramic-type Troop Ship goes down by the stern simultaneously with the Large Merchant
Greek Tramp Steamer takes a torpedo hit forward.
Oh No !!! Men and lifeboat sucked into the prop and shredded to pieces.
Greek Tramp Steamer goes down.
Single hit amidships on a British Troop Ship.
With no more internal torpedoes, second Troop Ship gets away free and clear.
Escorts stay close to the Troop Ships and get nowhere near us as we slowly back away.
British Troop Ship goes down.
Returning home to La Spezia.
Fellow U-Boot crew comes alongside in a raft with some beer for the crew as we enter port.
