This new model had not been ready for the Second Battle of
Britain but was ready for this mission. The NATO Allies were not. It was very
similar to when the U-boats first started to sink US ships off of the East
coast. Sometimes In full view of American lovers walking the beaches in New
Jersey. And the reaction of the navy was much the same. First denial and then
grudging actions taken to deal with the new threat. In the meantime SAC
supplies were being blown up on the way to SAC.
At first the effect of the Small Ones did not seem to be
that great but the months ahead would prove otherwise. On this fine day it
seemed more of an inconvenience similar to what the Royal Navy had been able to
have dealt with in the Channel. But
these newer versions were going to be a different. Quality control had finally
taken hold in the Red Navy and this new set of mini subs were the first weapons
to be party to this revolution.
Previously the Soviet weapons were made to last just long
enough to do the job. It was a case of planned obsolescence that was actually
taught the Soviets by the Americans. If a T-34 was only going to last a few
weeks before it was blown apart by a German 88 shell why make it so it would
last for a year? All sorts of time and resource saving methods had been devised
that just took the American ideas of manufacturing to the next level. Now Sergo
had convinced Stalin that trained men are more valuable than cannon fodder and
a have a much higher moral as well.
The Mini-subs could be easily transported by truck and
launched from any small port and they were. All along the Greek and Italian
coast Seehunds were sliding into the water for a 2 week run out in the
Mediterranean. Looking for the choke points that would become their killing
ground during the early days of this assault on NATO shipping going and coming from
Rhodes, Cyprus and Egypt. Between Tunis and Sicily, Benghazi and Tobruk they
could cut off the routes that the freighters were using to supply LeMay’s air
force. SAC was about to lose its own months’ worth of supplies and there was
nothing LeMay could do about it. Eventually the navy would either take care of
the problem or it would just take much longer for his supplies to reach him by
going around the Horn and up the Suez. Until the danger was discovered and
identified the eggs were all in the Seehunds basket.
Fifty six of the almost undetectable mini-subs were waiting
at the choke points. With the Red Navy bottled up in the Black Sea it was
deemed unnecessary to patrol both day and night with aircraft. They were using
a convoy system which saved many a ship but the damage would be done in a
matter of days as Liberty Ship after Liberty Ship ran out of luck. This
virtually undetectable underwater killing machine was finally going to get its
chance and because of the new emphasis on quality the submariners inside their
submerged coffins would get the chance they had been trained for.
Remember Seehund #28 or Malyshka #2 as it was renamed. It
had gone through a total refit and was waiting off the coast of Benghazi when
the chance of a life time for a midget submarine, came sliding into view. It
was a convoy made up of big fat Victory ships. The larger descendent of the
Liberty ships. At 15200 tons a piece they were a submariner’s ultimate target
in cargo ships. Malyshka #2 had two torpedoes and was going to make good use of
them this day.
After the Columbia was hit another Victory ship was
staggered by another torpedo. The SS Arcadia Victory was luckier than its
cousin. The explosion only took off her bow but the water tight bulkheads did
their job and she would stay afloat long enough to rescue her crew and beach
her off shore. The Columbia was full of replacement parts for the B-29s of SAC
and the Arcadia ammunition. Again luck was with the Arcadia and the bow
compartment was full of spare engine parts as well and not explosives or she
would have gone up like an atomic bomb. The loss was equally devastating as the
spares were sorely needed and would be missed by SAC.
“Quiet Victor I will tell you when I know more than you. Now
let me concentrate you great oaf. How did they let you in the naval service in
submarines?”
“I was not let anything Captain I was forced to choose the
navy and specifically these Malyshkas. Who would choose such a fate comrade?
Who in their right mind?”
“Once again be silent! I cannot get into a conversation with
you at this time. Just a few more meters and we loose the first one…”
The mini-sub is pushed to the right as the left torpedo
leaves for its intersection with the SS Columbia Victory and tiny space is
filled with the whine of a small extremely fast speed propeller. The Doppler Effect
was in full evidence as the sound changed by second and gradually faded. The
captain fought for control of the sub and to line it up for the second shot at
the SS Arcadia Victory and 3 minutes later he send the second and last of their
torpedoes towards the freighter. These torpedoes ran at 1000 meters a minute or
31 knots. The Columbia was 4905 meters away and the Arcadia was 1912 meters
away and was temporarily shielded by a destroyer traveling at high speed
towards Malyshka #2 at a high rate of speed. The result was that both torpedoes
almost hit at the same time due to the lag of the Captain lining up his second
target.
He of course didn't know who or what was on the Victory
ships but he found out what the Columbia Victory was carrying soon after the
533 mm ET-46 torpedo hit squarely amidships. The ship surprisingly did not
explode due to the cargo but she did sink rather suddenly. The Arcadia was
staggered and lost speed rapidly and was down in bow.
That was all he could see in the time he had allotted before
he crashed dove to avoid the explosives about to rain down on he and his
shipmate from the destroyers Hedgehogs. These modified mortar rounds were shot
ahead of the destroyer in groups and then sank straight down until there
contact fuses hit something and then exploded. They were not as satisfying to
the destroyer as the depth charge but they worked over three times better and
this was death to most submarines if used properly.
Malyshka #2 as all Malyshkas were, was very hard to detect
so the Hedgehog volley was sent blindly to a spot where the destroyer first
spotted the torpedoes. That was all they had to go on as the small sub did not
reflect a sonar ping and was almost useless in combating the Malyshka.
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