Diary of a U-Boat Commander

eebr

n one of the new submarine

oof over three feet thick, whi

ng mole with a gentle curve in it, which reaches out to seaward and protects the mouth of the canal. The tides are very st

and I heard many interesting stories. There seems no doubt this U-boat war is dangerous work; I find the U.C. boats are beginning to be called the Suicide Club, after the famous English story of that name,

lves to destruction against our steel front. We are now to loa

the South D

They were lifted from a railway truck by a big crane and delicate

acilitate release. Having completed with fuel at Bruges, we took in a store of p

. To-day, the 22nd, we are just north of the Sou

small minefield off Newcastle in the East Coast war channel. I have, of course,

was a poor substitute for my lovely quarters in the barracks at Wilhelmshaven. One thing I appreciate, an

ing up things about the boat. Her

, one each side. In the port passage is the wireless cabinet and signal flag lockers, with

he engineer, and the Navigating Warrant Officer. Proceeding further aft one enters the control

the crew space; ten of

oes from the external torpedo tubes, of which we carry one

engines, I believe. At the after end of the engine-room are the two main

are underneath the boards, in the ste

when a message came that the captai

it conveyed nothing to me, when he aroused my intense interest by stating that it was, without doubt, being emitted from a British submarine, who are known to frequent these waters. He was proceeding away from us, and was, even

ly our equals. He seemed to hold them in considerable respect, and he remarked that, when making a passage, he was more anxious on their account than in any other way. He informed me that, on the last passage he made, he was attacked by a British bo

boat had been able to make an attack in such weather. We are

the senior officer, Zeebrugge, to say that mine-laying was suspected, and we were to wait till the "Q.R." channel, from t

cessful, but not witho

ger Bank, and saw the lights of several steamers in the distance. As our firs

n which the lights show can be changed at will. His idea is that, should we appear to be approaching a steamer which he wishes to avoid, in many cases, by shining a l

ghts fitted which are the wrong colours for the sides they are on. It is, of course, only neutral shipping which ca

lm and the sea like glass. As we were only three miles from the English coast, and close to the mouth of the Tyne, we were extrao

ng to Alten that we should elevate the 10-cm. gun to fifteen degrees and fire a few rounds on to "proud Albion's virgin shores," but I did not do so as I felt fairly certain that he

e were not worried by coast watchers, but unfavourable from the standpoint that

argo of eggs, it is quite possible that we may be sent here again, to lay an adjacent field

e edge of this bank with our sounding machine, and steering north half a mile, laid our mines in latitude--No! on second thoughts I will omit the preci

ll take much pleasure in reading them when Victory cro

in fact. For the first time since the Skajerack battle I experienced the personal joys of war, t

celerity we dived, that damned fellow Alten, who, under these circumstances leaves th

stand this hail-fellow-well-met attitude in these U.C. boats, from any lout dressed in an officer's uniform. They wouldn't be holding commissions if it wasn

periscope, and then invited me to look. Curiosity impelled me to accept this

s suspended a little car, the most ridiculous little travesty of an airship I

Simultaneously Alten, from the conning tower (I was using the other periscope

eard a series of reports right astern of us. It was evident