Every inch of the boat was in use, food and supplies were stored every where. Most of the bunks were full, the toilets were loaded with supplies and hammocks hung from the overhead were loaded with dark bread. On this particular trip there was the added supplies needed for their mission, Explosives, inflatable rafts, machine guns, ammo and He would watch the Commander more closely though.
U Boat number 47 had been running slow all the way across the Atlantic. There was a need to conserve fuel. The American waters were a long way from their wolf's den on the coast of France or Gemany
All this made for hard living bunks were used in shifts and they stayed damp and stunk of mold, mildew and sweat. The men had one working toilet and some times a tin can had to be used and often could not be pumped overboard until the boat surfaced. At the depths the submarines lay hiding from their enemies' air pressure was used to pump overboard. Air pressure had to be made by running the engines.
The boat smelled putrid from a mixture of engine oil and saltwater souring in the bilge. Of course there were body odors, and body function smells mixed with the stale odors of yesterday's meals.
The bread, grain and even the cheese they, ate not only smelled of all these things they had been so permeated with odor they tasted of them.
The only saving grace was that the men couldn't smell any of it. They had to go on deck to sun bath occasionally. Going back below was sickening.
In the winter when the water was cold, it could be as cold inside as the surrounding water was. The summer time, epecially in the Gulf Stream, was almost unbearable. The temperature inside the sub could shoot up to one hundred and twenty if the engines were running. Because the air became so moist, sweat did not evaporate. The crew took turns going on deck to cool themselves. With all the hardships they thought themselves slightly better off than the seaman floating in a raft after having been torpedoed.
After the sun went down and the twilight settled into darkness, Commander Mueller brought his U boat to the surface. All was clear around them. Walter looked over at the Virginia beach stretching down to the South. There were miles and miles of shore lights. Auto headlights could be seen moving along the water front. This sight in the middle of a war always amazed him, the American lights silhouetted any ships that moved along the coast, it was like a shooting gallery. He could not fathom what the Americans could be thinking.
A little after two a m U- 47 , received a radio message from the operative Tad. They were given detailed instructions to proceed up the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore.
The lookout spotted three ships coming out of the Chesapeake bay entrance. They were being escorted by an old British world war one Corvette. The old boat was so slow she was no danger to the U boat. Walter had been tempted to sink her several times, how ever he was afraid she would be replaced by a much more dangerous destroyer. Her vulnerability made her safe. Walter laughed maybe one day when he ran out of tankers?
The old ship was the United States Coast Guard Cutter Flint, she was not a ship to be taken lightly though, her crew had experience in battle, and new what they were about. Their underwater listening and Sonar people were well trained. They had sunk one
U-boat in this war off Hatteras and one in the first war. They were training young instructors in the use of these devices. The middle aged Captain knew all the tricks. It was hard to fool him.
U- lie in wait silently and hidden, at periscope depth the Commander watched the four ships moving toward him. He watched the blackened shadows move across the shore lights. Walter told his second in command to look at them.
"My God," the man said, "they would be better off to turn on all they're running lights. They would be harder to see against the confusion of lights on shore."
This night they were safe. U- 47 would not strike she had a more important target and there could be no chances taken.
Walter Mueller was surprised at what a strange feeling and what a terrible temptation it was to sink one or two of those targets. He laughed to himself what a killer I have become he thought.
The really good news was that the operative Tad had given him ships to sink, there names ant eta. and he could be trusted. Walter had known Tad to be a good and loyal German in the past was afraid he had been influenced by the Americans. It was good to know they were both fighting on the same side. This was good news he had help ashore and the increased their odds of success by a huge margine.
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