Chapter L
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Chapter L: Just Another Convoy
Stavanger, Late Morning, 11 July
Thirteen merchantmen were leaving the port to run to Oslo over the next 36 hours at 12 knots, with the need to have some distance from Kristiansand prolonging the journey. Ahead of them waited the destroyers Sleipner, Odin, Aeger and Heimdal, Commander Per Askim, senior officer, aboard Sleipner, the escort for the convoy. The convoy route to Oslo was known to have its fair share of U-Boats, while bombers had occasionally attacked previous convoys that were steaming too long in the daylight, and the threat of a sortie by the new German destroyers with 15cm guns was also a very real possibility.
The quartet of destroyers, now all ASDIC equipped as opposed to just Sleipner prewar, when she was equipped with a primitive set, picked up their first contact off the recaptured Egersund before the sun touched the horizon. An N-3PB flying ASW support assisted, while the pair of H-75’s flying CAP kept a watchful eye on the sky. Aeger broke off and made two passes at the U-Boat before running back to the convoy. The submarine would later limp into Kristiansand. After several similar encounters, with less success, the convoy arrived off Kristiansand in the early hours of the morning, where it received its first casualty. A freighter carrying small arms and munitions ate a torpedo in her bow section, luckily not by the munitions, and had to slow to 9 knots. Askim reluctantly left her behind, as he couldn’t risk allowing his entire convoy to be close enough for the bombers to hit from Kristiansand in the morning before air cover from Oslo arrived.
Half an hour later, white streaks were spotted on the water at about 8,000 yards, though they weren’t verified until 6,000 as S-Boats. Sleipner, on the convoy’s northern side, bucked as her quintet of 12cm rifles shot flame and sent their projectiles skywards. Odin followed with her four guns, while Heimdal increased speed and came around the fore end of the convoy to assist, Aeger remaining on the disengaged side to avoid nasty surprises from seaward.
A shell from Odin got lucky and smashed through one of the five oncoming targets, while the 4cm guns on the destroyers opened up soon after. Soon, another boat was crippled, this time by 4cm shells from Heimdal, and the final trio broke off just outside of torpedo range as the light guns on the defenders found the range. Not long after, a distress call from the damaged freighter was received.
As the first hints of sunlight appeared, the convoy was clear of Arendal and soon to be in range of fighter cover from Oslo. A shout was given, and the convoy began evasive maneuvers as torpedoes streaked in from starboard, only one finding a nice metal hull to detonate against, that being of a tanker, which shuddered but managed to only lose a knot, which Askim could tolerate, so the convoy slowed to eleven knots as Aeger, the best ASW ship, chased the torpedo tracks and got a target, as well as the reward of an oil slick after two passes.
Though uneasy from the sighting of a snooping Ju 88, the convoy continued on, with six dots being sighted ahead of the vessels 150 nautical miles from the entrance to Oslofjord. These were a half dozen H-75’s, much longer ranged than the D.XXI’s also in Oslo. Not far behind were a pair of N-3PB’s to hunt subs. The 88 ran away as a pair of 75’s closed on it, and the convoy reached Oslofjord just before lunch, greeted by a pair of torpedo boats that had survived the Battle of Horten and torpedoed the Lutzow. Continuing up the fjord, the convoy spotted one of the new minesweepers running trials, a C-class submarine docked in Horten, and the two new destroyers, Gyller and Alesund, under construction. Also in Horten was the recently refloated battleship Schlesien, sunk covering the evacuating Germans in June by torpedoes from the trio of MTB’s that were now legendary, which the Navy was trying to decide what to do with. The destroyers peeled off to Horten to refuel and rearm for the return journey, while the twelve merchantmen split up to go to their respective destinations. Per Askim could finally relax. Hopefully the next one would be this easy. They weren’t always.
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Chapter L: Just Another Convoy
Stavanger, Late Morning, 11 July
Thirteen merchantmen were leaving the port to run to Oslo over the next 36 hours at 12 knots, with the need to have some distance from Kristiansand prolonging the journey. Ahead of them waited the destroyers Sleipner, Odin, Aeger and Heimdal, Commander Per Askim, senior officer, aboard Sleipner, the escort for the convoy. The convoy route to Oslo was known to have its fair share of U-Boats, while bombers had occasionally attacked previous convoys that were steaming too long in the daylight, and the threat of a sortie by the new German destroyers with 15cm guns was also a very real possibility.
The quartet of destroyers, now all ASDIC equipped as opposed to just Sleipner prewar, when she was equipped with a primitive set, picked up their first contact off the recaptured Egersund before the sun touched the horizon. An N-3PB flying ASW support assisted, while the pair of H-75’s flying CAP kept a watchful eye on the sky. Aeger broke off and made two passes at the U-Boat before running back to the convoy. The submarine would later limp into Kristiansand. After several similar encounters, with less success, the convoy arrived off Kristiansand in the early hours of the morning, where it received its first casualty. A freighter carrying small arms and munitions ate a torpedo in her bow section, luckily not by the munitions, and had to slow to 9 knots. Askim reluctantly left her behind, as he couldn’t risk allowing his entire convoy to be close enough for the bombers to hit from Kristiansand in the morning before air cover from Oslo arrived.
Half an hour later, white streaks were spotted on the water at about 8,000 yards, though they weren’t verified until 6,000 as S-Boats. Sleipner, on the convoy’s northern side, bucked as her quintet of 12cm rifles shot flame and sent their projectiles skywards. Odin followed with her four guns, while Heimdal increased speed and came around the fore end of the convoy to assist, Aeger remaining on the disengaged side to avoid nasty surprises from seaward.
A shell from Odin got lucky and smashed through one of the five oncoming targets, while the 4cm guns on the destroyers opened up soon after. Soon, another boat was crippled, this time by 4cm shells from Heimdal, and the final trio broke off just outside of torpedo range as the light guns on the defenders found the range. Not long after, a distress call from the damaged freighter was received.
As the first hints of sunlight appeared, the convoy was clear of Arendal and soon to be in range of fighter cover from Oslo. A shout was given, and the convoy began evasive maneuvers as torpedoes streaked in from starboard, only one finding a nice metal hull to detonate against, that being of a tanker, which shuddered but managed to only lose a knot, which Askim could tolerate, so the convoy slowed to eleven knots as Aeger, the best ASW ship, chased the torpedo tracks and got a target, as well as the reward of an oil slick after two passes.
Though uneasy from the sighting of a snooping Ju 88, the convoy continued on, with six dots being sighted ahead of the vessels 150 nautical miles from the entrance to Oslofjord. These were a half dozen H-75’s, much longer ranged than the D.XXI’s also in Oslo. Not far behind were a pair of N-3PB’s to hunt subs. The 88 ran away as a pair of 75’s closed on it, and the convoy reached Oslofjord just before lunch, greeted by a pair of torpedo boats that had survived the Battle of Horten and torpedoed the Lutzow. Continuing up the fjord, the convoy spotted one of the new minesweepers running trials, a C-class submarine docked in Horten, and the two new destroyers, Gyller and Alesund, under construction. Also in Horten was the recently refloated battleship Schlesien, sunk covering the evacuating Germans in June by torpedoes from the trio of MTB’s that were now legendary, which the Navy was trying to decide what to do with. The destroyers peeled off to Horten to refuel and rearm for the return journey, while the twelve merchantmen split up to go to their respective destinations. Per Askim could finally relax. Hopefully the next one would be this easy. They weren’t always.
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