AHTL: The battle of the Atlantic

The start
14th September 1939

The opening shots of the longest battlefield of ww2 begins with u39 firing four torpedos at the aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL lucky all four detonate early. The destroyers escorting ark royal manage to drive the u-boat deep while ark royal launches two swordfish bi plane torpedo bombers carrying two depth charges each are vectored onto the U-boat. Both swordfish drop their depth charges, instead of sinking u-boat surfaces and the crew are taken prisoner but not before the crew scuttle the u-39.

Three days later on the 17th the Royal Navies luck runs out when u-29 fires three torpedoes at HMS courageous west of the English Channel, Two detonate early but the third hits the carrier causing the carrier to slow to 12 knots, u-29 escapes hounded by two of the four destroyers escorting her. Her two remaining escorts shepherd the stricken carrier into Portsmouth harbour. With 78 dead and 130 injured the carrier is immediately dry docked and repairs to be hull is started, the goal is to get her patched up so she can be repaired away from the south coast.

The immediate result is the all fleet carriers are taken from ASW operations.
 
Part 2
22nd September 1939

The Royal Navy gets revenge of sorts for the 78 dead and 130 injured. The destroyers HMS Fortuna and Forrester sinks u-27 commanded by kapitanleutnant Franz off the West coast of Scotland, the u-boat is lost with all hands, it marks the first submarine sunk in the war.

On the 25th September the Royal Navy fights it's first air battle when a DO-18 maritime recon aircraft is shot down by a Blackburn Skua from 803 squadron operating from Ark Royal. The next day Ark Royal formed a home fleet force to cover the recovery of HMS spearfish which Is severely damaged in the central north sea, while covering the rescue she is attacked by Junkers Ju88 from KG30 which misses but one bomb hits HMS Hood which bounces off her deck. Three Skuas on combat air patrol manages to get in amongst the bombers and shoot three down for all three Skuas taking damage from the bombers defensive fire.

By 21st September British naval Intelligence learns that two powerful German commerce raiders the Graf spee and Deutschland are at sea. The Admiralty send the carrier HMS Glorious along with HMS repulse, the cruisers Ajax,Exeter and Achilles after them.
 
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Part 3
7th October 1939

The German Naval staff concerned about the mounting pressure on the two pocket battleships, orders units of the German fleet lead by the battlecruiser Sharnhorst along with the light cruiser koln and nine destroyers sortie towards the southern coast of Norway. The plan is to draw the home fleet across a line of four U-boats and into range of land based bombers of the Luftwaffe.

As soon as Admiral Forbes learns that the major units of the krigesmarine are attempting to break out into the north Atlantic, he issues orders for his main units north-east of the Shetlands where they could cover the exits to the Atlantic. These where the battleships Rodney and Nelson, the battlecruisers Hood and Repulse, the cruisers Aurora, Sheffield and Newcastle, the carrier HMS Furious along with twelve destroyers.

During the night HMS Furious along with HMS Repulse, Sheffield and four destroyers detach from the battle group and head south towards southern Norway. At day break Furious turns into the wind and lunches four Skuas for combat air patrol and four Swordfish tbr,s on a 100 mile search vectors. At 1015 a swordfish spots the German battlecruiser Sharnhorst and three destroyers escorting her. The swordfish manages to make a sighting report before a Ju 88 flying a recon mission sends it spiralling towards the water. On board HMS Furious catches the sighting report and launches 30 swordfish bi plane torpedo bombers carrying torpedoes, the Swordfish are ordered to put as many torpedoes into the Sharnhorst and Koln as possible.

11:10

On board Sharnhorst Admiral lutjens orders the group to retreat to Kiel and to get back under Luftwaffe air cover. With the Swordfish having missed their chance to deal a blow to the Germans, return to Furious. The operation is fruitless and with the Germans under fighter protection Admiral Arthur Dowding retreats back to Loch Ewe. During all this both the RAF and Luftwaffe bombers fail to find their targets and by the 11th October both the Krigesmarine and the Home Fleet are safely back in port.
 
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Part 4
On the night of the 13/14th October
U-47 commanded by kapitanleutnant Gunther Prein sneaks through defences of Scapa flow and at 00:27 enters Scapa flow proper. Kapitanleutnant Prein spots the battleship Royal Oak, the Heavy cruiser Norfolk and the seaplane carrier Pegasus which Prein mistakes for a battlecruiser of the Renown class as only bow is visible.

At 01:03 Prein orders for two torpedoes to be fired at Royal Oak the first one runs deep and misses but the second hits the bow, The crew wake up thinking that there has been an explosion in the magazines. Most of the crew try go back to sleep but the Admiral on board calls for battle stations.

Prien next fires his last two bow torpedoes at Royal Oak both hit blowing out her hull and setting afire in her magazines. HMS Belfast anchored 5 miles away with half power gets her crew to battle stations and slips her moorings when the first torpedo hits Royal Oak. Armour piercing shells are brought up from Belfasts magazines and loaded within 2 minutes. Prein orders a 180° turn and to reload the bow tubes, as U-47 turns Prein orders the stern tubes to be fired at Norfolk. Both torpedoes miss Norfolk one detonates prematurely the second hits Norfolk but doesn't explode. With the bow tubes needing to be reloaded Prein fires his last stern torpedo at Royal Oak but it runs deep and explodes prematurely. U-47 turns 180 ° and fires a torpedo that has been reloaded from the bow tubes at what Prein believes to be a Renown class battlecruiser it jams in the tube. Most of the crew start to evacuate from Royal Oak all the boy sailors are evacuated along with Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove and most of the crew apart from 150 men trying to get the damage under control. HMS Belfast already at 18 knots and closing fast on U-47 starts to fire her primary armament of 12 6 inch guns at U-47, The first salvo misses to port the second salvo brackets U-47. Prein orders a hard turn towards Belfast and for the bow tubes reloaded as fast as possible. Belfasts captain G.A. Scott orders a hard turn to avoid U-47s probably torpedoes, as Belfast turns her 12 6 inch guns are turned towards u-47. With the bow tubes reloading Prien fires two torpedoes at Belfast which is closing fast at 25 knots. Captain Scott carefully combs the torpedo tracks and fires a full broadside which nine shells miss but three shots bracket the u-boat which is turning to flee from the cruiser out for revenge.

With the reloading of Belfasts main battery in under 8 seconds Captain Scott orders a hard turn to follow the u-boat. The front two triple turrets fire the three shells from A turret bracket the fleeing u-boat but one of the three shells from B turret hit the conning tower damaging it. Unable to submerge U-47 trys and escape fortunately for Prein Belfast breaks off to rescue the crews of Royal Oak and Pegasus.
 
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Part 5
14th October 1939

With Belfast picking up the crew of Pegasus and the crew who remained on royal oak doing damage control evacuated, Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove on Belfasts bridge receives word that the fire's are out of control and are going to reach the cordite in the main magazines, The damage to Royal Oak is too severe but the damage control party manages to get the crippled battleship to a 5° list. Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove gives the order sink Royal Oak with torpedoes, so at 03:20 Royal Oak slips beneath the waves and settles on her hull, the rush of water entering the ship floods the main magazine and puts the fires out.

With Royal Oak sunk and Pegasus unable to saved and slowly sinking Belfast heads for the main channel and heads south at 20 knots.

Captain A.G.Scott onboard Belfast sends off a message to the Admiralty.

***Urgent***
*** Royal Oak severely damaged***
**** Pegasus severely damaged****
*****U-boat damaged*****
******Crew from both Royal Oak and Pegasus rescued******
********Royal Oak scuttled due to hazzard of cordite fires *******
*********Seaplane carrier Pegasus severely damaged and sinking*********
*******Request orders*******

***** Captain A.G Scott *****
 
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Part 6
14th October 1939

During the early hours of the 14th HMS Belfast overcrowded with survivors from Royal Oak and Pegasus making 20 knots heads towards Rosyth. On her voyage Belfast is met by two destroyers which escort her to Rosyth.

The small group transfers some of the survivors from Belfast to the two destroyers. When the transfer is completed all three ships increase speed to 32 knots and continue towards the Rosyth.
 
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14th October 1939

With Belfast picking up the crew of Pegasus and the crew who remained on royal oak doing damage control evacuated, Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove on Belfasts bridge receives word that the fire's are out of control and are going to reach the cordite in the main magazines. Rear admiral Henry Blargrove gives the order sink Royal Oak with torpedoes, so at 03:20 Royal Oak slips beneath the waves and settles on her hull, the rush of water entering the ship floods the main magazine and puts the fires out.

With Royal Oak sunk and Pegasus unable to be saved Belfast fires two of her torpedos at the old ww1 seaplane carrier Pegasus which slips beneath the waves of Scapa flow at 03:45.

Captain A.G.Scott onboard Belfast sends off a message to the Admiralty.

***Urgent***
*** Royal Oak severely damaged***
**** Pegasus severely damaged****
*****U-boat damaged*****
******Crew from both Royal Oak and Pegasus rescued******
********Both damaged ships scuttled due to cordite fires on board Royal Oak *******
*******Request orders*******

***** Captain A.G Scott *****
There would be no need to scuttle the Pegasus, let he sink, the torpedos into the Royal Oak from the cruiser may miss and set off the magazine. The Royal oak was already well under water at this time OTL . With the conning tower damaged Prein is going to have to look at scuttling his vessel. the odds of making it back to Germany on the surface, are slim to none.
 
Part 7
15th October 1939

After a long and arduous journey which U-47 severely damaged and with half the crew injured or severely shaken and under heavy fog and low cloud cover arrives in Kiel to a hero's welcome, as soon as U-47 docks the crew are taken off to hospital, within minutes of the crew evacuating the U-boat already sitting low in the water sinks at the dock side. Admiral Donitz and three high ranking Krigesmarine Officers congratulates Prein for sinking both Royal Oak and the battlecruiser renown. Prein is awarded a knights cross for the mission.

The group consisting of the light cruisers Belfast and Newcastle and two destroyers enter Rosyth. The wounded survivors are taken off and taken to hospitals in Edinburgh . Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove is taken to the Train station and put on a train heading for London with his entire staff.
 
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15th October 1939

U-47 arrives in Kiel to a hero's welcome, as soon as U-47 docks Admiral Donitz jumps aboard and congratulates Prein for sinking both Royal Oak and the battlecruiser renown. Prein is awarded a knights cross for the mission.

The group consisting of the light cruisers Belfast and Newcastle and two destroyers enter the Humber estuary. The wounded survivors are taken off and taken to hospitals in Hull. Rear Admiral Henry Blargrove is taken to RAF Yeadon then flown to the Admiralty building.

Seriously disagree a surface crossing of the North Sea with a damaged submarine, would be a near miricle..
 
All it took was a non exploding 4" through the conning tower of a Japanese mini sub sunk by USS Ward. I tis your senario.. imo you could probably do a story of Prein's heroic journey across the North Sea... Lots of fog and storm would help.. leaking hull injured crew..
 
Some Suggestions if I may. No way will Belfast head anywhere, Though Scapa was a fairly bare base in 1939 it had been a fleet base throughout the first world war and their are shore facilities, There is also a radar station, naval air abase and at least one RAF airfield. There is at least one civilian hospital r Kirkwall and medical facilities at the bases on the islands. also there is no way HMS Belfast is heading for the Humber, that is completely nonsensical. If she left Scapa at all she would head for Rosyth in the Firth of Forth. This is a fully equipped Royal naval dockyard and naval base with all the medical facilities required, Edinburgh, with all its hospitals and other facilities is just across the Firth of Forth. This story has an interesting start but I would suggest a little research on RN bases in 1939 and a quick look at some maps! PM me if you wish.
 
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