Facing the rising sun in the east, the U559 boat slowly left its berth at the Cat Ba Island Naval Submarine Base and embarked on a long journey.
Standing on the submarine's command tower, watching the officers and soldiers packing up cables on the front and rear decks, checking the sealing performance of key parts of the submarine and the waterproof canvas on the two 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns equipped, Captain Liang Ran was able and meticulous in his actions.
The captain smiled happily.
The Beibu Gulf was calm and the sea was calm. Shortly after leaving the Cat Ba Island military port, the U559 boat turned to the southeast and began to be seaworthy at full speed.
When the two 4,000-horsepower twelve-cylinder diesel engines are turned on at full power, this Type II submarine with a water displacement of 1,800 tons is like a fast-swimming dolphin, constantly cruising on the sea, with an oval bow
Sometimes it is submerged in the sea water, and sometimes it jumps high, which is thrilling to watch.
"The current maximum speed is 16.5 knots!"
The voice of the first officer, Second Lieutenant Dai Hongyu, came through the microphone. Liang Ran knew clearly that this speed was already relatively fast among submarines, but compared with those surface ships, especially cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats with speeds exceeding 30 knots.
, but pales in comparison.
Of course, due to the teardrop-shaped ship design, Type II submarines can travel faster underwater than on the surface. The top speed can even reach an astonishing 30 knots, which is more than enough to deal with fleets that usually move at cruising speed.
"Attention to all personnel: dive in five minutes, pay attention to the equipment in each cabin!"
After giving this instruction to the boat through the microphone, Liang Ran looked at the sun in the distance with some nostalgia and took a greedy breath of fresh air. Then he turned around and went down the ladder in the passage to the cabin without hesitation.
The dive alarm sounded throughout the submarine, and the crew members stranded on the deck quickly returned to the submarine through the watertight doors on the deck and bridge. A large number of bubbles began to appear from the bow, stern and sides of the boat.
After a while, the bow of the ship began to be submerged by sea water.
The last sailor climbed down the ladder from the conning tower. After his body completely entered the vertical passage, he pulled the rotating handle on the hatch cover firmly and closed the sealed hatch cover firmly. Pressing the button on the hatch cover
The spring latch was pressed, and when the seawater completely submerged the hatch cover and no seawater seeped in, I breathed a sigh of relief and entered the bilge below.
Since the submarine had just sunk to the sea level and the air inside the submarine was still fresh, the crew consciously turned off all the extra lights in the cabin, and the light suddenly dimmed. This is because the diesel engine must be turned off when underwater, and the submarine relies entirely on batteries.
For electric navigation, all irrelevant electricity consumption must be reduced and saved as much as possible, so that the ship can remain underwater for a longer time and save the lives of all officers and soldiers on board at critical times.
There was no unnecessary sound in the cabin, only the first mate, Lieutenant Dai Hongyu, was heard reporting numbers one by one:
"Two meters underwater...normal!"
"Four meters underwater...normal!"
"Eight meters underwater...normal!"
...
"Sixty-four meters underwater...normal!"
The maximum diving depth of Type II submarines is 200 meters, but most of the time the ships will not risk diving to that depth. Because submarines are basically destroyed on the surface - every once in a while, the submarine has to surface for penetration.
If the opponent's ships keep circling around the sea area where the submarine is discovered, or send escort aircraft to wait in the relevant sea area, there is a high chance that the submarine will surface. At that time, as long as you carefully avoid the torpedoes or anti-aircraft shells launched by the submarine,
A salvo of naval guns or a few bombs can take care of the submarine or force the crew on it to surrender.
This is the simplest and most direct way to deal with submarines, and then it is the turn to use depth charges.
Almost all destroyers are now equipped with depth charge launchers. Once a submarine target is discovered through radar, sonar or telescope, the extremely fast destroyers are like cats that smell fishy smell, swarming towards the relevant location.
Throw depth charges, and it will be difficult for the submarine to escape at this time.
In the final analysis, the biggest reliance of a submarine is to hide underwater without being discovered. When launching torpedoes, try to be as concealed as possible and prevent the opponent from locking its position. This is the way to survive. And once it is discovered, no matter how hard it is to hide, it will
Deep, there will be great risks.
When the depth gauge showed that the U559 boat had dived to a safe depth of 68 meters, Liang Ran shouted "stop" and waited for about five minutes. From the torpedo room, command cabin, main engine room, motor room, battery room, etc.
When reports came from everywhere that there was no abnormality, Liang Ran nodded with satisfaction and ordered the submarine to float to ten meters above the sea surface, and then continue to submerge at a cruising speed of ten knots.
As time passed by, the air in the submarine began to become turbid little by little, but no one felt uncomfortable with it. After all, those who had served on the U559 boat were veterans for at least half a year and had many experiences at sea.
I have become immune to this kind of air.
After ten hours of submersible use of periscope, radar and sonar systems to determine that there were no other ships in the nearby sea, the U559 boat surfaced smoothly.
When most of the crew returned to the deck on the surface of the submarine to rest, they found that the sun had already set, and a beautiful day had passed.
In fact, the U559 boat can sail continuously underwater for 30 hours at a top speed of 20 knots, and can even stay submerged underwater for 72 hours at a cruising speed of 10 knots, which greatly increases the submarine's survivability.
At the same time, such a submersible time is enough for the submarine to easily pass through the anti-submarine network composed of cruisers, destroyers and other ships, directly attack important targets at the core of the fleet, and then calmly evacuate.
At two o'clock in the afternoon on the fifth day, the u559 boat successfully arrived in the waters near Manila Bay.
Captain Liang Ran did not rush to the outskirts of Manila Bay to search for prey. Instead, he waited quietly in the vast South China Sea far away from the main channel. When the sun set to the west and the battery was fully charged, he commanded the U559 boat to dive, and then underwater
Sailing towards Corregidor Island at the mouth of Manila Bay.
This island has long been home to a U.S. naval base, but now it has become an important military port for the Japanese military in the Philippines.
The sky was getting dark. Lieutenant Wei Yonghao, the trainee deputy captain who was observing in front of the periscope, whispered: "Captain, there is a ship over there. The distance is too far, it is not clear whether it is a cargo ship or a warship!"
Liang Ran went to the observation mirror and took a look. He said nonchalantly: "This is a patrol gunboat of the Japanese army. Its duty is to cruise back and forth near the Manila Bay port to serve as a warning and alert. Don't worry, we are on the water.
Down, the distance is so far, this kind of gunboat with only a simple sonar device cannot detect us!"
The submarine continued to move forward. Wei Yonghao successively reported the discovery of a 200-ton small cargo ship, a torpedo speedboat and two fishing boats, but Liang Ran thought they had no attack value and let them pass easily.
At this time, the appearance of a 3,000-ton freighter finally aroused Liang Ran's interest. He decided to use this freighter for his first business deal and ordered the submarine to move forward at full speed at 30 knots underwater.
To ensure nothing went wrong, Liang Ran personally went into battle, holding the handle on the periscope with both hands, his eyes tightly pressed against the observation mirror, and his body kept moving with the rotation of the periscope. Wei Yonghao, the trainee deputy captain, stood opposite him, his eyes
He stared closely at the angle scale on the periscope and kept counting in his mouth.
After two minutes of continuous observation from multiple angles, Liang Ran dropped the rotating handle of the periscope with satisfaction and ordered: "Continue observing!"
Without waiting for Wei Yonghao to take over the handle, Liang Ran quickly walked to the navigation platform and worked on a detailed chart with a pencil, ruler and compass. After a while, the entire battle plan was laid out in lines that only he could understand.
and numbers are marked on this chart.
As it moved, the submarine was getting closer and closer to the freighter, but it was also getting closer to the mouth of Manila Bay. The lighthouse on the top of Corregidor Island was clearly visible. The Japanese army laid a tight mine array and anti-submarine net at the mouth of Manila Bay.
Navigation requires barges in the bay. It is very dangerous for submarines to even get close, let alone rush in and surprise many ports in Manila Bay.
Wei Yonghao and the observers continuously reported the angle, distance and other data of the freighter and the barge in front to Liang Ran.
Liang Ran continued to command and adjust the course. Five minutes later, the submarine finally sailed to the waters eight nautical miles west of the mouth of Manila Bay. Liang Ran determined that this was the only place for cargo ships to enter Manila Bay, and instructed the submarine to adjust its position and sink slowly.
And shut down the engine at 25 meters underwater.
The cabin of the submarine soon became quiet. A faint buzzing sound, similar to a buzzer, came from the outside. The sonar radar reconnaissance and warning receiver began to closely monitor the situation of the freighter above.
When the barge and the freighter passed over the submarine, about a minute passed. Liang Ran, who had been calmly waiting for the best opportunity, gave an order. The torpedo, which had already locked the target through sonar, immediately ejected it from one of the launch tubes.
Got out.
Thirty seconds later, a loud noise came from the water, and the explosion point was very close to the location of the submarine. Although the officers and soldiers on the U559 boat, who had been mentally prepared, grabbed hold of the fixed objects with all their strength, they were still reeling under the huge shock wave.
It was untenable, but every officer and soldier was very happy: the first shot was successful, and the voyage was finally underway.
This was not over yet. The Japanese warships in Manila Bay only saw the cargo ship exploding near the mouth of the bay. Not knowing what happened, they all set off from the ports of Corregidor Island and the Bataan Peninsula and rushed to the sea area where the incident occurred.
Although he did not know the specific situation on the sea, through the changes in sonar, Liang Ran had roughly judged the movements of the Japanese ships coming out of Manila Bay, and then looked for the most suitable target. Yes, Liang Ran tried to use this
A torpedo-hit cargo ship was used as bait to lure Japanese warships out of the heavily guarded Manila Bay, and then a one-shot kill was carried out on one of the ships.
Liang Ran ordered the entire boat to remain silent. When the familiar sonar signal from the Japanese destroyer appeared and was locked by the sonar radar reconnaissance and warning receiver on the submarine, Liang Ran judged several other sets of sonar signals and finally decisively
With a wave of his hand, the two torpedoes were launched again.
About two minutes later, two explosions came from the water surface, "dong dong" like a big cowhide drum being suddenly beaten.
The officers and soldiers on the U559 boat were very excited, but they were unable to make a sound, and they all grinned and made people laugh. Only Liang Ran remained calm and listened quietly to the movements on the sea.
After shutting down the turbine driven by the battery, the entire submarine was like a sleeping fish without any sound. Various sounds came from the sea, including explosions one after another, faint but numerous engine sounds,
There were all kinds of noises, and it was extremely lively.
In fact, on the sea about 7.5 nautical miles away from the mouth of Manila Bay, the Japanese "Musuki" class destroyer coming from Corregidor Island was rapidly sinking into the water. It was a lucky escape from the destroyer that was hit by a torpedo.
The Japanese sailors were still in shock. Fortunately, this sea area was located near 15° north latitude. The sea water was not bone-chilling, so there was no need to worry about freezing their bodies.
In the sea area less than two nautical miles in front of the destroyer that was constantly exploding and igniting raging fires, the Japanese freighter that was hit before had long disappeared, and the few survivors were sinking on the sea. From the southern port of the Bataan Peninsula in the north,
The Japanese destroyers and several accompanying gunboats that arrived from Mariveles Port saw the tragic situation of their companions and quickly increased their vigilance. Their sonar and radar were fully activated to closely monitor the situation on the sea surface.
At the same time, more destroyers and torpedo boats came out of Manila Bay, and beams of light formed by searchlights moved back and forth on the surrounding sea surface for ten nautical miles, but no targets were found. Those torpedo boats and gunboats that set sail with the destroyers turned on their searchlights for rescue.
Those who fell into the water.
After two or three hours of tossing, the destroyers of the Japanese Navy left the incident area and returned to Manila Bay. Some people may ask, why not take the opportunity to destroy more Japanese ships? Quite simply, the penetration effect of submarines mainly lies in their
Concealment and suddenness, now faced with a large number of Japanese destroyers, only the kind of short-sighted people would launch such an almost suicidal attack with the intention of dying with the enemy. Liang Ran still wanted to remain useful and kill more
A bit of a devil!
In the following week, Liang Ran and the U559 boat he led conducted guerrilla warfare in the waters around Manila Bay. They used up all 18 torpedoes on the ship and succeeded in destroying one Japanese 1,300-ton destroyer and two 5,000-ton cargo ships.
, four 3,000-ton cargo ships and six 2,000-ton cargo ships returned fully loaded.
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