Kriegsmarine: They Met Again: 1

Finally on 30 September, the BERTA and the even older steamer TZAR FERDINAND cast off and headed for the Strait of Euboea which separates the island of Euboea from the Greek mainland. As long as the ships were in the Strait, they were relatively safe because both entrances to the Strait were protected by anti-submarine net barriers.

We arrived at the northern barrier in the afternoon of 2 October. At dusk the two ships ventured out into open waters where they were met by TA 18, a former Italian Torpedo boat now manned by a German crew. The convoy's destination was the port of Salonika in Eastern Greece which we tried to reach under the cover of darkness.

Unknown to us on the BERTA, the submarines HMS UNSWERVING and HMS CURIE were ready and waiting, knowing that the German ships had no choice other than to head their way. They were helped by good weather and a full moon which made for perfect visibility.

What bothered us on the BERTA even more than the moon was that the convoy was moving at a speed of only four to five knots, the maximum speed the old TZAR FERDINAND was capable of.

Lieutenant de Vaisseau P. J. Chailley, the Skipper of HMS CURIE, was the first one to attack. Surfaced, the CURIE moved into position. At 2100 hours the BERTA was selected as the target. She and the TZAR FERDINAND formed an almost overlapping target. From a range of about 2,500 yards the CURIE fired four torpedoes spread over the two targets. After the flash of one explosion was seen, the CURIE dived and went deep to escape the depth charges coming from the TA 18.

The TZAR FERDINAND sank within minutes, an awful spectacle for us to watch from the BERTA. As the TA 18 returned to the scene to pick up survivors, the BERTA received orders to proceed on her own and head for Salonika at her maximum speed, which was about seven knots.

It is impossible to describe the tension and apprehension which prevailed among the men on the BERTA. One did not have to be a Navy man to realize that at the speed at which we were going, even a submerged submarine would have no difficulty catching up with us.

When midnight came and we had been running for three hours, we were hoping that we had shaken off the enemy. With every minute that went by, we grew a little more confident that we would make it.

Second Submarine

What we did not know was that a second submarine was waiting for the BERTA. HMS UNSWERVING had been operating to the north-ward of the CURIE. In the brilliant light of the full moon, Lt. Tattersall had no difficulty identifying the target. Bill Prytherch readied four torpedoes of which three were fired (the fourth was defective) in a surface attack at a range of 5,000 yards. An explosion was heard after the correct interval. Sid James, the hydroplane operator, took her down and HMS UNSWERVING withdrew.

It was about 0120 when the attack was discovered on the BERTA. It is not clear whether it was the surfaced sub or the torpedo. The helmsman attempted to turn the ship to starboard, and then the torpedo hit in the engine room below of where Herbert and I were standing. The ship began to list immediately. I did not wait for any orders and jumped over the side. Since leaving the Strait I had been wearing my kapok lifevest.

As I surfaced I saw the ship at a short distance, listing and sinking rapidly. My first thought was that there had not been a secondary explosion. My second impression was that the water was warmer than I had expected it to be. The sea was relatively calm.

The one lifeboat that had been on the BERTA was nowhere to be seen. It must have gone down with the ship. There were a few liferafts floating on the water, not anywhere near enough for the survivors. Some of the men had broken a leg when the torpedo hit. They and other injured were placed in the few liferafts while the rest of us formed clusters of men floating in their lifevests.

In spite of efforts to stay together, the survivors slowly drifted apart. Now it was everybody for himself. My kapok lifevest was still providing enough buoyancy for me to keep my head above water. A light night breeze came up to which I responded by turning my head and body to leeward. I was wearing my heavy khaki uniform, belt and service pistol. My cap I must have lost when I went over the side.

During the night, two or three airplanes flew over. They did not circle or otherwise indicate that they were searching for us. As daylight was coming up I could see that several of the men floating in their lifejackets were dead. Suddenly, an Army Sergeant who was only a short distance from me, untied his lifevest and let himself go under. Finally, and after what seemed to be an eternity, the sun came up over the horizon.

Earlier during the night, Sub Hunter UJ 2101 had been on patrol in the waters south of Salonika. Originally a pleasure yacht, she had been taken over by the German Navy and turned into an auxiliary warship. On board was Quartermaster Harry Kraus who after having plotted the ship's course, was trying to catch some sleep in a corner of the bridge.

Suddenly the wireless telegraphist came on the bridge with a message saying that a transport had been sunk by an enemy submarine. Immediately the sub hunter changed course and, at maximum speed, headed for the location of the sinking. Her coal-fired steam engine does not allow for much of a speed, and it will take hours for the sub hunter to arrive at the scene.

Kriegsmarine: They Met Again: 1
Kriegsmarine: They Met Again: 2
Kriegsmarine: They Met Again: 3