NOTE - this is taken directly from the interview with CAPTAIN HARDEGEN that is available to Members on a 7 hour videotape called ‘7 SKIPPERS’. There are interviews with ERICH TOPP; REINHARD HARDEGEN; GERHARD THÄTER; OTTO KRETSCHMER; HANS-GEORG HESS; JÜRGEN OESTEN and OTTO WESTPHALEN.

”I entered the Navy and in 1939, went to the Naval Air Force. In 1939 I was assigned to the U-Bootwaffe and was sent to the U-Boat school at Flensburg. Like any soldier, I had my orders and I went. I had to obey.

When I came for the first time to the United States, I was off of New York. I saw Long Island, and all of the lights and motor cars and so on, and could see that it would be a big surprise for the Americans. But I did not know that the British had broken our Naval cipher (TRITON) and had told Admiral King of our enroute positions and when we could be expected off the east coast. But he was such a bad admiral, that he did nothing. (The message was not declassified until 3 February 1987.) So I can thank him for being alive today. With 25 destroyers in the ports, he just left them there with all of the lights on in the light ships, light houses and buoys. It was fascinating!

So I could use the same navigational markers that the American shipping was using. But I did not see the skyscrapers of New York, believe me. The American newspapers were saying that I could see the people dancing on the roof of the Waldorf Astoria. That was nonsense. I never passed the narrows, so all I saw was the glow of the cities lights in the sky and all around.

When I was coming down the coast of Long Island, I was able to see the amusement park at Coney Island with my unaided eyes. We were so close that binoculars were not necessary.

Now this was very surprising for me. The battle with the British had become very difficult but here I was are off the coast of the United States and with my own eyes, I can see the cars driving and the amusement park. I really do not recall what I was thinking, it was such along time ago. You see, I was waiting for ships to exit New York Harbor when one of the first, the NORNESS, came and I followed her out to deep water and torpedoed her.

Then I moved further south, off of the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. In close to shore, the water is fairly shallow. There are difficulties operating a submarine in shallow water. It was difficult because I was not able to dive. But near the coast, there were more ships than further off shore. If I had known that Admiral King knew that I was coming , I would never have operated so close to shore but would have stayed further out beyond the 200 meter line.

I had heard it described that in the waters off of the east coast, plankton was phosphorescent when a ship moved through it. I do not remember, but maybe sometimes it may have happened.

U-123 was renown for sinking a large number of ships by deck gun ships. What is it like to engage a ship with the deck gun? What are the problems that the gun crew has to deal with? I followed a ship because I knew it's lookouts were on the forward part of the ship looking forward and not astern. Once I knew the gun crew was on deck, I came topside and we opened fire, sinking nine ships in the processes.

Rivalry between the men who worked in the torpedo rooms versus those who worked the deck guns? No; they were very often the same people because the gun crew was not specially on the gun crew. They had other duties, not just the guns.

Along the coast of Florida, I sank a tanker very close to shore and as I began to shell the ship, I could see people coming out onto the beach beyond the tanker. That was the GULFAMERICA off of Saint Augustine (11 April 1942). I torpedoed her and I began to shell her, but she was lying between us and the shore, so I moved inshore of GULFAMERICA so that any spent shells would fall to seaward rather than along the shoreline, where they would injure innocent people. It was a little dangerous for us, because my ship was silhouetted against the burning tanker and I did not know if there were any guns or anything like that ashore. I saw a lot of motorcars, and the hotels.

Then, three or four years ago, when I was in Saint Augustine, I mentioned to the mayor that he must invite me for a few weeks each year because in 1942, I created a big spectacle for his town and for all of the people who came to see the burning tanker and eat and drink beer. So he did good business. Now the sunken tanker is full of barnacles and all of the divers come to look for the features on the GULFAMERICA. So now he has another business started for his town. But he only laughed and said, ‘Oh yes, I am doing well.’ It was probably the biggest event that has happened in that town.

Later that evening, I had a very, very close encounter where we were caught by an American destroyer (USS DAHLGREN DD-187, LCDR R. W. Cavenagh) which severely damaged my boat at about 0230 on 12 April 1942. We were in shallow water, and we were aground in about 25 meters (approx 82 feet).

With a normal draft of 9’ 10”, only about 30 feet separated the keel of USS DAHLGREN from the conning tower of U-123. USS DAHLGREN dropped three depth charges and we experienced a lot of trouble aboard. We wanted to escape our boat.”

This great first-person interview will continue in KTB #126 next month, but you may have the entire 7 hour videotape H-30 ‘7 SKIPPERS’ for only $100 (plus $5 shipping) and you’ll see and hear the interviews with all 7 Skippers - PLUS an hour of footage shot inside U-995 and outside on the tower! These are really rare shots on the only TYPE VII-C left in the world.