Chief Engineer's Report U-330
Patrol #1

Duration:     23.10.1939 - 31.10.1939, 9 days on sea



1) I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF THE CRACKED RAW WATER MANIFOLD ON U-330 INITIALLY. UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE MANIFOLD, I NOTICED THAT CARBON DEPOSITS HAD BEEN PRESENT, AS IF A TORCH HAD HEATED THE MANIFOLD UP, THEN WAS QUICKLY COOLED. THIS WAS NOT BROUGHT UP TO THE MECHANICS WHO ULTIMATELY REPLACED THE MANIFOLD, BUT WAS KEPT ONBOARD FOR SUBMITTAL TO YOURSELF AS EVIDENCE OF POSSIBLE SABOTAGE BY THOSE FRENCH BASTARDS (PARDON MY VERBIAGE) WHO WORK AT THE PENS.

2) THE NEXT PROBLEMS WAS THE RAW WATER IMPELLER. BOTH THE KOMMANDANT AND I LOOKED AT THE OLD IMPELLER CLOSELY AND NOTICED THAT THE RUBBER BLADES HAD BEEN SAWED OR CUT THROUGH PARTIALLY, WEAKENING THEM AND CAUSING THEIR EVENTUAL SEPARATION FROM THE HUB. I WILL NOT POINT FINGERS, HOWEVER IT DOES SEEM ODD THAT HALF OF THE BLADE WAS CLEANLY CUT AND THE REMAINDER RIPPED IN NATURAL FASHION; WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE RETRIEVED THEM FROM THE COOLING SYSTEM MANIFOLD.

3) THE TORPEDOES WERE A BIG HEADACHE. WE HAD MANY FAILURES, CAUSING EARLY RETURN TO PORT. AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SHOOTING REPORTS, THEY WERE SENT OUT SHALLOW, FEARING THIS MIGHT HAPPEN FROM OTHERS WHO HAD PROBLEMS, AS WELL. REGARDLESS, THEY FAILED TO DETONATE DURING AN ALMOST TEXTBOOK ATTACK.

THE REMAINDER OF THE PATROL WAS UNEVENTFUL.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED AND SIGNED THIS DAY 31, OKT, 1939
OLT. (ING) PAUL NOELKE
U-330

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