With the coordinates left by Hessen, Zhang Hainuo easily located "Hessen Island."
It was a small volcanic island formed by eruptions, a common sight in the Aegean Sea, where ancient Greeks mined marble and iron ore. However, islands like "Hessen Island," far from the mainland and relatively small in size, were ignored by Greek vessels. Perhaps only fishing boats from Crete or Rhodes occasionally sought shelter here.
After finding "Hessen Island," Zhang Hainuo didn't rush to approach but cautiously circled nearby. The weather was clear, and visibility was excellent on the high seas during daylight hours, with no ships in sight within a ten-mile radius. After confirming the absence of any anomalies, he ordered the signal lamp on board to be lit, sending two long and one short signal to "Hessen Island" every half minute.
Before long, flashes appeared at the top of the volcanic island, resembling a mirror reflecting sunlight.
Zhang Hainuo carefully identified it, confirming it was the signal agreed upon with Hessen.
At that moment, his anxious heart finally relaxed. If Hessen had failed to arrive as agreed, it would have been a significant blow to his plans. Despite Hessen sending him a duplicate set of documents upon returning to Pola Harbor from Fink Castle, without the support and cover of U21, Zhang Hainuo felt it would be troublesome for any unexpected situations, whether salvaging sunken ships or purchasing supplies in Turkey.
Zhang Hainuo commanded the submarine to continue slowly forward. About ten minutes later, he saw an inflatable rubber dinghy slowly paddling out from the foot of the volcanic island. Through the telescope, he spotted Roderick von Hessen, one of the German Navy's super-aces in World War I, proudly standing at the bow of the dinghy.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Hainuo was one hundred percent certain that there were no problems on Hessen's end!
Having drifted on the sea for more than twenty days, seeing an old friend again filled Zhang Hainuo with relief. However, as Hessen and his crew guided U148 into the so-called natural submarine base, Zhang Hainuo couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It was far from the natural underwater caves or deep rifts he had imagined. If this volcanic island were likened to a plate, this was like a small indentation someone accidentally made on the plate. The indentation was irregularly elliptical, measuring only about 120x40 meters, not much larger than two standard swimming pools!
However, disappointment only lasted upon the first glance at the "secret base." As Zhang Hainuo carefully studied the terrain, he increasingly appreciated Hessen's sharp and insightful vision. Although the surface area of the small indentation at the edge of the volcanic island was not large, the water inside was bottomless. What was even more astonishing was that the volcanic rocks around the indentation exhibited a grayish-brown color. In other words, placing two submarines here would make them look like two protruding boulders. Without getting close, it was difficult to discern their true nature!
As U148 slowly sailed into this small harbor, U21 had already quietly docked inside. Probably out of caution, the crew had removed the canvas covers from the deck guns and aimed them at the sea. On the deck and conning tower were familiar figures.
At this moment, with Hessen already aboard U148, Zhang Hainuo led him on a tour of the submarine's fore and aft decks. Obviously, the firepower of this submarine, twice that of U21, made this super-submarine ace envious.
"If I had commanded such a submarine in 1914, I would have sent the British fleet to hell!" Hessen's tone was somewhat reckless, but in Zhang Hainuo's eyes, he was fully entitled to say so. Despite U21 having a range of 6000 miles, it was quite rough at sea, and although it had six torpedo tubes, the 450mm torpedoes were a grade lower in power than the 500mm torpedoes. Moreover, the deck guns on this submarine, with two 100mm guns, gave it the power to confront a gunboat or even a light destroyer!
"Yeah, it's a pity that this type of submarine wasn't built until 1917, and the number was pitifully small! If we had a hundred of these submarines when unrestricted submarine warfare was declared in 1917, perhaps the outcome of the war would have been different!"
At this moment, Zhang Hainuo said this with a hint of resignation rather than the lofty aspirations he once had. After all, didn't Admiral Dönitz, the German submarine commander in the early days of World War II, think the same way?
"Yes, definitely!" Hessen was very sure. He had intended to go below deck again, but seeing that U148 was about to come alongside U21, he turned around and shouted to the crew on his submarine:
"Watch out for the collision!"
Zhang Hainuo had already noticed that there were more than a dozen inflatable life rings hanging on the seaward side of U21. Although these life rings were less durable than ordinary rubber life rings and tires, since neither submarine was very large, using them to prevent damage from collisions between the two vessels was sufficient.
Watching as U148 approached, the crew on U21 remained calm, with some raising their arms high.
"Lieutenant Hainuo von Fenkenschtein, welcome back to your home port!"
Laughter erupted on both submarines, and Zhang Hainuo responded loudly: "Thank you! I'm now a Lieutenant in the Navy!"
There was another round of hearty laughter. At this moment, Zhang Hainuo suddenly remembered that, from a rational perspective, they were no longer combatants in the German Navy. Both U21 and U148 had been erased from the naval battle order, and their crews were listed as casualties or missing.
Although that was the case, Zhang Hainuo felt that there was no need to abandon military ranks when addressing each other. Firstly, the team needed leaders and discipline, and military ranks were an excellent form of constraint. Secondly, after learning of the abdication of the German Emperor and Germany's surrender, he really didn't want to let other things undermine the morale of the crew. Although everyone was currently optimistic, if they continued to drift on the sea without any gains, people's moods would become increasingly low.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hainuo felt it was necessary to repair the breach in the bottom of U148 as soon as possible and start their salvage plan. Fortunately, the submarine not only had diving equipment but also some emergency repair equipment for submarines—welding guns, sealing rings, spare thin steel plates, and so on. As a lethal weapon for underwater operations, the biggest trouble submarines faced was mechanical failures and leaks. In such situations, emergency repairs had to be carried out using the most basic repair equipment. Even U21, a near-medium-range submarine, carried the most basic repair tools, and good submarine mechanical maintenance personnel had to perform several roles simultaneously, including pipe fitting, electrical work, and welding.
Due to the unique nature of this plan, since they parted ways at Fink Castle, both Zhang Hainuo and Hessen had accumulated some repair equipment and spare parts on board their submarines. This was sufficient to deal with ordinary malfunctions. However, like other ships, submarines needed regular maintenance after long-distance voyages. This also meant that U21 and U148 could not stay away from port for too long. Once serious engine or battery failures occurred, there would be no help to be found on the vast ocean!