U-99 Dec '40 Patrol part 1 - "Happy Times" (dramatic account in description)

First part of U-99's Dec '40 Patrol - 2 nighttime sightings and 1 large and 3 small merchants sunk.
Dramatic account (AI generated) of first encounter at night of a small merchant:

The icy December wind howled across the North Atlantic, a stark contrast to the warmth within U-99's cramped control room. Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer, eyes glued to the periscope, exhaled a plume of fog. A solitary merchant vessel, small but precious, chugged through the moonless night, oblivious to the predator lurking beneath the waves.

"Auf Gefechtsstation!" Kretschmer's command crackled through the intercom, electrifying the crew. The U-boat surged to the surface, its sleek silhouette a dark apparition in the night.

"Klar zum Gefecht mit der Kanone!" The 88mm deck gun, its barrel gleaming under the dim lights, swung towards the unsuspecting target. The merchantman, close enough to see the panicked faces of her crew, altered course in a desperate bid for escape.

Kretschmer steadied himself, the icy wind whipping at his face. "Feuer!"

The deck gun roared, its muzzle flash momentarily illuminating the scene. The shell slammed into the merchantman's hull, a shower of sparks marking the impact. A second shot followed, finding its mark amidships. The ship shuddered, a death rattle echoing across the water.

The U-boat's crew watched in grim satisfaction as the merchantman, ablaze, began to list. Lifeboats splashed into the water, their occupants mere specks in the vast ocean. Kretschmer, his face etched with the strain of command, gave the order to submerge. U-99 slipped beneath the waves, leaving behind the burning wreckage and the cries of the survivors, swallowed by the unforgiving sea.

Another victory, another ship sent to the bottom. The Battle of the Atlantic raged on, its silent duels fought in the darkness, its victims claimed by the cold depths.