So what's everybody's patrol routine?

[tedhealy]

After too many deaths from aircraft and getting run over by too many ships, I've finally settled on my patrol routines. (I play at 100% realism, no external cams.)

1. Head to patrol area on the surface at about 10 knots for distant areas, 15 for close areas.
2. In enemy waters, run submerged at 60 feet or deeper during day light hours to avoid planes. Running at periscope depth usually won't allow the sonar to work, so you have a chance of being run over by ships or sailing right by contacts without ever knowing.
3. Recharge batteries at night. I've never had a plane attack at night.
4. If forced to run on the surface in plane infested water during the day, always have someone manning the AA gun. Watch out because when the watch changes, the guy manning the AA gun will leave it and you'll need to reman it.
5. If planes are sighted while on the surface, crash dive and turn rudder 10 to 15 degrees to one side. If the plane is close and moving in to attack, give the AA man a fire at will order to get some shots at it before the sub gets under.
6. If a contact is picked up by the SD (air) radar, crash dive immediately. If multiple single contacts are picked up, assume they are ships and set course to investigate them. Make sure AA gun is manned and be ready for a crash dive though.
7. Sound general quarters whenever I'm within 10nm of a contact. Don't forget to secure from general quarters :oops:
8. When running at periscope depth for extended periods of time and not at sonar depth, raise the scope at least every 30 to 60 minutes to check surroundings. When stalking contacts at scope depth, raise the scope every 3 to 15 minutes to check the situation.
9. When moving in for the kill at scope depth, never leave the scope up for more than 90 seconds.
10. BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!

Anyone else have any patrol rules they follow?

[Gildor]

Send regular status reports back to HQ. At least daily. (I do it at midnight just after the watch changes. Unless I am in a combat situation.)

I also send a status report after standing down emergency stations and I am in the process of sprinting away from the scene to avoid enemy reinforcments.

[tedhealy]

Interesting, I rarely send a status report assuming radio silence was the norm. Does sending a status report do anything?

[Captain_Jack]

1. Send Radio Message upon pulling away from dock to inform of departure.
2. Upon reaching adequate depths perform a Trim Dive
3. Enroute to Patrol Zone we do the following:
Crash Dive Drills
Deep Dive Drill (400 Feet)
Silent Running Drill
High Speed Submerged Drill
Emergency Surface Drill
High Speed Surface Drill
Battle Stations Drill
Deck and Flak Weapons Drill
and more.....Drill:p

4. In patrol zone run submerged in daytime at about 120 Feet from dawn to one hour past dusk.

5. At night Patrol on Surface

6. Send Status Reports every 5 days

[tedhealy]

That's a lot of drills:o You are going to have the finest crew in the whole navy.

[Schlageter-JG26]

1 - Get wet
2 - Be sneaky and accomplish objective
3 - Weapons Free with priority going to Task Forces while fully loaded and changing to the single ship routes when low on ammo.
4 - Get home before we run out of petrol.
5 - Thank God, Odin, Anubis, Jobu and whoever else will listen for getting home in one piece. :up:

[ryuzu]

Interesting, I rarely send a status report assuming radio silence was the norm. Does sending a status report do anything?

It will attract enemy aircraft...Otherwise, status reports sometimes elicit a response (there are more responses than "be more aggressive"!).


On patrol I follow a similar pattern although I don't bother with radar on the early war boats so as to cut down on the number of TC drops - I began to wonder if the lack of radar has cut down on the A/C intercepts - I don't think so now but when I first ditched the radar it seemed like I would get less chance of an initial intercept.

The only other thing I do is to try and send contact reports since they will sometimes result in additional instructions (e.g. leave the convoy, or engage escorts as priority for example). All adds to the flavour ;)

Oh, the down-manning of the AA gun with watch changes is a bit annoying - that should probably either be left out of the watch system as the game stands (ideally you'd have a nominated AA guy in each watch, or at least have the best one put in place automatically).

r.

[Simets]

4. In patrol zone run submerged in daytime at about 120 Feet from dawn to one hour past dusk.


How do you stay submerged for that long? I order "ahead slow" and deplete my batery in six-seven hours :oops:. Does this have anything to do with the fact that I'm still in 1942? By the way which early submarine type is the best for you guys?

[Psyon]

leave midway, ahead 1/3
run submerged in day light at 80/90 ft for sonar

i always send status reports when arriving on station and when mission objective is completed. [last nights patrol, dropped off spy southern honshu, then sent to iwa jima, sunk two, then sent to east china sea, sunk one, then cruised up east japan and bagged a few more on my way home]

when surfaced, i make double sure guns are manned.

aircraft alert!, dive if radar grabbed it far away, stay up top and fight it out if not. have flakgun manned by crew and i take the deckgun to see if i get lucky with the HE ammo:o

i only use scope for peeking unless solution to target is needed, then its back down to 90ft for sonar. [i try to do everything posible with plotting on map for my setup, then up scope and take final marks, then fire away and hope for luck:yep: ]

[tedhealy]

ryuzu, I actually came at the SD radar from the other side. Without the radar, my guys were spotting planes way too late to get under quickly enough when I was stuck on the surface during the day. Now my first add on to the boat is the air search radar so I can get under well before a plane is able to attack.

Simets, it's probably because we're using the increased battery mod. You should be able to submerge at sun up and go until sun down before needing a recharge. You could also try setting speed manually to 1 or 2 knots to get a little more out of the batteries.

[stinger503]

1. Always turn on the CBS news ;)

2. Go towards south Midway at full time compression.

3. From Midway go to objective (usually South Japan patrol)

4. When diving remember to turn on gramaphone

5. When surfacing remember to turn off gramaphone

6. Man the flak gun when ever a plane is sighted visually (I don't like crash diving for some reason)

7. Dive to Periscope depth when planes are sighted on radar

8. Status Report after using any torpedoes.

9. If I don't destroy a convoy, surface when it is still in sight (but not in range of its DDs) and send status and contact report.

10. I have yet to ever call Man Your Battlestations. I'll save it for a task force or something.

[Seaweed]

1. Send Radio Message upon pulling away from dock to inform of departure.
2. Upon reaching adequate depths perform a Trim Dive
3. Enroute to Patrol Zone we do the following:
Crash Dive Drills
Deep Dive Drill (400 Feet)
Silent Running Drill
High Speed Submerged Drill
Emergency Surface Drill
High Speed Surface Drill
Battle Stations Drill
Deck and Flak Weapons Drill
and more.....Drill:p

4. In patrol zone run submerged in daytime at about 120 Feet from dawn to one hour past dusk.

5. At night Patrol on Surface

6. Send Status Reports every 5 days
Do drills increase crew experience? Or is it just for fun?

[Captain_Jack]

1. Send Radio Message upon pulling away from dock to inform of departure.
2. Upon reaching adequate depths perform a Trim Dive
3. Enroute to Patrol Zone we do the following:
Crash Dive Drills
Deep Dive Drill (400 Feet)
Silent Running Drill
High Speed Submerged Drill
Emergency Surface Drill
High Speed Surface Drill
Battle Stations Drill
Deck and Flak Weapons Drill
and more.....Drill:p

4. In patrol zone run submerged in daytime at about 120 Feet from dawn to one hour past dusk.

5. At night Patrol on Surface

6. Send Status Reports every 5 days
Do drills increase crew experience? Or is it just for fun?


Its Just for fun and to get that "immersion" feel...thats all

[NefariousKoel]

1) Cruise along at ahead 2/3rds in the general direction of my patrol.

2) Drink all the alcoholic beverages smuggled onto the boat while lying in a hammock
rigged up on the deck.

3) Barbecue.

4) Put a fish into a Jap vessel, surface, demand they hand over their sake.

5) Fire some stray deck gun rounds onto occupied beaches. Demand sake.

6) Cruise to Australia, get beer and sheilas. Claim to be on a mission dropping off
"supplies" to friendlies.

7) Beach on a deserted island and celebrate our "liberation" of afforementioned sake,
beer, and sheilas.

[Captain_Jack]

4. In patrol zone run submerged in daytime at about 120 Feet from dawn to one hour past dusk.


How do you stay submerged for that long? I order "ahead slow" and deplete my batery in six-seven hours :oops:. Does this have anything to do with the fact that I'm still in 1942? By the way which early submarine type is the best for you guys?

There is a MOD that makes the Battery Life Much more realistic. I can go all day at 1/3 Speed Submerged. Check out the MODS page.

[Avatar]

Whilst daytime submarged, I run at 1 knot. Your battery will not deplete as quickly as running at 4 knots. You can order speed specific turns by clicking on the button just below your engine order telegraph.
I also run at 100 ft. To be sure that I'm away from depth charges or bombs. Once I was stalking a convoy and heard depth charges, I raised the scope and saw a couple of airplanes depth bombing a small distance from me. This startled me because I was never above PD, and those buggers shouldnt have known I was there!

[mookiemookie]

1. Always turn on the CBS news ;)


If I hear that I "really should be buying Velveeta in the 2 lb size" just ONE more time!

:rotfl: I keep it on for the immersion factor. Stuck on a submarine travelling to your station, you have nothing to do but listen to the same radio commercials over and over!

[davejb]

1. Run at 'damn fast' to Midway (from Pearl, natch) and refuel, hey - it's 1942, what do I care about global warming or petrol (gas) shortages...in this era we invade people who have the oil we need.
2. Torp anybody stupid enough to trog along without an escort. (Note - this may, if taken to extremes, alienate SNO Midway)
3. Carry out mission, having run on surface at 2/3 until entering the 'near the enemy' zone.
4. In area run 1/3 or 2/3 on modded battery during day, until approx 1 hr after the map goes pink. Note dawn and dusk times and ensure at PD or lower by dawn.
5. On exiting immediate vicinity of enemy land bases/naval forces swap to surface run at 2/3 for transit home - probably via Midway to refuel.
6. Shortly before entering Pearl spend an hour or two wishing there was a 'shut the *** up' button for the radar and sonar ops, who have been calling stupid contacts for the past couple of weeks, but never call an enemy ship or aircraft in timely fashion. Like, it's a surprise that there are ships and aircraft at Pearl Harbour... retarded children should not be given sharp toys to play with.
7. Visit SNO, drop off patrol report, res-establish comms with COMSUBPAC, having made damn sure not to talk to him since I was last there.

Radio transmissions, I suspect, generate slightly more air activity overhead - I think the manual says something (somewhere, I use it to fix wobbly table legs and if I go check then the flower vase will tumble, see - it IS useful) along the lines of radio reports providing the enemy with a 100nm accuracy on your position.

Convoy stuff that has me baffled -

I've been at 100ft, half a mile off convoy track, silent running and set to dead stop, and had two escorting DD's turn 90 degrees and attack me without any pinging heard beforehand, and - afaik - nothing on my part that would provide a detection opportunity. (I ought to add that I hunted subs for over 20 years for a living, so I'm not too stupid on playing the other side). At a guess some escort code is simply checking the range of your boat from the escort, and assuming a detection if range is small enough... regardless of your setup, theirs, etc. I saved/reloaded/refought one small convoy action a dozen or so times to try to figure out what was going on, and I'm still very hazy/guessing, but this 'you're a mile away so you're toast' is the only consistent explanation for how I got dead every time - I tried a whole bunch of things, from setting flank speed in the away direction, to sinking to 160ft on silent running, zero speed, I still got DD's overhead dropping DC's. This seems, to me, 'gamey' on the programming side.... it may not be programmed in like that, I just can't figure out what else might be going on.