Sneaky Little Bugger!

[Folducker]

Sight a small, modern freighter alone heading North, I am about 10 miles South of him on the surface, at 1:00 AM. I angle out to on a NE heading at flank speed to get in front. Dive, turn into him and set it up for the kill. So far, he has maintained a steady course. At 1000 yards, (my usual firing point) I shoot two fish. Apparently he has seen my periscope, because about the time I am hitting the firing key, he is turning toward me! Miss with both torpedoes and this guy is trying to ram me! I dive under him, come back to periscope depth to nail him with the stern tubes. Wrong. Once again, about the time I am pressing the firing key, he is turning toward me! So now, I have wasted my last four fish on a small freighter with no hits. I surface and sink him with the deck gun. Whew! Good thing I am headed home.

[peabody]

Sight a small, modern freighter alone heading North, I am about 10 miles South of him on the surface, at 1:00 AM. I angle out to on a NE heading at flank speed to get in front. Dive, turn into him and set it up for the kill. So far, he has maintained a steady course. At 1000 yards, (my usual firing point) I shoot two fish. Apparently he has seen my periscope, because about the time I am hitting the firing key, he is turning toward me! Miss with both torpedoes and this guy is trying to ram me! I dive under him, come back to periscope depth to nail him with the stern tubes. Wrong. Once again, about the time I am pressing the firing key, he is turning toward me! So now, I have wasted my last four fish on a small freighter with no hits. I surface and sink him with the deck gun. Whew! Good thing I am headed home.

folducker,

I had a similar thing happen to me a couple of times. But mine was a warship and because he was so fast, I couldn't get into "proper" position. So with his AOB, the only way for him to aviod the torpedos was to turn into them. If he had turned away, they would have hit. I kept my scope up to see what he was going to do. He didn't ram me, he only came close enough so my torpedos would not have time to arm and then passed in front of me, then turned away. The sub I was using did not have stern tubes. So all I was left with was a warship heading away FAST with his stern facing me.

Peabody

[vanjast]

Patience is the key... and only take a peek for a few seconds, that's all.

Or just surface and blast away at it.
:D

[Arclight]

I was shadowing a strike group once. 5 cruisers, could just make out their silhouet in the fog. I went below to do some plotting, and when I returned to the bridge they weren't in the place I was expecting them. In fact, they had turned 90deg to port and were heading straight at me. :o

Did give me a nice view through the periscope after a frantic dive though.

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj2/EZatHome/SH4Img2008-11-02_194350_953.jpg

Lead vessel past about a shipslength behind me.

[magic452]

Those surprise situations are a lot of fun, gotta act fast.
I had just left home port of Surabya about 80 miles and sound reported contacts dead head moving fast. I went to flank to close and a quick look showed an IJN task force bearing down on me at about 21 Kns.
Went to PD and had just enough time to get a poor firing solution and let loose all 4 bow fish. Problem was I forgot I was at flank so closing speed was about 30 Kns. It was a down the throat shot at a Haryu CV. Two good hits in the bow and two did not have time to arm. She went down. Crash dive and could hear the Whoos of the TF going over head, Two heavy cruisers and one more carrier that I could see.
Three escorts gave me a hard time, shallow water, but I got away.
As far as those small ferighters go if I can't deck gun them I just let them go, I've wasted more torpedos on them than anything else.

Magic

[Armistead]

Where good tracking is a must. Mods have made getting caught much easier. I have found the majority of the time it's leaving the scope up too long.

I usually play without cams and contacts, but why studying ships I used them and watched how ships reacted to what I did. I would put the cam on the nearest dd, usually within 2000 yards and leave the scope up and count, speed up some, ect. Within a 1000 yards almost any change in speed would bring a respone. Scope up more than 3-5 seconds you were caught.

And when they zig they change speed, usually slowing down. Sometimes speed changes are radical, you really have to pay attention. I finally ran into the Yamato tonight...moving, and they detected my long before with radar. Lucky rough seas and dd's couldn't get a fix. My first shot was almost 4000 yards with M18's and didn't know if they would hit...got 4 out of 6. I had to do 3 end arounds to finally sink it. Shot my last 6, first 3 missed due to the zig, but I adjusted and the next 3 hit....and he sunk.
Out of torps I would have been peod had he not sunk. Before you shoot you really need to set the AOB to his next zig, although in close the Okane method always works.

[GulfXray]

As far as those small ferighters go if I can't deck gun them I just let them go, I've wasted more torpedos on them than anything else.

Magic

Amen to the wasting of torps on the small freighters! I haven't ever been able to sink one with the deck gun - any pointers? How many rounds on avg?

I like to stay 700-1000 yds from them...

[captgeo]

I try to operate the gun myself when engaging small single targets to conserve shells. Most of the time the small frieghters take anywhere from 6 to 10 shots.

[Armistead]

Just remember with TMO he placed heavy machine guns on most cargo ships and swithed the range they shoot to 3000..I think Meters, maybe yards, but they can reach out now and do serious damage to your sub.

Spread those DG shots. Best to hit under the waterline near the stacks.
TMO made it more realistic and it can take 30 shots or more to take a small merchant out.

[GulfXray]

Just remember with TMO he placed heavy machine guns on most cargo ships and swithed the range they shoot to 3000..I think Meters, maybe yards, but they can reach out now and do serious damage to your sub.

Spread those DG shots. Best to hit under the waterline near the stacks.
TMO made it more realistic and it can take 30 shots or more to take a small merchant out.

30! ok, I was quitting too soon...

Yeah, those heavy machine guns have caused me some grief... :wah:

[Stealhead]

I dont think it is a waste to fire torps at a small ship if the thing wieghs 1000 tons or more it is worthy of torpedos you just have to aim right to get them thats all never really had much trouble hitting them often I will just fire one torp at them. Hell alot of ships sunk where smaller 1000 ton range ships if it is a maru your job it to destroy it every ship sunk hurts.I am not going to risk my crew with deckgun on anything that can fire at me in TMO 1.7 it seems that even the aa guns are alot more accurte than before DG the thing at over 4000 yrds not an issue with the 5 incher or 4 incher. I use the DG on small boats like sampans and the like along with the 40mm.

[Armistead]

30! ok, I was quitting too soon...

Yeah, those heavy machine guns have caused me some grief... :wah:

IN stock is was almost silly, you could sink a merchant with several shots, not in TMO where it makes it more realistic. Danger with those machine guns is they can kill some good crew members. Some of it depends on what crew was modded into the ship. Unless they have some deckguns, just stay outside of 3000 yards and they won't shoot.
On most ships you'll eventually get the large explosion. After that about 5 more shots. Also, it takes time to sink. If you want to conserve ammo, the majority of times they will sink after the large explosion if you give them a few hours.

[Lord Kelvin]

This is one of the reasons why I always make my attacks at least 2-3000 yards away. That, and it gives me more time to make my getaway and duck under the layer before my salvo lands and alerts the escorts.