How do you sink ships when it is Dark and pouring rain.

[Lastman2533]

HI, I have been playing SH 4 for a whil now. I have reached a mission of finding and destroying merchant shipping. I look on the map and plot a course to intercept the boats , but I cant never spot the ships using my periscope in the rain. Any help as to sink ships in awful whether like that.

[Munchausen]

I look on the map and plot a course to intercept the boats , but I cant never spot the ships using my periscope in the rain. Any help as to sink ships in awful whether like that.

Two good pieces of equipment:

Sonar
Radar

If you have operable surface radar, you can determine your target's range, speed, and heading. From that, you can plot your approach. As the target comes into range, you can then use sonar (at periscope depth) to fire your torpedoes.

[Mikeb213]

I agree with that! You may have to get in pretty close to if you feel more comfortable by actually seeing what you are doing. You can manually take your berings from your radar and sonar also to fire torps. That is pretty much how the nuke subs do it now is all based on sonar.

[Rockin Robbins]

Welcome to Subsim, Lastman. Why don't you drop on over to......oh:nope:. You can but it won't do any good right now with the earthquake at Filefront.

Well, in a couple of days you can drop by the Sub Skippers' Bag of Tricks thread and bone up on shooting by sonar.

[Armistead]

I prefer the deckgun. Just use radar or sonar to get close. Use sonar to get range, get on the gun and ask for constant bearings and fire away. I like to get about 1000 yards. When the ships catches fire it's easy to see. Just don't get too close...they open up close your gonna get damaged and lose some gunners.

[Captain Vlad]

If you're using manual targeting, a useful trick for a surface attack is to learn to fire by eye. You can see the shadow of a ship a long time before you can identify it, and if you can judge how much 'lead' you need, you can fire a spread without the TDC.

I usually fire a spread of 3-4 torps are 'silhouette only' targets, waiting about one second between each fish.

You've got to get really close to do this effectively, but in the kind of weather I imagine you're talking about you can get right up on them before they can see you. Hell, it's better to stay out a bit so they don't see you.

Though, a thought occurs...are you talking about sinking ships or finding ships to sink?

[Morpheus]

i am not sure how u.s. navy handled this durning wwII, but i am pretty sure the germans wouldn't attack under such bad weather conditions, but rather shaddow the convoy and wait for a better chance ...

but then again, maby i am wrong - coz i realy dont know ^^

morph

[Rockin Robbins]

Filefront links are back up. Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146795) is open for business.

I would use a combination of sonar, radar and visual technique. Sonar only is a neat trick, but all manner of variations are possible.

I don't know how much sense it will make to you right now, but what I've done is first, accurately plot the target's course and speed with radar. Set yourself up for a Dick O'Kane attack at the limit of visibility, hopefully between 500 and 1000 yards. At this point the only piece of information you care about is bearing to the target.

Shoot when the radar or sonar bearing is correct for your lead angle. You can even shoot using passive sonar only! Make it a spread then because passive sonar has a bit of lag sometimes. He might actually be ahead of the sonar line. The line is already corrected for MOT (middle of target).

Of course if you see him, you can shoot visually on the correct lead angle and tag him every time.

[Lastman2533]

Thanks for the help guys. This is really going to help me.

[SteamWake]

Or if your like me search em out on the surface. When you run into one youve found em :rotfl:

[I'm goin' down]

Does surface radar give you true course?

If you use sonar, then you are into the turtorial on sonar only attacks, which requires plottng to find the true course, and that require considerable time usually. (you will be late for din din!). Am I wrong?

And if you plot course with sonar you better rely on the Dick O'Kane method unless you get get the aspect ratio of the target.

[Urge]

RR wrote...
You can even shoot using passive sonar only! Make it a spread then because passive sonar has a bit of lag sometimes. He might actually be ahead of the sonar line.

I hate that! Is there anyway that someone could potentially mod that to make it real time? In real life there would be no lag. I'm definitely not a modder so... I'm just asking.

Urge

[Munchausen]

Does surface radar give you true course?

Surface radar gives you a target ... with "map contacts on," you can plot those targets on the navigation map and then use the ruler and compass to get the target's course line (track) and heading. Without map contacts, it's a bit harder ... but you can download a couple mods to help you out.

[Coopz]

I had that the other night, shadowing a medium sized convoy in terrible weather (that had lasted for days) could barely see the deck gun from the tower. Anyway I was surfaced as the periscope was useless due to the swell, coming up on a merchant, moving slow, closing at 015 degrees when out of nowhere a Japanese light cruiser came out of the mist heading straight at me, hard to port, crash dive just as a 2nd convoy escort came out of the mist on the otheside, strangely (and realistic IMO) it took both ships a short while to actually start firing at me.
Wish you could make the sonar operator walk the plank in this sim...

[karamazovnew]

"Terrible weather"? And you expect your sound man to pick up attaking escorts while you're trashing the boat in high waves?!:stare:
Considering how badly a sub rocks in high waves, give the poor crew some rest and stay under. Poor visibility is so poor in SH that it feels a bit too much. But hey, at least there aren't any torpedoes falling on your bed.

[Armistead]

I went in last night and took out three merchants escorted by 4 dd's. Never saw a thing in the heavy storm, just sonar for range and bearing and shoot away with the deckgun. All the dd's but one stayed behind after I sunk the first one dropping charges. And this was with cam and contacts off. It's really simple with contacts and cams on.

[TwinStackPete379]

Oh, the joy and satisfaction of sonar only hits, makes me want to remove the periscope next time i'm in port ;)

[Rockin Robbins]

Sonar only could be the most run you can have with SH4!:salute:

And it is possible to use sonar augmented attacks to launch blind with periscope down or at depths greater than periscope depth.

Lagging passive sonar bearing is a function of computer speed I think. I run all manner of background processes and generally disrespect SH4s needs in the computer resources department. Limiting running processes and having a more modern computer than my Opteron 175/GeForce 7600GT would help in that regard.

[Dustball]

OMG, you're kidding, right? Man, I love it when the weathers nasty!! That's the best time to attack!! You can go sonar only, or, if you really want to be bold, try to get right up on them (500 yds or less) and let 'em have it. Either way, when I play, I pray for rain, nothing makes me feel more at ease then knowin' that it's rainin' cats and dogs. :yeah:

[VonGlaus]

I just used my first-ever Dick O'Kane method attack in a blinding storm. I got 600 yds off and fired as the sonar plot drifted across the bearing I wanted. I fired 3 and hit with 2.

Then, just for fun, I backed off to 900 yds and manned the deckgun. 2 shots on the target bearing and she blew up.

Of course, I never saw her flag. But I'm in the Marshall's in July of 43...

[I'm goin' down]

It was YOU! You managed to sink Doug Macarther's flag ship. He has ordered a lid on the sinking and will deal with you later.:timeout: (p.s. He said that he wished all of his captains were that crazy. Maybe you will end up teaching at the War College?)

[VonGlaus]

Oh SH$$! Maybe I better not return from this patrol. Can a Captain lead his own mutiny?

http://www.glausers.org/pics/mistakes.jpg

[theluckyone17]

Stop by an island, pick up some native girls, and have the crew drop you (and them) off on a nice remote South Pacific island. Any crew who want to join, let 'em.

Incidently, this is one of those things I'm going to have to retrain myself when SH5 is released. If SH4 pops me out of TC declaring a ship sighted, I know it's Japanese. I remember struggling to pick out a flag's nationality in SH3, on those dark and stormy nights.