attack from inside or outside of a convoy with manual targeting ?

[rvoissem]

Hi, I am new to SH4, experienced with SH3 and have several questions before i attack this Convoy. Here is the setup, Dec. 1941, it is dark and i am directly in line with a large heavly escorted convoy, several destroyers on the outskitrs, a couple of heavy crusers and sea plane tenders in the middle with a few large and many small merchants around them. What i was planning on doing was, getting perpendicular between two columns and firing bow and stern tubes using Dick 'o' Kane method. I have had good luck doing this with SH3 / GWX3.0 using the fast 90 manual attack.
So my questions are:
1. How good are Japanese hydrophone operators? do i need to be silent running during the setup?
2. If i shoot the bow tubes with Dick o Kane data entered what happenes if i launch the stern tubes, will they just run straight and not make any turns?
3. Would i be better off shooting from the outside at only 1 target, and skipping the big ships in the center?
4. What is the most valuable target? i was going pick one of the heavy cruisers and what ever is opposite it.
5.What is the minimum run to arm distance ?
6. If i do shoot fron inside the convoy and hit, is it best to go flank and get deep quickly then go silent or do a silent slow decent?
7. how deep can i safely take a 1941 Sargo boat?
I am running the RFB, normal difficulty, and RSRD mods ( great job to the modders involved, you hard work is much appricated ) Any answers will be appricated, thanks, RV.

[Rockin Robbins]

Welcome to Subsim!

1. Japanese hydrophone operators are OK. There will be a range of skills you will encounter all the way between Superman and a rock. What the game deals you with is what the game deals for you. I'd run silent.

2. Your torpedoes can only turn 135º. That means that if the stern tubes bear 180º from the target, the torpedoes can't get there. The AI should refuse to fire. You'll have to rotate the boat around. That will make confirming your setup data, especially target speed important.

As long as you have a half decent range in the TDC you can do a Dick O'Kane with your sub running parallel with the convoy. This is a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that you can fire 10 torpedoes. The bad news is that broadside to the escorts you might have very little time to shoot and the targets may be alerted. In a convoy situation you can just fill the water with 10 individually targeted torpedoes and guarantee a decent amount of hits on something though.

3. No, I would aim at the big ones in the center from outside. If a little one gets in the way then it's God's will. Heh, heh, heh!

4. Heavy cruisers and seaplane tenders are of first importance. Large merchies next. In the end, you take what the situation hands you.

5. About 300 yards. Different mods tweak this a little. 400 yards has been safe in any configuration I've used.

6. Never overreact. That is just as deadly as underreaction. You only go full speed with violent maneuvering when you are reacting to an actively hunting close-aboard escort. Until then, keep your cool, stay at periscope depth and keep your combat awareness. A valid situational awareness is the most valuable defense. As soon as you go deep you lose this. Always do things only when necessary. Never assume you've been spotted. Never assume you haven't been spotted. React to the evidence.

7. Until you die. I have almost never taken any boat below design depth. When I did it was never below 50' below design depth. And that's with TMO. With RFB, it should be even less necessary. Be dangerous whenever possible, I say! Hiding subs aren't dangerous. When you are hiding, always be asking the question, "Why shouldn't I return to periscope depth RIGHT NOW and regain the initiative." The deeper you are, the longer it takes to do that.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

2. Your torpedoes can only turn 135º. That means that if the stern tubes bear 180º from the target, the torpedoes can't get there. The AI should refuse to fire. You'll have to rotate the boat around. That will make confirming your setup data, especially target speed important.

If you orient your sub parallel to the convoy's course then both ends can let the torpedos go, although with a fairly big gyro angle of about 90 degrees.

[Rockin Robbins]

I could have SWORN somebody already said that....

[Pisces]

Whoops! (re-adjusts his glasses on his nose)

[rvoissem]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins
2. Your torpedoes can only turn 135º. That means that if the stern tubes bear 180º from the target, the torpedoes can't get there. The AI should refuse to fire. You'll have to rotate the boat around. That will make confirming your setup data, especially target speed important.

As long as you have a half decent range in the TDC you can do a Dick O'Kane with your sub running parallel with the convoy. This is a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that you can fire 10 torpedoes. The bad news is that broadside to the escorts you might have very little time to shoot and the targets may be alerted. In a convoy situation you can just fill the water with 10 individually targeted torpedoes and guarantee a decent amount of hits on something though.

I never gave parallel from the outside any thought. The convoy is still far enough out i should be abel to head to the outside and give it a whirl. I do love having all these torpedos compared to my VIIC, It makes all the duds a little more bearable. Does anyone know if real life american skippers ever attack from inside a convoy? I know some of the German skippers did that from time to time according to some of the books i have read, i do believe the convoys were spaced out a lot further in real life than they are in game though.

RV.

[Rockin Robbins]

I can't recall any specific examples right now, but I know it was done. My spider senses are telling me the Flasher did it but like I said, I don't specifically remember any particular incident right now.