Harbor Raid noob question + cool story

[DuckHunter26]

Hey everyone,

28th december, 1940.

So i am in my 6th patrol, and after sinking two puny trawlers extreme bad weather sets in, the worst you can get (heavy rain, fog, 15 m/hr winds, the whole shabang). So i fiddle around and travel all around ireland, then back up the north sea and close to the english channel until i notice i barely have enough fuel to make it back to Kiel. Not wanting to face humiliation towards my comrades at base with 5000 tons, i take a decision. After opening Nav map, i zoom in and pick the closest port. Someplace called Southend, and herr Kaleun set out to raid it.

Long story short, after a long silent run in shallow waters, in a stormy night, i finally get within 5500 meters of the port. I wait until early morning for more light, because i cant see squat, and i see the outlines of a huge ship before me in the morning sun. Uber Troop transport, 25000 tons just sitting there, along with a few cargos and and destroyers. I set all my torps to hit under, but they all explode prematurely around the same spot. I figure there must be a net or something, so i set them at minimum dept and figured what the hell? and sure enough, it worked. Boom. There goes morning breakfast for the tommies waiting to be shipped off. And leaving i fired the stern tube at a parked destroyer just as a goodbye gift.

Then it was a silent run zig-zag between warships to get out at a nerve racking 15m max depth, poor hydrophone dude was probly going bonkers.

Anyway, as a noob it was a hell of a good time experiencing this for a first time. But now.. i want more muhaha.

Now, sorry for the long intro, noob question time.

I am having a hard time finding info about ports, or harbors, and strategy/techniques to go at them. Also there is a in-game map on certain harbors for mines and nets, but is there a map for the others?

Any hints/tips/pointers are welcome!

p.s sorry for weak english, french is my main language

[bstanko6]

Most commanders did not go into harbors. Although a select few did for the purpose of fulfilling a specific mission.

Understand the obstacles of in port raids.

1) nets
2) mines
3) very shallow depths.

All spell disaster if you make a mistake.

[Benzin1973]

I too love raiding enemy ports once in a while!

If you are feeling "adventurous" (or maybe suicidal haha), i suggest you try the ports of Scapa Flow, and Gibraltar.
Ibe sunk a few battleships on my "visits" to those ports.


Be adviced tho, Gibraltar has a shallow sub net on its entry (at least in GWX), so you have to go surfaced or under it.

Another tip i can give you is, when you are planning on attacking ports, try to coordinate your "visit" so you arrive just after nightfall. That way you have all night to infiltrate, find targets and escape.

good luck!

You should check this program:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=4360

It gives you information about (among other things) units in enemy ports - what type of ship they are, where does intelligence suspect them to be - based on your campaign files. It is not mod specific so it is compatible with every working version of SH3.

Originally Posted by allievo

You should check this program:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=4360

It gives you information about (among other things) units in enemy ports - what type of ship they are, where does intelligence suspect them to be - based on your campaign files. It is not mod specific so it is compatible with every working version of SH3.

Wow ! I didn't know this program !

[DuckHunter26]

awesome program! Thanks for the input. Also I notice the type VII's have a jagged metal edge in the front, and I think I read somewhere that is a net-cutter, does that actually work in game?

[Kaptlt.Endrass]

The metal prow doesn't work, as in real life. Torpedo nets are very heavy-duty metal...they were intended to stop things like your harbour raid from occurring.

Having done a few raids in my own time in SH3, I would recommend a few things if you are set on doing it.

1: Know the area: Predict where mines and nets will be. If the harbour has multiple ways to enter, you can usually guess that nets will be along the main entrance, covered by shore batteries and/or patrol craft, while mines typically are along the narrower, less used approaches.

2: Scout: Learn the patrol patterns of the ships outside the harbour, especially if you plan to go out the way you came in.

3: Time: Try to work it out so that your torpedoes hit only a few hours after dark...the decreased visibility should help shroud you in the event you should need to travel on the surface.

4: Remember your route in: If needed, mark your waypoints so you can recreate your path...it clearly was safe on the way in, it will be on the way out.

Here's a brief account of my last harbour raid, on Scapa Flow in 1941.

Coming home from a patrol off the coast of Ireland where I did nothing but wave to fishermen, pass a lightship, and shoot down an aircraft. Not wanting to go back with a full load of 14 torpedoes, I lay in a course for Scapa.

I decide to use the northernmost channel on the eastern approaches. Approaching the entrance, I find a C&D and a MBT patrolling outside. I sit and wait for a while, and the destroyer and torpedo boat both go out of sight. I quickly make my way to the entrance of the channel and begin navigating.

I already know that the area is mined, but I found later that the mines are set to hit a submerged submarine. In any case, I go to the surface as the sky gets darker. To my amazement, there are no shore batteries, and I complete passage through the channel with only a brief run-in with an outbound torpedo boat in the next channel. We managed to submerge, waited, then continued.

By the time I enter the harbour itself, a light rain has set in and the sky has turned pitch black. Unable to see much, I surface the ship again to air out and recharge the batteries by turning the ship in circles.

Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, the rain relents and we can see a bit more as the first rays of sunlight appear over the horizon. I plot a course for the docks of Scapa Flow and submerge.

Some two kilometres out of the dockyards, we come across an armed merchant cruiser at anchor, with a County-class nearby. Positioning myself, I mark the positions of the two nearby ASW ships and prepare to fire a spread. I set two torpedoes to hit the County-class (the more distant target) and fire, then repeat the process with the AMC. Upon completion of launch, I swing a 180 and start heading back, firing the stern tube at the County-class to be sure.

With at least one destroyer bearing down on me, I dive to 20 metres and continue to sneak away. Miraculously, I managed not to be detected as I made it to the channel I came through and started to exit the harbour.

Finished that patrol with those two warships under my belt and a nice little war story.

[UKönig]

Harbor raids are what I do when I'm bored and looking for action. 9/10 I will find it.
The "net cutters" on the bows of type VII and II submarines were little more than decorative, and eventually -by 1941 I think- were removed as dead weight.