Resupply/Milch Cows

Rwearjr · 08-28-17, 06:37 PM

Hi All,
Please forgive if this question has already been answered, I have made several forum searches and have not been able to locate this topic.
I am currently in March of 1940 TWoS. I have tried on this patrol, (and on my previous) to either use the radio resupply or locate milch cows. Does anyone know if/ when these features enter into the game? After searching the web I was unable to locate any specific time period when the Germans began using Milch Cows.
Secondly, May I pull into any friendly port and resupply torps and fuel?

Last but not least, I have seen and read several times about using caution when applying promotions to the torpedo officer. Is this true for TWoS? If so, is it ok to apply promotion points to the "Torpedo Maintenance" and "Reload time" skills? As I have already done this (before reading I shouldn't.)

I have about 20 other questions, but always seem to forget them when I get around to posting. Special thanks to all the active posters here, and Extreme shout out to Vecko, and all the awesome mod community for turning the SH5 lemon into lemonade. I find something new on every patrol, and am impressed especially with the amount of work put into the AI. My example:

U-51 sunk a Cimmaron class tanker last night in the western approaches. There was a Tommy destroyer about 15Km to my 90* 180* true. The medium merchant trailing the tanker must have radioed the Royal Navy, or the destroyer heard the explosions because within about 2 minutes he was at flank bell headed straight for me. I attempted to surface and move out of the area at my own flank bell, but he was doing around 30+ knots. He closed the gap in no time, and forced me under by shelling me. I took some minor damage and flooding, and was bloody fortunate to have most of it under control before he was on top of our last visual location. I dived to 120 meters, and deployed a decoy as soon as I got under at around 20 meters. He spent about ten minutes depth charging my last known location, giving me precious time to creep further away and continue repairs. The entire scenario lasted about 3 hours with him passing directly over top of me 3 times and dropping depth charges all around us. To a great sigh of relief he gave up and went back to his former location. I then made mistake 2 by surfacing. I don't think he actually spotted me because he was 11+Km away when I surfaced, he just turned around and came back to see if I was there. He fired on me again. I quickly dove and repeated the decoy trick again once he was around 5000 meters away. Almost same scenario again, except we were under about 4 hours this time. He finally gave up at nightfall, and I crept away at PD until he disappeared from my hydro/ visual, and it was dark.
As we were leaving the area (again at flank bell) a second destroyer which I can only assume came from afar due to the previous radio call arrived on the scene and poked around for about 30 minutes (maybe more but I lost visual on him) Luckily we were long gone from the area by then. We later tracked down , and sunk the medium steam merchant as payback! Thank you TWoS and mod community again for an awesome experience.
Whew! Great stuff.
Rolf Weare U-51, (Ex U-37)

SS Norholm · 08-29-17, 01:23 AM

Hi Rwearjr, good isn't it!

I'm 3 weeks into my campaign, around the same date as you (end of feb 1940) and still totally addicted!

Not sure about resupply ships, I've not seen one yet......but you can refit/refuel in Cadiz, Spain. From Feb-Nov 1940 there is a resupply ship there, I used it the other day from my patrol in the south western approaches.

It's around a 1000km shorter than going all the way back to Germany.
I think you can use any blue port, but I've only used Wilhelmshaven, 'Lego Land' (Heligoland)
and Cadiz.

Can't help you with Torp skills sorry, I've not touched it yet either as I heard it was dodgy too.

J

vdr1981 · 08-29-17, 04:18 AM

Quote:

I have tried on this patrol, (and on my previous) to either use the radio resupply or locate milch cows. Does anyone know if/ when these features enter into the game?

Request resupply feature will become usable later in the war, maybe even in the Western Approaches campaign IIRC...

Quote:

Secondly, May I pull into any friendly port and resupply torps and fuel?

No, not in any port...Check tips about this one...

Quote:

Last but not least, I have seen and read several times about using caution when applying promotions to the torpedo officer. Is this true for TWoS? If so, is it ok to apply promotion points to the "Torpedo Maintenance" and "Reload time" skills? As I have already done this (before reading I shouldn't.)

It's perfectly OK to use all crew ability upgrades but don't expect any "magical" boosts. You'll still get plenty of duds if you don't know how to aim your torpedoes...

Rwearjr · 08-29-17, 05:39 PM

Vecko. I actually went ahead and printed a copy out of the FAQ, funny I didn't notice it being there before...
SSNorHolm, Just curious did you pass through the English channel en route? I went down there and sniffed around back in Dec, 39 and just didn't wanna risk it. A large part of this was the unknown depth in the area. I would like to be able to read the depths on the map a little better. I find the color scheme to be somewhat accurate, but not totally. There have been times where I have transitioned from White portion of the map to light blue, and the water was actually deeper rather than more shallow. Perhaps I am incorrectly interpreting the color scheme? I assume if you passed through the channel you did at night, and submerged? Where you able to get a sounding for depth there if you did?
BTW, on patrol last night as the invasion of Norway began kicking off. Right in time as I finished my last required 48Hr patrol! I went ahead full and headed to the Norwegian coast to get in on the action

Sunk two Norwegian freighters headed toward Britain doing around 11 knots! Those guys were in a hurry. Now they are at rest in Davy Jone's busom. Running low on fuel/ provisions and torps. Thinking about moving south toward Oslo for the invasion, perhaps catch something good on the run outta there as our invasion force begins moving in.
God I love this game now!!
Rolf Weare, U-51

SS Norholm · 08-30-17, 01:30 AM

Hey Rolf, no Sir! I did not go through the English Channel! I hear it's suicide lol! And so it should be I guess.
I really want to have a mooch around there though at some point

I was in the Atlantic between Cornwall and south Ireland, so it was pretty much straight down the Bay of Biscay to Cadiz.

I've found a few depth charts/maps online that are pretty accurate as regards to depths in-game to be fair! These for example:

There should be plenty for the Channel I bet.
Got to love the accuracy and realism of this sim!

John. (Hugo Stiglitz U-49 ex U-27)

Rwearjr · 08-30-17, 11:48 PM

Thanks for the maps SSNorholm. Wonder if these (or other depth charts) can be imported into the game? I havent looked but I would think some form of sea floor charting had been done by WWII

SS Norholm · 08-31-17, 02:18 AM

No worries, yeah would be useful to have some charts like that in the game, they could be added to that menu when you press 'E' I guess.
As long as they are pretty accurate to the game and of the period though of course.

I think the game must use some sort of real world data, because when I've checked depths in certain areas it's pretty much spot on to real world charts I've looked at.
For example Dogger Bank is in the game, and so are the inner and outer 'Silver Pits' to the east and north east of the Humber estuary. (Good hunting in that area actually)

excel4004 · 09-10-17, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS Norholm

Hey Rolf, no Sir! I did not go through the English Channel! I hear it's suicide lol! And so it should be I guess.
I really want to have a mooch around there though at some point

I was in the Atlantic between Cornwall and south Ireland, so it was pretty much straight down the Bay of Biscay to Cadiz.

I've found a few depth charts/maps online that are pretty accurate as regards to depths in-game to be fair! These for example:

There should be plenty for the Channel I bet.
Got to love the accuracy and realism of this sim!

John. (Hugo Stiglitz U-49 ex U-27)

Beautiful cards!

Will check some depths next time in the area of Ireland.

SS Norholm · 09-10-17, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by excel4004

Beautiful cards!

Will check some depths next time in the area of Ireland.

Yeah, loads of good stuff like that online.
Check this out too.....
http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.../53.492/-4.916

If you, or anyone, is heading for Ireland, specifically the Northern Ireland gap, go here:

AM 5364.

There is a nice deep hole there in a prime shipping area

It's about 5km wide, and I recorded depths of up to 300-400m!

o7

Rwearjr · 09-11-17, 06:04 PM

Thanks for the heads up SS! Will certainly head up that way and take a sniff around...
BTW, on patrol between Ireland and Scotland last night in September 1940 when I get a "Merchant contact" from my Hydro man. From the map the three ships appear to all be warships. I begin to think there might be a bug. Nonetheless I am intrigued, so I begin my effort to get into a firing position. The weather isnt awful but isnt great either. I have a 15 meter p/s wind and heavy seas/ overcast. I struggle to get into position but despite my best efforts the "merchant passes my 90* while I am still 5000 meters away. Because I am also firing from my stern tube (hence only one shot) I decide not to fire. When I get my first actual look at the "merchant" she is already at my 190* and 5000 meters away. It was a enormous European liner, the 81,000 GRT type!! She is moving at twenty knots, and I realize I cant even catch her. Man, what a bummer...... She had two destroyer escorts, and my map showed her being hydrophone equipped as well. Thus it never occurred to me until I saw her that she was a liner. If only.............So heads up, if you get a merchant contact with two destroyer escorts and hydrophone on the third (if you have map hydro ranging enabled) That might be the prize of a lifetime. You will only get one shot, so make it count.
Rolf Weare, U-51 2nd Flotilla, Lorient

SS Norholm · 09-12-17, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rwearjr

Thanks for the heads up SS! Will certainly head up that way and take a sniff around...
BTW, on patrol between Ireland and Scotland last night in September 1940 when I get a "Merchant contact" from my Hydro man. From the map the three ships appear to all be warships. I begin to think there might be a bug. Nonetheless I am intrigued, so I begin my effort to get into a firing position. The weather isnt awful but isnt great either. I have a 15 meter p/s wind and heavy seas/ overcast. I struggle to get into position but despite my best efforts the "merchant passes my 90* while I am still 5000 meters away. Because I am also firing from my stern tube (hence only one shot) I decide not to fire. When I get my first actual look at the "merchant" she is already at my 190* and 5000 meters away. It was a enormous European liner, the 81,000 GRT type!! She is moving at twenty knots, and I realize I cant even catch her. Man, what a bummer...... She had two destroyer escorts, and my map showed her being hydrophone equipped as well. Thus it never occurred to me until I saw her that she was a liner. If only.............So heads up, if you get a merchant contact with two destroyer escorts and hydrophone on the third (if you have map hydro ranging enabled) That might be the prize of a lifetime. You will only get one shot, so make it count.
Rolf Weare, U-51 2nd Flotilla, Lorient

Sounds like 'The Ghost' The Queen Mary! Gutted for you man! Shame you missed out.

Yeah I've often wondered about her whereabouts, maybe she was heading for Belfast? I guess there, Southampton, Portsmouth, or maybe even Devonport are likely to have her visit perhaps.
I'll keep an eye out thanks, i'm by Northern Ireland/Malin Head currently after dropping off a spy.

Rwearjr · 09-12-17, 06:48 PM

SSNorholm:
I had just dropped off the Londonberry spy myself when I headed northwest. Dont have the map in front of me ATM, but she was around 200km to the East of the southernmost Lower Hebrides. She was actually making a 250*Heading, 70* course @ 20knots. Think she was headed toward the States. Given her course I would think you might find her anywhere from Lower Hebrides, to west of Ireland following roughly the aforementioned heading. If you have map contact updates on there will be three yellow hydrophone equipped warships, with the rear contact being the only of the three without sonar capability. Your Hydro crew will announce "Merchant contact" but map will appear as only escorts. Would give you exact grid coordinate, but as mentioned dont have the map in front of me ATM. If you would like the grid I can post later.
BTW, thanks for the AM53 tip, will be heading there on patrol tonight!
Happy Hunting,
Rolf Weare, U-51, 2nd Flotilla Lorient

SS Norholm · 09-13-17, 02:01 AM

Yeah nice one Rolf, will be useful thanks!
Although I'm still a few months behind you yet (21st June 1940). I'll be sure to head that way in September though.

You're welcome about AM5364, it's a great spot!
I was there again yesterday and had a Troopship and a Granville Medium Freighter come along first. Then a NP tanker not long after.
Never fails.

Most of them come from the south east, on roughly a 330-350 heading, virtually right passed you!

John.

U-49

08-28-17, 06:37 PM	#1
Rwearjr Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 140 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	Resupply/Milch Cows Hi All, Please forgive if this question has already been answered, I have made several forum searches and have not been able to locate this topic. I am currently in March of 1940 TWoS. I have tried on this patrol, (and on my previous) to either use the radio resupply or locate milch cows. Does anyone know if/ when these features enter into the game? After searching the web I was unable to locate any specific time period when the Germans began using Milch Cows. Secondly, May I pull into any friendly port and resupply torps and fuel? Last but not least, I have seen and read several times about using caution when applying promotions to the torpedo officer. Is this true for TWoS? If so, is it ok to apply promotion points to the "Torpedo Maintenance" and "Reload time" skills? As I have already done this (before reading I shouldn't.) I have about 20 other questions, but always seem to forget them when I get around to posting. Special thanks to all the active posters here, and Extreme shout out to Vecko, and all the awesome mod community for turning the SH5 lemon into lemonade. I find something new on every patrol, and am impressed especially with the amount of work put into the AI. My example: U-51 sunk a Cimmaron class tanker last night in the western approaches. There was a Tommy destroyer about 15Km to my 90* 180* true. The medium merchant trailing the tanker must have radioed the Royal Navy, or the destroyer heard the explosions because within about 2 minutes he was at flank bell headed straight for me. I attempted to surface and move out of the area at my own flank bell, but he was doing around 30+ knots. He closed the gap in no time, and forced me under by shelling me. I took some minor damage and flooding, and was bloody fortunate to have most of it under control before he was on top of our last visual location. I dived to 120 meters, and deployed a decoy as soon as I got under at around 20 meters. He spent about ten minutes depth charging my last known location, giving me precious time to creep further away and continue repairs. The entire scenario lasted about 3 hours with him passing directly over top of me 3 times and dropping depth charges all around us. To a great sigh of relief he gave up and went back to his former location. I then made mistake 2 by surfacing. I don't think he actually spotted me because he was 11+Km away when I surfaced, he just turned around and came back to see if I was there. He fired on me again. I quickly dove and repeated the decoy trick again once he was around 5000 meters away. Almost same scenario again, except we were under about 4 hours this time. He finally gave up at nightfall, and I crept away at PD until he disappeared from my hydro/ visual, and it was dark. As we were leaving the area (again at flank bell) a second destroyer which I can only assume came from afar due to the previous radio call arrived on the scene and poked around for about 30 minutes (maybe more but I lost visual on him) Luckily we were long gone from the area by then. We later tracked down , and sunk the medium steam merchant as payback! Thank you TWoS and mod community again for an awesome experience. Whew! Great stuff. Rolf Weare U-51, (Ex U-37) Last edited by Rwearjr; 08-28-17 at 08:21 PM.

08-30-17, 01:30 AM	#5
SS Norholm Shark Hunter Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: AM 9661 Posts: 92 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	Hey Rolf, no Sir! I did not go through the English Channel! I hear it's suicide lol! And so it should be I guess. I really want to have a mooch around there though at some point I was in the Atlantic between Cornwall and south Ireland, so it was pretty much straight down the Bay of Biscay to Cadiz. I've found a few depth charts/maps online that are pretty accurate as regards to depths in-game to be fair! These for example: There should be plenty for the Channel I bet. Got to love the accuracy and realism of this sim! John. (Hugo Stiglitz U-49 ex U-27) Last edited by SS Norholm; 08-30-17 at 03:12 AM.

08-30-17, 11:48 PM	#6
Rwearjr Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 140 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the maps SSNorholm. Wonder if these (or other depth charts) can be imported into the game? I havent looked but I would think some form of sea floor charting had been done by WWII Last edited by Rwearjr; 08-31-17 at 12:23 AM.

09-11-17, 06:04 PM	#10
Rwearjr Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 140 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	Thanks for the heads up SS! Will certainly head up that way and take a sniff around... BTW, on patrol between Ireland and Scotland last night in September 1940 when I get a "Merchant contact" from my Hydro man. From the map the three ships appear to all be warships. I begin to think there might be a bug. Nonetheless I am intrigued, so I begin my effort to get into a firing position. The weather isnt awful but isnt great either. I have a 15 meter p/s wind and heavy seas/ overcast. I struggle to get into position but despite my best efforts the "merchant passes my 90* while I am still 5000 meters away. Because I am also firing from my stern tube (hence only one shot) I decide not to fire. When I get my first actual look at the "merchant" she is already at my 190* and 5000 meters away. It was a enormous European liner, the 81,000 GRT type!! She is moving at twenty knots, and I realize I cant even catch her. Man, what a bummer...... She had two destroyer escorts, and my map showed her being hydrophone equipped as well. Thus it never occurred to me until I saw her that she was a liner. If only.............So heads up, if you get a merchant contact with two destroyer escorts and hydrophone on the third (if you have map hydro ranging enabled) That might be the prize of a lifetime. You will only get one shot, so make it count. Rolf Weare, U-51 2nd Flotilla, Lorient Last edited by Rwearjr; 09-11-17 at 06:19 PM.

08-29-17, 01:23 AM	#2
SS Norholm Shark Hunter Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: AM 9661 Posts: 92 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	Hi Rwearjr, good isn't it! I'm 3 weeks into my campaign, around the same date as you (end of feb 1940) and still totally addicted! Not sure about resupply ships, I've not seen one yet......but you can refit/refuel in Cadiz, Spain. From Feb-Nov 1940 there is a resupply ship there, I used it the other day from my patrol in the south western approaches. It's around a 1000km shorter than going all the way back to Germany. I think you can use any blue port, but I've only used Wilhelmshaven, 'Lego Land' (Heligoland) and Cadiz. Can't help you with Torp skills sorry, I've not touched it yet either as I heard it was dodgy too. J

08-29-17, 05:39 PM	#4
Rwearjr Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 140 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	Vecko. I actually went ahead and printed a copy out of the FAQ, funny I didn't notice it being there before... SSNorHolm, Just curious did you pass through the English channel en route? I went down there and sniffed around back in Dec, 39 and just didn't wanna risk it. A large part of this was the unknown depth in the area. I would like to be able to read the depths on the map a little better. I find the color scheme to be somewhat accurate, but not totally. There have been times where I have transitioned from White portion of the map to light blue, and the water was actually deeper rather than more shallow. Perhaps I am incorrectly interpreting the color scheme? I assume if you passed through the channel you did at night, and submerged? Where you able to get a sounding for depth there if you did? BTW, on patrol last night as the invasion of Norway began kicking off. Right in time as I finished my last required 48Hr patrol! I went ahead full and headed to the Norwegian coast to get in on the action Sunk two Norwegian freighters headed toward Britain doing around 11 knots! Those guys were in a hurry. Now they are at rest in Davy Jone's busom. Running low on fuel/ provisions and torps. Thinking about moving south toward Oslo for the invasion, perhaps catch something good on the run outta there as our invasion force begins moving in. God I love this game now!! Rolf Weare, U-51

08-31-17, 02:18 AM	#7
SS Norholm Shark Hunter Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: AM 9661 Posts: 92 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	No worries, yeah would be useful to have some charts like that in the game, they could be added to that menu when you press 'E' I guess. As long as they are pretty accurate to the game and of the period though of course. I think the game must use some sort of real world data, because when I've checked depths in certain areas it's pretty much spot on to real world charts I've looked at. For example Dogger Bank is in the game, and so are the inner and outer 'Silver Pits' to the east and north east of the Humber estuary. (Good hunting in that area actually)

09-12-17, 06:48 PM	#12
Rwearjr Electrician's Mate Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 140 Downloads: 199 Uploads: 0	SSNorholm: I had just dropped off the Londonberry spy myself when I headed northwest. Dont have the map in front of me ATM, but she was around 200km to the East of the southernmost Lower Hebrides. She was actually making a 250Heading, 70 course @ 20knots. Think she was headed toward the States. Given her course I would think you might find her anywhere from Lower Hebrides, to west of Ireland following roughly the aforementioned heading. If you have map contact updates on there will be three yellow hydrophone equipped warships, with the rear contact being the only of the three without sonar capability. Your Hydro crew will announce "Merchant contact" but map will appear as only escorts. Would give you exact grid coordinate, but as mentioned dont have the map in front of me ATM. If you would like the grid I can post later. BTW, thanks for the AM53 tip, will be heading there on patrol tonight! Happy Hunting, Rolf Weare, U-51, 2nd Flotilla Lorient

09-13-17, 02:01 AM	#13
SS Norholm Shark Hunter Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: AM 9661 Posts: 92 Downloads: 66 Uploads: 0	Yeah nice one Rolf, will be useful thanks! Although I'm still a few months behind you yet (21st June 1940). I'll be sure to head that way in September though. You're welcome about AM5364, it's a great spot! I was there again yesterday and had a Troopship and a Granville Medium Freighter come along first. Then a NP tanker not long after. Never fails. Most of them come from the south east, on roughly a 330-350 heading, virtually right passed you! John. U-49