My first patrol on SH3

[JerM]

Hey,

Just finished my first patrol. Had to patrol AN56 for 24 hours. Didn't see anything but a German destroyer. Got attacked by Hawker Hurricanes a couple of times. Even though I didn't see any action, I'm starting to get addicted to this sim.
:up:

Jeremy

[mookiemookie]

What year was it? Any of the AM grid squares are usually jam packed with traffic. What time compression were you using? The lower the better. Were you submerging to periscope depth (as recommended by the U-Boat Commander's Handbook :know:) at dawn and dusk to do hydrophone checks?

In the immortal words of BdU: "Be more aggressive!"

[JerM]

What year was it? Any of the AM grid squares are usually jam packed with traffic. What time compression were you using? The lower the better. Were you submerging to periscope depth (as recommended by the U-Boat Commander's Handbook :know:) at dawn and dusk to do hydrophone checks?

In the immortal words of BdU: "Be more aggressive!"

It was 1939 and no i wasn't submerging at dawn and dusk. Tell you the truth I'm new to Sub sims. :doh: Been playing too much CFS2 and Il2/AEP/PF. Is there like a handbook for noobs?

Jeremy

[P_Funk]

Read this. http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=96026

Thats background info. Come here for more help.:up:

[Akela]

Hey Jeremy,

I just now finished my first patrol as well. I found a lot of help from the folks on this forum, as well as various faqs around the 'net. This link was probably the most helpful: http://www.communitymanuals.com/shiii/index.php?title=Main_Page because it led to lots of other links.

I played this game for the entire day today. Be careful, it's addicting. :)

Dan

[kylania]

The thing to remember about your patrol is the grid you're assigned to is completely and totally optional. :)

You'll get extra renown for it, but you don't have to even go there. And when you're finished with the 24 hours there, you're free to go as far as your fuel and weapons can take you.

If you check the Reports from your Nagivation officer it'll tell you your currently plotted course and how far you can get on your current speed with your fuel. You can use this to plot a line back to your home port to see how much more fuel distance you have after getting home and that's how far you can roam till you need to go back.

So once you've done your grid, pick somewhere to explore. Follow the convoy lines on your SH3 map to find possible hunting lanes. You can even download a version of the map (http://mpgweb.de/downloads/index.php?act=view&id=528) you can install in game and see on the nav map when zoomed out.

[AVGWarhawk]

Yes sir, after you have done your 24 hours, off you go to where you want to. If you got torpedoes, you have the opportunity to sink ships were you want provided your fuel will hold out. Besides if you come back to port with a full load of torpedoes, Donitz will have you shot for 'cowardice in the face of the enemy'! He does not care about saving a few bucks on torpedoes....he wants tonnage!!!! Now get out there and do not come back with anything less than 100,000 tons of Allied shipping at the bottom of the Atlantic:nope:

[melnibonian]

Hello

SH3 is a BRILLIANT game and really addictive. Do you use any mods???? If not I would suggest GW and SH3 Commander.

Have a look at the community manual for the best hunting grounds. I would suggest the area around ireland and the SW coast of England (at least in the begining of the war)

[mookiemookie]

Hello

SH3 is a BRILLIANT game and really addictive. Do you use any mods???? If not I would suggest GW and SH3 Commander.

Have a look at the community manual for the best hunting grounds. I would suggest the area around ireland and the SW coast of England (at least in the begining of the war)

Definately. If you can put up with the destroyers and torpedo boats, as well as the periodic airplane, the Irish Sea is a great place to rack up the tonnage.

[RedMenace]

Heheh, there was a good thread here about how to setup a perfect intercept course, it was very helpful.

[Incubus]

Yeah, if you finish your assigned patrol grid, keep motoring around until BDU gives you contact reports. I've noticed that not only is there fairly good traffic in the Irish sea, there are also quite a few convoys in that area and east of Ireland.

If you get a contact report, you can do one of two things: If it is very close, generally you can guestimate where it will be and use either your watchman to spot it on the surface, or hydrophones.

If you encounter a convoy, be patient! Try to get ahead of the convoy and set up an ambush. Generally if you do it right, you can keep attacking the convoy by waiting, attacking, hiding, then getting out of the escorts detection range, getting ahead, and doing another attack.

[AVGWarhawk]

Another thought, get the handy map that came with the game and see the shipping lanes on it. Pick one that fits your fancy and go hang out in it. An unwary victim will be along:lurk:

[mookiemookie]

And while you're hunting those shipping lanes, it's a good idea to submerge periodically and stop your engines to give your hydrophone operator a chance to pick up targets that your watch crew might otherwise miss.

I usually do the dawn and dusk checks when I'm in the open seas, but when I'm patrolling a grid or if I'm in a shipping lane, I submerge at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight. In poor visibility, I travel submerged and surface to recharge batteries at night. You'll be surprised at how many more targets you find.

[AVGWarhawk]

And while you're hunting those shipping lanes, it's a good idea to submerge periodically and stop your engines to give your hydrophone operator a chance to pick up targets that your watch crew might otherwise miss.

I usually do the dawn and dusk checks when I'm in the open seas, but when I'm patrolling a grid or if I'm in a shipping lane, I submerge at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight. In poor visibility, I travel submerged and surface to recharge batteries at night. You'll be surprised at how many more targets you find.

Thats one thing I need to do. Create a schedule for dives and hyrdophone checks. I usually just motor around until my watch see a ship. I do not pay to much attention to the planes. Then again, I usually do not get much past 1941:shifty: when they become bad. I drive my boat like the Terminator...:roll:

[JerM]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice guys.

Yeah after I got done patroling AN56 for 24 hours i retured to Wihelmhaven. I'm going to do some more hunting now.

Jeremy

[kylania]

My last patrol I was getting kinda sleepy, so thought I'd just 512x it to my patrol grid which was in the mid Atlantic, and save the gave after my 24 hours were up. So I'm flying along, no contacts, no radio, no nothing. Than since I'm bored I decide to dive. Crash Dive and 20 seconds later "Sound Contact, dead ahead, merchant!!". Gotta love those random checks that find a ship right in the sweet spot. :)

[AVGWarhawk]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice guys.

Yeah after I got done patroling AN56 for 24 hours i retured to Wihelmhaven. I go do some more hunting now.

Jeremy

JerM, after your 24 hours you do not have to go home. You go where you want. Stay out there and sink some ships with your torps or cannon. Once all of you weapons are expended then go home. If you do use up all your weapons on the 24 grid assignment, the you go home.:up:

[JerM]

Hey,

Just got done with second patrol. Sunk a C Class destroyer and a merchant near AN47. :up: Now I'm really enjoying this sim now.

Jeremy

[kylania]

Good work!! It was like 12 patrols before I sunk my first warship.

[ArtieEngineer]

Nice to see I am not the only one just finishing a first patrol or so.

Actaully I have finished a couple but have restarted careers again and again after learning a few things. NOW time to actually get serious!!!!

I generally leave port and then go under asap and run as long as I dare on my battaries back to the surface to recharge and do it again. When I submerge I go slow ahead or dead stop to let the sonar man do his thing and then do this again before surfacing, and possibly once or twice in a submerged run. When getting close to good hunting grounds I'll not run the battaries under about about 75% so that they are available when needed and I'll stop or go to slow more often for sonar checks. This way I have plenty of fuel for my patrol and some hunting.

First patrol I saved and went back a couple of times and got five kills with five torps using what I call the point and shoot method. (two reruns on first ship one for the third I believe) Now I believe after a couple more runs in the training mission I can setup my own solutions.