Enemy Convoy (GWX)

[Makr]

Alright, I finally figured out how to track and intercept a convoy :D

However, I might as well just run straight into a rock because as soon as I get close to one, destroyers find me and DC me till I'm dead!

How the H do you avoid detection?? I tried floating in running on silent about 60m deep at 2knots and still the find me!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Makr

[Morts]

well running on silent running only makes you harder to find the hydrophone because it stops all noisy activities
but the sonar can still find you


please correct me if im wrong

[Abd_von_Mumit]

You are not wrong. :)

As to the topic - some escorts are good, some are not so much. Depends mainly on the time - the later the war progresses, the better their anti-submarine skills. But you can meet a really good ship even at the beginning of the war - just bad luck.

If it seems to me that the escorts are too good, I just leave. A few days ago I followed a convoy for a few days. I made three extremely cautious approaches (silent, slow, submerged, at night) and every time I was detected before I even rose my periscope. After this three times I just let it go... I'll find another one. I won;t find any, if I get killed. :)

[WOD]

Alright, I finally figured out how to track and intercept a convoy :D

However, I might as well just run straight into a rock because as soon as I get close to one, destroyers find me and DC me till I'm dead!

How the H do you avoid detection?? I tried floating in running on silent about 60m deep at 2knots and still the find me!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Makr

The best kind of getting into a convoy submerged is from the front ...2-3 oclock (depending on where the escorts are)....closing in at peri depth and silent running. Then the possibility to pass the front escort undetected is best (depends on the time of the war)...then u are in dead point of the front escorts detection and out of range from the side one. The in the convoy when u fired the torpedoes the escorts know where u are, especially if u use steamers (cause of the torpedo wake) in daylight and calm seas.

After fired torps go as deep u can, 200m or so & silent running....and don´t make big changes of course....this would make noise and they would know again where u are. Try to get out in the back of the convoy. And try to stay as small as possible for the underater detection....what this means u can read in the GWX manual ;)

Btw 60m is way to low depth for evading...for me 120 is even to low too....I want to have at least 140 m under me to evade.

Hope this helps

[danlisa]

The sticky near the top of this channel will help you alot.;)

[Morts]

atleast 140 ?
you need 200+ if you want good chances of surviving

[scalelokt]

Makr, heres what has been working for me.

First of all only attack the convoy at night, that way you can get your periscope up and have a look around when you want without taking too big of a risk of detection. Secondly when I first started playing I thought the best approach to attacking a convoy was to get right in their path and stay completly silent and submerged so that they would go right over top of me and I would end up right in the middle. The problem is that the escorts use more than just hydrophone to listen for you which I found out the hard way, the escort in front picked me up on Sonar right away and I had to escape without any kills. The key I found is to approach at an angle and keep your distance until the escorts are out of the way. Usually the convoy is moving at a slow speed so you can approach submerged and have enough speed to catch up to them pretty easily. I sit off to the side of the convoy and just wait for the first escort to go on past. After that I move ahead toward the middle of the convoy at slow speed and intercept at a nice 90 degree angle to the convoys course. If you make it this far it seems to me that you are going to get off some good shots no matter what happens. If you arent detected you send out a volley of torpedos and take your sweet time aiming them to make sure you get your kills. If you are detected send out a volley of torpedos quickly and crash dive. Worst case scenario you'll be DC'd for a while and have to do some evading, just make sure you have plenty of water under you before you attack so that you can dive deep to get away. Its always risky to attack a convoy though, the escorts will always come after you and they get harder and harder to get away from as time goes on.

I guess you could avoid convoys all together and go after less dangerous prey, but the way I look at it, war is hell, and I want those damn convoys.

[Iron Budokan]

Don't slink away from the destroyers. Be more aggressive!:rotfl:

[IceGrog]

A little bit off this post but last night in one of my campaigns (GWX early 1940) I was sent to the coast of England, I thought a little too close but I went anyway. Saw a convoy, took some time to get in great position, even slipped by the escorts (2), but what I saw was about 10 tramp steamers and one small merchant, the water is getting dangerously shallow and it seems to make this attack worth it I would have to sink them all:o

[WOD]

Don't slink away from the destroyers. Be more aggressive!:rotfl:

The best thing you can do in that kind til end of 1940...is to attack all the ecorts....one after another. I´ve done it one time, sunk all 6 Black Swans and taken out ships til i was out of gun ammo and out of torps....was a good hunt.

The 2nd time I tried it was a patrol later, managed to take out all escorts again (5) and surfaced in the middle of the convoy for deckgun and good tonnage....but already before surfacing I thought I would have forgotten something....ok in fact I have had forgotten something ....merchants deck guns *lol*.....was nice to see the hell of shells around me....Hull at 49,7%...5 Crewman (2 were mechanics) died after 20 seconds...Ok I dived again but wasn´t able to stop the flooding...and at 220m or so my patrol has ended with all hands lost :D....caused of forgotten deck guns *lol*...

bad day Herr Kaleun :D

So not every time beeing more aggressive is best *lol*

[Jimbuna]

There you go:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=104377

[Makr]

Wow...thanks for all the feedback!

Both times I got busted, I approached the convoy head on...trying my hardest not to be noticed, but it didn't matter, they found me.
Think maybe I dove to late?
I noticed a couple people saying wait until night, I'm going to try that next time.....both my attempts were during the day :oops:

So I'm going to dive deep, run silent, and wait until night to make my attack. Patience is a big problem of mine, I want a convoy so bad I get shaky when I get close!

[Brag]

Alright, I finally figured out how to track and intercept a convoy :D

However, I might as well just run straight into a rock because as soon as I get close to one, destroyers find me and DC me till I'm dead!

How the H do you avoid detection?? I tried floating in running on silent about 60m deep at 2knots and still the find me!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Makr

Take a look at page 2 of this forum and see thread on attacking convoys. I also have an article on attacking convoys on my website. Hope your luck improves :up:

[Makr]

Take a look at page 2 of this forum and see thread on attacking convoys. I also have an article on attacking convoys on my website. Hope your luck improves :up:

Thank you sir.

[Biggles]

I noticed a scary behavior of enemy escorts: Sometimes, one or two of 'em is standing still in the water, and (as far as I understand) listening and trying to find you! Then another one is going slowly around and tries to bomb you away way back to Berlin.

[WOD]

I noticed a scary behavior of enemy escorts: Sometimes, one or two of 'em is standing still in the water, and (as far as I understand) listening and trying to find you! Then another one is going slowly around and tries to bomb you away way back to Berlin.

Yep I noticed that too...makes it a bit more difficult to evade

[bigboywooly]

Yes its realistic multiple escorts search pattern
2 or 3 triangulating your position with another dropping the DC
As the ones listening are not moving they rarely lose contact

[andy_311]

I still try and attack convoys head on (even at night) lead escort passes me within 230m and am not detected though it's rough seas my fist career in GWX just could not get it right.This one being my second one so far it works but am only in late 41 (call it a learning curve) even if you pas the lead escort and go for the biggest ship in the centre of the convoy or whatever as soon as she blows I don't know about other skippers but I fire 1 fish at the ship dead centre of the convoy andd when she blows I target the 2nd,3rd,etc and dive if you time it right your torps should hit the boats near enouth at the same time sending the escort into confusion.
(well it work for me anyway)

[bigboywooly]

As long as it works then use it
I find if I target the furthest column away from me the escorts sweep out flank on that side

[Brag]

As long as it works then use it
I find if I target the furthest column away from me the escorts sweep out flank on that side

Wooly's technique worked for me on my last convoy. The escorts never came close to bother me. :smug:

[Mooncatt]

yup i start ahead of the convoy once they are close i make a 90 degree turn and fire my fish at a few of the ships that are furthest away that way the DDs will go and search for you at the far side of the convoy, i then dive as deep as possible and 2knts silent running and turn my course to match the convoys. i will stay down for quite a few hours to see what happens with the ships i hit (if they sink or not) and see what the DDs are doing. if the ships dont sink and the DDs are still far away ill line my self up for another hit on the ships ive previously hit. if the DDs have decided to seach closer to my location ill get out of there and fight another day.

[Jimbuna]

Use whatever tactics work best for your game style.
Never take needless risks.
Never get greedy.
Exercise extreme caution at all times.
Never do anything that's got you killed in the past. :yep:

[Makr]

This thread is awesome...lots of info :)

I had a save point just before I approach an enemy convoy, I must have reloaded that damn save point 5 times last nite! It was close to the shore, I could only dive about 90 meters max, and after reading this post, it seems that won't cut it.

As hard as it was, I decided to leave the convoy and head for open waters.....I'm cruising along and find 1 large merchant being escorted by 1 armed trawler or tugboat don't remember.....anyway, this damn tugboat finds me and give me hell for about an hour!!

I'm starting to get really frustrated....is there a way, either setting or editing a file in GWX to tone down enemy ships until I get the hang of it??

Please no flaming :) I just can't go back to vanilla after playing this mod!