What do you do??

[ddiplock]

What is your normal "operating procedure" for sighting a lone merchant ship on the seas?

You see, I usually stay on the surface for a bit, try to asertain their course and then alter mine so i intercept them to get closer before diving. However, i'm noticing that even with me still being rather far out from them, they start taking evasive maneuvers.

Now when I zoom in on them and look in my direction, I can't even see my uboat!! So how can they KNOW i'm there?? Should I just dive to Periscope depth as soon as i see them, and gun the batteries to Flank to intercept them in time?

What do you Kaleuns normally do? :arrgh!:

[P_Funk]

Well perhaps a place sighted you and reported it? And your speed could determine how easy it is to see you.

Oh and which mods are you using? That greatly affects the LoS of the AI ships in game.

Me, usually if I sight a merchant before I know he's there (be it from hydrophone check or Bdu report) I determine his course and speed if I can, see if I can get ahead of him and if its worth doing it. Then I try and plot a nice intercept course to get me ahead of him.

Theres no point in submerging if he's ahead of you or else you'll just lose him but if you're ahead then its not a prob, specially during the day.

[melnibonian]

What is your normal "operating procedure" for sighting a lone merchant ship on the seas?
Attack and sink it ;) :rotfl:

On a serious note now: If it's alone I stay on surface and I go ahead flank. Most merchants are slower than U-Boats so you can (almost) always outrun them. If it's early in the war I just man the deck gun and go straight for it to finish the job quickly. In later years this is really dangerous. In these situations I try to plot a paraller course to the target but at a distance where I cannot be spotted (depends on weather conditions and time of day). Then after I outrun him I plot a perpendicular course to his and go ahead flank. At about 2-3 Km away I go to periscope depth. If he is still far away I continue my course until I come really close, otherwise I fire my topedoes from larger distances.

[Brag]

Once I know it's interceptable, I decide whether approach surfaced or submerged and wether I'll use the deckie or shove and eel into its hull. Weather, speed, relative position, enemy activity, are factors that influnce the dicision.

[robbo180265]

Everything that everyone else has said is pretty much what I do, except I normally go decks awash (7mtrs on the depth gauge) This leaves only the conning tower above the water and makes me harder to spot. I find that this normally works quite well.

[ddiplock]

Oh there's nothing worse than making the perfect approach, silent, slowly, make the perfect shot with some torpedos...have one strike, the other one run under the ship, and the 3rd one be a dud.....talk about bad luck!!!! :damn:

[P_Funk]

Oh there's nothing worse than making the perfect approach, silent, slowly, make the perfect shot with some torpedos...have one strike, the other one run under the ship, and the 3rd one be a dud.....talk about bad luck!!!! :damn:
My inverse story is tracking a lone merchant at night and lining up a perfect 90 degree attack and hitting him and then finding out that once he turns on his spot light that he has an identical merchant running right behind him in column.:D

I just immediately without thiniking swerved my uzo to the right and fired a two torp salvo (really two separate shots on slightly different lines). Bingo bango.

Thank Thor for the TDC.:|\\

[Foghladh_mhara]

Well I've just had my most satisfying attack yet. Found a large cargo off the north of Scotland being escorted my an armed Tug. Put an eel into the cargo and went to 25m. The tug came to investigate so I turned at 90 degrees to his track. Soon as he passed over me I blew ballast and surfaced behind him manning the deck and flak guns. I took the flak gun personally:arrgh!: He couldnt bear his main gun on me although his machine gun opened up. I cut him to pieces. He hadnt even turned 20 degrees before he sank! Then back to the cargo, 10 rounds and down she went. Very very fulfilling :D

Of course I saved first in case I cocked up:D

[Spray]

With my new XXI I stay submerged (Surfacing with that sub has no point except for if I need to send a message) place myself infront of the ship or chase them (I can reash 21 knots submerged at snorkel depth running deisels) then I just fire away. However for Convoys I don't even bother chasing them the ASW us too good (Mid 1944) even for a XXI. Unless your already infront of them and can get into position with silent running on. There's no point.

[ddiplock]

For this career i guess it doesn't matter any more.....i just got killed on my 2nd patrol....in 1939 in the straights of Dover....how shameful of me!!! :smug:


Is the ASW difficulty increased at all with GWX?

[Jimbuna]

It gets quite difficult 43 onwards due to the fact ships crews become 'veteran' or 'elite' :arrgh!: