Guide/Tips/Hints for Hunting a Convoy

[BenG]

Are there any Guide/Tips/Hints out there for hunting a Convoy.

First of all I struggle to get in amongst a convoy, and when I do I struggle to stay in fire my torps quickly enough (I generally don;t even attempt manual firing and just use my Weapons Officer to calculate a solution).

I single ship engagements I can quite happily manually do everything, and barring duds get a pretty good completion rate. But Now I;m into 1942 and most of the traffic is in Convoy I'm starting to struggle.

[kenijaru]

since i DLed GWX 2.0 I cant get past the escorts :S i usually arrive to the convoy at night crawling at silent running @ 2 knts and either:
- i press f12 just to see a DD with all the lights on, aiming at my direction
- ask the SO for the closest contact and get something like "warship, increasing speed, closing, short range.... depth charges in water sir!"

so its quite anoying... i'd like some tip to get through the escorts...

sry about the hijack BTW :arrgh!:

[VolvicCH]

I find that staying on the outside of the convoy and then making my way in equidistant from the front/side escort works pretty well.......from there on in its just plain sailing, however I only fire whatever tubes i have ready, i dont try to hang on and reload. 4 bow tubes,1 stern, go deep, evade, get ouside of convoy, overtake and restart.




Have a nice day :)

[Brag]

Read the articles on convoy attack on my webbie. The techniques explained there work on GWX2.0, Too. :D

[Buhring]

Maybe it works only because I'm still in the happy times (dec. 1940), but usually I do like this:
1. Get right ahead of the convoy with reciprocal course
2. Place myself just under periscope depth and proceeding at 2 kts or less
3. Put the boat between the predicted course of the two central columns of the convoy (usually the most valuable targets are there)
4. Turn the boat by 90 deg, so her bow is heading towards the projected course of the column where the front escort of the convoy is
5. Stop the boat and maintain a depth of 14 mt -- absolute silent running
6. Let the escort pass
7. When you are in the midst of the convoy, fire a salvo of two against the best target of the column in front and another one at the best of the column behind you, the fastest the better
8. Maneuver so you can fire another two torps to another target in the front column
(7 & 8 must take no more than 180 sec.)
9. Crash dive; go silent at 50 mt.
10. Make a hard turn and go to 150+ mt.
11. Disengage -- the escorts will get to guess your position, but you will be already too deep for them to locate you precisely when they arrive.

Usually I can sink three large ships (cargo, merchants or tankers) and run away unscathed.

I'm playing GWX 1.03 at 90% realism (external views just for the fun of seeing ships sink, not to gather info).

Gute Jagd

Buhring

[Gezoes]

When getting in is risky, I let the first escort pass, and sneak by the wing DD (if he's there) at 20 m (2kts. max).

Then I get a good reading on the speed from the ships I can clearly see. Identify as many of the convoy as you can.

Open the tubes before you fire, and away we go, you already have the speed and types. Range, AOB may still be required here and there.

And I always try to seek overlapping ships :up:

After the attack, and if the DD's aren't close yet, I slowly decent or if they are on to me, crash dive to the deeps. Hard turn and slip away, for now... :arrgh!:

[Puster Bill]

Are there any Guide/Tips/Hints out there for hunting a Convoy.

First of all I struggle to get in amongst a convoy, and when I do I struggle to stay in fire my torps quickly enough (I generally don;t even attempt manual firing and just use my Weapons Officer to calculate a solution).
You want to know a little secret?

Once you've calculated a manual solution for any of the merchants in an undisturbed convoy, it is valid for all the other merchants. That is because they are all on the same course and speed. The only other variable is range and bearing.

Range you can pretty much ignore once you have a solution. The only thing getting the range for each individual target will tell you is how long it should take you torpedo to hit. Nice information to have, but not really necessary.

Bearing is taken care of by the periscope/vorhaltrechner.

What I do is get a good solution for my main target (usually a tanker, or other high value ship), fire a spread of two at that one, then do single shots with my remaining 3 torps at other ships that are reasonably close to my bow or stern, and within reasonable AOB values. I don't recalculate a solution for all of them, it isn't necessary.

Then I go deep and get on a course that takes me away as quick as possible. Generally, I go silent and try to steer the reciprocal of the convoy's course.

[vodkavera]

Maybe it works only because I'm still in the happy times (dec. 1940), but usually I do like this:
1. Get right ahead of the convoy with reciprocal course
2. Place myself just under periscope depth and proceeding at 2 kts or less
3. Put the boat between the predicted course of the two central columns of the convoy (usually the most valuable targets are there)
4. Turn the boat by 90 deg, so her bow is heading towards the projected course of the column where the front escort of the convoy is
5. Stop the boat and maintain a depth of 14 mt -- absolute silent running
6. Let the escort pass
7. When you are in the midst of the convoy, fire a salvo of two against the best target of the column in front and another one at the best of the column behind you, the fastest the better
8. Maneuver so you can fire another two torps to another target in the front column
(7 & 8 must take no more than 180 sec.)
9. Crash dive; go silent at 50 mt.
10. Make a hard turn and go to 150+ mt.
11. Disengage -- the escorts will get to guess your position, but you will be already too deep for them to locate you precisely when they arrive.

Usually I can sink three large ships (cargo, merchants or tankers) and run away unscathed.

I'm playing GWX 1.03 at 90% realism (external views just for the fun of seeing ships sink, not to gather info).

Gute Jagd

Buhring


Exactly how I do it to! :rock:
But I have two stern tubes to use with my IXB.
Works like a charm!

/VV

[Tool]

I have come up with an almost foolproof way of dealing with escorts.. as i probably have sunk 15+ of them so far in GWX 2 and i'm in Patrol 6.

If i'm spotted and they are approaching i turn on a course that is running parallel with them, and the same direction with them off my rear around 180 degrees, and keep an eye on them every few minutes while at Periscope depth. When they get within 1000m or so i dive to about 17m.. which puts the top of my conning tower below their keel. As they close to very close range i push to flank speed, and turn at about a 45 degree angle off our course, and they end up dropping the DC's behind me far enough to do no damage.. I immediately start up to PD and have one tube setup for 2m depth, impact fuse, and start raising my periscope and opening the outer door. As soon as it crests the water i usually have a shot into its broadside at about 500M and 90% of the time that fish finishes off the DD..

This has worked very well for me so far in 39 and early 40 but i'm sure i'll have to adjust this as time goes on and their stuff improves.

Tool.

[Buhring]

Exactly how I do it to! :rock:
But I have two stern tubes to use with my IXB.
Works like a charm!

I have a IXb too (U-123).
Yet I wonder if this will work in 1943...

Gute Jagd

Buhring

[U49]

since i DLed GWX 2.0 I cant get past the escorts :S i usually arrive to the convoy at night crawling at silent running @ 2 knts and either:
- i press f12 just to see a DD with all the lights on, aiming at my direction
- ask the SO for the closest contact and get something like "warship, increasing speed, closing, short range.... depth charges in water sir!"

so its quite anoying... i'd like some tip to get through the escorts...

sry about the hijack BTW :arrgh!:

Blast your way through them ..... :lol: At least that's what I do, when they pi$$ me off.

Otherwise the situation you describe leads me to think that you are makeing some kind of "noise" that they recognize... :hmm: your scope stays down? Your speed is set to below 1/2 ? You dived early enough? ....

In 2.0 they still don't get me, if play it careful enough and slip between them at 1500m+, even when I stick my scope up for a quick plotting ....

[U49]

Then I go deep and get on a course that takes me away as quick as possible. Generally, I go silent and try to steer the reciprocal of the convoy's course.

I prefer 90deg off to the convoy course plot. That way I gain distance from the convoy lane and I dont't have to catch up so much for a second attack run....

Most times I attack twice. After the second attack run, there is either nothing more of value in that convoy, or the escort/merchant ratio is to high or I have simply no torpedos left :lol: ..

[Puster Bill]

Then I go deep and get on a course that takes me away as quick as possible. Generally, I go silent and try to steer the reciprocal of the convoy's course.
I prefer 90deg off to the convoy course plot. That way I gain distance from the convoy lane and I dont't have to catch up so much for a second attack run....


Usually I'm actually *INSIDE* the convoy when I do this. Once I get near the back, I go 90 degrees to try and avoid the sweeper at the back of the convoy.

[mbabbs]

Night:

I wait for night, then approach from ahead at an angle and go decks awash when I begin to get close. If its bad weather then I'll stay on the surface as you can pass escorts at a very close distance, but keep an eye on them just incase.

Gather data early:

I prefer to select my target(s) early - find the juicy targets and head for them - all the others are targets of opportunity. As an earlier poster has said, once you have the speed for one ship you have it for all of them and also the initial radio contact will give you a rough estimation of speed. Again also if you radio the report yourself you will see a speed estimation.

Depth is your friend:

Once you launch your attack don't hang around to see what happens. Get deep fast and as quiet as you can but sacrifice some silence for sound. If you are pinged then crash dive.

Risk:

The real key to the game really is to minimize risk so adopt a tactic that manages that. The more often you take risks, the more chance you have of a watery grave. Don't be afraid to cancel an approach if it doesn't feel right or if the situation is not in your favour. There will be other chances.