Approaching from behind?

[Slateford-5]

Hello there!

I have a slightly tricky, but potentially very rewarding siutation on my hands. It's October 1939 and I am in the Bay of Biscay. I was heading south, but got a contact going the opposite direction. I go for a look and see a French large freighter, so I put on some speed. As I catch up to around 4km, I notce a tramp steamer dead ahead of the freighter: No worries there. I am still on the surface and closing fast: it's 11pm and a mild storm is brewing. Then things get awkward. Slightly to the west of the tramp and the freighter are an armed trawler and a DD, also heading north. All are going about 8 knots.

So, I can't see anyway to flank them on the western side without tangling with the escorts, but if I try the eastern side, that takes me dangerously close to shore. The freighter is dead ahead but at 0 deg AoB and bobbing up and down quite a bit. Would you just let them go, or is there a better was to approach this (looks like this in case I am not being very clear). Any thoughts welcome.


Trawler [
[
Tramp [ France
DD [
[
Freighter [
[


Me

[Jimbuna]

Too risky for what is in effect only one ship of decent tonnage (large freighter).

Tis early days and there are lots of prizes in the bay.

Initially I'd go for the lone sailors (most don't have guns to fight back) and hit the convoys if you come across them (most are lightly escorted during this period). http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[the.terrabyte.pirate]

Live and let live.

If it was only the one escort, I'd be tempted to take it out and then have my way with the merchies.

If the water was calmer, you could use a magnetic eel.

...but sometimes you need to say "Luck is against me today, but tomorrow she may be on my side."

Is there any chance you can take out the dd and the trawler at the same time?

[Slateford-5]

I did think about trying that, but the angles are all against me: the DD is effectively obscuring me from getting a shot at the trawler (which isn't a big target even at 90 deg) , so at most I could get one before the other was on to me.

The game is currently saved, so I reckon tonight I might trying firing off a mix of impacts and magnetics at the large freighter and hope 2 hit home and see how that goes.

I have a terrible tendency to get a rush of blood to the head whenever I spy anything 10k tonnes +, to be honest. That's how my previous career ended in watery circumstances near the Azores....

[predavolk]

Eh, they're probably French, go for it! More seriously, if you can catch them underwater with a high-speed periscope attack, then get undr 100M of water, you should be able to shake the escorts prerrty easily at this point. Otherwise I would say not today mate!

[Brag]

I wouldn't bother.

[Slateford-5]

I tried another couple of times, still no luck: seems it's just too stormy for the magnetics, too rubbish an angle for impacts. In any case, it looks like if I get hunted, I'll be looking at trying to wriggle out in about 40m of water. Not really worth it, I suppose.

I've tried the fast umderwater attack before in similar circumstances: it was going really well and I hit and sank 2 big ones: unfortunately, by the time I did all that and when the DD's started on me, the crew were turning blue and the duracells were out of juice. I felt a right idiot for that.

Thanks for the thoughts anyway.