Newbie question

[Studders86]

I have just started a career in 1940 and am using the type IIA sub with around 5 torpedo's i think. I only seem to get around the 6000 tons per patrol. Only done 2 patrols. Am i looking in the wrong place or is this kind of average. I can imagine there are people who can sink a ship with one torpedo and get a lot more tonnage but m just wondering if iam looking in the wrong places.

[A Very Super Market]

That sounds alright, but if its tonnage you seek, AM 52-53 is the grid you want to go. Matey :arrgh!:

[Sailor Steve]

For a Type II that's pretty historical. The game actually gives you way too many targets, and anybody can end up with a much better record than any real kaleun. If that's what you want, there will be plenty of folks who can tell you how to do it. I usually stay in my assigned patrol grid, which gives me pretty poor for gaming but pretty realistic tonnages.

Anything is possible. The choice is yours.

[Laufen zum Ziel]

I believe that the amount of tonage per ship is tied into
what realisim you are playing. You get less at 50% then you
would at 100%.

[A Very Super Market]

Tonnage is the same for whatever realism.

Renown is what changes dependant on the realism.

[Jimbuna]

I believe that the amount of tonage per ship is tied into
what realisim you are playing. You get less at 50% then you
would at 100%.

It's the renown that is effected LzZ :up:

[Pepe le Moko]

I am a newb but i have found out if you stay off the east coast of England, there are mostly coastal vessels and small cargos there.

[Jimbuna]

I am a newb but i have found out if you stay off the east coast of England, there are mostly coastal vessels and small cargos there.

There are also some heavily populated minefields after a while :hmmm:

[A Very Super Market]

They have mines in stock too?

[Studders86]

Wow thanks for the feedback. Glad im doing ok. Yea im gonna stick to east coast. Minefields eh..cnt wait to see them lol.

[Otto Heinzmeir]

I did 3 missions in a type IIA and averaged 4.8 tons per mission. I fire at whatever comes across first and don't hold out for large tonnage targets. I started in 1939 when you have to let some neutrals go. I sunk 6 ships in the 3 missions. All except one were 2 tons or less. One ship was 5 tons. I fired 12 torps. Last mission weather was heavy rain for two weeks and only fired two torps. All torps I fired hit but 2 were duds. Tonnage per torpedo fired was 1.25

On one mission when I only had 1 torp left I finnaly encounterd a ship that weighed 9 tons. I knew my best shot to sink it with 1 torp was a magnetic. Set depth .2m below keel and hot below stack. Engines stopped and it looked like a gonner, even the stearn was partly below water in rough seas. I waited 4 hours and it didn't sink. I think it did later in the storm but I didn't get the credit. ah well.

The AN grids in early war are mostly sm merchants. Due to smaller range of the typeII you can't get to the better patrol areas. The larger ships tend to travel NNE to scandanavia but in 1939 and early 1940 Norway is still netreul and thats what many of the higher ton ships are.

[Studders86]

Ive just come across them motor torpedo boats. First time ive encountered them. Im in the english channel, i rekon a deck gun would of been useful in my IIA lol

[goggles]

deckgun + early war + west coast of uk = complete slaughter:arrgh!:

seriously get a type viib hang out near the southeast coast of ireland and you will rack up the kills. theres tons of unescorted single ship traffic here even big merchies on occasion if you sink every vessel you encounter via deckgun (even tiny boats) the tonnage adds up quick

when hunting merchies via deckgun its best to run with decks awash and approach from behind wait until your within about 3000m and open fire. make sure you sink em as fast as possible (waterline hits can sink even a large merchie in 10-15 shells) the longer they stay afloat the more time they have to call for help and when your in the enemys backyard it doesnt take long for help to arrive

with this method ive easily racked up 10+ ships sunk per patrol without the use of a single torpedo


now most kaleuns will agree that this is highly unhistorical but if you want easy tonnage this is a good way to do without exploiting the ai via a devious harbor raiding trick

[Otto Heinzmeir]

I hate deck guns. Trade in your sub and get a battleship.:yep:

[goggles]

thats why i have sh4 with several playable bb mods for:yep:

never the less i always man the deck gun personally and take care not to waste ammo

im a very good shot:arrgh!:

[Studders86]

...via a devious harbor raiding trick

Whats that?

[Pisces]

With a type 2 it depends what ships you run into. Since you are mostly confined to the coasts on the north sea you'll find small single vessels mostly. They often have a tonnage of around 1000-1500. If you want a higher tonnage you'll have to choose what you want to hit. Maybe let some of them go. But Uncle Donitz doesn't like that, or we'll never finnish this war. If you happen to run into a convoy you'll have more chance of finding big targets, but then you'll need to act quick as it doesn't take them long to run into a port.

[Jimbuna]

Wow thanks for the feedback. Glad im doing ok. Yea im gonna stick to east coast. Minefields eh..cnt wait to see them lol.

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/882/sh32008061215315589.jpg (http://img166.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sh32008061215315589.jpg)

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/484/sh32008061215325789.jpg (http://img291.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sh32008061215325789.jpg)

[Studders86]

WOW, they seem fun lol. Didnt realise they were in the game. Quite impressed :arrgh!:

[goggles]

heh im just as amazed as you are that i dont hit mines off ireland but i guess that because i only dive as a last resort when operating near minefield but hey sometimes you have to take risks

oh and mines do hurt....alot youll be lucky to survive a mine hit your only chance to jump on asap with full damage control crews and hope and pray your in shallow water

also the devious harbor raiding cheat involves infiltrating the harbor and getting behind an obstacle of some kind, make noise so the ai knows your there, watch them beach themselves or ram themselves to death on whatever obstacle you have between you and them, then procede to eliminate ships at your leisure(you cant cheat shore batteries though) its a pity the ai doesnt know how to properly navigate around obstacles:nope:

[Murr44]

Ive just come across them motor torpedo boats. First time ive encountered them. Im in the english channel, i rekon a deck gun would of been useful in my IIA lol

Do yourself a big favour & don't try to take on an MTB with a deck gun. They're just too fast to track in my experience. You might get a lucky shot but it's more likely that they'll wound or kill your gun crew. I wouldn't try it with your flak gun either for the same reason. The best & safest option is to submerge and stay down until the :damn: thing goes away. They can't launch torpedoes at you (due to game restrictions) & they don't carry depth charges so you'll be safe.

Later on (1940-41 at least) watch for them in BF13. They often travel in pairs in that grid.

[Studders86]

Awesome, thanx for all the advice :yeah: