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timmyab
03-12-09, 12:09 PM
I'm playing a WAW campaign at the moment and I've spent the last few days lurking in one of the slightly deeper parts of AN27 hoping for a big fat merchant to come past.The rest of the square is about 120m but there are two small spots where it shelves to around 150m.
I was just wondering if this is a commonly used tactic for hunting in shallow seas and whether submariners actually did so during WWII.Also does anyone know if destroyers paid particular attention to these "holes" when patrolling?

GoldenRivet
03-12-09, 01:13 PM
i think that given the completeness of under sea surveying at the time, nautical charts only showed the approximate depth of coastal waters in many areas.

Nautical charts which commanders would use for the purpose of navigation were all white as far as im aware, there were now shaded blue spots to show depth... only a series of isogonic lines which showed the approximate depth.

a skipper might try to exploit one of these "holes" but there is no guarantee that such a hole was charted at all... and even if it was there was no guarantee as to its depth.

given the accuracy of available information back then, exploiting one of these holes would probably be considered a risk... the worthiness of the risk - up to the individual commander.

nikbear
03-12-09, 01:28 PM
I'm playing a WAW campaign at the moment and I've spent the last few days lurking in one of the slightly deeper parts of AN27 hoping for a big fat merchant to come past.The rest of the square is about 120m but there are two small spots where it shelves to around 150m.
I was just wondering if this is a commonly used tactic for hunting in shallow seas and whether submariners actually did so during WWII.Also does anyone know if destroyers paid particular attention to these "holes" when patrolling?

Have used that very same 'Hole' your using to hide from some DD's that were protecting a convoy that comes down that route early in the war,you might get lucky:03::yeah: