Sneeking inside a 1942 convoy

[Weisia]

Recently I tried to attack two convoys in late 1942. As a result two perfect commanders were lost with all hands on deck.Can anyone give me some advice (I am using NYGM)? This is what generally happens:

Both convoys I tried to attack were very large and had one escort in front and one in the back. There were also three escorts on both sides, making the total number of escorts 8.

I drove my sub on both occasions within the escort screen on the port side of the convoy. All this time I wasn't detected. And suddenly, when I am only 1,000 meters (or less) away of my targets and seconds away of emptying my tubes I get pinged (i think by the escorts on port of the convoy). You might guess what happened next: panic, fired all my torps blindly hoping they would hit something, crash dived, Dc'ed, flooding, DiD.

Silent running was of course enabled, all engines didn't exceed 1000 rpm, and my periscope use was kept to a minimum. At the moment I tried to fire my torps I was of course at pd (between 12 and 15 meters), but when I sneaked into the convoy I was at 40 meters.

So should I even try to penetrate the escort screen or only try to fire outside the screen? And is there even a way I can enter a convoy without having to die?

[Synthfg]

Go in from the front PD on silent running
Only one escort to evade
Set yourself to engage the biggest targets you can find,
Fire your eels so that the impacts are almost simultaneous

As soon as the eels are launched dive deep, don't stay to watch the fireworks and aim to evade out of the rear of the convoy

[mookiemookie]

Get dead in front of the convoy and face the lead escort head on, go to 100-120 meters deep and silent running. Once the lead escort passes over and you're in his baffles, come back up to PD and you should be right in the middle of the convoy.

[Kipparikalle]

Go from front, dive 80(minimum-120m. Stay silent.
Once the DD has gone over, start going up. And if you time it right, in the time you reach PD. You are in the middle of the convoy.

Happy hunting mate

[mookiemookie]

Go from front, dive 80(minimum-120m. Stay silent.
Once the DD has gone over, start going up. And if you time it right, in the time you reach PD. You are in the middle of the convoy.

Happy hunting mate

Uhh...yeah, that's pretty much what I said. :doh:

[RoaldLarsen]

Get dead in front of the convoy and face the lead escort head on, go to 100-120 meters deep and silent running. Once the lead escort passes over and you're in his baffles, come back up to PD and you should be right in the middle of the convoy.

Go from front, dive 80(minimum-120m. Stay silent.
Once the DD has gone over, start going up. And if you time it right, in the time you reach PD. You are in the middle of the convoy.

Are you guys sure? How fast do you have to be going to get from 120m to PD in time to line up some targets?

I prefer the following:

Go in from the front PD on silent running
Only one escort to evade


I presume this means that you have to be off to one side of that single lead escort, but not too close to the path of the side escorts.

[Synthfg]

True,
If he doesn't know your there, you should be safe so long as you don't get too close. or have your periscope constantly at max extension,
and at PD you are ready to take him out if he spots you,

Tho the deep method is probably safer, coming in at PD allows you more freedom in picking which area of the convoy to target to get the big ships

[mookiemookie]

Are you guys sure? How fast do you have to be going to get from 120m to PD in time to line up some targets?


Sure I'm sure! Last time I pulled this off, I was going about 2 knots and made it up in plenty of time. Of course you need to make some quick decisions once you get to PD, but you'll be right in the middle of the fattest targets in the convoy. See here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=1091255&postcount=11

[Paul Riley]

As radar removes the previous invisibility of the UBoats at night,the night can still be useful,albeit you are submerged of course.How about engaging the convoy from the rear,using it's own noise to mask your own? increase speed ever so slightly and then penetrate when certain you are on a good course to fire a 90 degree shot at a chosen ship.You would run silent prior to penetrating,then run standard just as you are about to penetrate.
It also makes sense more going in from the rear due to the fact that their main focus of observation is to the front,and maybe a few degrees to the sides (correct me on this),so you may manage to sneak in better from the rear,get onto your chosen attack run,attack,then exit rapidly through the rear.

[sharkbit]

Are you guys sure? How fast do you have to be going to get from 120m to PD in time to line up some targets?


At slow speed(1-2 knots) it seems to take a loooong(and very tense:o) time. I've sucessfully tried this once at slow speed(was found by the pesky escorts on a couple of earlier tries and had to abort the attacks:damn:) and I was near the tail end of the convoy by the time I got to PD and had to do some very quick shots for some so-so sucess.

Not too long ago, while sailing out to my patrol area, I did some tests. I dove to 40m and timed how long it would take to get to PD at various speed settings. I'm at work and don't have the times handy, but it seemed that Ahead 1/3 speed was a huge difference from Ahead Slow time wise when compared to the increase in speed and noise. Ahead 1/3 seems to be a good compromise between stealth and getting to PD rapidly. I'll have to do some tests from deeper depths.

I've had one opportunity to try this tactic again at Ahead 1/3 and it seemed to work pretty well. I got up to PD pretty quickly and undetected, was within the convoy near the front, and was able to choose my targets a little better.

It is still a nerve wracking experience though, especially if you pop your scope up and see that you're in line with one of the columns of ship and some big freighter is bearing down on you! :o

[sharkbit]

As radar removes the previous invisibility of the UBoats at night,the night can still be useful,albeit you are submerged of course.How about engaging the convoy from the rear,using it's own noise to mask your own? increase speed ever so slightly and then penetrate when certain you are on a good course to fire a 90 degree shot at a chosen ship.You would run silent prior to penetrating,then run standard just as you are about to penetrate.
It also makes sense more going in from the rear due to the fact that their main focus of observation is to the front,and maybe a few degrees to the sides (correct me on this),so you may manage to sneak in better from the rear,get onto your chosen attack run,attack,then exit rapidly through the rear.

Good idea but I just think you're going to drain your battery pretty quick trying to sneak in. Even a slow convoy of 6 knots will force you to run at full or flank unless you are doing a lot of shots with large AOB's.
And then, if the escorts pick you up afterwards and keep you down long enough, you are in trouble with a drained battery and reduced options.

Just a thought though. I haven't tried a night submerged attack against a convoy from the side or rear. Might be something to keep in the toolbox though.
:)

[skookum]

I just toasted a whale factory ship and large merchant by flanking ahead and then submerging to creep in from the side as the convoy approached. I aimed to be about 500 meters outside of the nearest lane by the time the first row of merchants passed by. Stayed at 80 meters and 2 knots till the lead escort crossed my bow. Then went to PD and fired a speed staggered salvo to hit the large merchant an the whale factory ship in the next lane. Both salvos hit simultaneously and by then I was already passing 60 meters at flank heading deep into the center of the convoy. Once passing 190 I went to 1 knot and turned to exit the rear of the convoy. Hovered around 220-230 meters till the escorts gave up and admired the 22000 tons in my logbook.;)