View Full Version : 100 Tips for Sinking Ships
Tonnage_Ace
11-21-09, 10:17 PM
Let's list 100 things that you always follow when attacking convoys, lone ships and ports that you think are vital for a successful career. No matter how simple or obvious, it might just help out some new players and teach an old sea dog new tricks! We have thousands of combined hours on patrol so your knowledge is invaluable!
1. When a convoy begins evasive action after an initial strike/detection, set your TDC's target speed one knot lower to compensate. This will allow you to keep the same heading and strike with resumed accuracy from ranges up to 6000nm.
Abd_von_Mumit
11-21-09, 11:43 PM
2. Wait till it's dark.
3. Check everything twice before pressing any button/pulling any lever.
4. Recheck it.
5. Get the hell out of there - no need to wait for fireworks, hearing them will do.
6. Limit yourself to one target and aim well. There's huge chance you'll miss all targets if you aim at more than one.
Get as close to 90 deg. AOB as practical; keeping in mind target's speed and range.
Tonnage_Ace
11-22-09, 01:28 AM
7. It's always better to aim fore or aft of the bridge in GWX as this will increase the chance the ship will sink.
8. Get as close as you can to maximise your chance of a hit. Less than 1000m is best.
9. Update your TDC data for range and AOB just prior to shooting.
10. Never fire at a target outside 15deg of 0 deg angle. Unless the target is at 90deg and running parallel with your course.
Tonnage_Ace
11-22-09, 02:14 AM
11. Ship's length x 1.852 / time in seconds it takes for ship to pass your optic's vertical line = ship's speed in knots
Works better the closer AOB is to 90*
I was so tempted to put 'Be more aggressive!!' but I'll leave that to Jimbuna if he cares to step up...
11. Always scan a merchants deck for armament before a) opening fire with your deck gun and b) surfacing when there is a chance you may be spotted. Some ships have only a front or rear gun, so try and position yourself in his blind spot, i.e. an AOB of 0 or 180 and catch them waterline shots when he starts zig-zagging. Mirror his turns so he can't get gunsights on you though.
12. When you think the escorts have given up, wait longer.
13. If you spot an aircraft patrol, dive. If you can't, 9 times out of 10, your war is over (especially GWX...). If you're in a slow diver like a IX-C and the aircraft is already close, man the flak until the first pass, then crash dive, you may get a lucky shot.
14. Get as close to 90 deg. AOB as practical; keeping in mind target's speed and range.
~ sorry. Forgot to number the entry in my original post.
15. Use the weather to your advantage; choppy seas will mask the escorts ASDIC capabilities. Conversely, calm seas will make it easier to find you. Gauge your approach accordingly.
Tonnage_Ace
11-22-09, 02:41 AM
14. Your torpedoes won't arm themselves until they have traveled 300m.
15. BF17 has given me great luck:arrgh!:
16. Avoid using magnetic detonators in rough seas, they WILL detonate prematurely especially when you are targeting one of Her Majesty's Battleships.
Tonnage_Ace
11-22-09, 02:43 AM
~ sorry. Forgot to number the entry in my original post.
Don't worry the numbers are getting mixed but it's the content that counts!
Platapus
11-22-09, 12:18 PM
11. Ship's length x 1.852 / time in seconds it takes for ship to pass your optic's vertical line = ship's speed in knots
Works better the closer AOB is to 90*
The actual number is 1.94 but it is close enough. You can even use 2.0 if you like, at combat ranges <1000 meters, it is will be good enough. If we can use 2.0 for the full length of the ship, we can use 1.0 for half the length of the ship.
Which means if you are cramped for time, try this technique
1. Make sure you sub is either stopped or lined up (000 or 180) to your target
2. Lock the periscope to the target. This will place the optic vertical line in the middle of the ship.
3. At the same time
A. start your stop watch
B. Unlock but don't move the periscope
4. Stop the watch when the butt of the boat crosses the vertical line.
Ship length/time in seconds gives you a pretty close speed in knots but in half the time. Useful if you want to limit exposure of the periscope or you need to shoot fast. This won't be as accurate as using 1.94 for the full length of the ship, but at combat ranges it is often good enough for a last minute check before firing.
Platapus
11-22-09, 12:21 PM
AOB designations
If the target is approaching from your port side the AoB designation is Starboard. If the target is approaching from your Starboard side the AoB designation is Port.
Wish I had a dollar for every time I messed that up in the heat of battle :88)
Torplexed
11-22-09, 12:23 PM
Before engaging the target, throw Bernard overboard.
Somebody was gonna mention it sooner or later. :D
Commander Gizmo
11-22-09, 01:20 PM
Let me be the first to say it: "BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!"
17. Don't worry about the exact course and speed of the enemy ship too early after the initial detection. Chances are if you set up an exact interdiction course at this point it will be useless when the enemy ship suddenly changes its course and speed (as they usually do). Wait for the ship to come closer and use the time to calculate its course and speed more precisely. Make sure you check it from time to time and look if the ship is still where you want it to be.
18. What is worth shooting at, is worth shooting at TWICE. Never use only one single torpedo. If possible fire at least 2 torpedoes, even if one explodes too early or not at all, the other will hit the target. Maximize the hit probability.
19. If you are about to use the depth-under-keel sonar make sure no enemy warship is close. This can be done by a short dive and hydrophone check.
20. If submerged, resist the urge to watch your torpedoes explode through the periscope. After they have been launched lower the periscope right away. This is necessary because if the enemy is not sunk by them it will be shooting with everything it has in your general direction. A raised periscope is a wonderful target then.
21. The 3 minute rule: For a quick estimation of the speed of a target mark its position on the map and wait for three minutes, then mark its new position. Measure the distance between this two points and you have the speed of the enemy. e.g. 600 yards means roughly around 6 knots. If you are using metric measurement use 3 minutes and 15 seconds for a more precise estimation. If you use more time (6 minutes, 12 minutes etc) the value will be more precise.
Jimbuna
11-22-09, 02:18 PM
I was so tempted to put 'Be more aggressive!!' but I'll leave that to Jimbuna if he cares to step up...
A pleasure to come across an English gentleman.
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/2063/image2rza.png
Let me be the first to say it: "BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!"
Hardly....if you'd care to look above http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/7118/nofemaleqj9xl4.gif
Always check your stern area with the scope prior to firing.....the wing escorts have an uncanny habit of sweeping outwards then returning to the convoy rapidly.
My secondary often used pearl of wisdom (before anyone takes the liberty as was the case with my first) must be....
SINK EM ALL!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif
23 (I think). If you attack two or more ships at the same time, try to make the torpedoes hit simultaneously (shoot at the furthest target first). If ships are traveling side by side (as in a convoy) shoot from a 90 deg AOB position as the ships pass the 0 deg mark on your TDC. The torpedoes will hit simultaneously.
24. When attacking from inside a convoy, there are ships behind you too. Just remember to turn the AOB dial from 90 port to 90 starboard or vice versa before firing your rear tube(s).
25. Always mark the position of your attack on the nav map, especially in bad weather. This makes finding the ships so much more easier if your first attack only cripples them and you have to spend the next 5 hours avoiding escorts.
26. The escorts mentioned in the previous tip will most likely return as soon as you open fire on the aforementioned crippled ship(s). So be patient and wait until they are at a safe distance.
27. When hunting a ship using hydrophone, run on the surface for 30 minutes or so and then quickly dive to listen for the heading again. This way you will be faster and will save batteries (and can catch ships you couldn't catch submerged). Try to set your speed and heading so that the target bearing stays constant, this way you will eventually be close enough to see them.
28. Make a habit of writing down times of contacts. This way you can often calculate the speed of a ship by measuring the distance it has traveled while you have tracked it. Especially useful when hunting hydrophone contacts in < 1 km visibility conditions (no time to measure speed when you finally get visual contact).
Platapus
11-22-09, 03:53 PM
25. Always mark the position of your attack on the nav map, especially in bad weather. This makes finding the ships so much more easier if your first attack only cripples them and you have to spend the next 5 hours avoiding escorts.
An excellent suggestion! One that I will start following for the very reasons you mentioned
28. Make a habit of writing down times of contacts. This way you can often calculate the speed of a ship by measuring the distance it has traveled while you have tracked it. Especially useful when hunting hydrophone contacts in < 1 km visibility conditions (no time to measure speed when you finally get visual contact).I wish the program did this automatically. When I use the "mark" function, not only should it put down an "x" and a mark number, it should also automatically record the time. Still have a hard time believing this was not incorporated in the game. It also would be nice if we could change the label from "mark 1" to something we choose.
But I would settle for just having the time recorded with every mark. I can not believe in real life any navigator would make any "mark" without recording the time. :nope:
Tonnage_Ace
11-23-09, 02:37 AM
The actual number is 1.94 but it is close enough. You can even use 2.0 if you like, at combat ranges <1000 meters, it is will be good enough. If we can use 2.0 for the full length of the ship, we can use 1.0 for half the length of the ship.
I've been using 1.852 for years! But I have seen the 1.94 method before somewhere, thanks for the heads up, I'll try this out...
Ancient Mariner
11-23-09, 06:20 AM
28. Dont get too greedy or cocky for that matter. In the heat of the chase you might get the idea of taking out as much as you can in one foul swoop,I do this but also don't aniticipate lasting the whole war either!! Pick your target(s),collect info,fire eels & get out!! Plenty more ships for a live Kaleun than a dead one.
29.Dont slug it out with a Destroyer on the surface...self explanitory
Dissaray
11-23-09, 05:00 PM
If a distroyer finds you and sets to attack, dive deep and run silent. Chouse a general direction you wish to escape in and travle that way, dodging depth charges as needed. When depth charges are exploding go to flank speed and drop back to ahead 1/3 when the explosions stop.
Make sure you open your tubes when you are lined up for a shot. Opening them early ensures that the torpido is fired at the exact moment you want it to.
Aim for the engine room or magazine of targets. The engen is generaly under the smoke stack, the middle one on ships with more than one. Magazines are generaly located under the guns. Distroying the engines will stop the target dead, in addition to causing flooding, and can be left there and picked up later if it hasn't sunk alowing you to futher target other ships in a convoy; it also has the addid benifit of slowing down all the ships behind the target in a convoy making them excelent targets as they make their way around the cripled ship. Poping the magazines can cause the whole ship to explode making it easyer, and more ammo effective, to take down larger war ships.
Don't forget your aft tubes if you boat has them. They come in handy if you find your self inside a convoy or if a ship sneeks up behind you. Finaly torpidos can be fired from a depth as great as 20m.
Jimbuna
11-23-09, 06:21 PM
30. never hang about at PD to admire your handywork, dive immediately after the launch.
31. Do not waste deckgun ammo on sampans and other small boats, use the large calibre AA guns instead (shoot manually). You will need the precious deck gun ammo for biger targets.
32. Carriers are (at least in my experience) easier to sink than Battleships. If you have only a few torpedoes left this might be relevant.
33. Cuties are very limited, yet they can save your sub in certain cases. Do not take more than 1 or 2 with you.
34. When using an homing torpedo, switch the engines off and dive directly after you launch one.
35. Most Merchants, Destroyers, Carriers can be sunk with contact triggered torpedoes that run close to the water surface. Most of the time you will need influence triggers (and the according depths) only for armoured warships like Cruisers and Battleships.
Yes, the influence trigger is the more effective way of delivering damage, but when you have to act quickly go for a contact trigger shot.
37. NEVER fire a homing torpedo right after launching any other torpedo, because the noise of the first torpedo will make the homing torpedo follow it. And even if you launch a homing torpedo first instead: make sure you do not fire in it's general direction before its time is up as you might distract the little gremlin in the searching torpedo :88)
38. If you are using an hydrophone or sonar only attack (or any non-visual-targeting method), make sure you still visually ID your target BEFORE shooting. The chances to hit a friendly ship are usually small as you are in enemy territory most of the time, but better be safe than sorry.
39. If you know how to do a vector-targeting attack: It is possible to use the passive hydrophone as an aiming indicator instead of the periscope. Any enemy target will make noise in both directions on your hydrophone and in SH3 and SH4 that field is roughly identically big for both directions. e.g. If you can locate the target between 14° to 34° then the target is at 24°.
An example: If your aiming bearing would be e.g. 21° and half of the total area the noise field covers is 10° then you simply would point your hydrophoone at 11° and wait for the lamp/indicator to go on. Make sure you open your tubes way before the launch (see Dissaray's post)
Platapus
11-23-09, 08:37 PM
It is better to sink one ship than to not sink three ships.
Go for the kill and make sure you get the kill.
Snestorm
11-24-09, 02:41 AM
When making a night surface atttack don't be cheap with the torpedoes.
If he is armed, and he doesn't go down, you could have a bigger problem than him.
"It's better to destroy a-little, than damage a-lot". (The Handbook).
Lt.Fillipidis
11-24-09, 07:19 AM
31. Do not waste deckgun ammo on sampans and other small boats, use the large calibre AA guns instead (shoot manually). You will need the precious deck gun ammo for biger targets.
31a. Be at least 600m when attempting something like this. Ships attacked with high caliber flak rounds, tend to explode violently. I once got a chain reaction and the exploding ship blew away the other that overrun it.
No credit for the other though.
32. When no escorts are around (lone merchant, most of the time), be patient and save ammo. Many ships take 30+ minutes to sink and more often than not your first torpedo will slow down the ship enough that you can easily follow it even submerged (if it is armed). My suggestion for lone merchants: two initial torpedoes for large ships (> 8-10 k tons), one for smaller ships. Wait 30 minutes and shoot one more if needed. Repeat until ship sinks. When conditions allow it (target unarmed, good weather), use the deck gun instead, after the initial torpedo(es): fire 5-10 rounds, wait 10-20 minutes, repeat until target sinks.
java`s revenge
11-24-09, 04:13 PM
I have another tip.
When a destroyer is heading to you, try to have your bearing at 0 or 180 to the destroyer.
Take care that you use a magnetic torpedoe. So 1 metre under the keel.
Set it to fast. Wait till the destroyer is about 450m from you and shoot.
I have destroyed many destroyers on such a manner.
Further all the tips from above.
-be aware that after torpedo impact, anything will look for you. night surface attacks are great but you might want to dive after firing, just to avoid getting blasted by merchant's deck guns when they go to 'code red'
-a fast running torpedo needs to be aimed ahead of the target by roughly the target's speed (kts) in degrees. equally, a slow running torpedo gets twice the speed in degrees. this only works at short ranges but it's a great way to shoot at anything when you can't get a proper solution. (a scattering convoy, pesky destroyers, etc)
for clarity: if the target does 5 knots, aim 5 degrees ahead for fast, 10 degrees ahead for slow torpedoes. works at ranges less than 1500 meters
Snestorm
11-27-09, 03:32 AM
That rings so true, Bosje.
Thanks for a great tip.
Platapus
11-27-09, 01:07 PM
if the target does 5 knots, aim 5 degrees ahead for fast, 10 degrees ahead for slow torpedoes. works at ranges less than 1500 meters
That's a really cool tip. :yeah:
I am assuming this works bestest with 90 degree AOBs. Have you tried it with other AoBs?
I lost track of the count....
Don't forget to press the button.... It's Ctrl-Enter thesedays.
totodog
11-27-09, 05:55 PM
if the target does 5 knots, aim 5 degrees ahead for fast, 10 degrees ahead for slow torpedoes. works at ranges less than 1500 meters
That's a wonderful tip! I'll have to try that out!:yep:
Deutschland
11-27-09, 10:50 PM
Patience and more Patience is essential!! :hmmm:
33. do not hit the same point you have already hit with the first torpedo. This may happen when you firstly launch at mid-ship and then you make a second shot realizing the ship won't sink. Always shot different hull areas.
34. try to hit the vital parts of the ship: impact torpedoes set at few meters below the surface should hit before the command bridge (fuel tanks), in alignment to the funnels (engine rooms), or stern (steer). Magnetic torpedoes should blow out at middle of the ship set 1-2 meters below the keel.
Philipp_Thomsen
11-28-09, 01:07 AM
I always hunt convoys this way:
1. I get in the middle of all the ships before launching any torpedoes.
2. I choose my targets based on tonnage.
3. I fire the closest targets are they pass by, so I dont have to move alot.
4. Attacks simultaneously from aft and bow.
5. One torpedo, one ship.
6. No real use to TDC when ships are 600m or closer, impossible to miss.
7. After first impacts, destroyers will go nuts searching for you, but they have a very hard time sailing between the moving ships. You are protected as long as you are among the ships. Just let them go bye very close to you.
8. When you run out of torpedoes and have to wait for reloading, set course to the same heading as the convoy goes, and get side by side with a ship, you are protected, and you wont lose your good positioning while you reaload your fishes.
9. After you run out of torpedoes, and you want to dash off, just set sail the opposite heading of the convoy's heading, ahead two thirds, and periscope depth. In periscope depth, the destroyers have to be very close to you to be able to ping you. I actually set my depth to 9,5 meters, with my conning tower almost appearing. This way, destroyers will only ping me around 300m distance, and as you are using low rpms, they wont listen to you.
10. Keep your periscope up as low as possible, so they wont spot it. The ideal if having the water washing over it contantly.
11. Keep an eye in the destroyers as you go away, so you dont get surprised. If someone is coming in your direction, crashdive, set 220 meters, and go left/right at full speed when you hear the splashes.
12. Soon the destroyers will give up on you cos they have to follow the convoy to protect the ships, and you are good to go home.
And if you are thinking... "real keleuns didnt do this", then you should read more books.
:up:
Oneshot/Onekill
11-29-09, 12:52 AM
Don't run at more than 10kts in good weather, and around 7-8kts in bad weather. Going faster than this just burns up your fuel and shortens your patrol.
Stay away from running at flank speed if you can. Instead use full speed, the increased speed you get from the flank setting doesn't make up for the amount of fuel you burn.
Snestorm
11-30-09, 01:36 AM
This one won't get you any instant results, but it may keep you alive longer, thus making more opertunities available in future.
When surfacing, always ask the WO for the nearest visible contact. He's surprised me more than once with answers (including destroyers and aircraft).
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