Flak Gun Question

[Caeruleus]

I'm new to the forum and relatively new to the game. I'm really enjoying it, especially since discovering SH3 Commander. (It's the only mod I'm using at the moment, though I will take the plunge and use GWX when I'm more experienced).

I've got to the end of 1940 with a Type II. I found a big cargo recently with just two torps left - both hit, but it didn't sink, just came to a complete stop. I surfaced and went up really close and decided to see if my flak gun could do anything. It was great fun shooting it up, but after using up about half my ammo it didn't seem to have any effect, so I had to leave.

Now this isn't really a problem (I'm guessing it's pretty impossible to sink a big cargo with a puny flak gun, which is as it should be) but it struck me that I have no idea how to change flak gun ammo. I only seem to have AP and I can't change to HE or SS. How do I do this? I tried clicking on the shell icons but nothing happens. Do I have to do this in port before a mission? If so, how? Apologies if this is a really stupid question.

Many thanks!

[Gerald]

Ask Mr Jimbuna,he can solve your prob.....:)

And Welcome!!

[Wreford-Brown]

IIRC, in vanilla SH3 the flak guns are only given AP and AA ammunition.

The calibre was probably too light to allow a decent punch with HE or any decent light with SS.

[Dissaray]

It has been forever sence I played SH3 without the GWX mod but I think you just have to click the ammo type you want while at the guner's station, like when you are on the deck guner's station.

Seems odd that your target didn't go down with a dubble tap, that usualy dose the trick on all but the largest ships. Though it dose sound like one of your eels socred a good hit on the engen room or on the drive lines, good on you for that. One thing you might try to up your kill rate is spred your shots out along the length of the ship. That will keep increase the flooding rate, more holes means more water flooding into the ship, and your targets should find a new home at the botom much quicker. I generaly put one in near the bow and one in at the engen room if I do for two shots, starting with the engen. Or I aim for the ships magazine if they have one.

[Ping Panther]

Try adding new shots at the waterline at the opposite side of the ship to which you made your torpedo attack.

[RoaldLarsen]

Stock only provides one type of AA ammunition.

[Snestorm]

A 20mm is too little for HE.

[Caeruleus]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen. So it seems that stock vanilla only gives you AP for the flak gun. It confused me that the other types of shells were pictured, although they are greyed out, so I suppose I should have realised you couldn't have them.

Thanks also for the advice about effective use of torpedoes. In this case, I hit the ship with my last torpedo, so couldn't finish it off except with the flak gun. (It was a large freighter, C2 I think). I shot at it from the same side as the torpedo (didn't think to chug round the other side - thanks for that advice Ping Panther, I'll try that if it ever happens again). It was interesting to see the ship come to a complete stop but without sinking. This was my 15th patrol, and I had never come across this before - it's great that every patrol is so different, even in the stock game!

[Dissaray]

Some times you get lucky when you criple a ship like that and they will sink after some time, particularly in bad weather or high seas. I think the best thing you can do though is get a boat with a proper deck gun. A few rounds into a cripled ship like that and it will go down in a hurry.