Convoy stalking & attack strategy guide needed

[coolts]

Guys

After about a week of getting the hang of this and installing a few mods to “cough cough”, restore functionality, I am at the stage where I am going to stop complaining as we always do every time a new SH comes out, (sorry, but we do. It’s almost like a ritual flogging), and start playing, (distant thud as UBI spy falls off chair propped against door keeping angry SH5 purchasers away from the DRM servers) .

Anyway, I have followed the TDC tutorials, got my realism to about 75%*, and can now torpedo stuff. So, there I was, off the coast of England on my first patrol, getting annoyed with the constant buzzing aircraft. I sank a merchant and a destroyer, (YAY ME), and was starting to get bored with having to use the time compression and watching my little dot moving over the map Indiana Jones style, when PING, I get multiple contacts as a convoy is spotted at about 10km north of my location.

I immediately go to periscope depth, (as a nasty grey circle of detection appears over my sub), and order full ahead, moving on an intercept course, (convoy due north of me, heading at ESE @ 10kts).

Now I have several problems at this point;
· I can’t surface without giving myself away
· Even at flank underwater I can’t outrun or intercept them no matter how shallow an intercept course I set, they will outrun me
· I have 4 torps left but the range is too great for my n00b targeting skills
· I can see 6 merchants with no escorts that I can see amongst them although I am getting blue lines (naval pings), pointing beyond the convoy so there may be something nasty on the other side of the convoy outside of visual range.
How do I set up an intercept?

I must surface and go to flank to stand any chance of setting up an intercept here. Am I right in thinking that my next move is to;
· Move out of visual range (12-15km I reckon)
· Surface
· Plot convoy course
· Set intercept course bearing in mind overtake rate at flank
· Lie in wait
Any and all advice much appreciated guys

Cheers :arrgh!:


*now I paid a lot of money for this PC & GFX card and I am damn well going to want to enjoy the lovely scenery and not just be stuck inside my metal tube with all the waxy skinned Morrowind clone crew thank you very much. The sunsets on the water look great (folds arms and scowls).

[SteamWake]

Make note of their heading and speed. Sail out of their visual detection range. Surface and plot a parallel course at flank... er... extreme speed to get well ahed of them.

Note that their visual range should be considerably less than yours. You are after all alot smaller.

Once well ahead of themn work your way back in close at more or less 90 degrees to their course submerge and and lie in wait.

[loerelau]

Hi,

Your first 2 'problems' are just the excitement of the game! :)

Your next move is a correct one... It is all about:

- Don't let them see you;
- get in a good attack position;
- go to periscope depth;
- keep quiet;
- launch torpedo's;
- look for warships;
- dive!

Happy sailing!

[coolts]

Cheers Guys. I will try that tonight once i get the gramaphone mod working. Its just not the same without it!

[sergei]

Am I right in thinking that my next move is to;· Move out of visual range (12-15km I reckon)
· Surface
· Plot convoy course
· Set intercept course bearing in mind overtake rate at flank
· Lie in wait
Spot on. That sounds like a plan mate :up:

[MattDizzle]

Stay outside of that grey circle, run paralell to them at flank speed (Large convoys travel at 4 or 5 knots in rough waters, 6 to 8 knots in clear water, never trust the map speed indicator), your sub should have no trouble overtaking them. When you've pulled in front of them flank speed in front of the grey circle at a 45 degree angle, submerge and wait for them to pass in front of you, try to get a 90 degree shot from less than 1000M if possible. Dont keep your scope above water during the whole approach, pop it up and down until youre ready to fire, use the hydrophones to keep track of the target ships. Launch all torpedos and immedietly dive and turn away to set up for another paralell run on the convoy after the crew reloads your torpedoes.

Attack at night whenever possible. i prefer close range submerged attacks but if you're afraid of the destroyers a surfice night attack will keep you away from the asdic.

April 7 1940 (Sitting in narvik...... waiting......) and a destroyer hasnt so much as pinged me. :) I caught some damage once running away on the surface after being spotted, who knew those ships had a 8KM gun range!? And could do 40 knots.... ugh

[kylania]

April 7 1940 (Sitting in narvik...... waiting......) and a destroyer hasnt so much as pinged me. :) I caught some damage once running away on the surface after being spotted, who knew those ships had a 8KM gun range!? And could do 40 knots.... ugh

I decided to take out a merchant using my deck gun and was approaching fast. I was going to start shooting around 1500m. They opened up at 6500m and obliterated me!

[Pisces]

If you put the target on your beam (90, 270 degrees) then you make full use of your speed to get in front of him. He should slowly start to move to your back. It's not a garuantee that you'll keep ahead. It's sort of the "desperate man's intercept". It's not the quickest way to close range (pure intercept), but the quickest way to get infront. It depends on his AOB, speed, and your top speed if you stay ahead, or that he moves in view to your bow. If he does start to move to your bow, and you can't increase speed anymore, or allready have him on 90 or 270 degrees then you might aswel break off. He simply wins as he is too quick. Do indeed try to plot his course and measure his speed so you can use that when you are trying to get ahead outside of visual range on the surface.

The quickest way to leave his detection zone is to move perpendicular to his course until he is behind you (at the same time he shows 90 AOB), and then either continue, or turn backwards. Continueing on perpendicular course takes a bit longer to clear the detection circle. Moving on a backwards course is quicker yet you'll have to move around from behind his detection circle.

Also maybe this drawing can help you manouvre around your targets.

- Make 2 concentric circles. The (smalller) circle is representative of the target speed(radius size) AND course (radius direction). The target's arrowtip should be on your current position.The bigger circle has a size representative of your (top or surface, or god forbid 'maximum submerged') speed with arrow direction unimportant.

- Place a protractor with the corner on the target's circle arrowtip. Pull one leg in the compass direction towards the target. Pull the other leg of the protractor how you want to move in respect to the target. Usually in perpendicular angles. 'Pure intercept' has both legs pointing in the same direction to the target. If you want to seperate in distance, make a 180 degree angle out of it. Dancing circles around the target can be done with 90 degree angles.

- Make a line starting from the center of the circles and point it to the crossing of your speed circle and the 'to-go' leg of the protractor. Set course to that direction!!!!

As you manouvre around your target the bearing starts to change so you need to redraw the whole thing again and again. But you can be sure you will be moving in a nice constant distance circle if you keep it up regularly.


http://members.home.nl/rico.v.jansen/Dancing_around_2.gif