Juicy Hunting Grounds??

[reignofdeath]

Could anybody direct me to a few juicy grid squares for 1939-1940?? I cant seem to find anything but tramp steamers and coastal freighters lately -_-

[Pisces]

Assuming you have a type 7 or better, go to the northwest and southwest entrance to the Irish Sea (between England and Ireland) and keep an eye out for contact reports on the map. Or the entrances of Gibraltar, but that's a bit further along.

[desirableroasted]

A simple search of "hunting grounds" here on the forum found this thread.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=174953&highlight=hunting+grounds

The question comes up about every 4 months, so if you search, you will find.

[mookiemookie]

AM52!

[Jimbuna]

250km west of Gibraltar.

[Damo]

BF17 / 18. In 1940 I'm usually getting 2-3 single ships a day consisting of medium merchants up to tankers and liners. Great opportunity to use up that deck gun ammo in good weather. Quite a few destroyer patrols too though so try not to stray too far into the shallower water.

[Missing Name]

BF17 / 18. In 1940 I'm usually getting 2-3 single ships a day consisting of medium merchants up to tankers and liners. Great opportunity to use up that deck gun ammo in good weather. Quite a few destroyer patrols too though so try not to stray too far into the shallower water.

I should take a look at this place then :DL

[gazpode_l]

in my current campaign i have been allotted grid AM78, what is this one like for hunting?

[Lord_magerius]

Only one way to find out :up:

[reignofdeath]

in my current campaign i have been allotted grid AM78, what is this one like for hunting?

My general consensus has usually been where ever there is a choke point (The entrance to Gibralter, or the English Channel) is usually good hunting grounds. Lately though I seem to not have any luck with anything. Hence why I asked.:yeah:

[Gargamel]

It would be nice if all kaleuns were actively using this:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=155855

[Lord_magerius]

Completely forgot about that, might have to give it a go.

[nikimcbee]

Rockall Banks

[desirableroasted]

Maybe it's 5 years talking, but I have always found the best hunting grounds to be pretty obvious.

Where would ships sail from, historically? Where would they go?

So the Western Approaches out to Rockall.

The approach into the Irish Sea.

NW and W of Gibraltar.

The strait between Scotland and the Hebrides.

Later, when you get a long-distance boat, try Africa, Halifax, New York, Gulf Coast.

And, as I said, you can just search the forum. This topic gets plowed 3-4 times a year...

[nikimcbee]

In the early war, You can't beat Rockall, there's always a BB escorting the convoys.:|\\

[gazpode_l]

Only one way to find out :up:

Been in AM78 for bout 18 game hrs thus far. Absolutely didly squat! Will keep u posted m8 :salute:

[Sailor Steve]

Been in AM78 for bout 18 game hrs thus far. Absolutely didly squat! Will keep u posted m8 :salute:
Eighteen whole hours? You're not very patient, are you? When you've done eighteen days without a sighting, then it's time to complain.

[krashkart]

48 hours or (many) more might pass before a nearby contact shows up in any patrol grid. Distant contacts will probably appear from time to time from the DF antenna (as usual). Probably a lot of folks here will submerge from time to time and have a listen on the hydrophones. Great fun to pick up a contact that way! :up:

Has anyone mentioned Tanker Alley? There is a transit lane for tankers around there somewhere east of the BF's.

A look at the SH3_MAP.jpg in the docs directory will give a good idea of where the convoy lanes converge close to the coasts. Try patrolling along some of those a few times and see what comes up. Usually some good hunting along the way if you can hit it right. :yep:

Hope that helps some. The first few times out can be frustrating.

[desirableroasted]

Has anyone mentioned Tanker Alley? There is a transit lane for tankers around there somewhere east of the BF's.

Wasn't that in the BF "teens".. BF 15-16-17? Still a nice area to hunt in GWX, but the tanker turkey shoot is only in the stock game, as far as I can see.

[krashkart]

Wasn't that in the BF "teens".. BF 15-16-17? Still a nice area to hunt in GWX, but the tanker turkey shoot is only in the stock game, as far as I can see.

I think it was around in there. :yep:

Did not know about the stock turkey shoot, though. :hmmm:

[Gargamel]

I betcha theres a tanker alley somewhere.... probably near the Falklands... those GWX bastards probably put it there just to mess with us... Every hour on the hour a 12k ton tanker sails by at 4 knots. And we only have fuel for a 2 hour stay..... and the horrendous air cover... can never surface.... even in '39.



:o:doh:

I need sleep.

[desirableroasted]

I think it was around in there. :yep:

Did not know about the stock turkey shoot, though. :hmmm:

It was along there, IIRC. I don't have my notes from stock anymore.

[Jimbuna]

I betcha theres a tanker alley somewhere.... probably near the Falklands... those GWX bastards probably put it there just to mess with us... Every hour on the hour a 12k ton tanker sails by at 4 knots. And we only have fuel for a 2 hour stay..... and the horrendous air cover... can never surface.... even in '39.



:o:doh:

I need sleep.


LOL :DL

Randomisation of waypoints for some of the more regular/fruitful routes was introduced into GWX3.0 for such reasons but there is one 'golden spot' for tankers that was never adjusted IIRC (perhaps more than one).

[VONHARRIS]

I betcha theres a tanker alley somewhere.... probably near the Falklands... those GWX bastards probably put it there just to mess with us... Every hour on the hour a 12k ton tanker sails by at 4 knots. And we only have fuel for a 2 hour stay..... and the horrendous air cover... can never surface.... even in '39.



:o:doh:

I need sleep.

You can find plenty of tanker convoys in the Carribean Sea north of the Brazilian coast. That is if you escape the air patrols.

If you are lycky you might run into an unescorted whale factory ship doing 14kts and armed to the teeth .....

Good hunting.

[Gargamel]

You can find plenty of tanker convoys in the Carribean Sea north of the Brazilian coast. That is if you escape the air patrols.

If you are lycky you might run into an unescorted whale factory ship doing 14kts and armed to the teeth .....

Good hunting.


I can't wait for drumbeat (Jan '41 in my current career, messing with Reykjavik right now. This will be my first GWX career that I go there. Died in jan 42 of my last one trying to sneak back through Gib.

[VONHARRIS]

I can't wait for drumbeat (Jan '41 in my current career, messing with Reykjavik right now. This will be my first GWX career that I go there. Died in jan 42 of my last one trying to sneak back through Gib.

Nice move. Southwest of Reykjavik you can find convoys with some juicy liners in their middle. Be careful though because those convoys are heavily escorted and there are many lone ASW patrols.

Good hunting

[danexpat]

In early war, I can definitely vouch for AM51-AM52 and BF11-ish. Convoys regularly spawn in GWX 3.0. You just have to hang around and be listening. In my current career I sank a BB escort for a tanker convoy picked up by hydrophones. Spawned convoy composition seems to be nicely randomized to an extent.

If you want single ships, off the eastern Scottish coast from Aberdeen up to strip between Scapa and Orkneys isn't bad (beware of mines!). I've had good hunting in the north-central and central North Sea, as well -- more medium cargos and Granville-type than coastals around there.

[Canovaro]

DT3 is juicy too:


http://kuijperonline.nl/weblink/juicyhuntinggrounds.jpg

[hampster]

AN73 right off the English Coast in 39. Sank about 6 ships in a day. The line of sunk ships on the map plotted out my course and speed, so I decided to leave. I dont know if the game is smart enough to figure out like I did where I would be almost exactly in the next 2 hours.

[Gargamel]

AN73 right off the English Coast in 39. Sank about 6 ships in a day. The line of sunk ships on the map plotted out my course and speed, so I decided to leave. I dont know if the game is smart enough to figure out like I did where I would be almost exactly in the next 2 hours.

I don't think it does, but I have had the same thoughts and adjusted accordingly lol.

[Jimbuna]

AN73 right off the English Coast in 39. Sank about 6 ships in a day. The line of sunk ships on the map plotted out my course and speed, so I decided to leave. I dont know if the game is smart enough to figure out like I did where I would be almost exactly in the next 2 hours.

Fortunately for you it doesn't :DL

[krashkart]

AN73 right off the English Coast in 39. Sank about 6 ships in a day. The line of sunk ships on the map plotted out my course and speed, so I decided to leave. I dont know if the game is smart enough to figure out like I did where I would be almost exactly in the next 2 hours.

Fortunately for you it doesn't :DL


Now that would be an interesting feature in a sub sim. I worried a lot about that when I started playing this and then discovered, to my dismay, that the AI won't track me down based on the line of scrap metal I've left behind. :DL

Draw a circle of broken keels around the Isles; no one will be the wiser. Unless nearby patrols catch you. :lol:

[STEED]

SW of Gibraltar early 1940 is not bad, granted not many big ships but there are plenty of small ones with the odd medium to large one passing by.

[Missing Name]

Now that would be an interesting feature in a sub sim. I worried a lot about that when I started playing this and then discovered, to my dismay, that the AI won't track me down based on the line of scrap metal I've left behind. :DL

If they did, the Gibraltar defenses would be a blockade of destroyers, mines, torpedo netting, blockships and gun emplacements on every square inch of dry ground... by December 1939.

[Gargamel]

If they did, the Gibraltar defenses would be a blockade of destroyers, mines, torpedo netting, blockships and gun emplacements on every square inch of dry ground... by December 1939.


And you'd shot em all with the deck gun eh? :D:O::rock:

[Tessa]

If they did, the Gibraltar defenses would be a blockade of destroyers, mines, torpedo netting, blockships and gun emplacements on every square inch of dry ground... by December 1939.


I've always found it ironic that Gibraltor is one of the easiest harbors to get in and out of (and one of the few that has deep water in it); though getting back through the strait in either direction is 10 times harder.

Personally my favorite theatre is the med (for many reasons not a kaleuns favorite around here); once Salamis open I transfer as soon as possible while its still relatively easy to get through Gibraltor. The triangle between Salamis, Tobruk and Alexandria always has massive traffic of all kinds (see a lot of task forces go through the zone), and between Sicily and Libya (either at the pennisula by Tunis or farther down by Tripoli). Pretty much all merchants will pass through that bottleneck whether a convoy or lone/pair of merchants on their way to Alexandria or the Suez Canal.

[gazpode_l]

Eighteen whole hours? You're not very patient, are you? When you've done eighteen days without a sighting, then it's time to complain.

Ive just seen your reply, I like your comment alot! :yeah:

been at sea for eleven days, and looks like I might be about to intercept a large convoy! Isn't it typical though, I played for nearly 2 hours real life time and the only thing I managed to find was a fisihing boat!!!

All that after chasing it for bloomin' miles through poor visibility :doh:

Then, just as the clock ticks past 1:am, inteligence report, 1 square north of my current position was this convoy! :o

By the time I had plotted my intercept course and got into position it was 01:35hrs! time to goto bed! :zzz: (being nagged too).

Also see my question about my shocking compass knowledge! recorded the convoy heading on my calculations as 112' (SEE) instead of 165-ish (SSE) which it's real course was! No wonder why I failed to find them apart from a pair of distant ASW trawler!! http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=180056