Large circle on the chart

[19Herr_Rapp86]

I got a radio message about a large convoy heading ESE, but this is new. Instead of the large square appearing on the map for convoy it's a large circle. What does this mean?

[GoldenRivet]

In every SH3 convoy there is a "lead ship" - it will not necessarily be the ship out in front... when a circle appears it means a submarine is the lead ship in the convoy, so you will want to be on the look out for one of two things.

1. an enemy submarine within the convoy on the surface serving as an escort.

2. Other friendly U-boats attacking the convoy.

* if it is #2 you will likely arrive after the fight is over, be on the lookout for damaged freighters :up:

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Thank you very much. I had never seen that before

[GoldenRivet]

any time :salute:

[Raptor]

Both the convoy symbol's shape and color are dependent upon the designated lead ship. As stated, if it's a sub, the convoy symbol is a circle. If it's a neutral vessel, the convoy symbol is green.

You are far more apt to see the latter than the former. Most convoy symbols will be red squares (lead ship is an enemy-flagged merchant). Most convoys before Dec 07, 1941 will contain both enemy (red) and neutral (green) vessels.

On very rare occasions, you'll encounter a small, totally neutral, convoy led by a single escort. These are usually found coming out of the Straits of Gibraltar into the Atlantic.

[RustySubmarine]

On my present patrol of one of the two careers I have going, (January 1941) just south west of Iceland. I came up a Blue Circle convoy. There were three Flower Class Corvettes on escort, one leading and two at the rear. The Convoy consisted of about twenty enemy ships and a neutral. I didn't see any submarines, at all. I managed to sink a small merchant on the outside column, nearest to me, from about 3000 yards, but I think it was a lucky shot, because I was a bit far away. I just fired one kipper for the centre of the convoy just to see if I could score a hit. Luck was on my side, then I had to submerge to avoid one of the escorts, who was heading my way. Finally I shook them off and continued on my previous set course towards the Irish Sea. The ship I sunk was added to my Captains log as a small coastal freighter of 2450 tons.

[raymond6751]

I consider myself well-read on WW2 naval history. I have never come across an account of any convoy escorted by a submarine. In particular a submerged sub would not have the speed to keep up with any convoy.

This can only be a concept invented in a mod. What mod(s) are you working with. Again, the suggestion was just that, since you didn't detect any sub.

I think the circle/square does have to do with lead ship, but wonder about the idea of sub(s). Just my thoughts on the matter.

[Captain Nemo]

Convoy HX11 is an example of a convoy escorted by submarines. In this case it was two French subs. See http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/hx11.html .

Nemo

[GoldenRivet]

And these subs usually screened for the convoy... running submerged many miles out ahead of the convoy listening for submerged contacts.

as the convoy would catch up they could surface and reposition the sub before submerging again for some time.

As for the red green and blue convoy markers... mine are all dark grey, the only way to ensure the neutral status or enemy/friendly status of a contact is to sail up and check her flag just as in reality

[Raptor]

There is a mod that removes all colors and the directional tails from the ship and convoy symbols on your map.:o

Only your U-boat shows up in color. Everything else is grey. You have to visually sort out friend from foe - just like the real Kaleuns had to do. God forbid you should sink a Brazilian neutral and start a war.:arrgh!:

[MantiBrutalis]

Logically speaking, submarines escorting or being part of a merchant convoy does not make that much sense. I just can't think of a reason why they should be used as such, they are much more useful in other ways...



Convoy HX11 is an example of a convoy escorted by submarines. In this case it was two French subs.
Nemo

I can't really recall a war in which the French did very well...



I got black map markers too, although it would be nice having contact reports colored from time to time. I mean the BdU should know the status of a vessel they are contacting me about...

[sharkbit]

GWX removes the colors and tails of ships/convoys. There is a mod that places them back if you so desire to run GWX and keep the colors.

:)

[MantiBrutalis]

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact you have to check the flag (or even stalk the ship though the night if the weather doesn't do your bidding).

But sometimes... Sometimes contact reports could come colored...

[sharkbit]

It definitely makes you be sure of your target before you press the button to release an eel.
I....er, I mean I heard of someone almost torpedoing a German ore carrier of the coast of Norway in April of 1940. :oops: "Almost" being the key word.
Nope...nope...it wasn't me. Nope. You can't prove it. :nope:

:)

[GoldenRivet]

One of my first GWX careers many moons ago... I was cruising on the surface in BF24 about 40 km off the Isles of Scilly on a dark overcast night when I encountered two slow moving tribal class destroyers headed on an easterly course.

I moved into attack position and fired one shot at each destroyer from periscope depth at about 2.5-3 km range.

Both shots hit well astern as I my speed calculation was in error a bit.

Both destroyers sat very low in the water dead still as I closed the range to about 800 meters to finish the kills.

I raised the scope abd lined up on the lead ship... It was then that I realized these were both type 34 destroyers sailing under the kriegsmarine flag!

I immediately thought "damn what are they doing putting along right in Tommie's front yard?!"

Fortunately neither ship sank, so the game never dinged me for it... But that's when I learned right fast... Check those flags

[David I]

Manti,

"I can't really recall a war in which the French did very well..."

:hmmm:

Well let's try these for size:

Norman Conquest
100 Years War (vs England)
30 Years War (vs Spain)
War of Spanish Succession
War of Polish Succession (vs Austria)
War of Autrian Succession
American Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary War
Crimean War
World War I
World War II (ultimately)

This does not include the numerous Wars that made up the Napoleonic Wars from 1801 to 1812.

This pretty much balances out their losses which would include:

7 Years War (lost to Great Britain and Prussia)
The later Napoleonic Wars (from 1812-1814 and again 1815)
Franco-Prussian War
Indo-China War
Algerian War

Like the US and Great Britain they have fought and won/lost a number of "small" imperialistic wars in Africa, Middle East, Asia, North America and South America.

David I

[MantiBrutalis]

Manti,

"I can't really recall a war in which the French did very well..."

:hmmm:

Well let's try these for size:

Norman Conquest
100 Years War (vs England)
30 Years War (vs Spain)
War of Spanish Succession
War of Polish Succession (vs Austria)
War of Autrian Succession
American Revolutionary War
French Revolutionary War
Crimean War
World War I
World War II (ultimately)


I knew this will eventually come back to me and bite me in the finger...
Just a joke, ok?

Some kind of "hate" comes naturally for me as a citizen of a country, which got its entire border defense taken over right under the eyes of the entire world, and only THEN rolled over by a German army, while the bigger countries watched.

The Polish did at least have a chance to proudly defend themselves while maintaning some degree of honor. We just handed over our borders because everybody else agreed to sacrifice our country with the Munich Agreement, if it meant they didn't have to fight a war. That did go very well, didn't it?

Anyway, let's stop here, I would get too angry... I got a load of other French army jokes, if you're interested.

[David I]

Manti,

Fair enough.

I come from the Land of "Freedom Fries" where Frog bashing seems to be a National pass time, undeservedly in my opinion.

Peace,

David I

:D

[MantiBrutalis]

Manti,

Fair enough.

I come from the Land of "Freedom Fries" where Frog bashing seems to be a National pass time, undeservedly in my opinion.

Peace,

David I

:D

And here we are, playing a German U-boat simulator. And they say that tolerancy is dead...

[Dave Kay]

Thought I'd bump this thread 'cause I'm searching the forum for a similar issue, that being subs in convoy with merchants, but my returns are all over the place with 100000 sub & convoy threads to sift through.

So my inquiry is has anybody ever seen this:

Only recently began plauying SH3 again after a long layoff and with GWX installed I'm having some great missions but one recent puzzler: came upon a convoy in Feb 1940 and sizing things up I slipped in alongside their starboard submerged/silent-running, waiting for my fat target to come closer into view when I popped up periscope and eyeballs almost popped out of my head when I see the trailing vessel direcctly inline BEHIND my fat target--- a bloody S-3 submarine~!

No visible flag but crew manning deckgun and AA and he's just sailing along inline like a merchant ship. About to give the crash dive order but waited a bit (hoping that would not be a fatal mistake) while my soundman announced warship closing at the subs exact compass heading, yet the sub made no attempt to maneuver to fire or anything.

My fat target finally came into my firing solution and I let him have the fish, immediately hard turning and diving away from that little sub.

Later after chasing down the convoy again I spy a Southampton Class doing the very same thing (little S-3 was still sailing along nicely inline) and this 10K ton warship is sailing along like a merchant with crew on deck and flying a British flag.

Never saw this before when playing stock SH3 so am wondering if the GWX devs are throwing these in for chuckles or ???

BTW: on my third attack of same convoy I gave that Southampton Class a couple three fish and he's in my Kaptain's log--- sure enough~!