Guide to attacking convoys?

[Gibster]

Hello. Been playing Silent Hunters IV on and off for three years so its a miricle that this place some how eluded me for so long so heres my first post and a question to go with it. It occured to me that for the longest time I have stuck to a strict edicet when attacking escorted convoys. Basically I put myself in the path of the convoy, submerge to 300 feet, wait for it to pass over me, periscope depth right in the middle of it, unleash my spreads of fish, then dive back down to 300 feet, engage silent running, and get the heck out of there. Yes a tactic born out of caution and the many imaginary subs lost to the sub-school's convoy mission. So one day, that being today, I decided to look for guides on attacking convoys, found this place, and uppon reviewing the guides thread my question remained unanswered. I've heard that people have performed night surface attacks on convoys and I know that that was a common tactic durring the war but I've never really fancied surfacing my sub in the vicinity of an angry destroyer with lots of big scary 120 mm guns, night or day. So I'm here to ask, how does one perform a succesfull night/surface attack without getting spotted? Also how do you guys handle convoys in general? What ranges should I be looking for and such?

[Crannogman]

NB that my mods are ISE, RSRDC, NMMO, and OTC; auto targeting.

In the past, I attacked convoys from 45degrees ahead, shooting high-speed torps from about 3000y while submerged. Recently, I tend to attack from almost abeam, surfaced at night, firing low-speed fish from ~6000y. This generally keeps me outside the escorts' visual range, although I think I have gotten rather closer at radar depth. Sometimes I will first attack the escorts with my deck gun from about 7500y, which usually lets me wreck them before they can close range and damage me. You can usually escape pissed-off escorts when you're surfaced at night, because they will look for you to be submerged at the source of the torpedoes, not a few miles ahead closing in on the now-abandoned merchants.

When attacking larger prey, eg the Shokaku's at the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, I fire a ten-fish spread from about 7500y. That's usually enough to sink one, and then I race on ahead to reload and repeat. Obviously I waste a fair number of torpedoes and refit a lot, but it's worth it to bag a carrier or battleship

[depthtok33l]

Here's a good one from GuybrushK. The game is modded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaytmIlNbqI

[Rockin Robbins]

NB that my mods are ISE, RSRDC, NMMO, and OTC; auto targeting.

Recently, I tend to attack from almost abeam, surfaced at night, firing low-speed fish from ~6000y. This generally keeps me outside the escorts' visual range, although I think I have gotten rather closer at radar depth.
My present mod list
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/Silent%20Hunter%204/screenshot.404_zps9jotgtzx.jpg (http://s196.photobucket.com/user/RockinRobbins13/media/Silent%20Hunter%204/screenshot.404_zps9jotgtzx.jpg.html)

I number my mods so they load in order and are easy to coordinate: 100 series is basic supermod. 200s reserved for RSRDC, 300s are bearing tools and plotting table stuff, 400s are TMO keys, TMOPlot keyboard and plotting mods, 600s are missions, 700s are boat skins

Note that 300, 400, 600 and 700 items don't have any impact at all on gameplay unless you run out of memory. They are also very unlikely to overwrite each other.

Okay, I attack nearly the same as Crannogman. However I don't believe in slow torpedoes as they cut your accuracy by the ratio of the speeds. Therefore, I sneak in at night, decks awash to within 3000 yards of the convoy with my stern to the convoy. I shoot four at the largest available target in the densest part of the convoy (taking advantage of ship overlaps). I want a hit and I don't care where. I don't care if I sink the target I hit.

As soon as the torpedoes leave the tubes I'm running full throttle out of there because I just rang the dinner bell for the DDs. Pretty much surface immediately, go to ahead emergency and by the time they get there they don't find you.

End around to the other side of the convoy. You have over an hour. Then when you approach the other side of the convoy you can be very deliberate because all the escorts are on the other side of the convoy blowing up whales and jellyfish with muchas ashcans. Get in very close. Target individual juicy targets. You have time to hit two, probably. Then get out of Dodge. High speed end around. The escorts will have switched sides again and so will you.

Rinse and repeat until the escorts don't have anything to escort and steam off with their tails between their legs.

[Gibster]

Thanks for the suggestions and tips, I'll try them out later today. Then again, I don't have any mods installed, I use the Steam version and from what I heard that version can't install any mods; so I'm not sure how useful those tactics will be (depending on how those mods affect AI detection ranges and the like). But its worth a shot otherwise (that and if I can succesfully translate your words into ingame practicallity). At this point I'm still a filthy casual and I still use the auto targeting stuff, but I am determined, at some point, to learn how to work the TDC (or whatever its called) and I know there are already a bazzilion guides on that here. I may come back to this thread with questions though.

[Aktungbby]

Gibster!:Kaleun_Salute:

[Crannogman]

I have had no difficulty using mods with my Steam version

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim Gibster :sunny:

[Rockin Robbins]

I've used JSGME on Steam versions of Left4Dead, Unreal Tournament III, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, and other games. Just like modding the stand-alone games.

[Havan_IronOak]

I have a number of mods loaded that work fine. It's just a matter of learning where to put everything. Many Steam players don't bother.

I'm like you so far using the get in front/get deep and silent/rise up after the lead destroyer passes method.

One variant that I use. I don't bother to identify anything.
I time the merchants as I'm closing using their sound contacts
3 minute intervals - meters traveled divided by 100 is their speed in knots

Plot a Dick O Kane solution line and then stay submerged until the sound contacts get close to that line.
Preset all the tubes with the speed (range doesn't matter)
Set the bearing and AOB based on the O Kane solution
Surface just long enough to release your fish on one or two targets then go deep and evade

Sure you only get two or three ships out of a convoy but that's way better than wasting all your fish when a refit is so far away.

Here's a great you-tube video that walks you through the Dick O Kane method https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oagZyKjq4gg&index=5&list=PLdGiiI-URV5iKO-RMjUjlpcvxeJpX_FFd

Since I adopted this style I generally average 2 ships sunk per convoy and with single merchants I'm getting over 80% hits.

Kudos to Rockin Robbins for his info on this method as well. The guy I linked to, learned it from him.

[Raptor_Pilot]

I'm not very aggressive when I attack convoys, but here's my method.

Step 1 - Approach ahead and abeam the projected convoy path.

Step 2 - Once the leading ships are 1000 yards inside the maximum torpedo range, and on a slightly closing angle so range will still decrease while the torpedoes are on their way, fire one torpedo at each ship in rapid succession.

Step 3 - Immediately call for Ahead 1/3, and dive as deep as possible while turning 120 degrees to the same side as the convoy's route. (I.E. If the convoy is moving Left-to-Right, then turn 120 degrees right.)

Step 4 - If your torpedo solutions are good you should get a few hits. Once the convoy detects the torpedoes, the Destroyers will advance down the apparent bearing of the attack. This is why you don't make a 180 degree turn, the 120 degree turn will still give you a small cross section to sonar, and will ensure you are no longer down the same bearing your torpedoes were on. When you hear the Destroyers react to you, order Ahead Slow and Silent Running.

Step 5 - Evade the Destroyers until they lose interest in trying to find you. Once they have moved away, continue reloading your tubes and track the convoy's path.

Step 6 - Once your tubes have been reloaded, feel free to track and destroy any stragglers hit by your torpedoes. Then fire off a contact report and run away.

Step 7 - If the convoy is only defended by a couple of ships, you might try to sink the escorts first, then chew up the whole convoy at your leisure. Of course, the closer you are to the escorts when they detect you, the faster they will react and start attacking you. I usually content myself to bite off a couple big merchants and get away to do it again.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Not to just plug my own stuff, but check my signature. It's not really in tutorial format, but as a new captain, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff you can learn from in there. Including some convoy attacks.

[SilentPrey]

Just wanted to jump in with another confirmation that a Steam copy can easily be modded. Here's my mod list:

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[C:\Steam\steamapps\common\silent hunters wolves of the pacific\MODS]

1_TriggerMaru_Overhaul_2-5
RSRDC_TMO_V502
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1
1.5_Optical Targeting Correction 031312 for RSRDCv502
1.5_OTC_Realistic Scopes for 16 to 9 RSRDCv502
Improved Ship Physics 2.6_TMO_RSRDC_OTC
OTC_ISP_Crew Mod