Convoy Crapout - Uber Escorts in Feb 1940??

[panthercules]

Running RUB1.44, 4th patrol in latest career, patrolling in Feb 1940 in my Type VIIB off the western approaches to the straights between England and Ireland. Have already spotted and sunk 2 lone merchants on my way to my patrol grid nearby and 3 more while hanging around in these approaches over the last week or so of game time.

Finally, for the first time in this career (and after several convoy-less patrols at the end of my previous career) I get a radio report of a large convoy nearby, within striking distance :D

Unfortunately, I'm down to only 3 torps left (1 forward, 1 + 1 reserve aft), so I know I won't be able to do too much damage - but maybe if I'm lucky I can wing a tanker or two and then finish them off with gunfire if necessary after the rest of the convoy moves on, so I plot an interception course and arrive in perfect position just ahead of the convoy at dusk and submerge.

Dead calm weather, and I don't want to risk detection by using my periscope, so I decide to just hang there at all-stop, sitting at 20m (so I don't get run into) rigged for silent running, just waiting for the convoy to flow around me so I can slide up to periscope depth and fire off my bow and stern torps.

All of a sudden, I hear pinging start, then my soundman warns that the enemy has spotted us and I'm crash-diving to avoid the first round of DC attacks :damn:

A couple of the escorts worked me over for about an hour or so, doing minor damage, but eventually I was able to sneak away under the rest of the convoy and surface after the escorts broke off to rejoin the convoy. I've managed to repair my damage and circle around in front of the convoy again, and now that it's nice and dark I'll try coming in on the surface this time.

BUT - HOW THE HECK did that destroyer manage to find me that first time around??? I would have thought that if he was just routinely pinging along all the time that I would have heard the pinging from a lot further away than I did - basically it sounded like he got near me, turned on his sonar and found me right away.

Maybe he just got lucky - but if it's going to be this hard to sneak up on a convoy in early 1940, this does not bode well for our chances in this war :(

[Keelbuster]

Do you use the uboat warning indicator? I use it, shamelessly. I also like to let convoys roll over me then pop up and do the bow/stern one-two. I like to sit close to the center of the convoy so I get a shot at the tankers. As the lead escort passes, my warning indicator lights up a bit. I'm not sure if the thing is pinging me or just sensitive (i'm there silent), but anyway, it can get a bead. Not usually a problem though. The worst thing that happens to me is sometimes i use the navigation waypoints to set a bearing that is perpendicular to the convoy route, and in doing so it sets my spead to ahead standard. I've blown a couple of approaches that way.

I think the best way to avoid the lead escort is to be on a 45 degree angle to him, and not too close (2 or 3 convoy lanes from the center). You can always creep in closer after he passes.

But ye - in 40, that sounds unlikely...

[panthercules]

Do you use the uboat warning indicator? I use it, shamelessly. .

No - I turned that off from day one. I've been playing subsims since my old C-64 days so I figured I should have enough of an idea of when I should be getting more detectable. Even though I can understand folks using it as a reasonable substitute for some of the more subtle signs you would get IRL, it just looked too arcadish for my tastes.

Of course, after that escort spotted me, I may have to rethink my position on that :) - but fortunately, my newly specialized sound man called out an alert about the destroyer spotting us in time for me to crash dive and get away with limited damage even with the surprise spotting business (he earned himself a medal for that one - I just got back to base a few minutes ago and awarded the soundman an iron cross 2nd class - the only medal we got this trip - I figured he deserved it for saving the boat in that convoy battle :) )

[edit] BTW - I managed to damage a C3 with my last bow torp in my renewed night surface attack on the convoy, but missed with my stern shot :( She was on fire a little, and I pumped a couple of 88mm shells into her (hoping to slow her down so she couldn't keep up with the convoy) before the escorts got a bit close for comfort and I had to dive away. 2 or 3 escorts teamed up on me and gave me a pretty hard time for an hour or two, but eventually they broke off to rejoin the convoy.

The convoy changed course, but I eventually relocated it and tried sneaking up behind it hoping the damaged C3 would be straggling behind and I could finish her off. Unfortunately, soon after I spotted what looked like a lone smoke plume, a second one came into sight, so either that C3 was straggling so far behind that I lost it due to the course change, or it was managing to keep up (I guess even a damaged C3 could make 7 knots if it was lucky) or perhaps it sank while I was down below dodging the escorts - in any event with only one stern torp left I decided not to try to re-engage the convoy and so headed back to base. I was hoping to find something to spend my last torp on during the trip home, but both lone merchants I ran across were Norwegian, so no joy there.

Still, 5 enemy ships sunk for about 20,000 tons made for a decent enough patrol even with the convoy disappointment - and at least this time I remembered to send in a contact report on that convoy, which seemed to please BdU :lol:

[_alphaBeta_]

Yes, I believe some convoy escorts do ping continuously. In the game, you only hear the ping if it's bouncing off you. Usually, this is not a good sign.

[Nedlam]

Sounds like you where doing some damage in the area. Chaulk it up to your reputation proceeding itself. The destroyers knew they had a U-Boat captain in the area dealing out death and destruction so they where being proactive and it sorta paid off.

[panthercules]

Sounds like you where doing some damage in the area. Chaulk it up to your reputation proceeding itself. The destroyers knew they had a U-Boat captain in the area dealing out death and destruction so they where being proactive and it sorta paid off.

Good point - I suppose the news of the recent presence of a U-boat in the area, based on my prior sinkings, could have gotten around and might have made the escorts a little more vigilant. Would be really cool to think that this was actually modeled into the game - way to go devs :up:

[Don't pinch me - I don't want to wake up from this delusion :lol: ]

[cygnus]

Sounds like you where doing some damage in the area. Chaulk it up to your reputation proceeding itself. The destroyers knew they had a U-Boat captain in the area dealing out death and destruction so they where being proactive and it sorta paid off.

i had that problem the other day. on my 5th patrol i encountered an airplane while i was tryin to get ahead of a radio'd convoy. i shook off the encounter and got prepared for the passing group, they were definitely ready for me, and DC'd me to death i got some hits from a torpedo salvo :(.

[Nedlam]

Well I know a crippled ship can send out an S.O.S. I literally almost bumped into a cargo ship last night (heavy rain, heavy fog at night) It came out of the fog at 500m just as my WO shouted out the
contact followed by we've been spotted.

To make a long story short: I took my time sinking her (for various reasons) and as she slipped under I think a Flower class Corvette appeared out of the fog to exact some revenge. I luckily got away unscathed.

The whole encounter was surreal. Seing that cargo ship and then the Corvette (with search light ablaze) come out of the fog was an awsome sight.