Have u ever really shadowed a convoy??

[Salvadoreno]

Well, i up to this pooint i usually use up all my torps in the VIIB when i see a convoy, and leave about 2 or 4 more torps left just in case i spot something juicy for the rest of the patrol. So i dont really shadow convoys in the VIIB. But now i have an IXB, with TONS of torps! And i used about 8 of them so far on a convoy.. 4 malfuntions, miss, 3 hits, and i still have about 10 more torps left!!! So im its about 4:30am right now. 1 small merchant sunk, 1 troop transport sunjk.
Im going to get well aft of the convoy and reload my torps from external, they go at it again. Ill probably stay on the right side of this convoy, since i see no escort over there. Thing is, im going to wait till dark the next day (or today April12 1940). So i gotta shadow them for quite a while. Hope i dont get spotted!!
Any suggestions?!

[Dowly]

How´s the weather? If it´s totally clear, my advice would be to stay out of their sight. Move surfaced and dive from time to time to get a new bearing to the convoy.

Other way would be a surfaced run just so that you can see the smoke plumes on the horizon, but this would be more risky.

Oh and by the way, I dont have a clue on what I´m saying-- I havent never shadowed convoy. :)

[Einzelganger]

For me it depends for the most part on what intresting targets a convoy has to offer. Other points will then be time of day, weather and what stage of the war one is in.

During the early years of the war when DDs don't have radar yet i usually keep contact by staying on the edges of visual range closely watching out for any DDs that might venture away from their normal course. However, as i like to wait submerged right infront of an approaching convoy i usually will loose contact getting into position. So, occasionally i will loose a convoy.

Later on in the war you'll have to start making estimates based on contact reports or contacts so as to get in a good position as staying on the surface in their vicinity isn't wise anymore.

Suprisingly, after each attack a convoy will hold more or less it's general course so even late in the war i will usually make contact again. Not sure if that's entirely realistic....

[Letum]

For me it depends for the most part on what intresting targets a convoy has to offer. Other points will then be time of day, weather and what stage of the war one is in.

During the early years of the war when DDs don't have radar yet i usually keep contact by staying on the edges of visual range closely watching out for any DDs that might venture away from their normal course. However, as i like to wait submerged right infront of an approaching convoy i usually will loose contact getting into position. So, occasionally i will loose a convoy.

Later on in the war you'll have to start making estimates based on contact reports or contacts so as to get in a good position as staying on the surface in their vicinity isn't wise anymore.

Suprisingly, after each attack a convoy will hold more or less it's general course so even late in the war i will usually make contact again. Not sure if that's entirely realistic....

I totaly agree on every point

[HEMISENT]

My last mission involved an Eastbound convoy heading for Gibralter in real bad weather about 21:00. I hit the leading ships with a spread of four and observed 4 hits(1sunk/1 straggler). Had to dive deep to reload and evade the escorts. I shadowed the convoy for over 8 hours, made a flank speed end run to get in position once again. We were finally in position by around 05:00 but it was getting light out, once again fired all forward tubes at long range. Observed 1 hit on the far side of the herd.
Nailed the straggler as we were exiting the area. All in all a pretty immersive evening.

[GT182]

I've played leapfrog with a slow running convoy. Intercepted them and got some shots off hitting a destroyer and a couple of merchants. After evading the remaining warships I ran off to a distance where I couldn't be seen. Ran parallel to them at flank speed for 15 hours to get in front again. Waited until they came along and was sure they'd settled down before I hit them again. Evaded once more to make another run at Flank and got in front again. This time the warships were very wary and on the hunt. Nailed another destroyer and a couple more merchants then left while I was ahead.

Tried it the second time with another convoy and that didn't fare so well. Was hounded for 2 hours after sinking a Hunt II destroyer. All my shots at the merchants missed. I was lucky to get away from that mess.

[Dantenoc]

Very early in the war it isn't worth it to engage a convoy.

The U-boat is better suited at picking on lonely unprotected targets. You have to remember that the convoy cocept was invented as anti-sub defense system.

If you're playing late in the war, then you have almost no choice but to engage convoys, since finding lone merchants becomes increasingly dificult, but even then your best bet is to engage slow moving convoys only.

Trying to engage convoys that outrun you while submerged are a real pain in the neck... Oh they can be dealt with all right, but it takes a real effort and hours of play time to do so...

I personaly don't mind that aspect, but what I do mind is that often It proves to be wastefull when you consider the torpedoes per target sunk ratio that can be achieved when attacking a convoy compared to the better ratios that can be achieved when picking on lone merchants (i.e.: Expect to kill 4 or 5 ships when hitting a convoy, compared to 9 or 10 when picking on lonely ships)

That's my two cents.

[kiwi_2005]

I shadowed a convoy once only cos it was positioned ahead of me and i wanted to get ahead of the convoy and lay in wait. This took hrs getting into poistion as i had to just be out of visual range of the escort on my side, the convoy kept changing position and i kept losing her so it meant submerge and find the contact position again then surface and flank speed to chase. After about 5hrs realtime i got in a good position and laid in wait for my prey. :|\

If i can remeber i lost my uboat attacking that convoy. :hulk:

[U-Dog]

First patrol of the war & i found a nice slow convoy with a single corvette for protection. Quite exciting since I hadn't been able to play for months. It took me 2 torpedoes to take out the corvette- forgot to open the tube door on the first one. :oops:

But now i've got them unprotected at night. :|\

Can't wait to get home & see how many I can get. Too bad that one of the tankers is nuetral tho.

[lafeeverted]

Very early in the war it isn't worth it to engage a convoy.

The U-boat is better suited at picking on lonely unprotected targets. You have to remember that the convoy cocept was invented as anti-sub defense system.

If you're playing late in the war, then you have almost no choice but to engage convoys, since finding lone merchants becomes increasingly dificult, but even then your best bet is to engage slow moving convoys only.

Trying to engage convoys that outrun you while submerged are a real pain in the neck... Oh they can be dealt with all right, but it takes a real effort and hours of play time to do so...

I personaly don't mind that aspect, but what I do mind is that often It proves to be wastefull when you consider the torpedoes per target sunk ratio that can be achieved when attacking a convoy compared to the better ratios that can be achieved when picking on lone merchants (i.e.: Expect to kill 4 or 5 ships when hitting a convoy, compared to 9 or 10 when picking on lonely ships)

That's my two cents.

I have to disagree, although in theory it makes sense. Yes, convoys were a defense measure against the u-boat. However, early in the war the u-boat still has the advantage in speed and stealth over the escort protection. if you intercept the convoy you have 10,15..30 potential targets as opposed to a single merchant. The chance of a kill is much greater. If you miss your primary target you may get lucky with another unsuspecting merchant wandering into the path of the torp. The progression of the attack still is the same (shadow, determine speed ,heading, get into position....) and success depends upon an accurate solution. Ultimately, convoy or single ship, you are still shooting at one target at a time so the torpedo success rate doesn't change.

As you go later into the war, escort protection improves so much to the point that u-boats were better off not engaging the convoy and searching for single merchants.

[Salvadoreno]

well i am still currently chasing the convoy, im very close, and i have had a hell of a time diving and changing course to evade the zigzagging DDs. The convoy finally got into a regular convoy position after wildly turning every which way after i had sunk the 2 merchants. I have one bow and one stern torp so im going to waste those on a c2 and a small merchant. THEN im going to pull back and reload my tubes from the external of the sub. Then grab at the convoy again!!! muhaha. But i wont be able to play for a while.

[Keelbuster]

I regularly shadow convoys, and hit them multiple times until all worthwhilel targets (T2s, T3s, troop trans, larger warships, C3s) are sunk. I've hit a convoy at least 3 times to this end. For each strike i maneuver in front of the convoy, submerge before radar contact, and move in silently behind the lead escort so I'm in the middle of the convoy. I then fire off all 4 front torpedoes (IXB) at the best targets, at minimum ranges, turn into the convoy 90 degrees, and fire the back two on injured targets. I then go down to 170m, silent running, and only reload torpedoes if water is choppy and sound detection poor. I let the convoy proceed while moving perpendicular to its course. If it is calm, and there are any crippled ships, then weather permitting i will surface and finish with the deckgun. This only works if the escorts have left and are >15km away. After that, I go to flank (without recharge) and get past the convoy while reloading externals and internals. I take my chances with air cover in this situation. Occasionally I have to dive to maintain hydrophone contact. Rinse repeat....


It's only early 43 though and I'm not sure how long this will hold out. So far I've never been DCed with any danger.

KB