Gulf of Mexico patrols?

[jasondef]

Was wondering with the stock campaign if the game ever assigns you patrol grids in the Gulf of Mexico. I imagine the conditions need to be right, like the right U-Boat type, the right flotilla, the right date. And what exactly are those conditions?

[Ducimus]

Dont bother, it sucks.

Unless you decide to raid galvastan harbor if your using the Harbor traffic mod, its not worth going there. Been there twice, both times, didnt see a single ship on the ocean.


Now the caribean .... thats a different story, and arguably my favorite area to patrol :arrgh!:

[Brentano]

I have a different perspective. I've been there using the vanilla game and the NYGM mod. In both instances I encountered merchant traffic. I don't remember the year ... maybe 1942 or 1943 ... but on one of the trips, I took out two large tankers off the south-west coast of Cuba before I entered the gulf. I then sunk another tanker within the gulf. It was a fairly productive patrol. If you're patient and use your hydrophne, you will encounter merchants in the gulf.

But it's a hell of a long trip ... even with 1024x time compression.

[Brentano]

P.S. you'll need a type IX.

[Brentano]

If you want a hint ...


try the coastal route between Galveston and Key West.

[Ducimus]

If you want a hint ...


try the coastal route between Galveston and Key West.

50 meters of water on that shelf if i remember correctly.

[Brentano]

yep ... worrisome ... be careful.

[andy_311]

Galvesten Harbor ? hmm been there on the day restrictions against US shipping was lifted (7Dec 41) chickened out too shallow if I got caught in them waters.Port of spain in the Carribean thats the place to be.

[Tikigod]

I think 56 merchants were sunk during the war in the Gulf of Mexico....yeah here is a book on it http://uboat.net/books/item/375

I'd watch out for the gulf though....click below on my sig

[jasondef]

OK, I'll throw the Carribean into the question. So what flotilla do you need to be in, what kind of type IX do you need (B, C, etc.), and what year and month do you need to be in to get either a Gulf of Mexico or a Carribean patrol grid (obviously after America enters the war, but when exactly)?

[vodkajello]

Get the right boat and use SHCommander to assign yourself to a sector in the gulf. No biggie, right?

[jasondef]

Wondering about the stock campaign game if anyone out there knows?

[Torplexed]

I'd say your best bet to be assigned there would be in the 2nd Flotilla sometime in the summer of 1942. Perferably in a IXC.

[andy_311]

yep 2nd flottila I sailed there reaching the carribean 8Dec 41.
Recieved orders from bdu saying restrictions on attacking US ships has been lifted.

[Threadfin]

Yep, 2nd flotilla. The strait between Haiti and Cuba is like Tanker Alley.

[jasondef]

OK, great! Thanks for the infor! I'm in 2nd flotilla with a IXC, and the US will be entering the war soon, need a tropical vacation so I hope to check out the carribean.

[Ducimus]

dont forget to visit the bugged port of curraco where its lke 300 meters deep at the docks. :roll:

[Tikigod]

The U-506, U-507, U-106, U-753, U-158, U-67, U-171, U-166, U-155, U-527, and U-518 were all uboats that operated sometime in the Gulf of Mexico they all belonged to different flotillas. You can find which one they were apart of on uboat.net. So, it doesn't really matter where you leave from as long as you have the right boat to get you there.

[STEED]

Yep, 2nd flotilla. The strait between Haiti and Cuba is like Tanker Alley.

Black Gold :up:

[jasondef]

Texas Tea :up:

[jasondef]

The U-506, U-507, U-106, U-753, U-158, U-67, U-171, U-166, U-155, U-527, and U-518 were all uboats that operated sometime in the Gulf of Mexico they all belonged to different flotillas. You can find which one they were apart of on uboat.net. So, it doesn't really matter where you leave from as long as you have the right boat to get you there.

Uh, do you mean that this is accurately dippicted in the SH3 game? I can just change the name of my U-Boat to one of those, or do you have to get lucky and have one of those U-Boats as your assigned U-Boat number to start with and they'll send you there regardless of what flotilla you're in when the time comes? How does that work?

[Tonnage_Ace]

dont forget to visit the bugged port of curraco where its lke 300 meters deep at the docks. :roll:

I laughed when I saw that on my last patrol :rotfl: I sunk a T2 moored there, then, to my utter amazement, I spotted a two ship convoy consisting of a T2 and a T3 heading toward the dock. Suffice it to say, it was a mad dash sinking both of them before they reached, ahem, warped into thin air upon reaching their destination.

[Tikigod]

The U-506, U-507, U-106, U-753, U-158, U-67, U-171, U-166, U-155, U-527, and U-518 were all uboats that operated sometime in the Gulf of Mexico they all belonged to different flotillas. You can find which one they were apart of on uboat.net. So, it doesn't really matter where you leave from as long as you have the right boat to get you there.

Uh, do you mean that this is accurately dippicted in the SH3 game? I can just change the name of my U-Boat to one of those, or do you have to get lucky and have one of those U-Boats as your assigned U-Boat number to start with and they'll send you there regardless of what flotilla you're in when the time comes? How does that work?

No, these are just U-boats that managed to sneak into the Gulf to attack ships at some point in their patrols in real life not in game....most were IXB and IXC uboats....one was a VIIC that made it to U.S. I guess it is luck in game if you get assigned there...you most likely will get long range patrols in later years...you can always plot your own course there after you complete your patrol area....or you can always change your patrol area manually using SH3 Commander.....but, in general if you were wondering what flotillas sent uboats into the Gulf look up the above boats on uboat.net they all came from different flotillas not just 2nd flotilla....what I meant make sure you pick right uboat I meant type like IX and above....VII's can make it if you alternate fuel and electric through entire trip...but, in general try to use larger uboats to get the range....and more torpedoes

[tennozan]

The Torpedoes in the Gulf, Galveston and the U-Boats, 1942-1943 by Melanie Wiggins was a very good read. I have had good sucess simulating Operation Drumbeat patrols in the Gulf of Mexico area and had one of my best war patrols ever in the southern Caribbean sea. If I recall, the milkcow resupplies were the ticket to sucess in those early years of operations on the doorstep of the North and South American continents

[XXi]

BTW, isn`t the harbour at Curacao deep in reality ? There are quite few places in the Caribbean that ARE deep indeed.

[Ducimus]

BTW, isn`t the harbour at Curacao deep in reality ? There are quite few places in the Caribbean that ARE deep indeed.

Beats me, all i know is you can go right under the subnets.

Infact, i think you can acutally go right under the concrete docks structures because they only go down so far. You dont normally see this because harbors are usually shallow.

Stopping in there, is like shooting fish in a barrel, literally. Takes a little manuevering to get past the subnets and into the protected areas within, but other then that, fish in a barrel.

[andy_311]

BTW, isn`t the harbour at Curacao deep in reality ? There are quite few places in the Caribbean that ARE deep indeed.

Beats me, all i know is you can go right under the subnets.

Infact, i think you can acutally go right under the concrete docks structures because they only go down so far. You dont normally see this because harbors are usually shallow.

Stopping in there, is like shooting fish in a barrel, literally. Takes a little manuevering to get past the subnets and into the protected areas within, but other then that, fish in a barrel.

Yep you can Iv'e done it go under the concrete docks.and when it's full of Tankers 11 I think it's heaven

[Ducimus]

hence why i thnk its bugged :P

It is a nice stop over though, one of the little perks for taking that 20-25 day trip accross the atlantic.

[Ducimus]

It is a nice stop over though, one of the little perks for taking that 20-25 day trip accross the atlantic.

Or get a IX-D2, which will get you there in 14 days, once you've fixed with VonHelsching's range correction.

What a waste of fuel. :D

Honestly though, its not a bad idea. Personnaly ive never taken up an IXD2 unless im going to the south atlantic or indian ocean, those bad boys are just bit to slow on the dive, and the US east coast can be an aircraft nightmare at times.

[Tonnage_Ace]

When I was in charge of a IXD2, I always asked my crew, "Ok, ahead standard on the way there or back?" Otherwise I just went ahead one-third.

BTW: with vonhelsching's range correction for the IXD2, I tested ranges between the XXI and IXD2 and found that going ahead standard with MAN on a IXD2 is around 21000Km(17kts) while going ahead standard with snorkel underwater with the XXI is about 25000Km(16kts). XXI has better range.

[Ducimus]

I always saved fuel for closing in on radio contacts at flank speed :P

Arguably though the IXD2 has fuel to spare.

[Tonnage_Ace]

I always saved fuel for closing in on radio contacts at flank speed :P

Arguably though the IXD2 has fuel to spare.
Ya, mostly what I do is set my course to and back from the patrol sector then ask my navigator for range at current speed and range to end, set speed accordingly so I have a few thousand Km to work with for outflanking manuevers.