Tips for evading corvettes/DDs

[Incubus]

I'm still new to the game, and one frustrating thing I've encountered is having a goddamn corvette/DD hounding me constantly. I'm in a Type VIIB right now, and usually if I see a ship charging me I'll try for a shot down his throat within 1000m then crash dive and try to hide. If I hit him typically he's either at the bottom already or crippled enough for me to make a run for it, but more often than not I'll miss because he turns and then it is a tedious matter of waiting him out while creeping along at 3 knots 100 meters down.

Is it simply a matter of patience? What really sucks is when there are multiple ships looking for me. I'm in 1941 right now, and I know it is just going to get worse as time passes in the game.

[Respenus]

Did you ever see "Das Boot". One of the best recreations of WWII U-Boat life and they had to evade a DD for 6h and very stuck on the bottom for 15h.

In real life, it took many, many hours of avoiding DD and they didn't have TC or load mode!

And what's your realism rating?

[SteamWake]

Heres a link to the community manual

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shiii/index.php?title=Main_Page

It has an entire section devoted to "evasion".

Good luck !

[Mack the Knife]

Yes, patience is the key. Fighting is normally suicidal (I don't even bother taking a snap-shot, as you do) and outrunning them is impossible. You only shoot yourself in the foot by trying to pick up some speed, as your engine noise becomes audible.

I'm still new to the game myself, so I'm not sure how well modeled some things are. For instance, if you hear depth charges going off behind you, you might be able to accelerate for 10-20 seconds because the noise of the explosions masks your engine noise (in fact, I think most hydrophone operators simply removed their headsets when depthcharges went over the side, because the noise of the explosions could damage their ears).

Also, ships have an area behind them, called their "baffles", in which their own engines render them deaf. It's a kind of blind spot. So when you hear a DD pass directly over you, you can accelerate for a few seconds (unless there are multiple ships around, of course, as the other ones might hear you).

Don't forget that while changing depth is useful to avoid depth charges, it can make noise as the pressure on your hull eases or increases (known as "hull popping" - that groaning sound you hear when you're diving and surfacing).

Zig-zag, accelerate in short bursts when you can, and wait. And wait. And wait. Prayer is optional.

[Mack the Knife]

Heres a link to the community manual

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shiii/index.php?title=Main_Page

It has an entire section devoted to "evasion".

Good luck !
Cool. I haven't seen that yet, either.

[fredbass]

Dont' forget to switch to silent running mode.

[Mack the Knife]

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

[Respenus]

Dont' forget to switch to silent running mode.

What if you have floodings?

[kylania]

Dont' forget to switch to silent running mode.
What if you have floodings?

That's the choice you have to make. :)

[AVGWarhawk]

Instead of all that just join a panzer division.

[SteamWake]

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

While there is some debate as to wether or not they had the ability to do this in that era. It is not modeled within the game.

[mookiemookie]

If (and thats a mighty big if, since I've found I'm almost always better off scooting away quietly if I have DD pressure on me) you're going to play chicken with the DD and try a shot down his throat, make sure he's very close when you launch your torpedos. I tend to wait until they're 500-600 m away, and make sure your torpedos are set to run fast. That tends to minimize the room they have to make a sharp turn to evade once they realize your eels are in the water.

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

I remember reading somewhere that thermal layers are not modelled in stock SHIII, but the GW team (at least I think it was the GW mod) is working on something to approximate it in GWX.

[Mack the Knife]

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?
While there is some debate as to wether or not they had the ability to do this in that era. It is not modeled within the game.
Does depth degrade sonar performance at all?

[andy_311]

I don't know about a VIIB but an IXB or IXC can outrun a flower corvett on the surface and shoot it out (you control the guns) it's hard but can be done but on the other hand if it's a black swan (which I hate very much) that's anouther story.

[Incubus]

I have actually sunk a Clemson DD from surface action during the night. Incidentally I sustained relatively little damage...kind of ironic a submarine can knock out a destroyer by cannonade :arrgh!:

[HunterICX]

''How to evade Escorts/DDs''

Tip 1: Not On this way!!!!!
http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/2176/surpriseyg3.jpg

[NIGHTFIGHTER]

I went through a period when i was getting blown out of the water by one of these gits every mission, then i decided to try a new tactic. The great playing dead trick really works. wait for that dreaded pinging then go silent and switch off engines and float just at the very limit of the perascope depth, then use the hydrophone and watch the enemy ship, then when he comes to your 0 degrees or 180 raise the scope and let him have it !!!! ive sunk 4 hunters this way and it's a wonderful feeling REVENGE:D

[Steeltrap]

Depends on your realism. The simple fact is that subs didn't fight it out on the surface with escorts. A single 4" or 5" shell would render you unable to dive, if not destroy you outright. The fact that you can fight it out with escorts in the stock game is absurd, which is why the 'supermods' make this impossible.

Torp attacks against an escort actively hunting you were a very risky (and generally a losing) proposition. There were exceptions, but they were usually US subs firing a spread of 2-3 torps. Doctrinie was to get the hell out of there, as the escort has all the advantages (faster, better armed) in a straight fight. Some U-boats killed escorts, but these were either ambushes or using the acoustic torp (which was pretty unreliable).

Simple fact is you're going to have to expect to devote hours (in some instances) to escaping. Your best bet is not to be detected, but that's much harder once radar makes surface attacks impossible.

You may not like that, but its a reflection of the reality, which is what a sim should be!

[SteamWake]

''How to evade Escorts/DDs''

Tip 1: Not On this way!!!!!

I take it the stern tubes werent ready ?

LOL great shot !

[TarJak]

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?
While there is some debate as to wether or not they had the ability to do this in that era. It is not modeled within the game. Does depth degrade sonar performance at all?

Not to my knowledge. i've been as deep as 240m and still have the buggers pinging away. Luckily at least in the arly war DC's don't reach that far down.

Patience, depth and silence are your friends when the escorts come knocking. I normally crash dive to around 100m then drift on silent down to about 160m. Frequent course changes are usually called for particularly when the DC's are falling.

In shallow water you may have to be a bit more active in running at flank to turn and evade your pursuers, but on the whole the same principles apply, stay as deep as you can get and run silent and don't try to fight it out unless you have a good shot a sinking the opposition. If I am taking a shot I normally do it only if there is only one or two pursuers and only when the target gets within 600m anything further away gives them too much time to see your eels and turn to avoid them

[d@rk51d3]

Encountered a large convoy last night with 4 large tankers, about 6 medium tankers, and large and medium merchants. Took on a couple of escorts on the surface too and was surprised to see them actually run away after I put a few hits in.

Next I ran with decks awash, and the remainders ignored me.:arrgh!:

[Yahoshua]

U sure they weren't going after another U-boat?

[d@rk51d3]

If that was at all possible, it would be sweet.