I keep SS's and files where I find large convoys and TF's.....mostly the large invasion forces.

If you're preparing for the battle of the San Bernadino Straits...you're in the right place.

I started getting a lot of plane traffic...non-ending. Why dived I checked sonar and got a faint contact....turned out to be two carriers. Trying to do a end around, but they know I'm there. Got one of those long line of about 40 planes going back and forth from me to the carriers...almost funny, except every 30 seconds 4 planes drop bombs on me...so I stay deep and the carrier is scooting away.

That sounds great, except for me I get nothing, silence, nothing, silence, and then nothing again... Maybe its the date range (Dec 10th-15th), but I'm still finding nothing at all...

As stated RSRD reduces overall stock traffic, but it's still there. RSRD concentrates more on realistic TF's and convoys. So by knowing where they go, you'll find much more. Take the following map. http://combinedfleet.com/battles/ Almost all these battles and invasions take place in RSRD, so if your in the area you stand a good chance of finding them, better with good surface radar. Doesn't mean you will, you have to hit the right spot for them to spawn, but you have a good chance.

What year are you playing?

Career start at the beginning of the war, '41, I know traffic is lighter then, but I think that a couple of weeks of gameplay without so much as a torpedo fired in anger is pretty ridiculous...

Here's another question... should I bother to try and be in the historical place and time of some of the biggest battles? Also, has RSRDC managed to put them in their correct locations? So if I find the lat / lon of the battles, there they will be?

If you find the right long/lat..it's a good place to start. You won't always find them in the exact historical spot, but almost always they're usually 50 nm from the historical spot, if not in the spot. Mostly it's a matter of time, being at the right distance and time so a TF will spawn.

Some battles it's easy to find them, like the battle of San Bern Strait. Just be in the strait on the right day, Oct 25, 44 and Kurita's center force will show up. I prefer the Surigao Strait the day before. The jap TF will come from the South late on the 24, early 25, but there will be two US TF from the N. Usually, the US DD force will attack the jap TF first and then the larger US TF will attack. You can get in the middle and pick off the damaged ships. Then if you have enough torps, head quickly early morning NE out of the strait and you can run into Kurita's Center Force that came through the San Bern. Straits. It will turn back North, so you have to cut it off as it goe's back through the straits. The US Jeep Carrier TF will also show up and often the dd's will do battle with the japs. If you study the battle of Leyte, RSRD doe's a great job of reproducing it.

The slot in the Solomon's is a fun place. There are many large DD TF running the slot, but hard to hit unless you use the OKane attack method.
I prefer to wait for the big boys. Again, this map is the place to start.
http://combinedfleet.com/battles/ Study the Solomon campaign, look for the large battles and find them. Sometimes you will, sometimes not.
Most the time the TF and convoys coming down the slot go around Tulagi and come back in. If you have surface radar, it's fun to just trail them and see what paths they follow as many of the others do the same. If you wait and follow they will usually end up in surface battles. That's a good time to attack. Almost always several ships dead on the water from damage and one torp will do them in. Fun watching ships duke it out with planes joining in. I've been in battles with surface fleets shooting it out and planes from both sides attacking. Just be careful with all the contacts a plane doesn't bomb you.



At the start of the war with Manila as your base you have several options to hit some big targets. There is a large invasion force headed to Lingayen Gulf. I prefer to cut it off at about 119.50Ex19N or just go sit outside the gulf and wait. There is a BB TF that runs close to it about 40 miles west headed elsewhere. After the Lingayen invasion, you can wait near Vigen for another invasion force.

If you want some BB's, head over to Camranh bay from the start. A large TF invades the bay. If you go straight there just wait in the deeper water outside of the bay, they'll show up in a day or so. Once they make it into the bay...then reach the despawn point and vanish. However, you can pick up several TF in this area the first month of the war.

Once you lose Manila and dock at Surabaya, there will be a large Java invasion force. I prefer to cut it off at near Tawi Tawi, but I've chased it all over the Pacific. It's my favorite convoy to attack, because the ships are loaded and one torp usually blows them to hell:D. I blew one ship up last night and the explosion blew up 3 nearby ships. It has about 50 ships in it...Here is a SS where I last attacked it. http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/u...033142_937.jpg All it all I usually pick it up between the lane near Jolo, from there it goes to Java and back. I once chased it over 800 nms sinking over 20 ships. I carry M10's early war...cuz they work...
Just be careful attacking in the shallow water, but usally it's windy.

Take Borneo..all the cities listed will have invasion fleets sitting outside them at the correct time...

One of the best places to find ships is the Bismark Sea.....

That enough..........

I really appreciate it, and I really hope it pans out. I'm steaming towards the Camranh area now on an assignment right out of the briefing room on Dec. 9th '41, so I'll detour a little and see what I can find there. Hopefully its just that I've been having bad luck rather than something else going wrong with my install.

Thanks again,
Greg

I made the same plea not long ago here, treble...

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=155540


In that picture that Armistead pasted, notice the map/radio player in the top left hand corner? If you drag that thing down it is an actual map of the shipping lanes. It shows you the high traffic areas for shipping. If you're not in one of those lanes, you'll only ever find fishing vessels and junks.

Usually the patrol star is more east of the bay...just get as close in as deep water will allow....by deep I mean 75 ft or so.:O:

For some reason I usually run into stormy weather there...so prepare for that.

Btw, Treble... that's a cute bonnet you're wearing! careful below decks! :D