Your main mistake was trying to be greedy. Best bet is to dive fast as soon as you fire your main salvo. I choose between forward or stern tube shots before I make the shot and always dive at full speed or flank to over 200m as soon as I fire turning starboard or port at 10deg rudder to at least 40deg from the firing path, depending on where the nearest escort is. This is the only way to put any distance between you and your firing datum.

I agree. I've been playing this game for years now, and I've never seen two ships ram each other. They always take evasive action.

Actually, that's not entirely true. If you are running close beside a friendly you can sometimes steer into them without them having time to avoid you.

But I've never seen two AI ships ram each other.

Now they will ram themselves into sea walls or the shore, and before GWX3 I used to see them depth charge themselves all the time.

I don't know what the AI is actually doing, but I have seen a group of DDs depth charging me and one will "sit still" while the others are busy DCing me. Their props will "twitch", going back and forth from forward to reverse - obviously the AI is trying to "station keep" the DD dead in the water. I don't know what the ship is actually doing, though. It may be just the AI delaying its attack run until the other ships clear out of its path.

Steve

No, I think the problem is that ASDIC has gotten too good for clear weather conditions by December 1942.

In my first attack, I was greedy. I disengaged silent running and sent my torpedo crews forward so that as soon as I fired they would commence loading. My hope was to get off another shot before I had to dive. This has worked for me in the past. Normally I can stay in the columns of the fleet long enough to reload one or even two more shots before diving.

But this time the lead escort was inside the fleet before I could even reload one, so I dove. But I forgot to return to silent running until I hit 200m, so they heard me all the way down.

But I gave myself a do-over, and re-attacked the convoy staying in silent running, and I dove immediately after firing my last torpedo. They still found me at 220m and were on top of me until I surfaced at attacked and sank 3 escorts and surfaced and ran at flank speed away from another.

I believe that by December 23, 1942, ASDIC and escort experience has improved to where in good weather depth is no longer enough protection. However, I was just reading that the Type VIIC/41 (I think?) has a much higher maximum depth rating, so when it becomes available I will try it and so be able to go deeper.

Anyway, beyond mid '42 I will not attack closer than 5000m again. I will switch to steamers exclusively for long range night attack, FATs if I can afford them.

Steve