To redress my single torpedo strategy, I use this approach in my initial attack. I know where the ship's soft spots are and generally set up my attack to take advantage of a "kill" probability. Once the fireworks start, the ships slow down and if the first torpedo didn't sink the ship, I can finish it off with others as needed. This is how I attack fast moving task forces and maximize my available torpedos.

Let's say you come across three battleships and are lucky enough to get into close range for the attack. I position my boat about 1.5 km's from the convoy's path and shoot a keel shot at the lead battleship with my stern tube from maximum range. While the torpedo is enroute, I turn 90 degrees to bring my forward tubes to bear. If the stern tube isn't a dud, then it will either blow up the ship or cripple it. The remaining battleships always turn to port, bringing them into very close range of my boat. As they pass, I hit each one with a single keel shot (sometimes two if things are getting dicey).

The goal is to at least cripple the ships, so I can finish them off later if necessary (this is how I bagged 5 battleships and a carrier from two task forces in a single patrol). It works and seems realistic within the parameters of the sim. Obviously this isn't realistic compared to the actual war, so some may not want to use this approach.

scrapser

@ scrapser: That sounds really effecient way to get maximum result and I tip my hat :) That's just not my way to do. Maybe I should, who knows :roll: Just read the next example:

One thing bugs me. The torpedo effeciency (or should I say ineffediency). Here is a free quote from Kretschmer's KTB (U-99):

October 18. 23:30
target 7000 ton merchant, torpedo hit in front of the bow mast, ship dives quickly, range 1750m (missed the original target and hit the ship behind it in the next colonn).

23:55
target 6000 ton merchant, torpedo hit in front of the bow mast, huge explosion and the ship sinks, burning in green flames from the bow to the bridgel range 750m.

October 19. 01:38
target 6000 ton merhcant, torpedo hit in front of the bow mast, ships sinks and explodes, range 945m.

01:55
target 7000 ton merchant, torpedo hit in front of the bow mast, ship sinks less than 40 seconds, range 975 meters.

Ok, now try the same in the game. I mean sink 6000 - 7000 ton merchants with single hits in bow. I have never done that. I think it is not even possible in the game. I just attacked a C3 and shot it twice in the bow from 1000 meters. Both hit and she didn't even slow down from the convoy. Just listed to port and started to burn. Be sure, like oleg maddog would say. And like we know, most of the C2/3 class ships ever sink after one hit like in Kretschmer's example.

Any ideas what to do? I know there is Teddy Bärs tonnage mod coming, but will it solve this? I wan't it to be possible to sink ships with one torpedo, even tho I have been preaching about the importance for multiple shots. You don't always have the possibility to shoot more than one torpedo...

Is the torpedo so underpowered or the ship(s generally) too tough? I wan't a good compromise between these two.

Edit: Yes yes, it would make the tonnages go even more higher. But i hate when the ships refuse to sink after a fine hit (not to mention if it is underkeel mag hit) with these oversized rubber d..torpedoes. :damn:

<----- See my pic there, that is not a face of determination, poor guy looks like hes about to burst in tears cos the bad allied ship won't sink.

My experience with C2's and C3's has left me with the impression that C2's are almost a waste of ordinance. I usually aim right at the front of the main deck structure on both. C3's almost always break in two but C2's are a roll of the dice. Someone wrote in a separate thread to aim at the smoke stack and the ship will flounder and sink after a few minutes but I've yet to see this happen.

Troop ships are also puzzling. If the seas are rough, an impact shot amidships almost always blows them up but any other sea state requires a keel shot halfway between the stern and the midship point. This shot causes the ship to burn and slowly sink by the stern.

scrapser

Check your torp depth. You might be hitting above or below the vulnerable spot.

Radio antenas?
I surface right next to a ship, and I don't want it to be able to call for help (planes, destroyers, patrol boats), what exactly do I shoot on which ships?

And if I'm in a type II, can my AA gun take it out?
For that matter, can an AA gun sink a bigger ship at all?

Your AA guns can rake various items off of other ships (funnels, lifeboats, vents, towers, bridges, guns, cargo, etc.). But I'm not so sure that you can shoot off a radio antenna and expect no reinforcements... I doubt that ubi modelled it that way.


You probably can't sink a ship with AA, since his armor/hull is probably resistant to small arms fire. Even the AA gun from the Type II can do some damage, but don't try and sink anything with it.

Radio antennas? Of course they can be blown off. :doh: I saw a documentary where a highly trained non-german-speaking american crew did that with a hijacked german uboat on surface to a german destroyer. It is easy. :88)

whatever happened to Augie's mod to the ID handbook marking the various zones, including ammo, keel, engine, fuel etc?

Its been a while since I played but that really helped me work out where best to send my love packets.

Use the "Full Vulnerability" Mod and you will see the soft spots on warships as well. They are both still available through the Mods forum.

scrapser

I must have missed the link.
No, wait, I see the link to Augie's mod, but its the generic one that goes nowhere. I fear the link is gone for good. Not that I have any idea if its compatible with v1.04b anyway. I hoped it would be downloadable and printable like the recognition handbook over at http://U-Boot.RealSimulation.com but I don't see it at all.

Sunrise/Moonrise calculator
 

The link below leads to a free-ware program that will calculate moon and sun rise/set times and twilight for any geographical location worldwide.

http://www.nightcal.co.uk/

Regards,
Steven Lohr