I kind of split the middle with this one. I like going down to the Caribean and find those nice single or double unescorted tankers. I'm in a Type IXC/40 (U-167) in fact my last three patrols have been down around Port of Spain and Curacao. I think for the next patrol I'm going to go hang out around AM53. Early on in the war I would go over there and encounter a convoy almost every time. Looks like they were heading for Liverpool. It's mid 1943 in my career now so should be interesting to engage a convoy since it has been awhile since I have.

Love the IX for the torpedo capacity, but don't like attacking convoys with it. It dives like a helium balloon and has the turning radius of a medieval castle. So I actually make a bit of an effort to avoid convoys in the IX. That is, I don't alter course significantly to intercept them, especially if my assigned patrol is off the U.S. Need that fuel. If I run into or otherwise pick up a convoy too close to justify ignoring it, I'll attack, but don't much like it. Would rather lie in ambush somewhere.

I'm still crunching the numbers on that one. I can't seem to find any comparative information on Dolwyddelan Castle's turning rate.

Actually, I prefer the Type IX when it comes to action on the surface - I find it faster and thus easier to manuever. Against early-war convoys, that's a big plus. Later... well, anything surface doesn't cut it in later war :88)

I have been a IXC skipper since I bought this game in April of 2005. I occasionally dipped in the IX-D2, but that faded quickly. The one stern torpedo tube of the Type VII Class annoys me... and don't get me started on the Type II Class cigar boats.

The best thing about the IXC is the extra fuel. Using SH3 Commander, you can set a patrol zone anywhere. So I generally go to my honey hole of CG94. There I can use full or flank speed to catch up with a convoy, and still have fuel to stay on station for an extended period of time.

The tonnage that I get mainly comes from convoys. It would take me 100+ days on patrol, sinking lone merchants, to equal the amount of tonnage that I get from 2-3 attack runs on a convoy in one day.

Trust me. :D