Not very, but tonight...
 

I got killed a few nights ago in my v1.4 career, so I decided to do the upgrade to v1.5. Installed a clean install ov SH4 v1.5, added the appropriate version of TMO and also added RSRD for first time. Selected a career at beginning of war in Gar-Class boat out of Pearl, 75% realism (basically auto targeting was only thing unchecked...and 1 other minor thing I think). Encountered and sank 1 mechant en-route to my patrol area. And then...something I'd never gotten to before.

In my patrol area, got visual on a destroyer, started a track, could see what looked like a CV hull down...so, I began an end around. Worked at it a bit (TF was doing 14 knots) and got ahead of the group around 1500 yards off-track. I'd figured out there were 3 destroyers, 2 carriers, and a CA. I locked onto the CA with my PK (who was ahead of the first CV). My intent was to shoot 6 at the 1st CV and be happy to get the shot. Anyway, went deep, and when sonar said the leading escort had passed and the CA was closing began my ascent to PD and a turn to square up on the track.
Came up with on the port quarter of the CA and locked onto the CV as it approached. Fired 6 torps, 1 dud, 4 hits, 1 miss. Started to go down to evade and realized I could turn for a shot at the trailing CV, so I did. Was kind of a rushed shot, but emptied stern tubes, 1 hit, 1 dud, 2 apparent missed. Then went deep. After a few hours managed to evade. Was surprised to get the 2nd carrier (sank with 1 shot?).

Anyway, based on everything, was very surprised to get a shot at a carrier (let alone 2) on my first time out of the barn with TMO/RSRD v 1.5. Truly was a thrilling experience, and fortunately I have a few saves during the approach, so my 6 year old son can watch and enjoy the final moments of the set-up in the future.

Sometimes ya gotta know where to look ;)

In an earlier patrol I was north of the Solomons (Aug 42) on purpose, as that was the time the Battle of the Eastern Solomons took place. I encountered the Jap TF, but I was not in a good position to intercept, I only managed to sink a CA.

A few days later I was still in the same general vicinity when I picked up a small TF headed my way. I submerged and let it approach. Saw a flat top, let loose all 4 bow tubes and managed to sink a Taiyo-class CVE.

Hay guys is to use v1.5 do you have to buy an add-on? I'm unclear to what 1.5 is, a newer patch?

A new patch, but it's not available for download separately. If you buy the add-on (U-Boat Missions) and install it it'll upgrade the game to v1.5 in addition to adding the U-boats to the Pacific.

Just got it, but so far I like it and haven't even touched the U-boat aspect of it yet. As many have said, even if you have no interest in "U-boats in the Pacific" this appears to make several very positive changes. Plus the new mods are all set for v1.5.

What the heck is a U-Boat? Give me the whole rundown on what this add-on does, because I am still clueless to what this is????????????????

Today in my fleet boat while on my first patroal with it I found a giant task force consisting of over 4 carriers 1 seaplane tender, over five distroyers and 2 lightcruisers. I attacked it and sunk two of there carriers and put a torpedo in one, as of now ive sunk over 40,000 (only the two carriers made this) Im going to hall but to get infront of them before they get in to the bungo strights.:D

Last night I had a great patrol. I was sent near Vietnam to patrol ( !st patrol) and I parked 50 miles outside of camron bay. Bout 2300 hrs spoted a task force heading in. Man, they were loaded for bear! 9 DDs, 4 Lt cruisers, 1 lg freighter, 2 lg tankers, 3 Takeo hv cruisers and 2 kongo BBs.
I tracked the BBs and plotted thier line of approach. I lined up at 500 yds off the line, engines off and silent running ( battlestations, of course)
I dropped scope and used sonar to mark the passing of the DDs, then raised and emptied all 4 of my forward tubes at the 1st Kongo. Scope down, I dove to 90 feet and went flank under the Kongo coming back to pd, 500 yds with aft tubes facing the track, now occupied by the 2ed kongo. Fired my 4 aft tubed, hit 3.
I put the stingray in pursuit of the badly damaged BBs. ! sank from damage and 1 required an additional torpedo. Prior to breaking off I put 3 into a Takao (16000 tons) hv cruiser and with luck, sank it.
What a great 1st patrol. If your out of the Phillipines, dont neglect patroling vietnam.
total 80.000 tons with RFB and RSRDC. Dif all excepy man. targeting.

2 days ago on my second TMO mission i was almost overrun by a jap TF exiting the port of Bandar Seri Begawan on Borneo (btw mission was Photo recon of this port). 3 CV´s, 2 CA´s & 4 DD´s biggest TF ever for me. Got one Shokaku with my 4 bow eel´s and one Hiryu with my 4 stern shots. And got away in barely 20 m deep water....:know:

On my way back home to Surabaya, with 2 eels left, just maybe 150 Km north of port i get run over by a second TF, but much smaller 3 CA´s and a couple of DD´s. Tried the same approach as last time and fired my 2 last torpedoes on the lead CA. Both missed :down:.... and i got my ass full of DC´s this time in 40 m deep water...

Thank god i saved earlier...

Last week, before my computer crashed and I had to reformat and reload everything, I was assigned to patrol the south China Sea.

I went, sayed the required time, and noticed that (right after Singapor falls) there are a lot of convoys coming out. So I decided to check this area out.

I ended up chansing a couple of small ships into the port. No problem.

Sank them before they made it into port.

Well, I dove to periscope level because daylight was coming on.

Resurfaced at dusk. I was heading out of the harbor back to the open sea when the watch calls out, ship sighted. 140 degrees, long distance. I turn to investigate.

Coming at me were 6 small DD's, 2 light crusiers, 2 heavy cruisers, 3 fleet carriers, 3 escort carriers, 2 sea plane tenders and 2 med tankers.

Wow! What a find.

However, that is not the end of the story.

By a strange twist of fate, I did manage to sink all three of the fleet carriers. Trying to escape proved to be very hard. After 3 hours of evading, i managed to move to the mouth of the harbor.

Guess what?

To the Northeast was a large inbound convoy!

To the East was the task force I just tangled with outbound!

To the Southeast was another large inbound convoy!

Here i am with no torpedos!

Make a long story short, the mouth of the harbor leading to Singapor, seems a prime hunting ground, lots of convoys and task forces.

Good luck and good hunting.

(Note: excuse my spelling as it is not the best in the world.)

How many torpedos for each Fleet Carrier and what running depth did you run your torpedos at? Also what type of torpedos did you use? The two Fleet Carriers I sank took three torpedos each at 32ft running depth.

[quote=Systemlord]I ended up using all of my "fish" eventually, but it took on the average 2 per carrier. Standard Mark 14(?) running at about 1 m, contact fuse. I have found, just me personally speaking, but I have found that unless your cornered, a destroyer is right on you, less than 1200 yards, use contact fuses. If a destroyer is dead on you, less than 1200 yards and charging, then provided you have the time, set your "fish" to run at about 4-4.5' and "contact influence" fuses. This has saved my bacon many a time.

Like I said, I'm not sure, I think it is the standard early war issue, the Mk. 14.

I must have had good luck then because mine were set to run at/or near the surface. Generally, one well placed torpedo will do the job, (it may take a little bit to sink though) however, I did not take any chances. I fired two at each carrier, at 5 sec. intervals, spaced at about 2 degrees off on the second torp.

I wasted the rest of my torps, tring to get shots at the Cruisers. Diving to 90 ft, (shallow harbor) and silent running at 3kts, coming up to periscope depth to check where they were and where my persuers were.

It really pays to make your second shot a few degree's off the first because two holes in a ship is better than one deep one. My first torpedo is fired at 0 degree's, I then lead my second torp at 1-2 degree's incase the ships see the first one coming. If you lead with the first torpedo and the ship see's it coming, he will slow and turn. You'll over shoot him this way. Why do you launch your torpedo's so shallow? Is it better to shoot shallow or am I missing something as normal?

In the SH4 manual, it tells how deep a ship is in the water. If you shoot too deep, nothing happens. As in the case of the Akisuki destroyers. They only set 3.8 feet in the water. It does no good to shoot at them with the torps set at the default depth of 6 feet, they'll just go under them. So I set mine, in this instance to run at about 4-4.5 feet, and explode under the hull.

Bigger ships, like the fleet carriers, are usually "thin-skinned." Thinly armored. Thus a torp running right at the water line or shortly below will leave a hole where water can pour in.

But, I have also found from playing SH3 and SH4 that some ships are better hit, a little lower.

Suppose you have a Modern T-3 Tanker coming. It still does no good to shoot and have your torps running any deeper than 9 feet, they'll just pass right under them unless they are set to explode under the hull.

Fo me, its just my personal perference. Unless I'm in a harbor, shooting at stopped, docked ships, I generally let them run at the surface. Unless needs dictate otherwise.

Like I said, I have found that what works for me, is to draw DD's away from the convoy, dive and come up behind them, shoot when the angle and range is right, leaving me pretty free to pick apart most convoys.

A DD coming at you, running between 25-35 knts., shooting at them from around 1200 yars or less with the torps set at high and running shallow, does not give them enough reaction time. And if they manage to turn a little, the torp still explodes under the hull resulting in a sink.

I generally I like night attacks, that way I can sneak in closer than I could from the surface. I have also found out from my own experience, that for some reason, torpedos have a bigger "punch" if fired from close range than long. I have managed to sink a Fleet Carrier with a single torp from 1000 yards, and had to sink one with 2 at about 1500 yards. I have also put 4 torps into a Yamamoto Battleship at 1200 yards without it even stopping or noticing. But have put 4 into a Fuso Battleship at about the same distance, and sink it. Go figure.

I just prefer to shoot and let my "fish" run from shallow depths rather than deeper ones unless there is a specific need to. Like in the case of 2000 yards or more, daylight run on a convoy. Then i might set my "fish" to run a little deeper to avoid detection and explode under the hull.

But as it has been pointed out, what works for me, may not work for you.

Its just my personal preference, and oftentimes, I get knocked for my personal preferences here.

Another good tactic is to get in the line of a convoy/task force, dive until it approaches, surface or come to periscope depth, and unload both with the "Fore" and "Aft" tubes at the same time. This drives the DD's crazy. They can't tell from where exactly they (the fish) came from. But this is very hard to do sometimes and very tricky.

But hey, this works for me, and it may not work for you. Using these same tactics, I had a thread started where I was well over half a million tons sunk and I was only on mission 12.

Got all kinds of kicks on that one.

(Note: My computer crashed and I had to reformat it, reload windows, and all my games. I am playing SH4 patched to v. 1.4, the stock version, no mods as of yet, I'm on mission #8 (in the career) and I'm already at about 300,000 tons. During my last run, I managed to sink 4 Large modern freighters, 3 med composite freighters, 4 DD's, 1 huge European Passenger ship, 1 large passenger ship, one small passenger ship. Some 66,000 tons there abouts.)

Here is a hint, if you ever find yourself in a position like the one I described, the monster task force, when the timing is right, save the game. Try it my way. If it does not work, reload the game and continue on the way you feel most comfortable.

That is the beauty of this area, not everybody plays the same way. If they did, I'd have to "wash out" of here. :D

Lots of luck to you and good hunting Captain.

Got skills.
 

[quote=Sandman_28054]Can you tell me how to get the DD's away from the convoy, I would love to know how you do that! :D Me don't got much in the way of attack skills, share you skills with me. :yep:

Thanks Sandman!