How do you sink your enemy convoys ?
 

How do you sink your enemy convoys ?

Like a ghost (who likes the shadows) or Man ( who attack regardless of weather)

I like to get in between the 2 biggest lines of ships and attack them both (from front and rear torpedoes) when ever I spot them or what ever the year.

I slip past the lead escort, move into the center of the convoy, pick the best targets and then let fly! By the time the escorts wake up to my presence, I have already ducked out of the convoy to reload or have moved deeper inside and preparing to strik again.:rock:

Generally, I move ahead of where the convoy will come from and sit at periscope depth, engines stopped and on silent running engaged (to shut the crew up!) as close to perpendicular to its course as possible.

Once the lead escort goes past, I move forward at two knots, sometimes passing the outside row of ships. Then, the 90 degree angle makes calculation of AOB easy as... and prevents my torpedoes from bouncing off the ships' hulls too much.

If the range to target is less than 1km, I can be reasonably certain of getting at least one hit.

Usualy at 90deg at the maximum range of the torps; outside the escort screen.

Position myself between the first column and the second. Then usually fire all bow tubes, then get deep and silent. I also fire the stern tube(s), if I can do this right away; if not I dive and get out.
I always get out silent and usually they cannot find me at all.

Early in the war?

I usually shoot the escort up front first. Drive the convoy into a panic.

Then slide in between the lines at ahead full shooting at will.

After 43...

I usually die...quickly...lol.

I sink convoys usually by getting sunk and hoping that the escaping air from my hull bubbles to the surface and capsizes the ships:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I tend to approach from the front of the convoy at a depth of about 40 metres and hope that the lead escort doesn't detect me. Once I'm within the convoy I turn to get into the best firing position, go up to periscope depth, pick my targets and fire my torps. I have been detected by the lead escort on many occasions and been depth charged but once I'm under the convoy itself there is a brief opportunity to sink some ships.

Nemo

With torpedos and shells :88)

The tutorials here on plotting enemy course from aob were so good that I can reliably plot the correct course as soon as I have a visual (and provided they suddenly dont change course!). This enables me to draw out a course line for two ships spaced 1000 meters apart. I race ahead on the surface, at night, get 4000 meters ahead of the lead escort, make my turn so I'm 90 degrees to the convoy, find a spot 500 meters to either side of the 2 course lines and go to periscope depth. Even if the waves are whipped up by some wind, I go to Silent Running and sit there until convoy passes by.
I track the escort on the hydrophones, and I dont bring the periscope up until the merchant contact is 30 degrees from 0 or 180. By that time, the escort is 1000 meters away and ussually 140 aob to me. This has worked for 1939 -1940. Time will tell if this continues to work.

I wait till dark then i go in on the surface and use my torps and my deck gun. Now if i see any escorts then i take care of them first.

I like my spider and pounce method.

If that doesn't work, the words seat of my pants comes to mind. :arrgh!:

perpendicular to convoy course, pick 4 targets, wait for front escort to pass, fire 2 steamers at targets farthest away then 2 electric at 2 closest ones. Wait for detonation, go to flank and 40 meters. when at 30 meters go slow and execute 45/90 degree turn and stay submerged untill im sure there noone on my tail.




Have a nice day :)

i go between the convoy line's and fire all tube's. then dive to reload.
when reloaded and the escorts havnt spot me i repeat the same procedure :up:

If I have conducted the correct approach I should be between the lines and moving in the same direction of the convoy, albeit slowly (Let them catch me). So I can shoot two salvoes of two torpedos at a 90º and 270º Gyro Angle and hit two targets. Rear torpedo tube comes not in question because with manual targeting it is too difficult to compensate the parallax without an accurate range reading :88) so I follow UBoat Commander's Handbook advice and don't use it in running fights

If I failed in my approach or the convoy zigged, I tend to look for the 90º AOB and shoot a salvo at two ships.

P.S. I wish convoys had a bit more separation between lines and escrots were farther away to allow more real-life tactics, but as they are in SH3 (Specially the escorts, because GWX corrects very well the spacing for large convoys:up: ) you usually find that browning shots from outside the escrot screen work reasonably well :hmm:

Sounds interesting. You sure have more time to take a shot this way. What do you do after you have launched the torpedoes? Dive in the same direction? Or take a turn and get out of the direction?

From ahead and perpendicular :arrgh!:

According to BDU doctrine, you should dive in the same direction as the convoy goes or at most head out in a 45º angle for two reasons: 1) Staying inside it makes it more difficult for the DDs to locate you by passive sound, and also maneuvering to throw depth charges is critical (A DD must go fast if he doesn't want to blow his own stern...and doing so in the middle of a scared convoy is a risky affair) 2) That way you will not loose ground and can surface outside, gain position again in a quick run and make another attack.

According to official US doctrine, heading in the opposite direction is better for evasion after the attack

Choose which one you prefer :arrgh!: I personally make that depend on wether I can have reasonable chances of doing another attack (If I have torpedoes and fuel left to keep the chase, if it is late or early war and such...)

P.S: I forgot to add: IN real life Kaleuns would normally head for the convoy submerged, diving deep between periscope exposures (Speed and heading of the convoy should have been determined during the overhaul manouver) and then turn 180º after trespassing the escort screen. Reason: Heading opposite direction of the convoy gets you faster past the screen, plus your heading is better for a quick turn into the blind spot of the DD's baffles if you are located. Then going to peri depth and letting the convoy catch you makes it the easies way to apply corrections in course to ensure proper firing location, plus confirm current convoy speed (By measuring change in bearing of the merchants that go by on your flanks, either by periscope or hydrophones). If the escort is closer and you can't do a 180º turn, or if you want to shoot with better Gyro Angles, then a 90º turn puts you perpendicular to the colums and gives you good shot. I don't like it much however, as the danger of being rammed and the little time you have to set up well your shot is not easy to manage.

90 degree angle, middle of the convoy, fire both fore and aft torps... now, is that the first option in the poll or the last?

Enemy convoys? I should hope so. I will not sink friendly ones :88)