Convoy Arrangement
 

When I set up for a 90 degree to convoy course attack I notice that the closest ship in a convoy column crosses my lead angle scope line first. The column appears to be in an angled back (echelon) arrangement. Is this always true? Makes it difficult to shoot sequentially on a zero degree gyro angle at all ships in a column as they cross the lead angle on the scope. Shooting from closest to farthest won't work since closest will hit first causing the convoy to scatter before longer shots can hit. Guess the only thing to do is to angle my subs course well into the convoy so that the furthest ship crosses my lead angle line first. Unfortunately this will also result in small (45 degrees or so) AOB shots. Hope this makes sense. Any suggestions appreciated.

Welcome aboard!
 

Thanks for the welcome back. Yes I could try bow and stern shots as I sneak into the convoy as you suggested. I just wondered if anyone has a way to pull off a 90 degree zero gyro angle 4 shot attack as merchants sequentially cross the lead angle line.

I don't have WP but if you're familiar with SH3, are the ships lined up in WP the same as in a SH3 convoy ?

I don't believe so. The merchants appear to be in an angled (echelon) formation. See crude drawing below.

Attachment 2940

Drawing this made me realize if I attack from the other side of the convoy I should get the situation I am after i.e. the furthest merchant crosses my attack line first. I'll see if that does the trick.

Thanks.

Judging by the drawing, yep, you have the right idea.

The convoy rows are arranged at a random predetermined angle to the center axis. Sometimes the nearest vessel is the furthest forward from your side, sometimes it's the furthest back, and sometimes the rows are neatly laid out on a rectangular grid. This arguably makes it more challenging to perform certain types of attacks and easier to perform others, so you have to situationally adjust your choice of tactics and targets.

Most of the convoys I encounter are indeed in an echelon type formation, but they apparently reverse it from time to time during the mission.

I was plotting a convoy the other day and noticed them in this formation with the close ship ahead of the rest. I thought this would be good for a fast 90 attack if I approached from the other side so I got ahead and crossed over to the port side, but by the time they got to me, they had reversed their order and I found myself with the close ship ahead again.

I've also noticed that sometimes they also change course close to the beginning of a mission.

Welcome aboard!
 

What I do is this: As I start overtaking the convoy the ships appear to open up, or close behind each other as the magnetic bearing to them changes. When the ships are agreeably open, I make a note of that bearing, and that becomes the bearing I turn onto having got well ahead of the convoy. After that, if you wait as the convoy passes, there will come a moment when the ships you want to attack are nicely opened out.

As part of the same routine, I determine the convoy course, and an "escape bearing" based on the presumption of a crash dive after firing, which is usually plus or minus 60 degrees of the convoy course, as a heading. So, if the convoy course is 245 degrees, then my heading out once submerged is 305 degrees (starboard side of convoy) or 185 degrees if attacking from the port side. After a 15 minute submerged run on this heading brings you outside of escort visual range (at night!) and outside of the escort screen.

There may be faster, better strategies for those who can fire without the TDC "from the hip" at wriggling targets, but I like to keep it simple!