Strategy for Attacking Very Large Task Force
 

I'm playing with RSRD Campaigns in career mode.

I just came across one of the largest task forces I have seen in the game to date in "The Slot" of the Solomons. Its 1942, so low use of IJN radar.

Its a tight place to battle with only a few escape routes.

The task force is over 15 ships large, with a couple of juicey battleship targets in the center. All in a circle with some squirrelly destroyers jumping around.

Other than the long distance 6000+yard fire all 6 salvo blind, what kind of strategy do most people use to sink one of the juicy targets?

So far I have tried a peek-aboo with destroyers, that come running. I can get 3 to chase me, dive, come up about 5000 yards out and surface run at the group or surface run out front of the group, but again, the closer they get the more of a chance the destroyers come running in, so I wind up with a 6 salvo blind shot at the group.

What would do you do?

If you can find a thermal layer, I'll sometimes come in about 45 foot below the thermal, pass under the escorts, start back up to PD, get somewhat close to the big target, shoot, get back below the thermal and try to shneek away as the torps are on their way. Or alter it with a surface ske-daddle... However, it doesn't always work, and if you're caught deep, you can't shoot back for a bit... :roll: - night helps, but rough weather is best. :salute:

first off, the game is different than real life.
forget all of the stories of sub skippers closing a TF/convoy and firing at 1000 yards.
the classic tactics are the best tactics:get out in front. find a path below and around the escorts, come to periscope depth, fire your fish, go deep and get out Dodge ASAP.
if you intend to re-attack the remainder of the enemy force, escape 90 degrees from your attack bearing and then make your course the same as the enemy when you attacked. your attack will cause the formation to slow and mill around for some time so you could have time to not only evade but reload and get set up for Round 2.
if you just want to evade, make your course 90 degrees off from the enemy course. go deep. stay quiet. change course as often as you can. your life will depend on it.
good luck. and good hunting.
:Kaleun_Salute:

Is it night, most are there, so I'll assume so... You can fire a single or two torps from long distance, say 9000 yards where they say intersect at 4000 yrds from you. the goal is just the escorts to see them and come a looking...you run around to another location, you'll be long gone before they see them and come looking. Sounds like the battle of Savo and most every TF anyway goes around Savo Island. If it is, you'll see the US TF if you have cams on and a very large surface battle.

I was able to sink one battleship and escape.


I did the pop up nearby trick which caused the escorts to come running. Diving down and running flank around the front allowed me a close in shot at the battleship. Close in being 4000 yards. Since the escorts were poking around the last spot I was in, I had time to plot the battleship course and speed and get all six fish to hit on target using the attack vector method.

To be honest I didnt expect to sink it. I was expecting to hit two maybe.
The zig zag along with the 26nt speed I expected a a few misses, but I set the torp spread starting at 10 left and each subsequent torpedo adding +5 until all six were in the water then I turned tail and crash dove.


The event screen came up as the torpedos ran. Since the depth was set to 25 feet I watched all of them run under the front destroyers and steam right into the battleship hitting it from rear all the way up to bow. They were fired in rapid succession. It went up like a fireworks show.



For a brief moment I was so impressed I did that I froze and smiled. Then the pings of the destroyers woke me up and I had to dance my way out of there.

best way is to position yourself in front if possible. If you take the time to track the TF, especially the escorts, you may be able to find gaps to sneak into. Often you will have a DD up ahead, the rest on both sides. If you go slow and deep, you may be able to sneak past them. Use Sonar only to track, see if you have been detected and when to pop back up to PD.

Once you take the shot, don't stick around, go as deep as possible and sneak away.