How to Find Battleships, Carriers and Cruisers?
 

I've been playing SH4 for quite some time now and have added a number of mods. Thank you all fellows for that. Yet on my patrols, I can find all kinds of convoys and small task forces (usually a sub chaser along with a gunboat and DD) but only once did I find a large task force and that was a friendly one. I have not spent much time near Tokoyo and wonder if that is a good place to hang around? I've started a number of patrols at different time periods of the war and still am missing. I'm not keen on harbor invasion as I usually die. Thanks much.

Aside from dumb luck, knowing when historically major naval battles were fought, and where, will help. I talked to a friend of mine last night, who said he'd sunk his first battleship in Sh4. He'd left Pearl heading over towards Japan when he got radio message traffic saying "The Battle of the Coral Sea is underway, all nearby patrol units should assist". He figured he'd find lots of capital ships there, so he reloaded the autosave from port and headed down to the South Pacific instead. Sure enough, he encountered a Japanese task force with lots of capital ships in it.

I have played over 50 hours and have had only one contact with a task force. You are not alone.;)

Seemed to be a fair number around north of Rabual in early 43.

I tried to take part in the battle of Midway. It took several attempts (ie. reloading the game) to get at least a glimpse of the Japanese task forces, and they were moving much to fast, so I had no chance of even closing.

Cruisers, however, are not that difficult. When you start a career in 1941 and join the Asiatic Fleet you'll likely come across the invasion forces. These usually have two or three cruisers, a couple of destroyers and a pack of passenger ships.

I tried to take part in midway, but kept getting swamped by aircraft. I was sure I was close to a carrier, but never found it and just returned to my mission.

I did stumble on a juicy task force with many Takao's and a Fuso or 2, but was RTB from a patrol and had no torpedos. That was pure luck, and I have been trying ever since with no results:ping:

I don't know 'cause I don't have the game yet (or actually, I do have the GAME, but my gaming comp. is on repairs now so....:shifty: ) but there might be a chance that there will be some enemy activity around Wake Island just in the beginning of the war. The japanese attacked Wake, and took it on December 23rd, 1941, so if you're really fast out of Pearl, you might be able to see something! But as stated above, this is a guess, and not facts.

I found a juicy TF with 3 BB's as headed North out of Manila at the onset of the campaign on my way to patrol Luzon(?). I believe they were on their way to invade Borneo so they will probably be a fairly dead cert to spawn most games.

And if I may blow my own trumpet for one second, only one of the BB's made it to Borneo:up:

Well I was west of Rabul in early '43. I ran in to a carrier taskforce, with 4 carriers, only 1 made it out. :rock: :rock: :rock: Besides being in high traffic areas, just rely on dumb luck. :up:

In this one patrol i had found two taskforces now. patroled about 12 days before i found the second one. Its late December 1941 commanding USS Sculpin both were large taskforces. First one had carriers, BB, and heavy cruisers, (sunk a heavy cruiser and destroyer) 2nd had 3 BB some heavy cruisers and 8 or 9 destroyers/light cruisers. Sunk the Isle Battleship. Now on my way home which suppose to be Manilia but thats been overtaken so heading to Jawa base.

I dont know why maybe its luck, but i do know when i was playing a career in normal i never came across one in the 4 patrols. I start up a career in Hard and i find two taskforces in my first patrol. Which is a good thing!.

I got 3 torps left haven't met 2nd objective which was to sink merchant tonnage which im guessing will be 10000tons, im heading back to base instead i mean i got a BB under my belt surely the Command will be please... To bad if they aren't.:arrgh!:

Whats save my butt from the depth charges is finding thermal layers and staying under it. Well so far its worked.

I ran into a TF with 2 CV's and BB...in early 1942 while heading to main land Japan to photograph a harbor from Pearl. I nailed the BB and somehow caught up to the TF again and sunk a CV. They where just west of Midway Island

One task force: At the southern entrance to Celebes. I got an Taiyo(?) CV and a 9000 tonseaplane carrier. then 5 hours of Depth Charges. I fired at a cruiser, but missed and hit and sank the seaplane carrier with luck. I didnt know it until I read the captains log.
BAM!

How to Find Battleships, Carriers and Cruisers?
 

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Me too!

Were they: 2 Kongo BB's and 2 Mogami HC's?

Ran into a Faaast TF 19 December 41 off Luzon (near the Straights)
With no less than 9 DD's in a diamond escort and a Old Small Tanker @ the tail.

http://www.compuglobalhypermeganet.t.../Fast%20TF.jpg

i got some luck while in the celebes sea!

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...-4-2007_15.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...-4-2007_16.jpg

My first patrol in '41, sent out to hunt some merchants. I noticed alot of task force reports in the south china sea, so I went for a looksie. Weather turned really bad...... so bad, that when running on the surface, 90% of the time you were still underwater.

Then I hit it. A task force including 1x BB, 1x Fleet Carrier and 3x Escort Carriers.

As it was my first ever encounter I started firing blindly and..... SCORED.


Scratch 1x Fleet Carrier
Scratch 1x Escort Carrier
Scratch 2x Merchants

Damaged 1x BB (got away :nope: )


Nice bit of shiny waiting for me when I returned to port.:rock: