Do you select your targets in a convoy?
 

Is it worth spending 2 or more fish on a larger tanker than hitting those faster, smaller cargos with only one? Should i be picky?

Go for the big fat ones. A matter of arithmetic 10,000 tonnes divided by 2 torpedoes is 5,000 tons per torp. Two small freighters will be short of 5,000 tons.

What I often do is send 2 torps onto a fatty just to make sure my attack brings something.

Then I fire two torps at two separate biggies (Aim slightly forward of foremast) and try to sink them with one shot. If they all work, that's 30,000+ tonnes for a night's work.

By the time I fired four tubes it's time to get outta dodge.

The trick is not only sink ships but being able to brag about it later on in the pubs. :up:

Yes you should be picky, imo.

Go for that large tanker, and make sure you sink it...and run and hide.
You will want to be exposed to the enemy as least as possible, so imo it's better to perform 1 succesfull attack at 1 worthy target, then to do multiple attacks on small targets.

If you aren't detected after you sank that tanker, you can always go for another run...preferrably on another big target.

I try to get a good aob when I can get into position depending on the escorts. Not always possible in cruddy weather. But usually my favorite tragets, (troopships, fat tankers, aux cruisers) are flanked by the smaller tramps and such. So in some cases its a 2x2, scoot, shadow and 2nd run.

AoB isnt a big problem because i get really close :) i mean 300m close. Where to aim to sink a large one? Bow? I'm playing with 100% realism.

Always pick your targets, the bigger the better. Even if you only manage to disable one or two, you can always hang around until the Convoy resumes on it's merry way then finish em off !

Select your big targets in advance. Do not economize by trying to get the big ones with one torp. It is just too frustrating to see them sail on and it takes a lot of time to redo a second attempt. Remember that an outgoing convoi is empty and the ships are harder to crack. So 2x2 is the way to go. The smaller one are for fun or targets of opportunity.

300m?

Have you thought about swappin out your deck gun for a really big drill?

I too always try to hit the biggest targets in the convoy. I try to plan ahead so that I can fire each tube in one attack, divided up in several salvos mostly on multiple targets.
For example, once I drove that way into a convoy, that I could hit 2 ships with 2 torpedoes each of tubes 1-4 and another one with a torpedo of the aft tube. That way I finished my attack very quickly and could dive away before the torpedoes even hit and therefore before the DD's start looking for me.
One idea might be to spare the aft torpedo for an incoming destroyer, depends on the number of escorts, the date and so on.

Spare your aft torpedo? Never done that!:nope:
Let'em have it!!!:rock:
I always empty all my tubes, unless a DD is right above me.:D :o
For my bow tubes, I try to hit four different ships near the engine room so they slow down and I can finish them off later!:up:

Happy hunting!:arrgh!:

Yes, pick your targets, definitely, take out the largest first and work your way down, leaving any passenger/cargos for last, all this of course depending on feasibility of attack and such.

If there's any Capital ship dumb enough to be sailing along at 8 knots in a convoy, that goes down first though, not just because of renown but they're not supposed to do that IMO. Any battleship going slower than 15 knots where there might be U-boats about deserves to be sunk on general principle.:hmm:

Here comes Keptin 'The Punisher' Cranky lol!:D :D

Sink em all!:arrgh!:

But seriously I prioritise targets by size and accessibility. If for example I'm on the wrong side of a convoy to the largest ships I'll go for the next largest that I have a better chance of sinking.

Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice!

I definitely try to pick my prime targets too. I just finished mission 5 in my IIA, and found a convoy headed to Scapa...I got out in front of them and waited at 14-15m depth, dead stop, until the lead DD was right in front of me. I popped up my scope and shot 1 from 400m, set at 2m deep. Direct hit, and he sank almost on top of me.
Then I accelerated to 2 knots, and targeted the biggest merchant, and shot my other 2 tubes at him. Dove to 20m while my crew reloaded (sucks to have only 3 tubes and 6 fish onboard). Once tube 1 was reload, I went to Pericope depth(2 meters lower to cover the low speed bouyancy). By then, tube 2 was ready also, I targeted 2 tramp steamers with 1 each, then had a merchant lined up by the time my last fish was ready. Shot at him and went to Silent Running, and dropped to 55m (was only 60m of water there off Scapa).
Apparently one of the tramps survived , but the other 2 sank, along with the merchant and the destroyer. Then I spent 3 hours evading the 2 DD's that came after me, one of which gave up once he was out of depth charges, the other stayed til I outfoxed him. I kept going fast while in his baffles, then silent run when he could hear me, with lots of course changes to the south and east. Was a fun time, much better challenge with GWX than the stock SH3 was.

Do you guys calculate AoB and enter speed and other data when you're rushing for a last shot before diving and are no longer 90º from your target? where do you get your aim? I've found that if i try always for the bow i'll rarely hit as i calculate speed by plotting and the charts provided (GWX) naturally can't provide exact values. I've missed a crippled cargo (he reduced speed so the convoy's speed no longer applied) by a centimeter (literally). I don't have external cameras or anything else so i figure it was aufully close. Oh well.
Btw where to aim for? I mean large tankers, cargos, merchants. Where for the most damage? What i usually do in my type VIIC is hit them once and then wait till they fall back due to slowness. I then persue this one crippled one and usually i get the kill. What happened this time was 2 escorts must have heard me and went back from the pack. I had little time to a proper solution (actually i had quite some time, i suck :( ) and missed.