Convoys are too large
 

One of the things I'd like to see modded is the size and composition of convoys. They are unrealistically large and almost always have DD's as escorts. Early in the war I'd like to see smaller convoys of up to three merchants escorted by 1-3 warships (PC's, and if possible DC-equipped merchants, should be way more frequent than in the stock version). Combined with a lessening of Japanese merchant traffic this game would be that much closer to perfection. :)

DC equipped merchants? would merchants trying to get get to their destination stop halfway to do a few circles trying to depth charge a submarine??

The Japanese used merchant type ships as stop gap escorts at times. Some even had the capability to drop DC's on detected submarines in order to keep them down while the rest of the convoy escaped.

So they would be ESCORTS not the cargo carrying merchants themselves carrying depth charges.

Exactly, that's what I meant. :)

After playing for a while a patrolling various regions, you will discover a greater variety of convoy. They are not all large and heavily escorted. I've seen some with no escorts at all.
-Pv-

Some merchants were like US Q-ahips, in fact the japanese purchased some US Q-ships between wars. Ive read of one report of a merchant avoiding a US sub's torp shot, run down the wakes and as the sub dived it recieved a small, but close depth charging. The skipper deduced that the merchant had dropped the charges since their were no other vessels in the area and there was no aircraft spotted.

The idea of having DCs on a merchant isnt totally unreasonable, perhaps not very effective, but who cares how effective it really is if it can possibly get you home alive...no matter how unlikly.

You figure a small convoy with one merchant with DCs could at the very least hope to send that merchant at flank speed toward the firing point of the submerged sub and drop a small spread of DCs in an attempt to force the sub down and out of firing position. If your really desperate the merchant can just drop DCs blindly at the first sign of sub attack. Considering the sub will likly be within 1000yds of the convoy, the relativly close proximityt of the DC explosions would likly be enough to bluff the sub into thinking it had been found and trick it into disengaging and diving...even if its only temporary.

I've been in pretty much every place that the US submarine service conducts war patrols, and most of the time I either find large convoys with a few DD's or a pair of unescorted merchs. Never anything in between. I don't think I've ever encountered a small convoy of say three merchs escorted by one or two PC's for example.

One one patrol I encountered a convory of about 3-4 merchants with about 2 escorts

the reason why merchants do not carry DC is because they are either very slow and can only make a speed of 5 or 6 knots. Or they are fast but not maneuverable enough. Merchants are made cheap with as least effort as possible. They are made to travel huge distances on same course at same speed. They cannot hunt a sub which is a warship after all.

There are 3 types of merchant traffic in SH4 mission files. "Lone" merchants, which are really unescorted groups of 1-4 ships. Convoys, which are always a bunch of ships, and always have 4 useless (skill=1) DDs escorting them. The third type are the troopships, most of which have escorts (can't remember since I changed them a while ago).

Q-Ships also had hidden guns which at first glance the sub cound not see.
Then if the sub tried to make a surface attack thinking that the merchant
had no defence, the blinds would drop and the guns would open up. The
sub would then probably crash dive but could possibly take a hit or 2.
I guess the Q-Ship could carry some DCs and make a run on the sub to force
it deep. After that, it anybodys guess on what to expect next....

JIM

There used to be a link to the official Japanese Convoy Records; which ones sailed where, how many ships etc. You would be surprised how many of them were escorted by an actual merchant carrying depth charges; also how many merchants were unescortedand carrying their own DCs. If torpedoes were seen the DC-equipped merchant would actually detour over the sighting area and drop a few, then proceed on its way.

Once I have my computer set up I'll be able to post them online - until then I hope someone who reads this will put up a link.

This is something to think about. If the merchants in the game carried DC's this would spoil one of my game tactics. If I cannot get away after an attack I will try and get under one of the merchants in the convoy to get away from the destroyers. Sometimes I intentially try and cripple at least one merchant in an attack should I need him for this purpose. So, in this type of scenario the merchant is not been asked to hunt you, but to get you out from under him so the destroyers can take over. Hell, they wouldn't even need depth charge launchers - just roll them over the side :D

.....and blow themselves up in the proces