Critique my tactics
 

So it's 1939, 2nd or 3rd patrol (don't remember), and I'm off the West coast of England/Scotland intercepting a convoy. I don't really have to nail it, and could almost certainly find better pickings in solo ships. Which I am tempted to do. But I tried to go in any how. It's about 6 AM (dark, but not pitch), the water is glass, and the sky is clear. I've read several threads/articles on convoy attack, and the advice is varied. But the most frequent tactic is what I did in my last attack (I mainly wanted to try other types first for my own learning's sake)- go in slow, attack, go really deep.

I pick up the convoy, run in on the surface to 4500M, get spotted by a Black Flower Corvette, lucky gun hit ends me quickly.

OK, don't go in on the surface. Make a run in, speed up to ahead 1/3 at periscope depth to line up a shot, get detected, DC'd to death by escorts.

OK, don't go above ahead slow. Make a run in, nail 3 or 4 ships (not sure, but get 4 hits on 5 torps), one confirmed kill before I go under (coal ship- 1 2M impact torp). Descend slowly to 100M. At 60 M, rear escort starts to ping. I turn towards him to get bow-on so as to reduce sound reflection signal. As soon as I start turning, his pinging picks up. At 90 M, get reports that we're being pinged, 100M get nailed by depth charges and sink into the depths- implosion.

So, what did I do wrong? Should I have immediately gone to flank and tried to get deep faster? I did linger to fire all my torps- do you really have to be on your way down before the first impact? Should I avoid turning at all when trying to be silent? Is there anything you can do when being pinged deep other than go deeper and pray? Forget convoys and just pick off the easier solo targets? ;)

And finally, if I get this right, do you have to surface to record kills, or are unseen kills still recorded? What if the ship sinks unseen-any credit?

You can usually hear when the escort moves right overhead. And your hydro man will often warn you that DCs have been dropped.

At this moment it's not a bad idea to give it some speed.


And turn as well (maybe after a couple seconds to get moving first). Don't do it for very long. Just long enough to get away from the current cans dropping on you.
Then cut back to slow and keep turning for a bit while you still have some speed.


Turning while trying to stay silent and diving at the same time is tough. You are almost standing still if diving and turning at 100RPM (silent running).
So I do most of my turning during those few seconds I floor it after a drop right above me.



And yes, staying on the surface to get those extra kills is risky. I usually start diving just before I fire my first torpedo.

I loathe convoy attacks. I very rarely made them work for me, even in the early war years, and instead switched to fighting my way inside harbours, ninja'ing my way inside harbours, or slotting lone or paired up ships.

The few times I made successful runs on convoys, the plan went as followed.


i) Upon determining course and speed, I would move perpendicular to the convoy's flank. I would then run silent and raise the periscope just above the water's surface for no more than ten seconds. I use the stopwatch to time this. The reconnaissance I am conducting at this point is meant to identify where the large ships are in the convoy. I then plot them on the navigation map.


ii) Periscope down, I approach. My aim is to end up 500m at maximum from my target vessels. I am generally just inside the convoy.

iii) Using my weapons officer for that added bit of speed, I generate solutions on all priority (Read: Large amounts of GRT) targets and fire.

iv) With torpedoes in the water, I turn towards the tail of the convoy, simultaneously lowering my periscope and pushing the engines to ahead flank. Making maximum revolutions on electric, I then dive. Once I come near the rear of the convoy, I execute a sharp turn and run silent.

v) This generally puts me in a position to stay very near a merchantman and slowly dive. This keeps the escorts from attacking me, and often, as they have lost me on ASDIC, they will not acquire me on SONAR and begin the "Wabo Dance of Death."

It may have helped that I always crewed a Type VIIB or VIIC, which has a much smaller profile than the IX and a respectable torpedo capacity, unlike the II.

PavelKirilovich, when moving slow, do not forget to turn on 'silent running' (Z key). This options shuts talking, pumping and loading of torpedoes.
Further, do not pass 100 rpm. There is a dial in the command room (shift+F2).

What I always do is get in the path of the convoy, 2500 meters from the center. Persicope depth 14 meters. You can use plotting the center forward escort to estimate the center of the convoy's tracks. I should then be between the first en second convoy lane; just inside the convoy on a perpendicular course (I mean exactly 90 degrees). That's where I start waiting and let the forward escorts pass by. I use my 'torpedo bearing table' to set up a straight shot at two ships and send them both two torpedoes. Even before I launch I hit the D key to begin a slow silent dive and after launch I set speed to just below 2 knots, making sure the engine rpm stays below 100.
I turn the boat to pass the convoy diagonally (is that a word?). I then maneuvre depending on what the escorts do. Stay out of their path.

I never go below 140-150 meters because there is a point where you cannot stop the boats dive at this slow speed anymore, and you will only descent unless you increase speed, alerting the escorts!

Read the Convoy attack article on my kielman website!!!! :D

Argh, it's time for a lesson:

Running on the surface in anything but pitch black is asking for trouble. You're a lot more visible, and depending on your speed, you make a pretty bow wave and wake too. If you need to do it, go in decks awash, and no faster than ahead slow.

Too fast, too fast. Ahead slow. They'll pick you up on the hydrophones. Remember silent running

You were too slow getting down.

Okay, my tips for convoys...

1) You should never actively attack a convoy. It's the wrong attitude, and it'll get you killed. What you should be doing is setting a trap for it. Plot the course, calculate an intercept, and be ahead. Get in silent running. Stay submerged. Use the hydro guy to keep an eye on the convoy. Pop the peri up every now and then to pick your target. You should have a clear idea of the layout of the convoy.Get in nice and close once the lead escort has passed, ideally less than a km from the predicted path of your chosen vessels. Ensure you know how deep the water is.

2) Fire your torps. If you're close to other vessels, pop the peri up, fire, drop it down. If you have breathing space, you can leave the peri up to trace your target. Remember, they don't know you're here. If they get spooked, they'll start to zig zag, and chances are your running fish will miss.

3) Once the torps hit, well, the cat is out of the bag. They know you're around, and they have a good idea where the torps have come from. Crash diving will put you at ahead flank. After you hit 50 meters or so, drop your speed back to ahead slow, pick your depth, and change heading. I usually run ahead flank into and under the convoy's line, then turn to head out the back of the convoy at ahead slow, silent running. The remaining ships will make it harder for the dd's to make dc runs. Instead of facing your bow at the dd's hunting you, put them behind you. Your sonar man may lose them occasionally, but you're trying to put as much distance between you and the dd's as possible. You'll know when you'e bing pinged, and you'll hear the propellors if they come on a dc run. Try to keep your arse to the enemy.

If you're close, it'll count. If the ship sails 40 kms away and then sinks, you'll get squat.

Excellent advice given above!

Coming from you is praise indeed :oops:

One other piece of advice... Lock Bernard in the Brig.

This is the submerged tactics I use, not necessarily correct, but based on hard gameplay experience.

1/ Warships don't attack until they detect or suspect you. They will use passive detectors only to listen while your undetected.

Tactics while undetected
Go into silent running. The further away warships are the faster you can go, (Needs experience). When close drop revs to 100 or 1 knot. (I have made a mod that does this at press of a button).

2/ Pinging, active detector. If you hear this then they have heard you.
There's 2 states. Pinging searching and detected, (Get to know the difference).

3/ If they are pinging searching. Then move away from that ship, distance and profile are important. Keep same tactics as undetected to avoid passive sensors. (I've had ships pass overhead without dropping depthcharges. This part is nerve racking and exciting).

4/ Pinging detected
If this happens then your cover is blown. Go into flank speed with partial turn away from that ship, (not full turn as this reduces your speed). You must continue this until you lose the detected pinging sound, most important as he will direct ships onto you. If ships come overhead make drastic course alteration and use tactics to avoid depthcharges, keep speed high to avoid them.

5/ Pinging searching
When you get this drop speed right down and go to silent running. You are back to state 3. Warships will spread out hunting for you. You'll get searching pings from all directions but keep cool and silent. Use sonar to tell nearest contact and then reduce profile.

P.S.
I have used these tactics successfully in the English Channel 30 metres max when surrounded by many warships making my sonar useless (too many contacts).

Some good tips here boys. One thing I might add that makes a big difference in the late war: don't attack a convoy in glass-still water. Rough seas provide great sound cover, and sonar cover. In the late war, enemy sensors are so good that attacking in perfectly still water means you will probably be detected, and you will not be able to lose your attacker. Rough seas can really make your escape easier (or possible).

Keeping your sonar cross-section small by facing or turning away from pursuers is not a bad idea, especially at long range. But when your enemy starts a depth charge run (screw-count hits the roof, depth-charges hit the water), speed up, change depth, and turn so that your boat appraoches the perpendicular to your persuer. This makes it hard to drop depth-charges along the length of your boat. Slow back down before all the charges go off.

First of all you have to learn the difference between a DC run and a passover run. Nothing worse than giving away your position if it is the latter.

If active sonar (ping) hasn't detected you they will attack the last position they have heard you with passive or active. If far enough away from that blast area then keep quite and cool let them pass overhead, dont give away your position with high screw revs or sharp turns causin cavitation, they will pass overhead on their way to the drop zone.

If they are pinging you detected then you are exposed and you should make every effort to avoid the active sensor making a sound is not as important as avoiding the active detection.

What signals the difference between pinging searching and pinging detected?

Thanks.

A difficult question to answer in a precise manner, thats why experiencing it yourself is important as you will develop a feeling, but I will try to re-live my moments and answer your question as I experience it.

Searching ping
Is a constant melodinous ping, seems external or distant. Changes in pitch, loudness or rate is slow.

Contact Ping
Goes from above to all or some of the following.
A single much louder ping. Perhaps due to hitting hull.
A rapid change in pitch, loudness and rate. Perhaps due to warships rapid increase in speed and homing in on detection.
Can be heard on the hull, I'm sure I've even heard the echo.

I haven't played for a while due to modding, so I have had to explain from memory. But I can honestly say that I know when I've been detected.

The soundman will also tell you when the enemy has located you.