How do you feel about harbor raids?
 

I have done a few harbor raids in my previous careers, but for my current one (and all later ones), I decide that I will only raid a harbor if I havn't attack it before (in all my previous careers). And since I am doing DiD, I will only attack a harbor if a) before 1941 AND b) the harbor has deep water nearby. So far in these career, I have none, since it's already 42, none will be planned in the future.

My second choice would have been the last choice.

This is just my own personal playing preference.

I have only raided a few ports in my day.

Because i am a DiD player... i find that it is not worth the risk generally speaking.

In real life there were a lot more hazards to the u-boat than the typical SH3 net/mine business. and most harbors had areas where ships could tie up where it would be nearly impossible to get a torpedo into.

most times, when a u-boat was suspected in a port, it would practically be a done deal for the escorts etc to trap the u-boat within the confines of the port.

for the most part... port raiding almost never took place in real life. so i dont really do it unless im in a major dry spell and it is 1939 - 40

I think GWX would have done well to put hundreds of mines around ports, and if not that... at least a few layers of sub nets.

EDIT: because i think that the AI structure in SH3 was not meant to properly address or retaliate to port raiding... i voted "shameless exploitation" hehehe

I put a nice challenge. I find it can become pretty intense at times, especially when I bump into a subnet after the painstakingly cautious approach I just made.

On the downside, harbor raiding can bring out some glaring AI issues. :hmm:

Like a good sailor I like plenty of water under my keel.
I like harbors where I can have a bath, a stiff drink, woo the local ladies and have a good meal.

Harbour raiding doesn't meet any of the above criteria.:roll:

If you are playing "realistically" the odds of a real-life U-boat commander getting orders to attack a harbor were virtually NIL.

(We put them in GWX for the sake of 'completeness' and to give a sense that the SH3 world was living, breathing, and active.)

If you like easy tonnage and all that stuff due to limited time to play etc... well anything goes doesn't it? :D

Exciting challenge.

After days of putzing around, with not much to kill, I find a little blood curdling terror just the thing. You have to be willing to risk a career, however. It's actually fairly rare for me...I've only done 2 since coming back to SH3...lived once (Scapa Flow) and died once (Dover).

As far as reality...if I was into that much reality, I would never leave 1x time compression and actually spend weeks, real time, looking for something to kill. THAT'S reality...how many are that much into it? :rotfl:

birds of a feather my friend :up:

I have several
'not so nice' mods for Harbor raiders.
All are based on the true defenses used.

They were discussed, tested, and turned down for 3.0

It was decided to many people would complain about getting
blown to Hades when they encountered
Real Harbor defenses.
:nope:

????
Gimme

I'll have to rebuild them.
Seems I lost them during installer tests.
:rotfl:

But they are wicked cool!!
:cool:

Sound listening devices,
which were implemented in WWI.

And those are attached to land control points.
Which had a bad habit of setting off complete Minefields
when a sound was detected!

Imagine being in the middle of a Mine field when the whole field goes BOOM!!
:rotfl:

Yes a rather large portion of the channel was mined with mines that could be remote detonated in WW1
Imagine the same was in use in WW2

Scharnhorst and Gneisau never would never have made it.....not much else. I think the Germans were smart enough to never stray into the channel, so mines would've been useless.

Seriously! Remote mines and listening devices would be pretty slick...

Harbor raids are cool, it's awesome to sneak in close at night and see all the lights, and ships docked. You set up some firing sequences, let loose and then turn and sneak away. Your crew cheers minutes later when explosions start happening, your Chief pats you on the back and your about to light that cigarette when all hell breaks loose.

You get so many Contact: Warship, Closing Fast reports that you actually feel sorry for your sonar man, until the depth charges send you and your ship straight to the bottom - which by the way isn't more than 60 feet.

Not deep enough you think, and the damage reports start rolling in, along with screams as your crew slowly drowns. For those that survive that, there's the gasping as the air runs out and the last thought you have is:

Never, I repeat never, ever raid a harbor.

Just an extra note:

As a Homage to Prien, I will attack a British port in 1939 if the game assigns me the boat U-47 by random. (which happen twice so far)