[GWX] Destroyers and plunging fire
 

Recently I decided to test just what the deck gun of a type IX can and can't do... and was very very surprised at its capabilities at around 5km.

I know destroyer decks were fairly thin, and sort of hoped for the chance of hitting a magazine... something to try when desperate (cornered, unable to dive).
What I got was a destroyer sinking quickly and without much fuss. After 4 hits. Figuring I got lucky, I tried if I could reproduce it.
Another destroyer destroyed, after... 2 hits.

I repeated this a couple of times and found plunging fire very effective against destroyers. It doesn't even seem to matter where I hit them. Hull, waterline, deck... if I spot them first they will go down long before they can effectively return fire.
Having them close the distance is a bigger concern, as direct fire at short ranges is quite useless in comparison (and there's the slight problem of a destroyer tearing you apart).

I'm fairly sure this hasn't actually happened in the war. Can anyone tell me what is going on, and if any parts of this are realistic? Even if the lethality of 105mm shells employed in this manner is, I still have my doubts about the ability of submarines to score hits reliably in this manner.

Fun but in real life a non starter IMHO.
Subs are so vulnerable to damage that to engage in shot for shot action was not a good idea.
I stay clear of merchants with a gun on the poop, never mind a fast, armed destroyer.
SH3 deck gun accuracy can be pretty good and, I would suspect a little unrealistic.

None of it has a place in reality.

You found a flaw in SH3.
Hopefuly, they'll fix it for SH5.

My experiences were quite the opposite....9+ times out of 10 I was destroyed:hmmm:

i have four shot a merchant, other times i gunned a merchant with 50 shells and it just sailed away. that time, i tried to take out a destroyer first, by fiering a 50-ish shells on him, and all he did was starting to zig zag...:damn: