Attacking Scapa Flow
 

Attacking the British Naval base Scapa Flow is a rewarding way to start or end a patrol. It is one of the larger naval bases that the British own and is well defended. You will have to avoid the sub-nets, destroyers and coastal batteries. This can be achieved fairly easy.

This is the easiest way in/out of the harbor. You will avoid most of the nets.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/5382/45043238.png

It is best to stick to the coast line, and at dark/storm. (coast is just over there)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/812/89671351.png

You will see a lighthouse in the distance, dont worry its 18km away...
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/435/14698632.png

...See
http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3373/33127824.png

As the passage narrows you will see barriers (Sunken Ships) Pass by them
and then submerge (unless you want to become target practice)
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/8206/83744821.png

Now go nuts, get it done fast then get the hell out.
http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/9143/70222783.png
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/14/52765407.png
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1624/36032179.png
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/8039/36508406.png

After it's all over it should look like this
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9617/85585301.png
Or hopefully better:DL

As you make it back through the Ship Barriers it's best to man the 88mm
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7175/14015821.png
that is unless you still have torpedoes

When are you able to do this?

I haven't played in a long time but in essay procrastinating i went and started reading this forum I had in my bookmarks lol

I tried to attack Scapa Flow, I did it at the same date of the historical raid on it so I figured there would be ships in there.

After pain-stakingly winding my way in and nearly getting the **** blown out of me (I got really lucky when a destroyer or corvette or something that was chasing me ran aground) I made it to the harbour and there was nothing there!

I was really pissed at my waste of time so I just surfaced and shot my deck gun or AA gun (i can't remember if I even had a deck gun at this point) at some buildings and waited for the royal navy to come get me.

Dont forget that in GWX there are torpedo nets protecting many of the ships docked there.

I ventured there once early in '39. After a very, very long crawl following basically the same course as you, I made it to the harbor. Found a very nice troop transport and fired two at her. I saw the impacts on my scope, but the ship didnt move at all...:hmmm: So I figured it was a magnetic failure, reloaded and fired again...no joy :damn:

After much cursing in both Spanish, English, and some German, I moved the camera to see what was going on. Hold and behold that there was a torpedo net about 100yrds. away from the ship and had absorbed all four torps. Frustrated I blew ballast, hit the gas and charged in gunning :rock: and that lasted about three minutes for I had forgotten the two other destroyer types less then 300 meters from my last reported position...:oops:

I'm sailing Bismarck around mostly whenever I play SH3, so I just sail in like I own the place shooting everything up.

A tip for you sub captains, set the torp depth for the surface - they'll cruise right over the nets into your targets.

I can't resist the urge to sneak into British naval bases... but it's not that rewarding.

From several attempts, I'd suggest not bothering to shoot at any troops transports there. Bloody nets.

There's usually some cruiser to be tagged there as well as a few merchants deeper in the harbour. I only encountered a capital ship once there, sinking the Hood in the first week of the war.

I hit it any time after the war starts, I use GWX and there are PLENTY of ships to hit there. After you make it in, yeah there is one net that I forgot to mention by that troop transport. But to hit the tankers that are docked you have to pass the net anyway so this was not even close to being a problem for me (worked as an advantage cause the DD's would have to navigate around the net usually hitting stuff along the way)

It's very easy to get in there you just pass the barriers then dive, crack a beer have afew smokes and your there in no time. Like I said though Hit it at DARK or in STORMY weather or become surface battery practice.

It's a pretty standard attack. You just have to keep your scope down, and make it IN the harbor not the outside of it.

As far as it being rewarding, Iv'e hit many convoys before and the one thing it takes is Time. You can make it from Wilhelmshaven to Scapa Flow, Hit it and be back in 7-10 days with a good 30000-40000tons

Oh I see. I didn't sail that far in last time, nor from the same direction. I tend to raid through the channel that leads out into AN15. From time to time I run across a couple of parked J-class destroyers there. If I head north into the bay, past the searchlights on shore, there are usually a couple of corvettes parked to the east. On your screenshot of the Nav Map, that would be about 12-15km southwest-ish of your 36km waypoint. I play stock SHIII and I don't remember which year I first encountered those, so I have no certainty as to what you might find there. May be worth a look though if you want some extra tonnage.

kdv, you are right about the torpedo depth settings. I ran into a sub net on a raid into Portland one night. Took a look around with the ship cam and noticed some overhead clearance, which worked out nicely because earlier I had spotted a C2 sitting pretty at dock. Figured 1 meter run depth would do the trick and let a couple of eels out. Sure as rain, they glided right over the sub net and sped onward to the target.

Little Uboots, welcome to Subsim. :salute:

Hi all, I'm trying this method right now, although there is a large (what i think is) torpedo net running across the sunken ships. I submerged just before them because i spotted a coastal gun just behind them on the shore. I've taken damage but i think i can quickly surface to get over it then submerge again (I hope that gun doesn't spot me) :doh:

Edit: I can safely say this tactic doesn't work (at least in the summer as there is not enough night to work with) after jumping back over that fence by the sunken ships i was spotted by the coastal gun and cornered. Finally I was destroyed in a collision with a Destroyer being pushed up the shore bank, forced to surface to try to break free and fire my deck gun but was destroyed. :wah:

Well I don't know what to tell you that I hadn't already. Like I said twice before
hit it at DARK/STORM. (Meaning when you can't see past 500m)

I guess I'll have to hit it in the summer then, as every time I go there it tends to be in winter. But just cause it may be summer doesn't mean you can't do it, it still rains in the summer:88)

I used to play stock as well, but only started hitting harbors after I installed GWX3. I'm surprised at how many people are playing it stock, the only reason I was because I did not know about all the mods for the game.

Yeah I think I'll investigate that area though, last time I found a battleship:)

Yeah the first time that I hit it I somehow managed to miss the nets, the second time though I wasted a torpedo on one, also wasted a torpedo on a ship I had sunk already (was aiming at some tanker and struck a ship laying on the bottom)

Cheers for the welcome :salute:

So you fellas all play with this GWX mod then? I was playing on vanilla, would this explain why scapa was completely friggin empty when I got there?

You know thats probably the exact reason. I should have posted that I was playing with GWX3 And Commander. I recommend GWX to all SH3 players, it enhances the game play/realism by alot.

I will do another attack and post more details. (nets, batteries, destroyer locations) In GWX3 (at least on my install) when it gets dark I can't even see the bow of my sub, so I never have a problem with batteries.

this morning, before i had to drag myself to work for 12hrs of fun and grease i got an hour in to play with my new xxi, did my 24hr patrol sank a couple of merchants, a destroyer, then decided to check out lock ewe, took my time crept in to about ten or so miles out and my sound contacts went nuts, there were destroyers parked everywhere it seemed, they were at the docks, parked at the shoreline, i sank 8 destroyers and a destroyer escort before i ran out of torpedoes, this is in early 1940, what a great morning.
dyslexic doggie.:arrgh!:

Thanks for the tip, but were there any merchants? (or 4000+ ton ships)
I like doing harbor attacks, and am trying to find more ports to attack.

If I get ballsy enough ill head for gibraltor but I cant help but feel like it would be suicide:dead: