Prime merchant spots?
 

While on vac in Aruba, saw a WWII merchant wreck that's a dive/scuba spot. Thought about creating my own tourist attractions in the Pacific! :D Can anyone advise on prime spots for merchants? I follow the merchant shipping lane maps, but only get limited results. I've been to Fermosa and around the Solomon Islands in early 1942, but did better near Manila.

TIA!

Lee

Depends, traffic can change depending on what mods you use, ect. Different supermods effect the rate that traffic spawns, ect. Another factor is what year.

Early war you will find lot's of invasion forces. They first hit the Phillipines. If you start the way out of Manila just head north to Lingayen gulf. Take time to study history a little on line. This is a good map that shows the paths invasion forces take and also good for battles. http://www.historyanimated.com/pacificwaranimated/ Take Java for instance, in Feb of 42 there are many invasion forces.

I prefer RSRD, a mod that corrects the traffic layers, but it cuts down on a lot of single traffic. However, I prefer the large correct convoys. Many convoys have 50 plus ships.

If you're playing stock, ships spawn pretty much anywhere at anytime, that's why I prefer mods that correct traffic. A good thing to do is sit in a narrow strait, ships much easier to find.

i used to lay off most of the major japanese ports, waiting for traffic coming and going through there.

the big civilian ocean liners run there, and are alot of bang for your buck,just watch out for the escorts in shallow water.:arrgh!:

Would you mind naming a few, please? Excluding Tokyo Bay, i am unfamiliar with which ports are "Major," and which are not.

I gotta tell ya, I'm running RSRDC and I get lots of singles! And it's early in the war! Maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know.

I haven't been lucky in finding any merchant shipping lanes in open ocean, most of my luck has been close to the coasts.

Remember it's historic. The game will still spawn random traffic, but if you want the large 50 ship convoys and get into the battles, just look into historical locations and you'll have some of the most fun you've had.

Take the Solomons. If you time it right you can attack the Shoho invasion group, partake of the battle of Coral Sea, then attack the retreating Port Moresby invasion force....just use you torps carefully...:D

Investigating ports and locating fishing grounds is all part of the fun. I found quite a few harbors that I frequently hunt but spent countless hours probing, investigating and, dodging countless DD to find them. Now you want me to throw that all out on the table?:D:03:
Actually, any port is a potential gold mine. You have to investigate them for yourself. Where there are DDs this time, the next visit may find the port completely unguarded. I've been surprised, on more than one occasion, by large ports, full of large merchants yet, virtually unguarded.

Major Johnson: "I gotta tell ya, I'm running RSRDC and I get lots of singles! And it's early in the war! Maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know."

No, I'm running RFB/RSRDC and I get frequent singles too. I'm also early in the war though.

Yeah, you're right! That is all part of the fun! I've already found a couple of unguarded ports in the Hokkaido area and in the Ryukyu Islands. In vanilla SHIV, i would raid the ports of Guam and Saipan, but since i got TMO, Zekes and tin cans have been tearing my boat to shreds! :damn:

Now, though, i usually head for Kushiro in the island of Hokkaido, but i'll try to overcome my fear of shallow water and try to infiltrate some ports in Honshu. Thanks for the tip. Good Hunting! :salute:

Have you tried Area 7 and the Bungo Straits? My hotspot is just east of the "n" in "Bungo". With a little patience, many tankers await you! :arrgh!:

:Edit: The above was with TMO 1.9 in late '42 and early-mid '43.

:Edit2: That's west, not east! Why do i always do that!? :damn: