Downgrade to VII
 

I love the long range and the extra eels of the IX but it's too big and lucks the maneuverability of the VII...It also takes ages to get to periscope depth...
I was sunk twice in 9 petrols (100%) with the VII and twice in only 1 petrol with the new u-boat...I am seriously thinking going back to my VII

The type VII is the way forward. Handles like a beauty and even though lacking the firepower of the IX you won't notice it when evading destroyers. At least you'll be at a decent depth before the first charge is dropped.

Think really carefully when IX boats have a very different force with more eels and deck gun, as you already know, the disadvantage may be that it goes under water so bloody slow, and turn into the small port would be more hard

Each boat has its strengths and weaknesses. When operation Drumbeat comes around, you're going to be wishing you had kept that IX.

A type 9 is not an "upgrade" to a type 7. They are two entirely different class of boats, made for different purposes.

Exactly,when Germany is on the offensive the TypeIX is a class boat,range and loadout are wonderful:yeah:
Come the decline of the U-boatwaffe its a TypeVII you want to be in,dives quicker,handles better,......We are in to self preservation mode then:03:
Bugger winning the war....you want to survive the war!!!!:up:

No, the type 7's were designed around wolf pack tactics at ranges up to the mid atlantic. This wolf pack doctrine dictated their design in terms of range, manuverability and payload.

Type 9's were originally intended to be an at sea command post for those wolfpacks. It was later gleaned that wolf pack command was better handled at shore, and the type 9 was best used as a long range attack boat in areas not accessible to type 7's. In that role they operated alone much of the time, although some did participate in wolfpacks. ( A key note here is that type 9's had the range to get to distant waters, and the payload to make the trip worth while. )

Doctrine has a large part to play here.

"Doctrine has a large part to play here."

Unfortunately for the U-boats,the allies were thinking along different lines:03:
Radar,Long range aircover,escort carriers,ASW patrols put pay to any 'Doctrine'
:up:

Hello mates.

Type IX is my favorite but when survival comes in question then is better to be in Type VII.
She was the "golden middle" of u-boats. Nice balance of range, punch, diving times, etc, etc,...But like was said in above posts, all boats have their strenghts and weakneeses. If you want to survive destroyers poop in shallow and closed waters then your best choice is obviously Type II. To harras convoys and stay alive in the middle of North Atlantic type VII is best. On other hand if you find yourself playing Tortuga pirate in Carribean then you know, Type IX will offer you best performance. Normaly as long as you dont get under depthcharging.
This merging of U-boats is same like comparing fleet boats with u-boats, they performed perfectly in tasks for what they are designed.

How much i read U-boat crews usually selected Type VII for their boat instead Type IX, if they haved opportunity to choose. More cramped living space was fair trade for increased survival.
Anyway, germans whould not produce Type IX that they did not have good purpose for them(long range attack boat).

I'm a IXB/C user. But there are a few things I miss from the VIIC. Namely, the dive times. Moving a IX underwater is like trying to lasso a crippled manatee into position with barbed wire. It's doable but it ain't pretty.

Thats what I like,early in the war its great to have a TypeIX,but as the war progresses its TypeVII time,get down and hide,the world doesn't love you:salute:

Last I played SH3, I took a Type 9C from January 42, all the way through 45. I got nailed by a hedge hog attack a couple months before the war ended (2nd support group ruined my day in biscay bay), but i did make it with a type 9 all that time playing "Dead is dead". You don't need a type 7, you just have to make the right decisions in everything you do.

Knowing the limitations (and achilles heel) of the type IX's is key, it requires a completely different style of play to be successful. If a VII is a large transport truck the IX would be a big 18 wheeler; there are things you just can't do in a big rig that you can with a smaller vehicle. Trying to command a IX using the same tactics/style as you do with a VII is just going to get you killed quickly.

VII's do have a very long range if you stay at optimal cruising speed; I've had several patrols that were 15,000km+ when I finally sailed back into port. VII's were used for Drumbeat and many had good success but longer patrol times. Being forced to travel slower than you do in a IX can add a week or more to your patrol time in travel time alone; then once you get there you have to make every shot count with having such a small torpedo load compared to a IX.