Tips please on ships that don't hold a course?
 

Hey all,

I'm still very much a newbie hear, learning as I go. It really is great fun to spend 45 minutes stalking a target, plotting it, setting up a great shot, and finally sinking it to the bottom of the ocean.

I'm getting pretty good at taking down single merchant ships, and i've managed to take out one or two in a convoy if I can dodge the escorts. Generally I get the target's course plotted out and set myself up for an attack using the O'Kane method. Works great!

However i've tried, and failed, to hit several convoy escorts. The problem I have is that they generally don't travel in anything remotely like a straight line. The one I was stalking this morning was essentially doing "S" curves as he headed south, and every time I set up and attack, his profile would change drastically between the time I set it up and fired, and the torpedoes actually got there.

I'm wondering if there are any suggestions on dealing with chips that have erratic courses.

I'm running 1.5 with TMO.

On a side note, I seem to have a lot of torpedoes that prematurely detonate. Am I doing something wrong, or is this just because of how crappy the early Torpedoes are?

Hi, on the subject of dud torpedos, TMO supermod does increase the amount of dud torpedos in no small fraction. On the subject on shooting at zigzaging targets my best idea about that is to try to get an idea of about what course is it zigzaging from, because although making turns it is most likely that it is following a path anyways, get as close a posibble because you are going to have a big margin of error and try to put a spread of torpedos ahead and after the estimate besides the one you think you are going to hit it with. On the other side if it is on zigzag it mike has spotted you and that makes things more difficult. Also there is a mod called SAP (ship acceleration physics) with deals with the fact that some ships, at least warships, and specially destroyers can jump on speed very fast, which means that as soon as it detect your torpedo it will avoid it. Destroyers are prettty difficult to hit.

Welcome to SubSim Agathorn!
 

:sunny:

Escorts do different search patterns as they protect convoys, so It's about impossible to figure a course. Don't concern yourself with escorts, go after the merchants.

If you're found out by an escort, the convoy usually goes into a helming pattern. Often the goal is to target where you think a ship will be when the torps arrive. Usually best to shoot a spread.

The O'Kane method can be dangerous when attacking a group with several escorts as it fixes your path, often leaving you broadside to a escort. Your goal is to keep your sub as narrow as possible to near escorts.

M14's are crappy until about 43, but you can do certain things to help with duds. Use contact settings in rough seas, influence settings in smooth seas. Use the slow speed setting and try to aim so your torps hit at some angle. Many simply use the weaker M10's, because they work...

Use the search button to find info, 1000's of detailed post exist explaining targeting, evasion, etc..

Rule number 1 with escorts, Stay away from them.
Rule number 2, Avoid escorts.
Rule number 3, Don't mess with escorts.
:gulp:

You have to remember that the escorts are usually destroyers. A small ship designed to avoid and outmaneuver guns. They are fast and have a very tight turning radius. They can easily avoid you, and are equiped to find you.

The early war Mk 14s were at best criminally bad. There were more duds and premature detonations than good hits. :hmph: The top brass did not listen to the sub captains and nothing was done. :damn: Around mid 1943, improvements were made and the Mk 14 became good torpedoes. :salute:

Thanks for the tips guys. Sounds like i'm pretty much doing thing right for the most part.

Yeah i'm conscious of my profile when executing attacks. I mostly use this method when I find a lone merchant ship. I just prefer to use it when I can because setting up a more dynamic firing solution is so hard that I find its so hit or miss, even when I do everything right. With things changing so quickly, not to mention it seems getting the proper range is a real pain :D

Nice tip there thanks! I guess that makes sense in a way if the detonator is flaky, those settings would help make it less likely to go nuts. I'll give that a try.

Sounds good to me! Command told me to take them out though, so I gave it a shot. Failed miserably lol.

Thanks everyone!