Do you let the small one's go?
 

So far when I've come across lone small merchants or coastal merchants I've been putting them down. Seems like Bdu would want me to sink whatever i come across in real life, but in game finding ships is not as hard as i figure it was in real life. So just wondering what everybodies philosophy is on this?

Hold your torpedoes and wait for bigger fish to fry? Or sink'em all and head back to the nightclub for a party ?

:ping:

In general I let anything smaller than a C2 live another day...unless it is calm enough to use my deck-gun.

Me to :ping:

If they are allied, I sink them!

I tend to use my deck gun on anything smaller than a c2. Will usually try and kill it by whatever means if it's enemy, but if I think I may get a convoy later I may save my torps. Was gutted in a previous patrol when I came across a convoy after wasting a few torpedos on smaller fry and only had 2 aft and 4 front left, was virtually no escort, perfect conditions. Sunk 2 and hit 3 others. If only I had a few more shots left!

Me too. I hate to let anything go since I play RUB and might not see another ship the rest of the patrol.

I agree if they are little ships that don't pose much threat, then use the deck gun and save your torps. But I don't let anything get off too easy. Sometimes if the situation isn't right, i'll bail on it and let them go, but if the opportunity is there to sink something, I take it.

Usually, my prescripion for a small vessel is plenty of deck gun, but if I'm in a dry spell and I've gotta sink something then I'll give it a whack with at least one fish.

Have to agree with "if they're allied sink them," with one qualification. I never sink very small ships like tugboats and fishing boats. Those guys have a bad enough time as civilians having to make a living in a war zone, and don't need me making it worse. Though now that I've seen armed tugs - the result of who-knows-which mod - I have on occasion fired back. Still, I nearly always save my munitions for coastal merchants or larger.

small merchants: torpedo
coastal merchants: deckgun

I hunt everything but the fishing trawlers :arrgh!:

I once sank a armed trawler as I was crusing through the english channel just because it was a cheap shot with a torpedo. The seas were rough or I would have considered the deck gun.

I once trailed a fishing boat (merchant! constant distance!) for 40 minutes in the atlantic thinking that it was an actual merchant until I got to within 300 meters (damned weather!) and realized it was not only neutral, but a fishing boat. Now, I ask you... what fisherman is going to be out in 25 knot winds, rain, fog and a war on? hm!?

^ Haha. Well the game can't be perfect I guess.

If I trailed him for 40 minutes - the answer to your question would be 'a dead one' - ill take the hit on points for the satisfaction.

A hungry one.