I've posted a number of times about the deck gun. It's clearly one reason why people are able to achieve what I consider to be stupidly high tonnage levels in single patrols.
I don't use the DG unless I have hit a target with a torp OR the target is so small it's not worth a torp. Once I'm out of torps I go home. Usually I have tons of DG ammo, as I tend not to use it much. If I encounter an unescorted and unarmed merchant while heading home I'll use DG on it, but I don't hang around on patrol acting as some kind of submersible gun platform, which I believe plenty of people do (based on their tonnages).
Dick O'Kane referred to the DG in both
Wahoo and
Clear the Bridge.
- he stated the view that a DG was, under normal circumstances, a pretty pointless wepon for a sub. The Jap merchants were often armed, and he (rightly) had healthy respect for their gunnery skills.
- a single shell from a merchant could destroy/cripple/render unable to dive a sub. Surface gunnery just wasn't worth it unless target was unarmed.
- O'Kane mentions they achieved a r.o.f. of around 6-7rpm.
- 2 ships were sunk exclusively by gunfire...I'm pretty sure they took around 70-90 rounds fired to sink them (from a 3.5" DG, and an 88mm is 3.46" technically).
The DG in SHIV was even more absurd, like you were firing a 16". A few shots could take down a liner.
I use 10 seconds in SHIII Cmdr (although NYGM defaults to this, I think).
The point about transverse bulkheads is critical. You sink ships through flooding, and that requires holing sufficient compartments. If a ship has only 2-3 compartments, that's not so hard. Putting repeated hits into a single compartment won't do nearly as much as spreading the damage. GWX and NYGM seem to model this; get 5-6 hits below waterline aft, midships and in the bow and you're on the way to causing grief.
In short, I think DGs are too powerful and it is too easy to 'abuse' this weapon. S has been stated, however, this is just a game so people are free to do as they wish. For me, I try to act in a way I think is roughly consistent with general tactics adopted bu u-boats, but that's just my preference.
cheers