Surviving
I was getting killed on a regular basis in the begining too. My longest run was 1.5 patrols...
I burned the following lessons into my head, which I would follow - NO MATTER WHAT!
1. On a submerged convoy attack, once the shooting has started, you dive to 300+ feet RIGHT *&%#@! NOW (meaning without delay; no "just one more minute at PD to make this last shot...), if
A: a destroyer is coming anywhere near you;
B: you have no tubes currently loaded;
It takes time to get from PD to 300+ feet, and destroyers love to kill you as you're passing around 100-200 feet on you way down, which means you need to pass 200+ feet BEFORE a destroyer is even close to being overhead...
2. Unless you have the working SD radar, you spend ALL DAY submerged to avoid air attack in enemy territory. Spending time on the surface in enemy territory without 100% working SD radar is Russian roulette - it's just a matter of time before the odds kill you...
3. (Personal Choice - not all will agree) I do not attack escorted convoys on the surface, day or night. The time required to get from the surface to 300+ feet (also known as SAFETY) is far greater than the time it takes for a destroyer, having suddenly detected you, to gun you full of holes, and then depth charge your sinking carcass for good measure.
Since implementing these SOPs, I have survived (so far) into my fifth patrol, with over 300,000 tons sunk, none of which have been my submarine...
Hope that helps.
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