Sinking.

[andym]

I have a small question.Just how many torpedos does it take to sink a ship?Ok,a small one will be a single one,but last night i hit an Empire class cargo/freighter with one fish and it seemed to refuse to sink so i gave it 2 more.Is this over kill or is there a rule of thumbe ie 1 fish will sink x tons of vessel?

[meduza]

In fact, it appears that the smaller ships are harder to sink then the big ones . Usually, one hit at a bow will sink most of the merchants, but it may take a while. To be sure, I fire 2 eels, one at bow, and one bellow the chimney.

[Letum]

It depends on so many factors. Not least a little luck.

If you have the patience, just use one. You can always attack the convoy again to
finish it off.
If you are in a rush, 2 will cripple or sink most vessels most of the time.

Bear in mind that sining two 16,000 ton ships with 1 torp each may be better than
sinking one 30,000 ton ship with two torps.


Personally I fire one torp on the bow and one aft because my manual targeting
requires me to hedge my bets on which way I made the inevitable error.

[GoldenRivet]

fire two shots at anything over 3,000 tons and observe the target for at least 3 hours

[mr chris]

1 Torpedo one to 1 ship for anything under 13000t is my rule of thumb.
I try to aim for the Bow or Stern of the ship.
9/10 This will either lead to the ship sinking or losing headway all together or finally slowing down enough so she will lose contact with the convoy, then she should become easy pickings.

Good hunting

[melnibonian]

As the previous hunters stated it depends on a number of factors. As a rule of thumb I shoot one torpedo at the engine room or another vital point (you will pick them up with experience for the different ships) to ensure a kill. If the ship is big (above 5-6000 tones) then I shoot two torpedoes at different compartments.

If on the other hand I am hunted by escorts I try to finish them as quickly as possible so I fire up to three torpedoes some times depending on the situation.

[Philipp_Thomsen]

I don't use fishes for ships smaller then 8k.

For ships above 8k, one torpedo at the bow will do. I use mainly magnetic set 1m below the keel.

For battleships, two torpedoes at the bow, 15 meters spacing one another.

It takes quite a while for a ship to sink using those rules, but sure maximizes the reliability of the torpedos, ensuring maximum tonnage.

I move from convoy to convoy shooting only the biggest ships, and almost never wait for reloading. I use only my six torpedos avaliable (IXB, 4 stern, 2 aft), choose the six biggest targets and move away before being detected.

For ships with less then 8k, sailing alone, I use the deckgun.

Ships with less then 3k I don't even waste my time.

[onelifecrisis]

Sometimes I'll use 2 torps on a big ship to be reasonably certain that it'll sink and sink quickish. For example, if the convoy is heading into shallow waters and will reach them before I can reposition for a second attack. Or when I'm just feeling impatient.

Otherwise, when there are deep waters all around, I'll usually fire 1 torp at each target (impact, aimed at the bow - this sinks 2/3 merchants in my experience) then escape, flank the convoy, and come in for a second attack. On the second attack I use 2 torps per target to make sure they sink, then escape, then surface and head backwards along the course of the convoy towards where the first attack happened, because any ships which didn't sink on the first attack will usually be found limping along some distance behind the convoy, alone, and can be finished off easily.

It doesn't always work. Sometimes a ship takes 2 torps and doesn't sink. Sometimes an injured ship heads straight for the nearest port instead of carrying on along the convoy course. But mostly this technique works well for me.

[Sailor Steve]

I've found accounts of u-boats stopping small merchants, letting the crew abandon ship, and then setting them on fire and watching them sink.

On the other hand I found one account of a u-boat torpedoing a 500-ton barge. Maybe it looked bigger through the periscope.:rotfl:

[meduza]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

On the other hand I found one account of a u-boat torpedoing a 500-ton barge. Maybe it looked bigger through the periscope.:rotfl:

Maybe Bernard switched labels for 1x and 6x magnifications. :rotfl:

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by meduza

Maybe Bernard switched labels for 1x and 6x magnifications. :rotfl:

:rotfl:

[CCIP]

Hey, a barge can look an awful lot like an aircraft carrier from a distance!




I mean c'mon

[meduza]

- Joe, are you sure we landed on the right carrier? :hmm:
- I'm not sure anymore. It did look bigger when we took off.

[Philipp_Thomsen]

You guys crack me up... :rotfl:

[onelifecrisis]

LMAO @ meduza