Historically Accurate Convoy Behavior?

[CptGlub]

Was it IJN policy to have a convoy stop and mill around when they knew a sub was in the area?

If I remember right, Allied Atlantic policy for convoys was to keep going no matter what. They couldn't even stop to help survivors.

Seems to me that speed and random direction/speed changes would be a better defense than stopping when engaged by an enemy sub.

Just curious. Had some time on my hands waiting for a milling convoy and escorts to give it up and return to course.

[Hellguard3]

Sometimes when a particular event is scripted like an invasion or a dropoff of supplies to troops ashore the game have convoys mill about. You can see this alot when you start a patrol in 1941 at manila, all up the north rast side about 4 or 5 convoys with heavy escorts will pause about 5 miles offshore. They are easy pickings, especially at night. Which is historically accurate as offloading/staging troop ships are notoriously easy targets, for both planes and subs.

A good example is the Tokyo Express, regularly raided while offloading by pt-boats at night.

[propbeanie]

... and the game's AI really isn't "intelligent", especially if you happen to knock-off the leader of the pack. Sometimes its almost like they want tickets to the show that the DD are about to provide, courtesy your submarine, but if you give the DD the slip, you can get another one or two... some of the mods do attempt to correct the behavior, but as I was told as a child, "you can't fix stupid"... If you want to see an improvement though, you can edit the mission file, and bump the merchant vessels' efficiency level up to veteran or elite... 'course, you may never be able to hit another with a torpedo, but they won't be standing around as much usually... :wink:

[Armistead]

usually when they know you're there, the game ai has one terrible behavior, the group slows down and basically they helm left and right, not a real zig pattern.. i've chased TF going 19 or more knots at night with no hope of catching them and shot over and over from long range with the deck gun until i hit one just so they would slow down for me...or shoot a torp from long range out of site by radar close enough they would see it and slow down and sometimes even get lucky. sometimes, but rare it seems, attacking merchant convoys, they do more realistic tactics, the ships take off in different directions, different speeds, but slowly work back together as a group as escorts hunt you....