US coast in 42

[Stix]

Well, i'm very dissapointed, i just completed my first patrol to the US coast in my IXC but targets where very few and far between.

I had real eough weather going over there which burned up a bit more fuel, i got a little over a week patrolling before i was down to 50% fuel. I managed to make contact with only 1 merchant ship in that time! Lots of DD's and a hospital ship but only 1 merchant was very dissapointing.

I might stick to the western approaches from now on.

Stix

[Letum]

So much for the second happy time!

Are you useing GWx? What grids did you cover?

[Jimbuna]

Get into the caribbean (tanker territory)
You might even come across a similar vessel to your own (assuming your in GWX)

[Stix]

Yeah using GWX

Mainly patrolling between Norfolk and New York on the edge of the deep water. Just did a second patrol in the same area, again lots of DD's and few merchants, ran in to lots of large convoys up around Halifax, many many DD's and convoys that change direction every 20-30 km made life real hard. I managed to get in to 1 convoy, took out 2 tankers, a victory, whale factory, black swan and DD, got hit by a depth charge travelling at 2 knots at 200 meters 2 mins after releasing a bold, took out my hydrophone and radar so i'm rtb

I would like to crack the US market with my pretty IXC but opportunitys seem few.

Where abouts do you patrol the carribean for tankers? Does a IXC have the range leaving from Lorient? I seem to only just have enough to make the trip to New York worth while i.e. enough fuel for a week patrol and ahead standard here and there getting in to position.

Stix

[Corsair]

I don't have the exact dates in mind, but there should be a milkcow somewhere at this time ?

[Stix]

Yeah there is one out there but i don't use Commander so it's about as useful as tits on a bull for me.

Stix

[Corsair]

Milkcows work even without SH3 Commander. Use a little utility called SH3 Patrol to set your stop time to 1 day and assign a new grid if you want to...

[Stix]

Ahhh i just bloody left for EC51 (Central Carribean), Bdu has sent me down there so they must think i have enough fuel :s

4th mission in my IXC maybe i will get to use more than half my torps this patrol, lol. Might go back to VII and hit the western approaches if this keeps up, lol.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Stix

Yeah there is one out there but i don't use Commander so it's about as useful as tits on a bull for me.

Stix

As Corsair said, Milk Cows work without Commander. I will add that you are missing out on the best single tool created for SHIII.

[Ducimus]

Along the US east coast, admittidly it is not my most favorite of places, however, there is acutally ALOT of traffic there. The problem is, most of it is up on the continental shelf at the 30 meter line. Given the patrol concentration in some areas, i tend to not go up on the shelf very often. If you get caught in 30 meters of water by an DD/DE with a clue, it can get pretty ugly fast. On top of that, before you have a radar detector or radar, going up on the shelf in bad visibility has the potential to turn into a death sentence.

Now all that said, there are areas along the US east coast where ships come off of the shelf, allowing you to attack without undue risk

A map, off the top of my head:
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/hot_spots.jpg


Some patrol results:

01 Feb 1942
1334 Patrol 1
U-160, 10th Flotilla
Left at: February 1, 1942, 13:34
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid DB94
02 Mar 1942
2206 DC 65 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 2375 tons
2321 DC 65 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 2374 tons
11 Mar 1942
0214 DB 95 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 4330 tons
12 Mar 1942
0054 DB 94 Ship sunk! Schooner, 17 tons
14 Mar 1942
0037 DB 98 Ship sunk! Whale Factory Ship, 13121 tons
0851 DB 98 Ship sunk! C2 Cargo, 5029 tons
1954 DB 98 Ship sunk! T2 Tanker, 10996 tons
15 Mar 1942
1335 DB 98 Ship sunk! T3 Tanker, 15521 tons
16 Mar 1942
1342 DB 98 Ship sunk! C2 Cargo, 5031 tons
17 Mar 1942
0716 DB 98 Ship sunk! C3 Cargo, 10431 tons
1935 DB 98 Ship sunk! Medium Tanker, 8696 tons
18 Mar 1942
0032 DB 98 Ship sunk! Ore Carrier, 8033 tons
17 Apr 1942
0348 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 12
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 85954 tons

18 May 1942
1620 Patrol 2
U-160, 10th Flotilla
Left at: May 18, 1942, 16:20
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid CA57
28 May 1942
0043 BD 94 Ship sunk! Small Tanker, 4330 tons
03 Jun 1942
1858 CC 35 Ship sunk! Large Merchant, 11747 tons
2023 CC 35 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 2304 tons
04 Jun 1942
0442 CC 35 Ship sunk! C2 Cargo, 4919 tons
08 Jun 1942
2121 CB 61 Ship sunk! C2 Cargo, 4920 tons
20 Jun 1942
1111 CA 79 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 2375 tons
21 Jun 1942
1221 CA 79 Ship sunk! C3 Cargo, 10432 tons
22 Jun 1942
2002 CA 79 Ship sunk! Trawler, 541 tons
23 Jun 1942
0057 CA 79 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 2389 tons
0103 CA 79 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 2234 tons
20 Jul 1942
0734 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 10
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 46191 tons

01 Feb 1942
2343 Patrol 1
U-510, 10th Flotilla
Left at: February 1, 1942, 23:43
From: Lorient
Mission Orders: Patrol grid ED99
25 Feb 1942
2111 ED 96 Ship sunk! Clemson Class , 1190 tons
27 Feb 1942
1259 ED 95 Ship sunk! Large Merchant, 11747 tons
28 Feb 1942
1442 ED 98 Ship sunk! Passenger Liner, 14581 tons
01 Mar 1942
0542 ED 98 Ship sunk! Medium Tanker, 8696 tons
1600 ED 94 Ship sunk! Passenger Liner, 14582 tons
02 Mar 1942
0344 ED 94 Ship sunk! Whale Factory Ship, 13121 tons
05 Mar 1942
0007 ED 41 Ship sunk! Tramp Steamer, 1970 tons
0008 ED 41 Ship sunk! C3 Cargo, 10431 tons
25 Mar 1942
0735 CF 37 Ship sunk! Small Merchant, 2389 tons
31 Mar 1942
1725 Patrol results
Crew losses: 0
Ships sunk: 9
Aircraft destroyed: 0
Patrol tonage: 78707 tons

So ya can't tell me there aint much there

I was at Paukenschlag yesterday too and searched at the edge to deep water... since i was surprised by a destroyer (and sunk) in GW 1.1 I will never ever hit the shelf again over there!

but I was able to sink ~ 50.000BRT during a convoy attack on my way home...

[Der Eisen-Wal]

new york harbour is always full of goodies if u're that desperate for action