Will They Run Out of DCs?

[Brag]

A kaleun's dream is to take out the escorts and then have a free hand to massacre the convoy.

So far, I've never been able to sink more than one escort. Once surprise is gone . . .

However . . .:hmm:

June 1941, GWX.
I've ran into a convoy NE of Madeira, bagged one large freighter and got the biggest shower of DCs. The bloody salvoes were incredible, about 12 DCs per pass. The following evening, attacked the convoy again. Sank two large freighters. And the escorts gave me another shaking.

The convoy is still a long way from safety. So I plan to have another go at it. This time I'm planning to hit only one good and sure target to provoke the escorts. Eventually they should run out of DCs. Hehe.

I'm getting to know the convoy well. So far, it yielded 38,000 tons.
Any bets in the officer's mess?

[Steppenwolf]

Each Depth charge weapon on board (each K-gun, each rack etc.) has 40 ammo, so depending on what types of escorts they are and how many of them, you may be able to take a wild guess.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Steppenwolf

Each Depth charge weapon on board (each K-gun, each rack etc.) has 40 ammo, so depending on what types of escorts they are and how many of them, you may be able to take a wild guess.

Historically that may have been 40 per rack, GWX bumps this number up I believe. So you can plan on each escort having roughly 150 - 200 charges at their disposal.

[Tijn]

Will the number of DC's be rememberd after you leave the convoy and attack it a day later? Or will it be reset after you lose it out of sight?

[Brag]

I think the convoy has 2 Black Swans and a Flower. However, I've only seen one Black Swan at a time.

Umm, if a Swan drops about 100 DCs per event, they would be down to half their supply by now. Two more attacks and things would become critical for them.

If it's only one Swan--hehe.

BTW, how many Dcs in a Flower?

[Foghladh_mhara]

Met an outbound convoy not too far from there myself patrol before last. Zipping along trying to intercept a single ship contact report in the usual crap weather, wind 15m/s precipitations heavy fog light etc. All of a sudden my WO announces a visual at 0 bearing short range. The short range bit didn't register really so I hit F4 binoculars out and see this C & D destroyer about 200m in front of me going at 90 degrees across my path. Scared the s*** outta me! I mean I physically jumped in real time! Hit full left rudder to avoid a collision and then he see's me. I hit ahead flank before he can turn and hope to lose him in the rain. After a few mins and a change of course later I decide to drop to periscope depth and listen for him. I kick out the muppet who was in the sonar chair and put in the qualified PO. Bloody screen lights up with contact lines, it looked like a cartwheel with me in the middle. Musta been 20 ships and picked up about 5 warships. Couldnt see a thing submerged or surfaced. I blundered about for an hour and that destroyer was the only thing I saw. Infuriating is not the word, I wish you better luck

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Foghladh_mhara

Met an outbound convoy not too far from there myself patrol before last. Zipping along trying to intercept a single ship contact report in the usual crap weather, wind 15m/s precipitations heavy fog light etc. All of a sudden my WO announces a visual at 0 bearing short range. The short range bit didn't register really so I hit F4 binoculars out and see this C & D destroyer about 200m in front of me going at 90 degrees across my path. Scared the s*** outta me! I mean I physically jumped in real time! Hit full left rudder to avoid a collision and then he see's me. I hit ahead flank before he can turn and hope to lose him in the rain. After a few mins and a change of course later I decide to drop to periscope depth and listen for him. I kick out the muppet who was in the sonar chair and put in the qualified PO. Bloody screen lights up with contact lines, it looked like a cartwheel with me in the middle. Musta been 20 ships and picked up about 5 warships. Couldnt see a thing submerged or surfaced. I blundered about for an hour and that destroyer was the only thing I saw. Infuriating is not the word, I wish you better luck

That's how I died , Destroyer opened up on me.

[Pevs86]

Originally Posted by Brag

BTW, how many Dcs in a Flower?

Most I've ever had was 6 passes before he just gave up, even though I wasn't running silent he just buggered off to the convoy

[Steppenwolf]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Historically that may have been 40 per rack, GWX bumps this number up I believe. So you can plan on each escort having roughly 150 - 200 charges at their disposal.

That is NOT correct. Both stock and GWX use 40 ammo per rack, k-gun etc.
Now if the boat in question has 2 depth charge racks and 2 k-guns (not an uncommon arrangement) that would give it about the 160 you mention, so you're not too far off, but its strictly based on how many racks, k or y guns are on board.

As a general note. The number of weapons on board a particular class usually changes several times during the course of the war. Most boats get additional installations as the war progresses, so by late war, most boats will have more ordnance to throw at you.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Steppenwolf

That is NOT correct. Both stock and GWX use 40 ammo per rack, k-gun etc.
Now if the boat in question has 2 depth charge racks and 2 k-guns (not an uncommon arrangement) that would give it about the 160 you mention, so you're not too far off, but its strictly based on how many racks, k or y guns are on board.

That's why I said "I believe" I remember reading that somewhere around here, but I can barely remember my own name most days, let alone how many D/C's a destroyer carries

[Steppenwolf]

Originally Posted by Brag

I think the convoy has 2 Black Swans and a Flower. However, I've only seen one Black Swan at a time.

Umm, if a Swan drops about 100 DCs per event, they would be down to half their supply by now. Two more attacks and things would become critical for them.

If it's only one Swan--hehe.

BTW, how many Dcs in a Flower?

Flowers have 2 depth charge racks from the start (so 80 total). Around June 1941 they gain 2 k-guns (so 160 total). Around September of 1943 they get a hedgehog, so watch out for that later in the war.

Black Swans have 2 depth charge racks and 4 k-guns from the start (so 240 total). Around January of 1941 they get 4 more k-guns (so 400 total). Lots of ordnance to throw around.

[Brag]

Thanks for the info, guys!

30 Jun 41
Convoy Zig-zagging every 80-100 kms. Attacked at 10000. Bagged another large freighter. Weather, calm, haze, visibility 4000 meters. Endured 15 DC passes. Each 10-14 DCs. One escort made 5 passes without dropping, believe it is Flower with no DCs left. Estimated Dc's used 180.

After surfacing to finish off large freighter, sea changed from calm to boisterous. 2 shells sent freighter to the bottom. Will attack again in the evening. 9 torps left (6 for rear tubes. Grrr.

[Brag]

That evening, at 2130 attacked again. I only saw 1 of the four large freighters (the other three must have sunk out of sight) and let it have a torpedo, it sank half hour later.

The escorts came over, mayde five passes and left--maybe they are running out of ashcans. I estimate they spent around 400 DCs so far.

As I was getting around the convoy, I was spotted. A swan and a Flower came after me. There was an explosion aboard the swan as he was dropping about a 1,000 meters away, which wiped out the stern crew and two over the stern racks.

On my next attack, they might exhaust their supply.

[Brag]

In the morning I was lined up again. Nothing but small fry left. The damaged heavies were missing. Clear with rough seas. Torpedoes exploding before reaching target. One Swan gave me three passes, dumped 26 DCs and left. With no good targets left, decided to backtrack found an 11,000 tonne stragler. One torpedo a few meters ahead of the superstructure made it explode. I headed home with 72,000 tonnes.

Will have to try this again with a larger convoy. This one dumped something like 400 ash cans on me. I think the swans might have been out of DCs. The Flower was missing on this last show. So, we have a failed experiment but decent tonnage, a short patrol and a Ritterkreuz.

[STEED]

I took out 3 of the 4 escorts in late 42 on my last patrol in the Caribbean.