Armed merchants in Sept. 39' ?

SabreHawk · 03-17-10, 09:35 AM

I thought they didn't start arming the merchant vessels till later on, not sure just how later but I certainly didn't expect it out on our very first patrol.
Yes our first kill on this first patrol was a tanker, I pumped three fish into it but still wasn't enough and by this time he was still steaming away at 8knts. Well I wasnt gonna let him get away and couldnt stay with him submerged so I surfaced to get some speed and get another shot. Couldnt use the deck gun as the sea was far too rough so it was gonna take another fish to do it. Well then he started really pelting us, and not with just one gun but several from every part of the ship, we even took some damage(knocked out our radio).
Well had to dive again to avoid any fruther damage cause his shots were getting better and so I did get him finally. But man, I didn't expect them to be armed this early on.

Also I didn't think the tracers from his shells were not nearly was realistic as they are in SH3, looked more like Star Wars laser blasts.

sergei · 03-17-10, 09:39 AM

Yep, had a similar experience yesterday. Those large tankers are well armed.
Haven't found any other armed merchants in '39 yet though. It may just be that tanker.
And yes, the tracers do need a bit of work.

Coldcall · 03-17-10, 10:09 AM

As far as i can tell, they also try to ram you. On several occasions Ive been out of torpedos and thought i'd just TC past a small convoy on my way home. However ive crashed into these merchants in the middle of the Atlantic twice while trying to ignore them with TC.

I think they must mean to do it because its too much of a coincidence that this keeps happening in the middle of the ocean.

SteamWake · 03-17-10, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldcall

As far as i can tell, they also try to ram you. On several occasions Ive been out of torpedos and thought i'd just TC past a small convoy on my way home. However ive crashed into these merchants in the middle of the Atlantic twice while trying to ignore them with TC.

I think they must mean to do it because its too much of a coincidence that this keeps happening in the middle of the ocean.

High rates of time compression makes your boat magnetic and attracts other boats towards you.

High rates of TC in congested areas may be hazardous to your game health.

Coldcall · 03-17-10, 10:48 AM

Steamwake, LOL

Sure seems that way. But i do think they will try to ram you if you get too close, and being on TC one would not notice until too late.

It could have been armoured merchants that rammed me, because i have noticed the early merchants arent agressive at all and just stand around waiting to be sunk like lambs to the slaughter. But i was rammed and not shelled, that is for sure - twice in the atlantic on different occasions.

SabreHawk · 03-17-10, 10:51 AM

Yeah we sure have read a lot of hight rate TC incidents huh?

I myself never go above 512, and even then only in safe waters. Adn out in the patrol area and anywhere I expect enemy contact im never above 128 -256.
And I wouldnt dream of it in a harbor, or worse yet the Kiel canal. There it's 1X TC or nuthun. Might take longer, but at least I survive it.

Yeah I was quite surprised by that tanker, and the fact that he had guns from stem to stern. I was close in, about 700m and he was not getting many hits but enough to make ya worry, and wasnt long and back down we went after he knocked out our radio. Then I managed to get a lucky somewhat angled shot and it hit, broke him in half. Was quite a sight.

But those tracers were just really not too realistic, SH3's were way better. Like I said, they looked so fake.
In SH3 I quite enjoyed a good shootout with an armed merchant as the shots from them looked so real, and then there was the sound of them whizzing by, and they were such terrible shots I never really worried too much.
Now the tankers gunners weren't too accuate either, but much more so than I'd ever seen in SH3.

SabreHawk · 03-17-10, 11:42 AM

Wish I'd had the mind to get a shot of those tracers, but was too surprised and busy. But I did get a couple periscope shots of it before our attack, and then after the final shot, which as you'll see was quite lucky I could hit him from that angle and he was zig zagging even before the first torpedo shot.
Again I certainly didn't expect this beahvior or them being armed this early on, with us only being in the invasion of poland and the hostilties against Britain just barely getting started. It was a Cimarron class tanker as best I determined from the recog. manual. ( and I had to enter the speed manually after this screenie.)

After final shot(poor angle but hit luckily), broken in half.

03-17-10, 09:35 AM	#1
SabreHawk Captain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle, Wa. USA Posts: 530 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Armed merchants in Sept. 39' ? I thought they didn't start arming the merchant vessels till later on, not sure just how later but I certainly didn't expect it out on our very first patrol. Yes our first kill on this first patrol was a tanker, I pumped three fish into it but still wasn't enough and by this time he was still steaming away at 8knts. Well I wasnt gonna let him get away and couldnt stay with him submerged so I surfaced to get some speed and get another shot. Couldnt use the deck gun as the sea was far too rough so it was gonna take another fish to do it. Well then he started really pelting us, and not with just one gun but several from every part of the ship, we even took some damage(knocked out our radio). Well had to dive again to avoid any fruther damage cause his shots were getting better and so I did get him finally. But man, I didn't expect them to be armed this early on. Also I didn't think the tracers from his shells were not nearly was realistic as they are in SH3, looked more like Star Wars laser blasts. __________________ "Chance favors the prepared mind"

03-17-10, 10:51 AM	#6
SabreHawk Captain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle, Wa. USA Posts: 530 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Yeah we sure have read a lot of hight rate TC incidents huh? I myself never go above 512, and even then only in safe waters. Adn out in the patrol area and anywhere I expect enemy contact im never above 128 -256. And I wouldnt dream of it in a harbor, or worse yet the Kiel canal. There it's 1X TC or nuthun. Might take longer, but at least I survive it. Yeah I was quite surprised by that tanker, and the fact that he had guns from stem to stern. I was close in, about 700m and he was not getting many hits but enough to make ya worry, and wasnt long and back down we went after he knocked out our radio. Then I managed to get a lucky somewhat angled shot and it hit, broke him in half. Was quite a sight. But those tracers were just really not too realistic, SH3's were way better. Like I said, they looked so fake. In SH3 I quite enjoyed a good shootout with an armed merchant as the shots from them looked so real, and then there was the sound of them whizzing by, and they were such terrible shots I never really worried too much. Now the tankers gunners weren't too accuate either, but much more so than I'd ever seen in SH3. __________________ "Chance favors the prepared mind"

03-17-10, 11:42 AM	#7
SabreHawk Captain Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle, Wa. USA Posts: 530 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Wish I'd had the mind to get a shot of those tracers, but was too surprised and busy. But I did get a couple periscope shots of it before our attack, and then after the final shot, which as you'll see was quite lucky I could hit him from that angle and he was zig zagging even before the first torpedo shot. Again I certainly didn't expect this beahvior or them being armed this early on, with us only being in the invasion of poland and the hostilties against Britain just barely getting started. It was a Cimarron class tanker as best I determined from the recog. manual. ( and I had to enter the speed manually after this screenie.) After final shot(poor angle but hit luckily), broken in half. __________________ "Chance favors the prepared mind"

03-17-10, 09:39 AM	#2
sergei Sea Lord Join Date: May 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 1,788 Downloads: 405 Uploads: 29	Yep, had a similar experience yesterday. Those large tankers are well armed. Haven't found any other armed merchants in '39 yet though. It may just be that tanker. And yes, the tracers do need a bit of work.

03-17-10, 10:09 AM	#3
Coldcall Chief Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 325 Downloads: 42 Uploads: 0	As far as i can tell, they also try to ram you. On several occasions Ive been out of torpedos and thought i'd just TC past a small convoy on my way home. However ive crashed into these merchants in the middle of the Atlantic twice while trying to ignore them with TC. I think they must mean to do it because its too much of a coincidence that this keeps happening in the middle of the ocean.

03-17-10, 10:48 AM	#5
Coldcall Chief Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 325 Downloads: 42 Uploads: 0	Steamwake, LOL Sure seems that way. But i do think they will try to ram you if you get too close, and being on TC one would not notice until too late. It could have been armoured merchants that rammed me, because i have noticed the early merchants arent agressive at all and just stand around waiting to be sunk like lambs to the slaughter. But i was rammed and not shelled, that is for sure - twice in the atlantic on different occasions.