Cat and Mouse Surface Warfare

Nemo66 · 03-21-15, 01:19 PM

Hi folks!

In my thread "How i sank a destroyer with my deckgun" i got some replies about fighting armed trawlers or flower class frigates.
Most of you seem to surface behind it and then gun it down, because it has only one gun at the bow. But this is too risky i think. It could detect you while you are still at peri depth, or force you underwater with a quick turn if your first few shots don't hit him severly, and then depth charge you merciless.

My approach is based on the greater maximum speed our boats have, and the differences in visibility at low lights. I do this preferrably when the sun is down, right before it really gets dark. You can do it in the morning too but this is way more risky. Other vessels or planes could show up at the scene, therefore it's better to have the upcoming night on your side in pre-radar times. After radar was introduced this maybe just the other way round.

I always position myself in front of the dark background, and the flower is in front of the brighter part of the horizon.
I show my stern to him at 180 deg when i surface, so he can see only my smallest silhouette/visual profile.

(First rule of engagement: Never fight on the enemie's battlefield)

So i can still see him pretty good but he has problems to get me spotted at all. I go very slow or with no speed at all in order to cause no wake. (The wake is the real thing they spot when the light is low) I man the gun myself and "order" it to an angle of 160 degrees (just turn the sight at the gun station manually to the angle, leave station and the gunners will fulfill the turn with the gun. You don't have to have them in shooting mode for this). 200 deg will work also of course. Then i slowly navigate my boat to an angle where i have the flower in 160 degrees. I can shoot this way, but still show a very small visual profile to it.

Doing it this way makes sure that i don't show him too much of my silhouette before i really am ready to open fire.

Now i start shooting manually to the back by starboard. The flower starts shooting back, and turns towards me at flank speed. Depending on the distance i might wait a little bit and give him some precise shots. Then i speed up and let autogunners do their job.
After a few rounds, the flowers shots get closer to the boat as he now has a good idea where i am.

But his problem in this light situation is, that he only can see your gunfire or your wake, but not the boat itself.

So i go to 7,8m, stop firing for a while, and change my position easily. He comes closer now and still fires but but no worries, he has no clue where to aim exactly. Then i fully surface again at slow speeds and resume firing for a few shots only. If he comes to close, i take him in 180 deg again and speed off for a while fully surfaced at flank speed. Then i go slow or even stop and fire a few rounds again. Sometimes i even go to peri-depth and change position and surface again to open fire only a few moments later.It's not so important how far he is off, most important is if he exactly knows where you are.After each time he lost track on you he needs some short time to spot you again and aim at you, so if you use a good rhythm he just can't keep pace with your actions.

(Second rule of engagement: Always retain the initiative)

As my boat is considerably faster and only spotable if i fire or go at high speeds, i have all the advantages on my side, if i follow the plan carefully.

It's a true cat and mouse game now, you only have to find the right rythm between shooting, hiding and evading to gun him down with a good amo/hit rate and a very small (not zero!!!) risk of getting a hit yourself.

(Third rule of engagement: Never underestimate your enemy)

03-21-15, 01:19 PM	#1
Nemo66 Bosun Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: munich, germany Posts: 68 Downloads: 14 Uploads: 0	Cat and Mouse Surface Warfare Hi folks! In my thread "How i sank a destroyer with my deckgun" i got some replies about fighting armed trawlers or flower class frigates. Most of you seem to surface behind it and then gun it down, because it has only one gun at the bow. But this is too risky i think. It could detect you while you are still at peri depth, or force you underwater with a quick turn if your first few shots don't hit him severly, and then depth charge you merciless. My approach is based on the greater maximum speed our boats have, and the differences in visibility at low lights. I do this preferrably when the sun is down, right before it really gets dark. You can do it in the morning too but this is way more risky. Other vessels or planes could show up at the scene, therefore it's better to have the upcoming night on your side in pre-radar times. After radar was introduced this maybe just the other way round. I always position myself in front of the dark background, and the flower is in front of the brighter part of the horizon. I show my stern to him at 180 deg when i surface, so he can see only my smallest silhouette/visual profile. (First rule of engagement: Never fight on the enemie's battlefield) So i can still see him pretty good but he has problems to get me spotted at all. I go very slow or with no speed at all in order to cause no wake. (The wake is the real thing they spot when the light is low) I man the gun myself and "order" it to an angle of 160 degrees (just turn the sight at the gun station manually to the angle, leave station and the gunners will fulfill the turn with the gun. You don't have to have them in shooting mode for this). 200 deg will work also of course. Then i slowly navigate my boat to an angle where i have the flower in 160 degrees. I can shoot this way, but still show a very small visual profile to it. Doing it this way makes sure that i don't show him too much of my silhouette before i really am ready to open fire. Now i start shooting manually to the back by starboard. The flower starts shooting back, and turns towards me at flank speed. Depending on the distance i might wait a little bit and give him some precise shots. Then i speed up and let autogunners do their job. After a few rounds, the flowers shots get closer to the boat as he now has a good idea where i am. But his problem in this light situation is, that he only can see your gunfire or your wake, but not the boat itself. So i go to 7,8m, stop firing for a while, and change my position easily. He comes closer now and still fires but but no worries, he has no clue where to aim exactly. Then i fully surface again at slow speeds and resume firing for a few shots only. If he comes to close, i take him in 180 deg again and speed off for a while fully surfaced at flank speed. Then i go slow or even stop and fire a few rounds again. Sometimes i even go to peri-depth and change position and surface again to open fire only a few moments later.It's not so important how far he is off, most important is if he exactly knows where you are.After each time he lost track on you he needs some short time to spot you again and aim at you, so if you use a good rhythm he just can't keep pace with your actions. (Second rule of engagement: Always retain the initiative) As my boat is considerably faster and only spotable if i fire or go at high speeds, i have all the advantages on my side, if i follow the plan carefully. It's a true cat and mouse game now, you only have to find the right rythm between shooting, hiding and evading to gun him down with a good amo/hit rate and a very small (not zero!!!) risk of getting a hit yourself. (Third rule of engagement: Never underestimate your enemy)