Ship won't sink?!

[cardician]

Alright, so I'm on my second patrol of this career. Going on my merry way to the assigned sector. One sector east a contact suddenly appears on my map. Well while I'm talking about it, why don't I ask this too, though this is not my main question. Why do contacts sometimes just suddenly appear on the map. It wasn't identified in any way by my sub and is still like 30km out. I'm assuming this represents something like some random ship told HQ and its being relayed to me or something?

Anyway, the ship is heading for me, so I move to intercept. I manage to work it out perfectly so that I'm waiting at periscope depth at a perfect 90° angle at about 650 meters. Torpedo is ready, tube is open, as soon as he's dead ahead I let loose. Perfect hit right below the smoke stacks, dead center of the ship. This was a British small freighter or something. Anyway, it was travelling at 10 knots and it immediately drops to 6 and then slowly falls the rest of the way to 0. Unlike some ships that just seem to keep going after you hit it, I knew this was a one hit kill. So I sit and wait so that I get confirmation of it sinking and credit for the kill. I don't know how far I can move off and still get credit, plus I like watching the ships sink. Anyway, a couple hours pass and the water level is now even with the deck of the ship all the way across. Four hours, five, six....same level. So it sinks this far, water is literally washing over the top of it with waves...and yet that's it? What the heck? So is it not going to sink any further? I *really* don't want to waste another torpedo on this ship which is definitely sunk, though the game doesn't seem to realize it. Being in a IIA I only have 5 torpedoes and I want to make them all count. Am I going to have to use another one? What the heck is the deal? This cannot be normal behavior. Any thoughts?

[GoldenRivet]

im not sure if AI damage models work this way but in all probability you destroyed the engines and gave the poor bastard heavy flooding. his crew couldnt fix the engines but they probably got the flooding controlled in the nick of time.

question: Is the merchant Armed?

if NO

surface next to him, man the flak gun and shoot all the cargo off of his decks, perhaps you will start a fire or kick off an explosion that will be too much for the crippled ship to handle.

but before you spend another torpedo or shoot his cargo up, just watch him for a few more hours, he might slip under. I have read reports of merchants staying afloat for days just burning and slowly sinking.

keep an eye on him for at least another 5 or 6 hours, if still nothing just shoot all the cargo and life boats and anything you think you can shoot off of the ship just shoot it.

[Morts]

if what GoldenRivet posted doesnt work, fire another torpedo at another part of the ship

[cardician]

Yes obviously using another torpedo would work. Clearly I was asking if that was avoidable. Hence my saying:

Originally Posted by cardician

I *really* don't want to waste another torpedo on this ship which is definitely sunk, though the game doesn't seem to realize it.

Anyway, its too bad I don't have a deck gun because I *know* that would finish the ship off. Alas my IIA has only a flak gun. I did try that actually. Came right up along side her and unloaded at least 200 rounds all over the ship. Blew up all cargo on the ship, all the "posts" or whatever else explodes. Even tried just filling the hull with holes near and under the waterline hopin that would help. Nothing, though I'm not surprised I suppose. I've literally waited for a total of almost 12 hours now and the ship is not going down. There are times where one half will literally be covered by water due to waves, but yet it still seems to maintain its current depth.

But yes, you're right I definitely took the engines out when I hit it. I may wait a bit longer since I'm not really wasting anything in doing so. But I guess I'm going to have to just waste a torpedo to finish the job for good. Really sucks as that will only leave me with three. Looks like this will be a light tonnage patrol.

Though I have to say, if this is representing that the crew manage to seal off the flooded area in time, that is pretty neat. But still, the ship is sunk so I should get credit for it.

[xlbob]

It happened to me several times when I attacked small to medium merchant. The ships just wouldn't go down, but I didn't want to wait for long so what I did was I surface the boat and finished the ship with deck gun.

For small-medium ships, whenever weather allows, I always use one torp and when they refuse to sink I finish them with deck gun.

OTOH, I have sunk large ships (large cargos and merchants) with only one torp. I fire two torps and after the first hit, the ship just sink.. waste the second one

[cardician]

Well that'd be fine, but I have no deck gun. Otherwise this wouldn't be a problem. A couple of HE shells below the waterline would definitely sink her the rest of the way.

Also, does anyone know how far away you can be from a ship and still get credit when it finally sinks? Like a boat that takes six hours to sink, can I shoot the torpedo, then sail off and be hundreds of nm away when it sinks and get credit?

[sba55]

I'm outside New Yory in January 1942. Have already sunk a 14,000 ton Ceramic class liner in shallow water. A few days later another one comes by. I hit it with three torpedoes, it settles to the bottom but won't sink because of water depth. The funny thing is while I can see it, my crew doesn't. It also does not show up on the nav map. In the periscope it can be seen but it has no readings. I don't get credit for it either. It's a ghost ship!

[Sailor Steve]

Welcome Aboard!

That's an old and well-known flaw with SH3. If the water's too shallow the ship won't sink and you can't get credit for it.