Calm Seas- the REAL killer?

[predavolk]

OK, first, I installed GWX 2.1 and it runs my old campaign fine. Thanks for the hard work fellas! I also installed the 16K mod which makes a HUGE difference in game play. Wow. Does anyone know if the other ships' detection ranges are affected? Will destroyers be picking me up at 16K too? Funny enough, the first time I saw a convoy from 12K at night I thought it was a bunch of trees- was I near shore?


OK, that 16K question aside, I've come to the conclusion that a critical factor in whether or not you get detected creeping up on a convoy is the sea state. I positioned myself in front of a convoy, 60M, 1 knot, and got picked up. That's NEVER worked for me. Going deep hasn't worked either (150M), and it screws you any how because unless you break silent running, you can't get up from that deep to periscope depth in time to attack anything after you pass the front escorts. So after being depth charged and attacked, I evaded, did a run around, and attacked from 3 KM off the convoy's starboard flank. At periscope depth, being 1 or 2K from the escorts (all BF Frigates) was no problem, whereas the same distance in front of an escort in calm seas guarantees detection in my experience. I shot off all my forward torps, bagged 2 10K ships (hit a 3rd) and evaded detection. I was very lucky in the the outermost starboard row of ships was mostly large merchants and ore carriers (with a total of 6-7 escorts for the whole convoy!).

So has anyone ever had any luck in approaching an escorted convoy from the front in calm weather? Maybe if you are lucky (yes, lucky) enough to place yourself to evade the front escorts you could do it. I say lucky because you have to get close enough to observe their behavior in the first place. That implies you are close enough to be seen or heard (I presume), and lucky enough that the convoy doesn't alter its course at all. Even tiny alterations are tough to match at 1-2 knots! And then any careful "threading" of the front escorts puts you in their detection zone and boom- out of luck! If you can do it reliably, I'd love to hear how- in detail if possible.

Personally, I'll still doing frontal attacks when there's some chop, but when it's dead calm, I'm attacking from the flanks from now on.

[danurve]

Yes, some luck. But I too dread glassy calm seas.
If you keep your attack scope as low as possible it helps a little. But then you'll have to put up with a little camera-water-glare. If you can pull it of at night it's a plus. I've found even in early 43 staying at periscope depth for evasion unless it can't be helped has extended a few careers.

[Brag]

In calm water, I stay at peri depth with the scope DOWN until inside the convoy. Then you have a few seconds to find targets and shoot. Then I immediately boogey away from datum point going deep and doing the wiggle-waggle.