Is my current tonnage total acceptable?

[helibobber]

I have completed my 4th patrol with a total of 4 ships sunk: 1 warship, 1 patrol craft, 2 merchants. Total tonnage 8204.
Is this ok or can I expect to hear from the BDU? I'm still very new to this.
Also, my last merchant was an oil tanker that was motionless in the water. Time was about 0100. Next to it was a dark ship, maybe a tender with no markings that had spot lights atop its masts. I could not get any lock on this ship at all with my UZO or periscope. It did not show up on any radar either. It was like it was not even there, like a phantom ship or something. Anyway, I hit it with my last torpedo and it caught fire but would not sink. I just waited around for hours but it just sat there burning. Finally I gave up and left.
Returning to base with unspent torpedoes is a bad thing I suppose right?

[nikbear]

Be More Aggressiveactually,the motionless ship is a light ship and wont show ingame ,thats why the tug is next to it so your crew see it and you don't ram it by mistake,I personally don't attack them,but some dolook at the ingame convoy map to bump into more ships and single ships to get a bigger tally,best of luck

[mookiemookie]

On my current patrol, I'm on my way to my assigned patrol area off of North Carolina. In grid BE somethingorother I've sunk:

• 1 large tanker travelling alone. Tonnage about 11,500
• 1 large merchant and 1 C3 cargo travelling in a 2 ship convoy, total tonnage about 23,000
• 1 Granville type freighter travelling alone, total tonnage about 4,800

BE MORE AGRESSIVE!

Next to it was a dark ship, maybe a tender with no markings that had spot lights atop its masts. I could not get any lock on this ship at all with my UZO or periscope. It did not show up on any radar either. It was like it was not even there, like a phantom ship or something. Anyway, I hit it with my last torpedo and it caught fire but would not sink. I just waited around for hours but it just sat there burning.

This was a lightship. It's an environmental object and thus would never sink no matter how many torpedoes you put into it. That's why the oil tanker was next to it, so your watch crew would spot it as the AI doesn't see it as a "ship" per se. Light ships are used for navigation...kind of like a floating lighthouse. In real life, U-boat captains would not sink them as they were just as big an aid to navigation to the U-boats as to regular traffic.

I guess the tips I would give you are to stay out as long as your fuel and torpedo stocks last. No sense in returning to base if you still have both. Hang around shipping lanes and the approaches to major ports. Your paper map has shipping lanes marked on it, and you can also determine where these are by marking the position and direction of ships you spot and hydrophone contacts. Even if you're not in a position to sink these ships, they'll at least give you an idea of the routes that merchant traffic take. As you can see from my tonnage total above, I'm following the merchant route across the Atlantic as my route to my patrol grid. Good luck!

[Captain Birdseye]

I got a Danish merchant ship near to the coast of Brest.

I was assigned BF18, sailed over the top of the UK, got the Dane, got through the channel and was hit by a destroyer just outside Wilmshaven

[Otto Heinzmeir]

I wouldn't worry about your tonnage. Your tonnage totals are consistent with real life totals. So the BDU has no problem.

I,m on shore leave. Sweet, I'm outta here!

[Pisces]

If 8000 tonnes over 4 patrol is what you got I'd say be happy with what you got. Nah!!!, let's get gready It should easily be possible to go home with 8000 tonnes PER patrol. Maybe not with a Type2, but certainly with a Type7. But alot depends on if or how your Silent Hunter is modded, and your playstyle. Can you provide more info on what mods you use, or just stock SH.

Regardless, the game should give you mapmarkings on the map every now and then of convoys or single ships. Do you chase those? If not I suggest you learn this:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88961

[helibobber]

Originally Posted by Pisces

If 8000 tonnes over 4 patrol is what you got I'd say be happy with what you got. Nah!!!, let's get gready It should easily be possible to go home with 8000 tonnes PER patrol. Maybe not with a Type2, but certainly with a Type7. But alot depends on if or how your Silent Hunter is modded, and your playstyle. Can you provide more info on what mods you use, or just stock SH.

Thanks for the info. I'm using GWX 3 Gold and assigned to a Type II-A boat. I have a couple mods including color contacts, life boats, enhanced damage and a couple others I can't remember.
I will try to patrol the shipping lanes more. I forgot about using my map!

[Sailor Steve]

Sometimes you will see players claim monster tonnage totals, which is fun but not very realistic. For a Type II kaleun you're doing about average. I wouldn't complain myself about a record like that. If you're using SH3 Commander it compares your totals with real-life captains at the same time, which gives a fair idea of how you're doing.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Sometimes you will see players claim monster tonnage totals, which is fun but not very realistic. For a Type II kaleun you're doing about average. I wouldn't complain myself about a record like that. If you're using SH3 Commander it compares your totals with real-life captains at the same time, which gives a fair idea of how you're doing.

Hey now, I'm playing with manual targeting and sunk those ships with real tactics, i.e. a night surface torpedo attack and two daytime periscope attacks. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. :rotfl:

[RoaldLarsen]

What constitutes an appropriate tonnage total depends on a number of factors:

• The realism level you are playing at
• The type of boat you have and what equipment it has
• Where your patrol area is
• What year you are in

The more torpedos you have, the more damage you can do, so I tend to think in terms of tonnage per torpedo. If you get assigned to patrol an area with a lot of traffic (or you're directed through one) , you should do better than if you get sent to a backwater.

I play with 100% realism settings, so manual targetting, no map updates, no external camera. I don't run on the surface at a TC setting of more than 32 in areas patrolled by enemy aircraft. When submerged outside of my patrol area, I will often run at TC 1024. The reduction in hydrophone contacts compensates for the fact that there are too many ships in the game. I am beginning to wonder if there are also too many aircraft.

In 1939 to 1941, I figure I am doing well if I get 3,500 tons per torpedo. In 1942 that's down to 2,500 tons per torpedo. From 1943 onwards, I figure I am doing well if I return alive.

That's doing well. Most of my early careers averaged about 2,000 tons per torpedo. (My top career score per torpedo was in a Type IIA with 2,511 tons per torpedo.) It drops a couple hundred per year as allied ASW outpaces u-boat advances. My 1939 and 1940 scores might be higher now if I went back and started some careers at the beginning of the war, but I am playing through, from start to end.

Most of my early careers survived to retirement. In 1943 the opposite is true. In 1939-40 I started 10 careers, lost three subs, and retired 4 commanders, The other 3 also survived to retire later. In 1943 I started 8 careers, lost 5 subs (all to aircraft, I think) and retired only 2.

In 1943, IF I can get to a patrol area, I can usually still manage to sink > 2,500 tons per torpedo. But all the trips where I have to turn back because of damage or malfunction, or those trips which I don't survive, really cut into the average. I've only had three patrols in 1943 (out of about 20) where I returned with my hull undamaged. Once was because I turned around less than one day out because of engine trouble, once I lost a diesel to aircraft, without damaging the hull, and once I was just lucky I guess.

Almost all the damage is from aircraft. Other than losing subs going through the Strait of Gibralter, I don't think I have lost a sub to surface ships since August of 1940, and that was a maniac who did a harbour raid each patrol.

[Otto Heinzmeir]

As players what happens is over time we learn the best routes, intercept techniques and targeting. Then start a new career knowing the best places to patrol and armed with the knowledge that a uboat crew had to aquire through trial and error over a couple years. Starting the war having all the techniques mastered kinda feels like shooting fish in a barrel.

Sure racking up tonnage totals can be fun and I have done it provided the visiblity was better than 400 meters I haven't played past 1940 yet and I don't see the sport in sinking unarmed and unescorted merchants traveling along at 6 knots. There was a time when I was thrilled to hit anything but in the early war things can become old hat rather quickly.

I don't want to date myself but I am a bit older and there comes a time I guess when you just as soon tool along and listen to the gramaphone.

[Sailor Steve]

Oh sure, now I'm told I do it because I'm old!. Well, I am but I don't think that's the reason. Well, it probably is but I don't like being reminded about it.

Now I have to go sulk for awhile. I think I'll do a harbor tour while I do.
:rotfl:

[FIREWALL]

I'm reading " Iron Coffins " for the 4th time and the tonnages told there and tonnages reported here are different as nite and day.

And they were real uboat Kpts with real crews in real uboats on real patrols.

Other than a handfull of Aces who were, at the right time and place most, were lucky to get 3 or 4 ships a patrol.

[Oneshot/Onekill]

Yeah i read some after action reports myself, and for the most part ecept for the 2 happy times, U-boat Kaluens were lucky if they 3-4 ships a patrol. In some cases they could a month or more befor they even saw or heard a convoy, much less get in an attack position.

[Otto Heinzmeir]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Oh sure, now I'm told I do it because I'm old!. Well, I am but I don't think that's the reason. Well, it probably is but I don't like being reminded about it.

Now I have to go sulk for awhile. I think I'll do a harbor tour while I do.
:rotfl:

hehe, I was just speaking for myself.