Advice for harbour raids

[Keelbuster]

I tend to avoid harbour raiding - when you sink a ship in port, i assume they'll raise her eventually and either repair her or use her for scrap. I'd rather sink shipping where it can never be retrieved - i.e., in >1000m of water.

[NealT]

Harbors are fun...

My advice is...

Do it slow...
Do it at night...
Save before you go in...
Do not relax when you leave...
Practice, Practice, Practice...

And be thankful it is only a game...cause in real life DiD.

[JAKE]

I've sneaked into a few Harbors and most the time it hardly seams worth the effort unless you get into portsmouth but for that you need bad weather and a lot of time.

[wojasos]

Dover - few merchants and Southampton class .

[Wreford-Brown]

New York, January 1942.

A submarine net covers the southern end of the entrance and there's no way around it so you need to infiltrate at night or in poor weather (preferably both).
The only defenders were two Elco torpedo boats so as long as you remain submerged there's no reason to get damaged.
Inside the harbour was a dream:
Large Troop Ship 24k tons
Ceramic Type Ocean Liner 15k
Modern Tanker 12k
Large Merchant 12k
Large Tanker 11k
2 x Liberty Ships 7k
3 x Medium Cargo 5k
3 x Tramp Steamer 1k
Static Clemson Destroyer 1k
2 x Tugboats 1k

You can either reload at the northern end of the northern leg of the harbour or extract to the open ocean. Despite being in a IXc, ran out of torpedoes before running out of targets!

[Wreford-Brown]

Tobruk, April 1942.

On the northern side of the harbour is a headland. Rule a line 2.8km from the furthest eastern side of this headland along the map line and you'll get the extent of a sub net. This net is very shallow and you will not be able to surface to get over it. You need to either surface next to the headland and use the shallow water there or go around the net to the east. No mines were seen.

Inside the harbour was a Troop Transporter, Medium cargo, 2 x Small tankers, Tramp steamer, LST, V&W Class, Tugboat and Small trawler (total around 25k tons).

Defending the harbour were a Tribal class and 2 x ASW Trawlers.

Overall, little risk but little gain.

[Wreford-Brown]

Port Said, May 1942.

The route I took was through the gap in the breakwater on the western side of the harbour. No mines and no sub nets seen.

Inside the harbour was a Southampton class, Troop Transport, LST and V&W class. There was also a Small tanker and Medium Cargo but both of these were neutral.

Defending the harbour were 13 ships - 7 x Destroyers, 2 x ASW Trawlers and 2 x MTBs outside the breakwater and 2 x MTBs inside.

Overall, very risky and little gain.

[Kptlt. Siegmann]

From: U-109
To: Subsim
Date: January 24th, 1941
Location: Inside Freetown

Have infiltrated Freetown without detection. Currently in the middle of port picking targets.

Large Troop Ship x1 - British
Medium Cargo x1 - British
Modern Tanker x1 - British
Small Merchant x1 - Netherlands, x1 South Africa
Small Tanker x1 - British
Tramp Steamer x1 - Austrialian, x2 Brazilian, x1 British, x4 South African


Defense
1 ASW Trawler patroling 15km NW of base
1 ASW Trawler anchored just outside of base
1 Destroyer, Unknown Class, Anchored approx. 10km NNE of base

1 Land Turret in the SE corner of base facing NE. No threat posed.
1 Land Turret 4km W of base in vegetation, facing base.

20 torpedoes remaining. Beginning attack. Will report successes, if we survive. Numerous Destroyers patrolling 40-50km NW of base along the coast.

-----

From: U-109
To: Subsim

Have sunk 6 ships bringing total patrol tonnage to approx. 62,000t. 7 Torpedoes remaining. Light damage from depth charges. 2 ASW vessels and 1 destroyer sunk due to collision with docks. Requesting new assignment.

-----
EDIT: Sorry about that, I meant Freetown. not sure why I said Portsmouth...Bernard, quit changing the location in our radio transmissions...

[d@rk51d3]

Ahhhhh, Freetown.

That's a fun raid.

[Nuoz]

Why didn't the germans do that irl? Too dangerous? really?

[Nuoz]

I mean what made it a sure to die situation? Or in other worlds, what was different?

[Kptlt. Siegmann]

Chances were, more often than not, that the port was heavily defended, and most likely not worth the risk. Shallow waters, mines, subnets, and probably a handful of tin cans. That's asking for a u-boat never to return.

In my case in-game, I almost didn't make it out of Freetown alive. An ASW Trawler dumped a can right on top of my bow quarters and wrecked havoc and pushed my boat into the sea floor some 5m below me (I was at periscope depth). I somehow didn't sustain critical damage, and made note of the fact that I shouldn't dive very deep for the duration of the patrol. Little did I know that 30 hours later, that would be the very reason that sent me to the bottom. (My boat crushed at just over 80 meters when I was pushed down by a close barrage of depth charges.)

So to sum it up. Risk vs Reward...we'll pass on harbor raids...

[d@rk51d3]

On my Freetown raid, I surfaced a little too early on my way out. It was foggy and pouring with rain, so I thought I'd pop up a little way out and head home on the surface.



WRONG!!!!!


A seachlight picked me up quickly, and I took a barrage of fire from the shore turrets and a few escorts still at dock, before I could dive again. Killed all but about 8 men, and left me with a hull integrity of about the same number. All compartments pemanently red.

With just enough men to steer the boat and drive the motors......that was a slow lonley drive home.

[ReM]

Start a career in Wilhelmshaven in 1939 and rush through the channel before hostilities break out. This should get you through the Channel just in time. Then go to Portsmouth. You can get there soon after the start of war. HMS Hood is there and if you position correctly you can sink it there and then.

The harbour itself is only mildly defended.

It was like this in GWX...don't know about GWX 2.0

[harzfeld]

I started at 2nd Flotilla in VIIB, here's ports I raided in my first patrol and what I have sunk;
I started at Southend
2 Large Troop Ships
Then moved to Dover, found a gap thru subnet and sunk a Floating Dock, Southampton Class. They also have a troop ship but I didnt bother with it.
I skipped Portsmouth cuz too narrow and shallow for me to get thru, also not much gold there, so I moved on to Portland and sunk a Large Merchant and a modern tanker.
I moved on to Plymouth and sunk a hood after found a gap thru subnet.
Moved on to Bristol, sunk Auxilary Cruiser, large tanker, Large Cargo. They have more Large cargo, troop ships, and other kinds even I didnt bother about em.
Moved on to Loch Ewe, sunk a Hood again (After Sept.15 1939, Hood Appears for short time) also sunk a floating dock and a modern tanker.
On way home, I spotted another Hood escorted by several destroyers out of Inverness, they were too far for me to go after. That's 3rd Hood in a patrol. :hmm:
Also I sunk some ships on way to patrol and back home using deck gun. So I got a bunch medals for crew, and I was pretty close to buy a IXB, but got it after my 2nd patrol, lol. I like to expliot spoilers by knowing where capital ships are, and what each ports have. I wish they included intelligent reports in game that tell us where capital ships are moored at. Germans sure did have spies in WW2, like Japan studied Pearl Harbor and reported to headquater.