A seemingly stupid question

[Telgriff]

Have looked through the various posts, newbie guides and GWX guides, and one questions seems to elude a direct answer for me (or I am totally blinded by bernard)

For the front escorts on convoys, if you are setup ahead of the convoy, is there any specific way to avoid being pinged. I have run silent at 150+ meters, or at a complete stop and silent and still manage to get pinged and end up having to either fight it out or run for it. I had a look at some approach strategies for convoys in GWX on here and on external websites but I seem to always get the same result....pinged by the front escort.

Any recommendations?

[P_Funk]

Generally speaking the whole "submerge ahead and drift til you're in the middle" thing doesn't work with GWX and especially later in the war. Later war Asdics can go down 300+ meters. As I recall Ducimus said that you need to go at least 200 meters to get underneath an early war asdic.

The best approach is to come in from a frontal angle through an escort gap. You wanna avoid a frontal move since the frontal escort is gonna literally be looking straight ahead. The closer you are to the baffles the better too. You need to maneuver nearly as much as the escorts themselves sometimes if the screen is big.

Think of it as a very different game of Frogger.

[Telgriff]

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Generally speaking the whole "submerge ahead and drift til you're in the middle" thing doesn't work with GWX and especially later in the war. Later war Asdics can go down 300+ meters. As I recall Ducimus said that you need to go at least 200 meters to get underneath an early war asdic.

The best approach is to come in from a frontal angle through an escort gap. You wanna avoid a frontal move since the frontal escort is gonna literally be looking straight ahead. The closer you are to the baffles the better too. You need to maneuver nearly as much as the escorts themselves sometimes if the screen is big.

Think of it as a very different game of Frogger.

So 200+ meters for early war depths and come from an angle that will put me behind the DD screen or as close to its baffles as possible. My main problem is I end up in a shootfest with a couple of DD's (who usually end up taking a trip to the sea floor) while I watch the convoy wander off as more and more DD's come out of nowhere.

Fun fun, am going to have to work on my convoy approach tactics!

[Canovaro]

Doesn't sound like a stupid question to me, I never found any specific tactic either on the boards.

[Umfuld]

A is the lead escort. Note my AOB is making me a very small target.

B is the next closest escort. Once A has passed a bit I will switch the focus of my AOB to B, if possible.

C shows where the outside row of the convoy is going to be when they reach my position. As you can see I'm just about in it's path already. Even at 1.5 knots I can easily move out of its path when the moment is right and proceed towards my target inside the convoy.



Oh, and of course - I'm under water. : /

[danlisa]

In my experience, you don't have to be deep to penetrate a convoy. It is the correct tactic for evasion but you can be at periscope depth when approching/entering a convoy.

The best way to practice this is to have map updates on, that way your can click on the escorts and 'see' their sensor arcs. Usually, there is a lead escort and a flanking escort, use this method to plot your course between them.

Only do this after a period of observation as both escorts will peel away from their course and conduct sensor sweeps. If you try this you will see that it is very easy to infiltrate a convoy in early war. Things change dramatically in later years but the basics are the same.

Good hunting.

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Telgriff

For the front escorts on convoys, if you are setup ahead of the convoy, is there any specific way to avoid being pinged. I have run silent at 150+ meters, or at a complete stop and silent and still manage to get pinged and end up having to either fight it out or run for it. I had a look at some approach strategies for convoys in GWX on here and on external websites but I seem to always get the same result....pinged by the front escort.

Any recommendations?

I just did that exact same thing at PD, (using GWX) and didn't get pinged. Time period is December 1940, using a VIIC on the Rockall Banks. I slipped past the front escort at about 500 - 750 meters to his port side. That distance is an estimate, I didn't leave the scope up long enough to identify him or to get a good range. I was at silent running, and deep enough that my tower wouldn't pop up (water is a little rough today).


After passing the escort, I turned 90 degrees starboard and ran out for a distance at 1/3rd speed, then turned 180 degrees to get a proper set-up on the interior of the convoy. I set up on a Dido and a Large Merchant. The Dido got 2 torps, one set under the keel magnetic, and on set to impact, 3 meters depth. At least one hit.

The LM got two eels set to impact, 3 meters depth, both aimed right below the stack. Both of those hit, and the LM and the Dido sank in minutes.

Set up a stern tube shot on another Large Merchant, this one at a bearing of about 100 degrees and heading towards me (very small AOB). I set it for magnetic, fired, and then crash-dived because a corvette was firing in my general direction. I don't think it hit, but it was a hasty shot.

So, here I am sitting at 164 meters, underneath the convoy, and no depth charges yet (it's been almost half an hour, enough time to reload 3 bow tubes and the stern tube). I'd been running at about 2 knots, but just went to 1/3rd a few minutes ago. Still no sign that they know where I am.


Edit: Spoke too soon. Apparently going faster gave away my position. They are dropping DC's, but they are either set too shallow or inaccurately dropped, as they aren't near the boat. Once tube 4 is reloaded, I'll go to silent running.