US Target Hierarchy?

[treblesum81]

Is there a specified value hierarchy assigned to Japanese targets like there was in SHIII? I.E. in a convoy, should I be gunning for warships first? Or tankers? Or cargo ships? Or does it matter?

Thanks.

Tankers, always tankers. Of course its just a game, but at the beginning of the war japan only had something like 18 months worth of oil to run their military and war machine. It was the whole point of the war. Taking the enemies oil means the ships stay in port, the planes stay on the ground (Cant train new pilots very well if the training aircraft dont have gas, combine this with killing off all the experianced pilots for some nice results.)

Oil ships
Military equiptment
Other cargo
Warships

Warships are always best left alone (in my Sh5 career i've only heard the PING of ASDIC on two occasions), even if its a battleship or carrier the sub would be more useful to shadow it on radar and let bigger task forces (other capital ships with aircraft) deal with it, maybe sticking a torpedo or 2 into it as it was towed away from the damaged battle.

[Bubblehead1980]

tankers
cargo
large warships such as carriers, battleships, heavy cruisers.

[treblesum81]

The question though, is does killing in that order net you better renown? Or is it just a role playing kill list?

[tater]

You likely get more renown for warships that are bigger than escorts than any other type. In RL, bigger was better, unless you had orders (as they sometimes did) to take out escorts. In a mixed group, unless you had orders to concentrate on troop transports or something, a large warship is always the preferred target.

[treblesum81]

Ok, so I should really start down the line from largest to smallest as I attack a convoy, as that is most likely to net better renown, and is probably similar to how it really was?

[BillBam]

there is a renown chart floating out there, unfortunately the link in the post is dead. Maybe is someone has it they can post it.

However it is pretty obvious that an Aircraft Carrier is going to have a higher renown than an Old Split Freighter, even though merchant shipping was the priority. In game it really should not be an issue as you are unlikely to come across both in the same convoy/task force. Also in game and in real life if the even that you came across a AC/BB and a tanker would "anyone" really sink the tanker over the chance to sink a major military asset?

[treblesum81]

I really hope someone has that chart... Not that I would necessarily go for a tanker over an AC / BS, but if I've got the choice between like a tanker and a cruiser or something like that, I might need a little guidance.

[Jan Kyster]

Originally Posted by treblesum81

Is there a specified value hierarchy assigned to Japanese targets like there was in SHIII? I.E. in a convoy, should I be gunning for warships first? Or tankers? Or cargo ships? Or does it matter?

Thanks.

Have a look in your "Current Doctrine Submarines, USF 25(A)", article 4103, http://ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/...SS-Doct-4.html

Quote: "The objectives of submarine attack are enemy ships and shipping. If a choice is offered, priority is as follows: CV, BB, ACV, AO, any man of war larger than a DD, AP, AK, DD. However, no worthwhile target should be passed up in the hope of securing a better one."

[Bubblehead1980]

The primary mission of the US Pacific Submarine Force during World War II was to eliminate Japanese merchant shipping.Large warships such as carriers or battleships if encountered were of course a target you did not let go but as said, merchant traffic(includes tankers) were the main focus.Tankers became a priority because without the oil and fuel, the warships could not fight without fuel.I read that the Yamato and Musashi stayed put for most of the war because of their bad fuel economy and many other big warships did because fuel was scarce.

So say you run into a convoy with 3 large merchants and one mid sized or even small tanker, tanker is your main target.Now you can attack more than one target at a time, esp with bow tubes, say two fish to the small tanker and 4 to a big merchant.Obviously if you run into a TF with a carrier or BB, carrier is your priority followed by battleship and on down.Also obvious is if the carrier is a long shot and battleship is closer, go for the BB.

The Japanese had a completely different doctrine, they believed in svaving torpedos for warships and only attacked merchants when they happened to stumble upon them.They did not deploy specifically to interdict merchant/tanker traffic.Thus the US was able to run supplies, troops and oil all over without a real concentrated submarine threat from the IJN.May have had a U boat in the Atlantic type situation early in the war had they done this and who knows given the weakness of the pacific fleet early in the war if could have overcame the I boats as we did U boats in the Atlantic.

So to sum it up once more...

tankers
merchants
large warships...CV, BB, CA