How to intercept?

[Pistoliero]

By the way 88mm deck gun needs only 30 - 40 shots to sink even large merchant. And it is with crew doing all the job. If you know where to aim and how to do it (both false for me) you probable need much less ammo.

Deck gun is the best way to sink unarmed and unprotected target, don't afraid to shell large ships.

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by Pistoliero

By the way 88mm deck gun needs only 30 - 40 shots to sink even large merchant. And it is with crew doing all the job. If you know where to aim and how to do it (both false for me) you probable need much less ammo.

Well, in the game I feel more in the shoes of the kaleun that command the boat, I refuse to personally man the deck gun or the AA machinegun (even if, for the latter, sometimes I need to do it, for example when I try to shot out the Leight lights of a merchant).

Originally Posted by Pistoliero

Deck gun is the best way to sink unarmed and unprotected target, don't afraid to shell large ships.

Ageed, but for some reason I do not like to favour too much the deck gun, I feel more inclined in using the torpedoes above all. I tend to consider the deck gun more like a backup weapon and also I dislike the fact that in order to be able to use it I have to put my boat in a such so potentially dangerous situation (surfaced, slow going, near enemy target, with many men on the deck, incresead time to submerge because of the longer time needed to clear the deck*... a too vulnerable stance to feel right, YMMV).

* this aspect is not modeled by the game, but for me is there. For pure gameplay pleasure I consider my crew above all very real, and I hate to risk my men lives without valid motivation.

[maillemaker]

I fire two torpedoes when I cannot afford not to sink the ship.

For example, in foul weather when I can't use the deck gun, or once merchants are armed making using the deck gun dangerous, I will usually use 2 torpedoes from the outset.

I'm on the fence with ships in convoy.

On one hand, I get enough one-hit explosions on convoy ships (I guess they are carrying cargo) that I am tempted to try one-torpedo-per-ship. Also if they are damaged they often drop behind the convoy where they can be picked off.

But it annoys me to damage merchants and see them sail off with the convoy.

Usually, if I can't be certain I can surface and use the deck gun, I give the target 2 torpedoes.

You get no renown for damaged ships, so it's "on the bottom baby" for me.

Steve

[Tupolev]

I've spent more time on U-boat.net than I care to admit, but I can definitely say merchants of all sizes routinely sailed home after a single torpedo hit. I even read of the bow and stern staying afloat AFTER breaking in half. Merchants weren't built for battle, but they were made to float. They were made to float while carrying as much cargo as possible. Sometimes a smallish hole in the middle just won't make it sink.

Torpedo damage and flooding is highly area dependent. Aim for the masts if you want a better chance of a one-shot kill: you might just open both compartments to flooding.

T