Bad weather tactics

[Sniper297]

One thing to consider in low visibility, range is not the same as the torpedo run. Torpedo comes out the tube, makes a 400 yard straight run, then starts the gyro turn (if any) and arms the exploder. Why that makes a difference, depends on target speed and direction.
Torpedo set for 31 knots, target speed 31 knots, range 400 yards.
Head on, torpedo run is 200 yards because the target moved 200 yards and they met in the middle. Thud, no bang.
Firing from behind, torpedo runs until it's out of fuel, since both the torpedo and the target are going the same speed it will never catch up.

If the target is going 20 knots and the torpedo is set for 46 knots firing from directly behind, you could probably get away with shooting at 200 yards range since the torpedo would have to catch up, making a long enough run to arm the warhead. I've never tried this in actual experiments, but in the middle of a task force I've got a cruiser or something coming at me already too close, I wait until he passes and opens the range a little. Depending on speed and gyro angle I've hit from 100 yards with a 160 AOB.

[Mios 4Me]

SH4 is putting on a graduate-level exam on bad weather tactics tonight: I have two escorted convoys converging in the middle of the night with us right in between, but when the scope pops up, we're in a heavy storm on a moonless night. I can see shapes at either end of the boat, but can't lock on to anything.

Did I mention this is just a few hours before Hiroshima and the safety of Tokyo Bay is only hours away? Time is very short, so i don't want to sling torpedoes around willy-nilly; the emperor is quite welcome to keep his small-tonnage freighters for all I care, but the large ones belong to me.



Any suggestions?

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Mios 4Me

SH4 is putting on a graduate-level exam on bad weather tactics tonight: I have two escorted convoys converging in the middle of the night with us right in between, but when the scope pops up, we're in a heavy storm on a moonless night. I can see shapes at either end of the boat, but can't lock on to anything.

Did I mention this is just a few hours before Hiroshima and the safety of Tokyo Bay is only hours away? Time is very short, so i don't want to sling torpedoes around willy-nilly; the emperor is quite welcome to keep his small-tonnage freighters for all I care, but the large ones belong to me.



Any suggestions?

keep closing until you can lock onto a target. yes, it IS frustrating but there is no secret method. use your full sensor suite to get in close enough to fire. sometimes, you need to run at decks-awash with crew on the bridge to be able to target surface ships during a storm. be ready to sight, lock, fire, and dive...all within a very few moments.yes, you must be somewhat intrepidacious and well trained to accomplish this.

good luck captain.

[Mios 4Me]

Do we have any parameters on Japanese radar detection, i.e. ranges, number of sweeps required for detection, when it rolls out to the fleet and merchant marine, ship types that may not receive it, etc? I rarely use radar since it seems to be a tin-can magnet and large merchants turn away from it.



OTOH, after three career years of diving at every air contact, the boat became an ace in a day after sufficient annoyance, so maybe I've been missing out on radar too.

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Mios 4Me

Do we have any parameters on Japanese radar detection, i.e. ranges, number of sweeps required for detection, when it rolls out to the fleet and merchant marine, ship types that may not receive it, etc? I rarely use radar since it seems to be a tin-can magnet and large merchants turn away from it.



OTOH, after three career years of diving at every air contact, the boat became an ace in a day after sufficient annoyance, so maybe I've been missing out on radar too.

i am sure there is plenty of data available on IJN Radar Detection on the web. here is an example.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_...#Imperial_Navy


the use case here is that you are on the attack at close range. radar detection is not the real problem at the range you are attacking because your boat has probably been detected by surface radar. maybe. depends on a lot of variables but probably.

you can either use radar to help you locate enemy vessels at close range or rely on visual detection or stay submerged and try for a sonar shot, which is tough with WWII technology. keep in mind that you still not be able to lock on to a target using either technology...only visual contact will enable you to lock onto a target to fire a torpedo. at the range you are attacking, do you need target lock? use the info you have and attack. you will have to develop your skill at attacking without target lock. it will take practice and you will miss with torpedos but that is the cost of experience. just don't get run over by an AK or CA. it can ruin your whole day.

good luck.

[Berserker]

Why risk your boat and crew..There will be other targets coming along let the weather calm down or push control N...My average engagement range is from 2100 yds to a long shot st 5000+ yds...

[Mios 4Me]

Thanks for the link. That's a good first step, but, considering the liberties Ubisoft apparently has taken with surface and AA gunnery, along with perhaps not accounting for the effects of torpex and the neutering of historical night surface attacks, I still wouldn't know what creative license they've taken with these sensors.



That's a good point about some merchants having radar instead of some version of Japanese Metox. It must be useless past ~18 km if so, because no one ever reacts to us running ahead to that distance. I don't have enough examples but my impression is that ships in difficult conditions like these do not maneuver to avoid us beyond 600 m or so unless our radar is on. Perhaps only the largest freighters, my target that night, and tankers have it.


Berserker, these are the first targets worthy of a Mk 16 we've seen in days, even off Tokyo, and the ceasefire is less than 10 days off. And because I'm a bloodyminded SOB.


ETA: both convoys changed courses to stay roughly parallel - apparently bound for Sitka (WTH?) - but not remaining mutually supporting. That's where I really question the game's AI.



Both had the same number of ships but one convoy had one escort to the other's four. One torp and a little gunnery practice later, there was only the one convoy left, with two of its heaviest units sniped so far already. The surface awash and flank attacks don't work in this situation; I have to run ahead, submerge perpendicular to the center column, ascend from the thermocline once the lead DD has passed, then dart back and forth between the center and an outside column to maintain enough distance for the torpedoes to arm while still keeping the target in sight.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Mios 4Me

SH4 is putting on a graduate-level exam on bad weather tactics tonight: I have two escorted convoys converging in the middle of the night with us right in between, but when the scope pops up, we're in a heavy storm on a moonless night. I can see shapes at either end of the boat, but can't lock on to anything.

Did I mention this is just a few hours before Hiroshima and the safety of Tokyo Bay is only hours away? Time is very short, so i don't want to sling torpedoes around willy-nilly; the emperor is quite welcome to keep his small-tonnage freighters for all I care, but the large ones belong to me.



Any suggestions?

Surface and get to work with those 40's and deckgun. Just watch your radar if you see a escort coming because he has radar, dive deep enuf to be dived and he'll go back on station. Just get close to ships using radar and ask for sonar bearings to nearest ship and fire, you'll score.