GWX circle of death

[IceGrog]

I used to have lots of problems with the dying thing, I still have a hard time but I’ve gotten a lot better. I used to charge right up to the convoys full blast but after reading some the posts from the old guys, I’ve been paying more attention to keeping from being heard from the enemy, just in doing that I saw a lot of improvement. Although even in the GWX when I’m trying to sneak up on a convoy, they are always sending a DD back to check the area that I’m in. Most of the time now I come away with more DD kills than merchants.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by IceGrog

I used to have lots of problems with the dying thing, I still have a hard time but I’ve gotten a lot better. I used to charge right up to the convoys full blast but after reading some the posts from the old guys, I’ve been paying more attention to keeping from being heard from the enemy, just in doing that I saw a lot of improvement. Although even in the GWX when I’m trying to sneak up on a convoy, they are always sending a DD back to check the area that I’m in. Most of the time now I come away with more DD kills than merchants.

You can get in there even in day light. Normally the convoy has a warship at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. If you can get ahead of the convoy. Stay at say 40m, silent, 2kts. Make the approach at the 1-2 o'clock position as they are headed towards you. Once the lead warships passes you(once you get past the 12 o'clock warship, you are good), raise to scope depth, open your doors, take your bearings. Wait for the convoy to come over you. Let them have it, go deep and silent. Exit the back of the convoy. Works every time.

[IceGrog]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

You can get in there even in day light. Normally the convoy has a warship at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions. If you can get ahead of the convoy. Stay at say 40m, silent, 2kts. Make the approach at the 1-2 o'clock position as they are headed towards you. Once the lead warships passes you(once you get past the 12 o'clock warship, you are good), raise to scope depth, open your doors, take your bearings. Wait for the convoy to come over you. Let them have it, go deep and silent. Exit the back of the convoy. Works every time.

it seem that 90% of the time i always end up looking at the rear of the convoy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well i guess that's how i picked me wife,

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by IceGrog

it seem that 90% of the time i always end up looking at the rear of the convoy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well i guess that's how i picked me wife,

Funny, me too. Come in from the stern on the surface and only at night! Submerged you will never have enough speed. The end round to get infront is always my favorite attack position day or night.

[Hartmann]

A circle could be a good way to chase submarines because while one scort is doing a attack run , others are stopped in the water tracking the contact and sending signals to the others.

the scorts are attacking in turns whith the sub in the middle of the "circle"

[Kapitan Edvard]

I know I am no authority what-so-ever, but my problem with approaching a convoy at 2-3 knots is that I cant get into the convoy. I usually spot it some distance of, and really have to speed up to be able to collide with it, or else it just goes straight past me, at a large range.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Kapitan Edvard

I know I am no authority what-so-ever, but my problem with approaching a convoy at 2-3 knots is that I cant get into the convoy. I usually spot it some distance of, and really have to speed up to be able to collide with it, or else it just goes straight past me, at a large range.

If day time and your in a bad position, get the general track of the convoy. Make your track in such a way that you are out of sight and can flank speed to the head of the projected path of the convoy. If at night stay surfaced and come in at an angle as the convoy is coming towards you. If day time submerge, silent and come in at around 40m until the lead DD passes you. Go to scope depth and prepare to sink some ships. Exit the back of the convoy very deep and silent. Rinse and repeat.

Originally Posted by Kapitan Edvard

I know I am no authority what-so-ever, but my problem with approaching a convoy at 2-3 knots is that I cant get into the convoy. I usually spot it some distance of, and really have to speed up to be able to collide with it, or else it just goes straight past me, at a large range.

This is kind of butchered regarding the images, but I just slapped it together as I'm on patrol at the moment. I'll try to do a better tutorial later for convoy interceptions.

The key thing is to get into position, unseen and unspotted, before they reach you. If you try chasing after them you're virtually doomed to fail.

So, let's take one example: you've gotten a contact report (I'll cover running across one later, when it happens again for me :p )



To plot an intercept first you have to try determining the convoy's future path (this isn't foolproof, as convoys can, and will, make course changes as they travel). I use the ruler line and, starting at the middle of the convoy mark out a line colinear with the convoy's 'trail'. The length at this point is not important; just make it rather long to start. If you need aid in drawing a straight line, use the compass and click the center at the back of the convoy 'tail' and draw the radius directly over the convoy tail outwards.

The final length of the convoy path requires tweaking, and is determined by how far you have to travel. Making it 25km long is no good if you're 300km away. Here's an example of how to determine the right distance: if the convoy is traveling 7kt, and you make the estimate length 75km long, if your distance to get there is 150km or less you're ok (since flank speed is faster than 14kt). You want to arrange it so you get in location no less than 18km in front (and once radar comes into play, that changes drastically!) to keep from being visually spotted. I normally shoot for 30km out, to give me time to make hydrophone checks as they advance to forewarn me if they've made a course change out of my line of sight.

Once you've decided on the length/convoy travel distance, mark two circles: one at the start and one at the end, each the same size. These are your line-of-sight warning areas. In clear daylight make them 18km. In rough weather maybe 12 - 14 km. At night, with no moon, you might get away with 8km. Bigger is better, you can't go wrong that way.





Once you've determined the line-of-sight area at the end point, you can plot your course. By plotting your course so that your final, pre-intercept turn is tangent to the line-of-sight circle you're doing your best to prevent the convoy's lookouts from spotting you as you race ahead to the ambush.

Your next course change is directly to the center of the last line-of-sight circle. How far you go in before your final turn is dependant on several things: weather, time of day, the escort size . . . your nerve.

I'll draw a second circle at the convoy path line end, its size the distance away from the convoy center I wish to be. That's normally been 2.000 - 3.000 meters out. Keep in mind that you've marked the convoy's path, and that path is for the middle of the convoy. If it's four lanes wide, each 1km apart, the outer lanes will be 1.500 meters to each side of that path . . . and the escorts range even further outwards.



Once I reach that second circle I make my final pre-attack positioning. In this instance I turned to face back along the convoy path.

I wish I could have done a better pictoral job here, but hopefully this'll help give you one idea how to catch a convoy.

[Brag]

Originally Posted by Kapitan Edvard

I know I am no authority what-so-ever, but my problem with approaching a convoy at 2-3 knots is that I cant get into the convoy. I usually spot it some distance of, and really have to speed up to be able to collide with it, or else it just goes straight past me, at a large range.

To attack a convoy, you must position yourself ahead of it. You do this by racing on the surface, out of sight of the convoy. You have to plan and properly estimate where the convoy will at the time of your arrival to the place of ambush. You can dive ocasionally to check on the convoy's position.

Once you are on the convoy's path: you wait quietly and let it come to you. It is scary. Check my website to see how to attack a convoy. Best of luck

[andy_311]

Deep is great when you got deep water,but sometimes you just don't have it.
At the momment most of the Capatains here are in the atlantic,but if your lucky and survive,and get transfered to somewhere where it's not that deep (and there are places like that)start praying,but that's in 44 anyway.