Engaging task force with S-18

[TorpX]

I play the S-boats a lot. However, this advice applies to RFB, your stock S-class may be different.

First, if you do go for the cruisers, use all four tubes on one. IMO, the S-boats aren't well suited to engage multiple targets. Second, the S-class can't turn worth a dime in SH4. If your in immidiate danger, go as deep as you can and use bursts of speed to get out from under depth charges. Otherwise, just quietly slink away. At the start of the war, the escorts will probably not be very good. You can take advantage of this.

If possible get ahead of them, and position yourself near their track. If that's not possible, put yourself on a normal approach course, and get within torpedo range. Try not to use up your battery more than you have to.

A normal approach course is 90 deg. from the target bearing (in the direction of the targets movement, of course). This allows you to close the target with minimum speed. Good luck.

[Elektroniikka-Asentaja]

So... I got it done

I rigged for silent running ~5000 meters away from them, did a little turn to get better angle and then let 3 torpedoes loose while starting to dive to 65 meters. All torpedos hit (no duds YAY!) and the cruiser was under water in less than a minute. Kinda made me feel bad to watch its light signal lamp blinking still when the command deck disappeared underwater. Last message probably was something like

..-. ..- -.-. -.- / .- -- . .-. .. -.-. .- -. ...

(f**k americans)

Anyway, after the cruiser was taken down I headed towards north to get behind them as they moved towards south, nobody seemed to know where I was.

One DD had stopped for some reason, it was just standing out there and flashing searchlights, probably trying to listen around and find me. I turned around and decided to give them a little headache as all other ships were now heading to wrong direction to find me. I checked torpedo reserves..

WHAAT!? Those damn landlubbers in Jawa had given me a full load of Mark 14s?? So I had one torpedo left..



I shot the DD, it sank with the first one. Secured from silent running and started steaming away from the task force. Nobody seemed to notice me even if I was moving ahead flank.

I decided to go back to Surabaya to refit (and hope that they'll give me something that I can use...) and met a few merchants along the way, seas were ridiculously rough, deck gun was underwater almost half of the time but I managed to sink all 3 merchants I met.

Refit in Jawa.. More mark 14s.. Perhaps they have some Japanese agent there?

So I ended patrol as it seems I need to manually add those mark 10 torps..

Apparently brass was happy about sinking the cruiser as they awarded me with battle star



Thanks for the tips and help everyone, I'm starting to learn this game