Night surface attack inside a convoy.......

[UKönig]

It may be that your U-boat is just too low in the water for them to see adequately. If you are too close, they can't see you, because their vision is blocked by their own hull.
Merchant ships were often outfitted with listening gear, for just this kind of emergency. Even the ocean liner "Titanic" was equipped to listen for submarines, and that was in 1912. (See "shipbuilder" magazine, 1911 edition, on the Olympic class of ocean liner, for more details).
As it was, U-20, under the command of Walter Schwieger, torpedoed and sank the cunard liner "Lusitania" on Friday, May 7th, 1915.
So it's not surprising that once you went below the waves, that's when they "found" you. If there is no moon, and/or low visibility, you may have gotten confused with wave peaks and blended in with the ships of the convoy around you. One reason I try not to get too close with surface attacks (night or day) is because I am afraid that the merchants, once they spot me, will turn to ram. And if your sub is only 700 tons and your rammer is 6000 tons, well, it's pretty easy to see who the loser will be...

[suitednate]

Originally Posted by UKönig

It may be that your U-boat is just too low in the water for them to see adequately. If you are too close, they can't see you, because their vision is blocked by their own hull.
Merchant ships were often outfitted with listening gear, for just this kind of emergency. Even the ocean liner "Titanic" was equipped to listen for submarines, and that was in 1912. (See "shipbuilder" magazine, 1911 edition, on the Olympic class of ocean liner, for more details).
As it was, U-20, under the command of Walter Schwieger, torpedoed and sank the cunard liner "Lusitania" on Friday, May 7th, 1915.
So it's not surprising that once you went below the waves, that's when they "found" you. If there is no moon, and/or low visibility, you may have gotten confused with wave peaks and blended in with the ships of the convoy around you. One reason I try not to get too close with surface attacks (night or day) is because I am afraid that the merchants, once they spot me, will turn to ram. And if your sub is only 700 tons and your rammer is 6000 tons, well, it's pretty easy to see who the loser will be...

Yes they will try to ram you. U just gotta keep your mouse er...head on a swivel while on deck. Also the keys for hard port, hard starboard, rudder amidships on the keyboard are always at my fingertips when doing this surface attack or when evading escorts and their charges submerged.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by suitednate

Yes they will try to ram you.

No one will try to ram you.

You can test this in single missions.... over and over and over and over and over.

No one will try to ram you.

[maillemaker]

No one will try to ram you.

You can test this in single missions.... over and over and over and over and over.

No one will try to ram you.

I thought so.

I've never seen a ship intentionally maneuver to try and ram me.

However, on very, very rare occasion, I will get a message, "Enemy is ramming us, sir!" or something like that.

Almost as rarely I get the message, "Destroyer in attack run!"

Steve

[UKönig]

I got intentionally rammed by a destroyer trying to leave the straights of gibraltar.
We (u99) were on the surface, trying to make a break for it, and we were getting pretty close too. Little Elcos harassing us, but called up reinforcements, in the form of 3 destroyer escorts. 2 V & W class, and one Tribal class, who caught us full speed broadside. Forward starboard, just before the saddle tank bulge. We flipped over in the water, like twice, (I was on the bridge at the time, watching this debacle), and the next message I got was "U-boat destroyed by collision" "You are dead, lol."
I have also been rammed by convoy merchants, my scope is up, they are aware, I'm being pinged by escorts in the area, but with so many merchants nearby, they are having a hard time getting into attack runs. Then, the nearest merchant to me will suddenly swing in my direction. Maybe that's just a programmed zig-zag and as (un)luck would have it, I was blundering across at the same moment, but the end result is the same. Damaged scope, damaged watch tower, damaged AA guns, maybe less if I spot the maneuver in time and am able to dive deeper, but it's a white knuckle ride all the way.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by UKönig

I got intentionally rammed by a destroyer trying to leave the straights of gibraltar.

You got yourself run over. You were not rammed.

[UKönig]

Same end result. Might as well have been. Works for me.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

I thought so.

I've never seen a ship intentionally maneuver to try and ram me.

Don't rely on this, but I *believe* you can be hit by an enemy ship that is aware of your presence (merch or warship) if you throw yourself in front of it. Not because of any malevolent intent, but because the AI works that way.

But you can throw yourself in front of a neutral or a friendly and the AI will do crazy unrealistic stuff to prevent a collision. The AI also does crazy stuff to prevent collisions between enemy ships.