How does one attack a zig-zagging convoy?

[Rockin Robbins]

In SH4 the DDs can sashay out the way of a torpedo easier than you can say it. You only carry so many torpedoes. Wasting them on DDs for less than a 30% probabability of a hit just doesn't make any sense.

The exception would be if you can take a shot an an unaware, slow moving DD from 90º to the track (more or less) and less than 500 yards away. That's a high probability shot.

But a down the throat or up the poop chute shot is low probability. Plus a defect in SH4 damage models gave the DD a hardened nose that can take multiple torpedoes without slowing the DD down at all.

If you're going for tonnage, you need to sink merchants. In the war, DDs were only given priority after the merchant supply ran low. There's a lesson in that. Dealey was lost for espousing "Destroyer killer" nonsense.

You shoot DDs when it's absolutely necessary to save your life or if you get a high probability shot. Don't ever waste more than one torpedo on a DD--no spreads. There's no tonnage there and you'll probably miss anyway.

A down the throat shot where you're at periscope depth full throttle, shooting dead astern with zero gyro angle at a range of 400' is about a 50% shot. Take it and dive for your life.

But we're in business to kill defenseless merchants. You win when you sink all the merchies in the convoy and the DDs steam away because they have no one left to protect. It's not too difficult to do and the hazard is not great. If you find yourself in a fair fight you didn't plan well enough.