Ghost map contacts & larger ships

[overandout]

I hate the ghost convoys/ships. I get notice about a merchant or convoy and travel to the spot only to not get any contacts. What to do about this problem and how do I know if a contact is legit?

I am playing in early 42 (1st patrol) and have yet to see any large ships (tankers, troop carriers, etc.) Where and when do they appear?

TIA!

Lee

[Schlippittz]

If you get a contact report and sail to the location on your map, you're sailing to the spot where the contact was when it was reported to you. It's not going to sit there in one spot and wait to get sunk. You have to use the original report to guess where the convoy is going, and then get yourself there before they do.

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Well said!

Hee hee poor overandout. You get contact report at 1201hrs sailed 100+nms and expect it still there at 1201hrs. If the contact was fast by the time you get there he'll be in Saskatchewan!

Don't mean to make fun of you m8 but this one is a classic!

[tomoose]

As soon as you get the contact, look at the details, mainly speed and course. Use your map tools and draw a line along the enemy vessels reported course. So now you have a start point(where the report says he is) and a direction(where the report says he's heading). The trick now is to try and anticipate where he's going to be along that line at a time when you can intercept.
For example, my own personal rule of thumb;
If the report says the speed is "slow" I'll calculate the targets movement at a maximum of 5kts.
If the report says the speed is "medium" I'll calculate the target's movement at a maximum of 9kts(although I'll usually go with 7kts).
The idea being that if I over calculate his speed then at least I'll be ahead of the target as opposed to being behind and still chasing.
If the report says the speed is "fast" I'll usually not chase as that normally indicates a warship and I either can't catch 'em or I don't want to!!!

Using the nomograph I'll try and guess-timate how far the target can travel at the given speed along his route in a given time period. I'll also do the same for my sub on an intercept course but I'll check the distance first and figure out how fast I have to go to get there.

That's my crude method for at least getting me within either radar or sonar range at which point I can hopefully get the target on one of those and zero in.

Having said that, there's no guarantee your target will oblige you by staying on the course you think he's on. That's part of the challenge (and frustration, LOL).

Hope this helps. I'm sure one of the other more experienced boat drivers can give you a better method.

[Schlippittz]

^^^
Much more helpful than either DJFL or I. I'd just gotten home from work, and had no helpful left in me.

[tomoose]

[Schlippittz]

Originally Posted by overandout

I am playing in early 42 (1st patrol) and have yet to see any large ships (tankers, troop carriers, etc.) Where and when do they appear?

I missed this somehow. This comes down to patience. On my first patrol, I was assigned to the channel between Honshu and Hokkaido. I had no targets on the sail out, and when I git to my patrol area, I had to settle for fishing boats for two weeks. I got the cue that my patrol obligations were ended, and it wasn't til the ride home that I fell in with a convoy that had some decent sized tankers.

In short, sometimes you will hit the mother lode, and sometimes you just have to settle for pebbles. It was pebbles more often than not for most American subs in the Pacific. It was very uncommon to bag loads of big ships each time out to sea.