Sinking ships in GWX

[BROJD]

I've been trying to get one-shot kills in GWX but can't quite cut it. I'm still running in 1939 so I've been usually picking off lone merchants, but even the 2000 ton passenger cargoes and small merchants take a torpedo and followed up with some target practice with my deck gun to finish off.

I know that it can take the ships a while to sink in GWX, but how long? I'm operating right off the coast of Scotland and don't want to stick around waiting for airpower or a lone destroyer to respond, so I usually surface and finish them off with the deck gun.

How do I know when the ship is going down (before the crew announces it at least) and when I need to send another torp?

And what are the best settings to use? I thought that the magnetic torpedoes were preferred, 1 - 1.5 meters below the draft of the ship, to break their back, but the how-to on ship weak spots at http://www.mysh3.info/shiii/index.ph...hip_Weak_Spots recommends impact shots 2-3 meters deep on most ships.

Any suggestions on what else I need to be doing?

Vielen dank, kaulens!

[Spruence M]

Alright, lets assume your magnetic exploders will work. Check your reginition manuel for the Draft of the vessel, set your depth for that, or barely below that for maximum efffect. Normally for me, knocks off large cargos in 1 hit.

[TarJak]

Aim for just behind the foremast on most ships and you should be able to get them to force the bows under. Nothing is guaranteed of course!

[Huskalar]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Aim for just behind the foremast on most ships and you should be able to get them to force the bows under. Nothing is guaranteed of course!

This works for me. It could take some time for a ship to sink this way, up to 30 minutes for what I've seen. Although if there's little or no wind I'm not sure if it works. But under all other weather conditions it seems to work perfectly.

[minute]

Originally Posted by BROJD

I've been trying to get one-shot kills in GWX but can't quite cut it. I'm still running in 1939 so I've been usually picking off lone merchants, but even the 2000 ton passenger cargoes and small merchants take a torpedo and followed up with some target practice with my deck gun to finish off.

That's normal. Ships almost never break up or instantly sink (with one torpedo or more) in GWX.

I know that it can take the ships a while to sink in GWX, but how long?

I find that most ships sink within the hour (game time) with one torp aimed in the bow. Size doesn't make much difference as much as weather does. Some take longer, some will need the second torpedo to sink.

I'm operating right off the coast of Scotland and don't want to stick around waiting for airpower or a lone destroyer to respond, so I usually surface and finish them off with the deck gun.

That's a good idea

How do I know when the ship is going down (before the crew announces it at least) and when I need to send another torp?

You won't know until the "she's going down" message comes up. However, you don't have to shell or torpedo the bastard continuously until you get the message. You just need to wait and see what happens.

What I usually do is:

1. (Optional) Shoot a torpedo to the bow and loiter for about 5 minutes to observe the effect
2. If the ship is still sailing at the same speed, surface and fire some 20-odd shells to the waterline
3. Loiter some more for 10-15 minutes
4. If the ship is still sailing then give it some more 10-odd cannon rounds
5. Repeat until she's going down
6. Always throughout the time maintain a torpedo launch position just in case the odd destroyer or aircraft shows up

The effect of your shots can be observed progessively by watching for the following signs of almost certain signs of a ship's demise:

1. Water over the bridge in rough weather
2. Engines stop
3. Very rough weather
4. "She's going down, sir!"

If the ship(s) is/are escorted or there is air cover, then just shoot from the start an appropriate number of torpedos (1 torpedo per <5000t ship, 2 torpedos per 5000-15000t ship, 3 torpedos per >15000t ship) and pray that they sink quickly enough to get the credit while you dive to the bottoms. Or use more torpedos.

And what are the best settings to use? I thought that the magnetic torpedoes were preferred, 1 - 1.5 meters below the draft of the ship, to break their back, but the how-to on ship weak spots at http://www.mysh3.info/shiii/index.ph...hip_Weak_Spots recommends impact shots 2-3 meters deep on most ships.

That Wiki is out of date if you are using GWX. The GWX manual (great bed-time reading) explains all this in wonderful detail. There are no longer weak spots (or there are no weak spots one should know about) - just do whatever it takes to sink the tommie, the hard way!

[3Jane]

Keep checking the map view. Sometimes I have found the red marker indicating a sinking will appear before the 'she's going down' call.

[Canovaro]

I think trying one hit kills is a bad idea if you can't use the deck gun afterwards.

1. The chance that you actually hit the target is smaller, because:
a. you may have miscalculated the target course or speed causing the torpedo to be off target.
b. in case of magnetic torpedoes there is a chance that it will explode prematurely

2. If you hit the target it will become very hard for you to hit it again with a torpedo, because the target will:
a. change speed (either loose speed because of the damage or speed up to get away from you)
b. start zizagging.

3. You never know if it's going to sink from that first torpedo. This takes time in which enemy aircraft or warships may be on the way.

My advice if you can't use the deck gun (properly): Always fire two torpedoes at a small ship and three at a big ship.
The first torpedo at the bow, and the last torpedoe at the stern, or vice versa. Simple and effective.

[BROJD]

Thanks -- I'll ignore the Wiki piece on sinking ships. And I'll be a bit more patient letting them sink.

[mowgli99]

Just yesterday i surfaced to use my deckgun on a liberty cargo (not being catious) after a torpedo hit and i lost 3 good men due to the enemy's deck gun. I sent her to the bottom and told the men to forget rescuing survivorsand gunnend down the surviving deck gun crew (of enemy). Thats what they get.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by BROJD

I've been trying to get one-shot kills in GWX but can't quite cut it. I'm still running in 1939 so I've been usually picking off lone merchants, but even the 2000 ton passenger cargoes and small merchants take a torpedo and followed up with some target practice with my deck gun to finish off.

I know that it can take the ships a while to sink in GWX, but how long? I'm operating right off the coast of Scotland and don't want to stick around waiting for airpower or a lone destroyer to respond, so I usually surface and finish them off with the deck gun.

How do I know when the ship is going down (before the crew announces it at least) and when I need to send another torp?

And what are the best settings to use? I thought that the magnetic torpedoes were preferred, 1 - 1.5 meters below the draft of the ship, to break their back, but the how-to on ship weak spots at http://www.mysh3.info/shiii/index.ph...hip_Weak_Spots recommends impact shots 2-3 meters deep on most ships.

Any suggestions on what else I need to be doing?

Vielen dank, kaulens!

The little passenger/cargo merchants are hard at work keeping Britain supplied with styrofoam and balsa wood, which is why a) they never sink and b) you get little renown if they do sink. An utter waste of time.

I won't rehash the good advice already given. I do find one torp sufficient for most ships, esp when the magnetics work, so, for me, taking single shots, with a loss here and there, is more profitable than giving them all two.

[melnibonian]

Usually Destroyers and other small ships (1000-1500 tons) go down with one torpedo. Obviously depending on the area and angle of impact there might take quite some time but generally speaking they do sink.

Merchant ships tend to be divided into three categories.

1. Small Ships (Small Merchant, Tramp Steamer etc) usually go down with one torpedo but they might take quite some time (up to 3-4 hours some times-Most of them though go under in less than one hour).
2. Medium Ships depending on their type tend to require two torpedoes.
3. Large Ships tend to require 2-3 torpedoes.

These are just rule of thumb, as I have used 4 torpedoes in a Small Merchant and a single fish in a Large Passenger Liner. Luck, area and angle of impact are vital for success in GWX.

[Jimbuna]

Hit him in the ar*e end and if he doesn't sink at least you've stopped the bugger and made em easy prey for your gunners

[andylegate]

Thinking about the 3 destroyers I actually served on while in the Navy (they were DDG's and were AAW platforms, basically a target for any sub).

I can think of 3 different places where a single round from either the 88 or 105 would ripped the ships apart if they landed there. And they would of considering the thinkness of their hulls were like paper.....

:shrudders:

[Sailor Steve]

My ship was a WWII-era DD, modernized of course. While an 88mm or 105mm would have cause damage, we had 4 (6 during the war) 5"/38s. I think any WWII sub would have died quickly if they tried a gun duel.