Help a Type IIA captain out

The_Blockade_Runner · 09-17-08, 10:57 AM

Hi guys;

Hey, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I need help finding the ships weak spots. The weak spots I knew in stock SH3 arent the same running GWX 2.1

Im asking because Im still in the beginning with a type IIA and I need to maximuize tonnage. The problem Im having is sinking ships with one shot. Generallly, Im aiming for about 3-4 meters under the smoke stack. I can usually sink the coastal merchant in one shot, But the granville type freighters and small merchants are freaking tanks. And I am spening a lot of time, hours of compressed time, hoping that it will sink.

The other day, ending my third patrol, I had one torp left. Along came a Large Merchant with perfect weather conditions at night. The Large Merchant was going 9knts. I ser up a perfect shot under the smoke stack. And on it went, just kept trucking on at 8knts and never sank, I followed it for hours then turned back home.

If you're running GWX 2.1 and youre a master at one shot kills, espically on the small merchants, please post your tips, hints, here.

Sailor Steve · 09-17-08, 11:04 AM

U-boat.net has a list of every ship attacked by a u-boat during the war. A look through it will show a huge variety of sinking types, with small ships taking forever and big ships going down fast, usually depending on the cargo carried at the time.

The point here is that, while some captains stalked crippled ships for hours or even days, most would give it two hours or so and then deliver the coupe de grace.

Any one-shot kills I've ever gotten have been due purely to luck.

Piggy · 09-17-08, 11:15 AM

I usually aim slightly aft of the bow, with the forward momentum it "seems" to help ships sink. But you're right, sometimes they just wont got down, especially the 2000GRT passenger/cargo ships! Thoses things are tanks. Although last nights patrol I came across 3 of them so I thought I would try something different this time. I aimed just aft of the smoke stack, knocked the engines out on two of them and they sank within an hour, the 3rd one needed another eel. (ive never sank one of those with a one bow shot though)

I find the Granvilles pretty easy to sink with one bow shot though. I wouldnt aim for the engine room areas unless you want to stop it (doesnt always work though) and finish it off with a deck gun (not possible with a type II)

Generally speaking I think shots to the most forward cargo hold gives the best results but its never guaranteed and sometimes they can take hours to sink.

meduza · 09-17-08, 11:36 AM

Use impact fuse, depth set to half a ship's draft. Aim at front mast, or a bit forward.

It seems that the bigger ships are easier to sink than the small ones. THe 12000 ton Whale factory ship needs only one hit to sink, but a ships like 2000 ton Tramp steamer often survives :hmm:

Seaveins · 09-17-08, 11:44 AM

How do you alter the point of impact for the torpedo run?

Piggy · 09-17-08, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seaveins

How do you alter the point of impact for the torpedo run?

Once you get your solution and are in prime firing position simply unlock the scope(uzo/peri) and aim for whatever part of the ship you want. The solution/gyro angle will update automatically.

Pisces · 09-18-08, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggy

I usually aim slightly aft of the bow, with the forward momentum it "seems" to help ships sink. But you're right, sometimes they just wont got down, especially the 2000GRT passenger/cargo ships! Thoses things are tanks. Although last nights patrol I came across 3 of them so I thought I would try something different this time. I aimed just aft of the smoke stack, knocked the engines out on two of them and they sank within an hour, the 3rd one needed another eel. (ive never sank one of those with a one bow shot though)

I find the Granvilles pretty easy to sink with one bow shot though. I wouldnt aim for the engine room areas unless you want to stop it (doesnt always work though) and finish it off with a deck gun (not possible with a type II)

Generally speaking I think shots to the most forward cargo hold gives the best results but its never guaranteed and sometimes they can take hours to sink.

I have only a one-time experience, but hitting the passenger/cargo in the aft cargo section (between the 2 masts) made him sink in about an hour in my last patrol too. It needs more attempts to confirm this location promisses succes, but your experiences confirm my suspicions. The waves we significant though, so that may have helped. Forward hits (1st mast) are useless for this type, but works miracles sofar in most others (even large merchants/freighters). Not instant, but well within the hour.

Seaveins · 09-18-08, 06:31 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Seaveins
How do you alter the point of impact for the torpedo run?

Once you get your solution and are in prime firing position simply unlock the scope(uzo/peri) and aim for whatever part of the ship you want. The solution/gyro angle will update automatically.

predavolk · 09-18-08, 08:26 AM

There was a thread about small ships and their toughness. Many such discussions occured. In GWX 2.1, magnetic torps are much more effective in my experience than in earlier versions. So they're not a bad choice. But I still prefer bow shots with impact torps. As others have mentioned, the boat's momentum then drives it under.

Stern shots are another possibility, as the stern is usually lower to the water than the bow. Middle shots are the least effective. In real life, you'd be hoping to hit the boiler room/fuel supplies and blow the ship up. Otherwise, it's the least threateing from a sinking persepctive.

Erich dem Roten · 09-21-08, 04:15 PM

I am a fan of both the bow shot described here, and also aiming for fuel bunkers (typically just forward of the superstructure). It also comes down to luck in some cases - I've put 3 torps into both a Liberty Cargo and an Empire-class Freighter without them sinking, despite being dead in the water during very rough seas (the bows of both ship were actually under water 70% of the time). I waited 24 hours before finally using another torp on each.

Rommer69 · 09-22-08, 11:31 AM

Many of the ships I sank had a bow shot, some of them had a stern shot, of course not intended:rotfl: . Big ships with hits in the middle many times do not want to sink and small ships wont do it even in rough waters; that´s my experience.
I´m still looking for the way of sinking almost all the ships with only one shot.

09-17-08, 10:57 AM	#1
The_Blockade_Runner Sparky Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 156 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Help a Type IIA captain out Hi guys; Hey, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I need help finding the ships weak spots. The weak spots I knew in stock SH3 arent the same running GWX 2.1 Im asking because Im still in the beginning with a type IIA and I need to maximuize tonnage. The problem Im having is sinking ships with one shot. Generallly, Im aiming for about 3-4 meters under the smoke stack. I can usually sink the coastal merchant in one shot, But the granville type freighters and small merchants are freaking tanks. And I am spening a lot of time, hours of compressed time, hoping that it will sink. The other day, ending my third patrol, I had one torp left. Along came a Large Merchant with perfect weather conditions at night. The Large Merchant was going 9knts. I ser up a perfect shot under the smoke stack. And on it went, just kept trucking on at 8knts and never sank, I followed it for hours then turned back home. If you're running GWX 2.1 and youre a master at one shot kills, espically on the small merchants, please post your tips, hints, here. __________________ U boat warfare, Product of German Engineering. German Engineering in da house

09-17-08, 11:04 AM	#2
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	U-boat.net has a list of every ship attacked by a u-boat during the war. A look through it will show a huge variety of sinking types, with small ships taking forever and big ships going down fast, usually depending on the cargo carried at the time. The point here is that, while some captains stalked crippled ships for hours or even days, most would give it two hours or so and then deliver the coupe de grace. Any one-shot kills I've ever gotten have been due purely to luck. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

09-17-08, 11:36 AM	#4
meduza Ace of the Deep Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: on patrol Posts: 1,035 Downloads: 40 Uploads: 0	Use impact fuse, depth set to half a ship's draft. Aim at front mast, or a bit forward. It seems that the bigger ships are easier to sink than the small ones. THe 12000 ton Whale factory ship needs only one hit to sink, but a ships like 2000 ton Tramp steamer often survives :hmm: __________________

09-18-08, 06:31 AM	#8
Seaveins Sailor man Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Burke, VA, USA Posts: 44 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Thanks much Piggy...I can't wait to experiment. Quote: Originally Posted by Seaveins How do you alter the point of impact for the torpedo run? Once you get your solution and are in prime firing position simply unlock the scope(uzo/peri) and aim for whatever part of the ship you want. The solution/gyro angle will update automatically.

09-21-08, 04:15 PM	#10
Erich dem Roten Electrician's Mate Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Connecticut Posts: 134 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	I am a fan of both the bow shot described here, and also aiming for fuel bunkers (typically just forward of the superstructure). It also comes down to luck in some cases - I've put 3 torps into both a Liberty Cargo and an Empire-class Freighter without them sinking, despite being dead in the water during very rough seas (the bows of both ship were actually under water 70% of the time). I waited 24 hours before finally using another torp on each. __________________

09-17-08, 11:15 AM	#3
Piggy Ensign Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada Posts: 234 Downloads: 147 Uploads: 0	I usually aim slightly aft of the bow, with the forward momentum it "seems" to help ships sink. But you're right, sometimes they just wont got down, especially the 2000GRT passenger/cargo ships! Thoses things are tanks. Although last nights patrol I came across 3 of them so I thought I would try something different this time. I aimed just aft of the smoke stack, knocked the engines out on two of them and they sank within an hour, the 3rd one needed another eel. (ive never sank one of those with a one bow shot though) I find the Granvilles pretty easy to sink with one bow shot though. I wouldnt aim for the engine room areas unless you want to stop it (doesnt always work though) and finish it off with a deck gun (not possible with a type II) Generally speaking I think shots to the most forward cargo hold gives the best results but its never guaranteed and sometimes they can take hours to sink.

09-17-08, 11:44 AM	#5
Seaveins Sailor man Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Burke, VA, USA Posts: 44 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	How do you alter the point of impact for the torpedo run?

09-18-08, 08:26 AM	#9
predavolk Weps Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 369 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	There was a thread about small ships and their toughness. Many such discussions occured. In GWX 2.1, magnetic torps are much more effective in my experience than in earlier versions. So they're not a bad choice. But I still prefer bow shots with impact torps. As others have mentioned, the boat's momentum then drives it under. Stern shots are another possibility, as the stern is usually lower to the water than the bow. Middle shots are the least effective. In real life, you'd be hoping to hit the boiler room/fuel supplies and blow the ship up. Otherwise, it's the least threateing from a sinking persepctive.

09-22-08, 11:31 AM	#11
Rommer69 A-ganger Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Spain Posts: 72 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	Many of the ships I sank had a bow shot, some of them had a stern shot, of course not intended:rotfl: . Big ships with hits in the middle many times do not want to sink and small ships wont do it even in rough waters; that´s my experience. I´m still looking for the way of sinking almost all the ships with only one shot.