The Love Of Stalking

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

My favorite time is following the course of briefings reported contact. I sit quietly in my respected thermal layer and run in silent mode. I feel so dangerous waiting for the Sierra 1 to pop up.

Any tips on stalking a contact you haven't found yet? By the way, I never use sonar. If I am looking for surface ships and I know no subs are in the area I start with periscope, then ESM if necessary, then finally if nothing radar.

[Delgard]

I gotta say, I TMA my way towards the initial contact with an intercept course, listening and processing all the way. I stay silent slowly rising above and then, sliding below the layer the whole way. It is an open water kind of survey. I know that once I start shooting...it is going to hit the fan.

Napoleon once said something to the affect, "If I make it look easy, it is because I am prepared well".


Some of the scenarios, I wish there was an intel update.

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Originally Posted by Delgard

I gotta say, I TMA my way towards the initial contact with an intercept course, listening and processing all the way. I stay silent slowly rising above and then, sliding below the layer the whole way. It is an open water kind of survey. I know that once I start shooting...it is going to hit the fan.

Napoleon once said something to the affect, "If I make it look easy, it is because I am prepared well".


Some of the scenarios, I wish there was an intel update.

How do you stalk surface ships that you barely have in contact?

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Also can I assume the towed array is an automatic thing? Because the options to tow your array like Sub Command isn't there.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater

Also can I assume the towed array is an automatic thing? Because the options to tow your array like Sub Command isn't there.

It's abstracted and automatic for the time being, but the devs are looking into making towed array use more involved.

As it stands, you get the most out of it at 5 kts and whenever you're not directly facing the target, in which case your own sub masks the array. The Signature display will give you a 0 reading on it when that happens.

[Delgard]

Yes, the towed array is just "there". When close to the bottom it should be dragging and worthless, same for shallow water. Should be able to partially wind it up in shallower waters so it has some benefits. Some is better than nothing.

Surface ships, I am learning to look at their picture to determine any weak zones around the ship. I am not very lucky, though. Russian ships really load up on weapons. If using torpedoes, below a hard layer and then pop the torpedo up at the last minute. Know the ship in case it has a helo. They will be directed over to prosecute any sound.

I am thinking to sneak in as close as possible on two ships, fire two separate torpedoes, launch a moss, and run away and get forward of their path. Helos are limited to two torpedoes, but not the IL-38 May. Sometimes, doing a speed-around to get in front and wait is good. I am still early, too.

Situational awareness is important...always.

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Originally Posted by Delgard

Yes, the towed array is just "there". When close to the bottom it should be dragging and worthless, same for shallow water. Should be able to partially wind it up in shallower waters so it has some benefits. Some is better than nothing.

Surface ships, I am learning to look at their picture to determine any weak zones around the ship. I am not very lucky, though. Russian ships really load up on weapons. If using torpedoes, below a hard layer and then pop the torpedo up at the last minute. Know the ship in case it has a helo. They will be directed over to prosecute any sound.

I am thinking to sneak in as close as possible on two ships, fire two separate torpedoes, launch a moss, and run away and get forward of their path. Helos are limited to two torpedoes, but not the IL-38 May. Sometimes, doing a speed-around to get in front and wait is good. I am still early, too.

Situational awareness is important...always.

I've tried chasing them down even with them not really aware where I am and it doesn't work. Only way it seems worth going after ships is if they are transport ships. I see what you mean, I just started doing the 80's campaign and they easily shot down two of tomahawks. So with that said, whats the most advanced cruise missile?

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Def ships are not worth it. They travel in packs, send a bunch of torpedoes your way they def a secondary objective.

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Def not looking to pick a fight with ships again, although I did hit one with a tomahawk.

[Delgard]

A TASM (Tomahawk Anti-ship missile) or a UGM-84 (Harpoon) are about the only choices.

[jenrick]

In the '68 campaign you can get away with running down a surface group IF (big important capital if) you can avoid being detected. In the Skipjack, which is probably the noisiest US sub, you can steal an approach with some careful sprinting, followed, by slowing to check position. Go as deep as you can, preferably under a hard layer, and set the throttle to standard. In the Skipjack this will be 20kts. Give it an 8-12k yard run, then rig for ultra-quiet and regain contacts. The safest option is to do this from the baffles, but it will longer. A 45 degree intercept works reasonably well, as you can turn into the groups baffles as you get closer.

If you can close to less then about 3k yards, fire off all 6 tubes in a nice wide spread, and watch the carnage.

If you have a fleeing transport, send a MK37 down their track (preferably straight from behind, IE pure lag pursuit). Even at run out speed the MK37 has a few knots of overtake, however you run the risk the range being exceeded if the initial launch is more than about 2,500 yards off. Go ahead and enable it ASAP, this will extend it's overtake range to about 8k yards. I've managed to chase down quiet a few sub tenders this way while I dealt with the escorts. If you can get a shot from dead astern a MK16 can run a transport down from about 7,300 yards. Shoot a tight spread as it's hard to get it all lined up perfect, and it's sole crushing to watch a transport have torpedo's slip by it by the narrowest of margins.

-Jenrick

[The Bandit]

I'll also mention something I learned watching Jive Turkey on the youtubes. In some way / shape / form this game models the "Deep sound channel" which usually occurs somewhere around 1000-3000 ft. In many cases if you're struggling to pick up a contact, regardless of the layer, go deep and with luck you might be able to sniff him out. Now I don't think this works nearly as well for localizing / TMA purposes but with luck you can at least get a classification out of it and a very general bearing which will at least put you in the right direction.

[shipkiller1]

It is always better to hit a Soviet surface warship from a far out as possible. Over the horizon is preferable using a torpedo.

A couple of reasons.
We have a saying on Fast Boats: Let the weapon do the work.
Surface ships will not hear the torpedo until after it goes active, by then its too late. Even if you enable it way early. I do this a lot.
You do not need a knats ass solution. You can get a feel for the range in the first five minutes of the engagement. Going for the surgical strike often leaves you in a poor tactical situation. ALWAYS MAINTAIN TACTICAL CONTROL.

You do not need to be a periscope depth to launch. In fact if they have air assets around, it will hamper your approach.

In a blue water engagement, I do most of my engagements at 500ft. The helos have a much poorer chance to detect you and you have rendered MAD runs almost useless. This allows you to use your ships speed to reposition for the best shot.

In a large Surface Action Group (SAG) you can launch two or three torpedoes between 20 and 40 degrees apart and get good hits. This will break up the SAG and allow you to pick off the higher value targets. Since the game does not model 'mutual interference' of the torpedoes, its a win, win.

If you decide to use a missile, you better be going deep to open datum before those pesky helos and fix wing aircraft (IL38's and Bears) and start dropping torpedoes on your position plus the rocket fired torpedoes from the ASW ships... A couple of times they have dropped seven torpedoes on that position. Of course I was 6000 yards away (and opening range) when that happened.
You normally only have to open datum around 4 or 5K.. Use the three minute rule: A contact going 10knots, in three minutes, travels 1000 yards. Do this in your head. Plan your attack.

I can routinely get all of the ships in a 10 ship SAG with no damage and maybe one evasion. Sometimes no evasions at all.

[Cpt.JoshuaGoldwater]

Originally Posted by shipkiller1

It is always better to hit a Soviet surface warship from a far out as possible. Over the horizon is preferable using a torpedo.

A couple of reasons.
We have a saying on Fast Boats: Let the weapon do the work.
Surface ships will not hear the torpedo until after it goes active, by then its too late. Even if you enable it way early. I do this a lot.
You do not need a knats ass solution. You can get a feel for the range in the first five minutes of the engagement. Going for the surgical strike often leaves you in a poor tactical situation. ALWAYS MAINTAIN TACTICAL CONTROL.

You do not need to be a periscope depth to launch. In fact if they have air assets around, it will hamper your approach.

In a blue water engagement, I do most of my engagements at 500ft. The helos have a much poorer chance to detect you and you have rendered MAD runs almost useless. This allows you to use your ships speed to reposition for the best shot.

In a large Surface Action Group (SAG) you can launch two or three torpedoes between 20 and 40 degrees apart and get good hits. This will break up the SAG and allow you to pick off the higher value targets. Since the game does not model 'mutual interference' of the torpedoes, its a win, win.

If you decide to use a missile, you better be going deep to open datum before those pesky helos and fix wing aircraft (IL38's and Bears) and start dropping torpedoes on your position plus the rocket fired torpedoes from the ASW ships... A couple of times they have dropped seven torpedoes on that position. Of course I was 6000 yards away (and opening range) when that happened.
You normally only have to open datum around 4 or 5K.. Use the three minute rule: A contact going 10knots, in three minutes, travels 1000 yards. Do this in your head. Plan your attack.

I can routinely get all of the ships in a 10 ship SAG with no damage and maybe one evasion. Sometimes no evasions at all.

You are def right about all these points. Unless I'm really far away no point in attacking a surface group.