Let's talk tactics

ppk · 12-08-08, 03:37 AM

I'm introducing this with the story of my last patrol. I'm hoping someone can point out my mistakes.

On my last patrol I encountered a HUGE convoy. Bigger than anything I had seen before, it had more whale factory ships and other fat targets than I had torpedoes for. It is the end of 1942 and the Allies are pissing me off with their shipboard radars. The convoy was moving pretty fast and time for the intercept was limited because I was just at the edge of the continental shelf in grid AM and I only had a few short hours before they were out of my reach (I don't go in shallow British controlled waters ... Since it's a DiD career the safety of the boat supersedes my greed for more tonnage...).

So essentially I was between them and the coastline in the early morning, which is good, but then I got the ''detecting radar signals'' message. I submerged, and when listening to the hydrophones I realized that they were changing course. I went back topside, and turned away from them at flank speed. Still out of visual range, I made the bet that my minimized cross section wouldn't give them a solid return. I began flanking them but was relentlessly attacked throughout the day by patrolling hurricanes and such. To make matters worse I had to recharge batteries at flank speed because I still had used up some juice to hunt a task force during the night. So about at that point I thought about backing off and letting them be but decided to press on. From the plot I had I determined the latest position at which I could engage the convoy and still duck in deep water to evade and headed there.

''Detecting radar signals''...
I decided to test the efficacy of their radars a little. Still making flank speed, batteries now full and I've spent the day flanking them. I'm not ahead yet, and it looks like I'm gonna have to shoot at extreme range and hope for the best. So I turned right into the convoy (again, minimized cross section) until the first ship was spotted. After ducking to periscope depth I took a look and concluded that their radars had not picked me up. Everyone was sailing straight, no escorts coming towards here. But I also noted that they were REALLY far.

The minimum speed I could make to my only possible firing position was 6 knots... And I wasn't too sure if that was safe but did it anyways. Eventually someone must have heard me because before I knew it I had three DD's swarming to my position. So alright, no big deal, I turned away and one of them wasn't zig-zagging... I sent him some stern tube goodness and he broke in half. I'm not going to describe the rest of the engagement because it turned in a messy knife fight but 15 minutes later the two other DDs were at the bottom and I had lost my starboard prop to an ash can. There were three TI's left in my bow tubes, which I shot at long range. One hit a small freighter and the other two missed.

What's the fastest speed that we can travel at without being detected at different ranges? I know at really close range you have to be silent but how close can you come before you need to slow down? From what just happened I get the feeling that they heard me when I was about 5 km from the corner DD. How do you guys cope with radar to still get in a good position? It was the main hurdle preventing me from getting close enough for good shots. It forced me to retreat further from the convoy when flanking and consumed the few precious minutes I had to complete the intercept. Even though I did sink four ships it was a failed attack. The biggies sailed away unharmed.

What would you have done in the same situation?

12-08-08, 03:37 AM	#1
ppk Machinist's Mate Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 125 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	Let's talk tactics I'm introducing this with the story of my last patrol. I'm hoping someone can point out my mistakes. On my last patrol I encountered a HUGE convoy. Bigger than anything I had seen before, it had more whale factory ships and other fat targets than I had torpedoes for. It is the end of 1942 and the Allies are pissing me off with their shipboard radars. The convoy was moving pretty fast and time for the intercept was limited because I was just at the edge of the continental shelf in grid AM and I only had a few short hours before they were out of my reach (I don't go in shallow British controlled waters ... Since it's a DiD career the safety of the boat supersedes my greed for more tonnage...). So essentially I was between them and the coastline in the early morning, which is good, but then I got the ''detecting radar signals'' message. I submerged, and when listening to the hydrophones I realized that they were changing course. I went back topside, and turned away from them at flank speed. Still out of visual range, I made the bet that my minimized cross section wouldn't give them a solid return. I began flanking them but was relentlessly attacked throughout the day by patrolling hurricanes and such. To make matters worse I had to recharge batteries at flank speed because I still had used up some juice to hunt a task force during the night. So about at that point I thought about backing off and letting them be but decided to press on. From the plot I had I determined the latest position at which I could engage the convoy and still duck in deep water to evade and headed there. ''Detecting radar signals''... I decided to test the efficacy of their radars a little. Still making flank speed, batteries now full and I've spent the day flanking them. I'm not ahead yet, and it looks like I'm gonna have to shoot at extreme range and hope for the best. So I turned right into the convoy (again, minimized cross section) until the first ship was spotted. After ducking to periscope depth I took a look and concluded that their radars had not picked me up. Everyone was sailing straight, no escorts coming towards here. But I also noted that they were REALLY far. The minimum speed I could make to my only possible firing position was 6 knots... And I wasn't too sure if that was safe but did it anyways. Eventually someone must have heard me because before I knew it I had three DD's swarming to my position. So alright, no big deal, I turned away and one of them wasn't zig-zagging... I sent him some stern tube goodness and he broke in half. I'm not going to describe the rest of the engagement because it turned in a messy knife fight but 15 minutes later the two other DDs were at the bottom and I had lost my starboard prop to an ash can. There were three TI's left in my bow tubes, which I shot at long range. One hit a small freighter and the other two missed. What's the fastest speed that we can travel at without being detected at different ranges? I know at really close range you have to be silent but how close can you come before you need to slow down? From what just happened I get the feeling that they heard me when I was about 5 km from the corner DD. How do you guys cope with radar to still get in a good position? It was the main hurdle preventing me from getting close enough for good shots. It forced me to retreat further from the convoy when flanking and consumed the few precious minutes I had to complete the intercept. Even though I did sink four ships it was a failed attack. The biggies sailed away unharmed. What would you have done in the same situation? __________________ When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. Friedrich Nietzsche U-46 (VIIB) - 62 ships for 395,532 tons in Apr40 [DiD] Last edited by ppk; 12-08-08 at 07:49 PM.