Übertugs

I was passing near a US city, and an armed tugboat started pinging me. No other vessels for at least 20km according to my hydrophones and periscope. My question would be, is this at all historically accurate? Did such tugboats exist?

[Herr-Berbunch]

Certainly not in the early years. When are you there?

Early September 1943.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Like this...



Taken from http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships...type=Fleet+tug

[K-61]

I like beating up tugs early war, but once they arm themselves I avoid them. I like to deprive the Allies of the potential to salvage damaged vessels [I pretend this in my mind, of course, as the game does not simulate salvage. Pretending is a large part of this game.]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

Like this...

Taken from http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships...type=Fleet+tug

That's it, but did it actually have sonar? Seems like a waste getting fancy gear like that on an easily sunk vessel, but I guess in the long run it's still far less money when compared to a destroyer. The uboat.net listing and wikipedia entries don't mention it at all.

Originally Posted by K-61

I like beating up tugs early war, but once they arm themselves I avoid them. I like to deprive the Allies of the potential to salvage damaged vessels [I pretend this in my mind, of course, as the game does not simulate salvage. Pretending is a large part of this game.]

Pretending is indeed helpful. Though GWX helps a ton there are still a few gaps that imagination help fill. Speaking of tugs, I once sailed over one while patrolling the Irish Sea, in the early years of the war. I was afk doing laundry or some such nonsense and returned to find that my path had taken me directly through one of these soon-to-be jerks.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by Hans Uberman

That's it, but did it actually have sonar? Seems like a waste getting fancy gear like that on an easily sunk vessel, but I guess in the long run it's still far less money when compared to a destroyer. The uboat.net listing and wikipedia entries don't mention it at all.

I wonder how that Fleet Tug -- nothing like a harbor tug -- is modeled in the game... in real life, it only had anti-aircraft guns, so I wonder why it is pinging around.

Interesting that a Fleet Tug had 85 crew... that's a lot!

For those interested, here's an image of the offender:


"I'll swallow your soul!!" *ping! ping!*

[Jimbuna]

One or two little suprises are always there to keep your attention focussed....there was almost a case for the inclusion of underwater listening devices to prevent the ease with which some people carried out unhistorical multiple harbour raids.

In the end a blend of immersion and historical accuracy without too big a knock on enjoyable gameplay was arrived at....at least that is what we hoped for.

Originally Posted by jimbuna

One or two little suprises are always there to keep your attention focussed....there was almost a case for the inclusion of underwater listening devices to prevent the ease with which some people carried out unhistorical multiple harbour raids.

In the end a blend of immersion and historical accuracy without too big a knock on enjoyable gameplay was arrived at....at least that is what we hoped for.

Works for me. Just curious if they had them or not. Harbor raids are too easy for the most part, so it's certainly justified.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Hans Uberman

Works for me. Just curious if they had them or not. Harbor raids are too easy for the most part, so it's certainly justified.

To be totally honest, I can't remember if they were added to the tug model or not but I'm more than happy to take your word for it.

Were they fitted in RL?....As far as I know, no.

[K-61]

I evade the whole issue by deliberately not raiding ports. I am not Gunther Prien and BdU does not give me orders to raid ports. The convoy lanes is where the action is. I wish to simulate realistic U-boat operations, so I avoid the ports, which in my opinion are too easy in the game.

[krashkart]

Some of the ports are pretty easy to raid. Portsmouth on the other hand... yeesh! What a cluster that turned into.

I have to admit that Scapa Flow was a nightmare the first few times I went in - destroyers and armed trawlers all over the place up there. Took quite a beating on several occasions. Nowadays I know the patrol routes too well and don't bother raiding anymore.

Then there's Gibraltar. Just getting through the Strait is hellish, especially once the Allies start equipping their ships with radar. There's no way to escape them. I've only ventured into the harbor once and will probably not go back again.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by krashkart

Some of the ports are pretty easy to raid. Portsmouth on the other hand... yeesh! What a cluster that turned into.

Portsmouth?

If you have a bucket list, put Portsmouth at the end, because you do want to do all that other stuff first.

I've half wrecked boats in Portsmouth before the war even breaks out.

No depth and only nothing wide. You can't turn a sub in that space, so once you enter the neck you are committed, unless you feel like backing out.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

Portsmouth?

If you have a bucket list, put Portsmouth at the end, because you do want to do all that other stuff first.

I've half wrecked boats in Portsmouth before the war even breaks out.

No depth and only nothing wide. You can't turn a sub in that space, so once you enter the neck you are committed, unless you feel like backing out.

I agree, except that you can turn a VII around in there... just not without reversing direction a couple of times. I'd never take a IX there. A II might be near perfect. I had my fun there and it wasn't fun! Never again.