How is the weather down south?

[FlankSpeed]

Hi guys,

I'm new to SH3 and have just completed my first patrol.

Weather conditions were all bright and sunny to begin with, and I managed to bag a fat merchant with the fast 90 technique (aka shooting torpedos for dummies) which I learned on a thread from here. Very satisfying indeed!

However, further into the patrol the weather was misrable throughout. The kind with constant lashing rain, twenty meter high waves and visibility so poor that you can't really see your target untill you are right on top of him.

I'm running SH3 with GWX3, I heard it is supposed to stop constant bad weather... perhaps I was just unlucky.

So my question is, if I take the opportunity for a transfer to the Mediterranean... or get a long range boat and start patrolling warmer climates... will the weather be any calmer then the North Atlantic?

!Many Thanks!

[Gerald]

The weather varies a lot, it can be less good in the weeks since it may be calm, but there are mods out there, that "should" steer it up, to get better weather....

[Tessa]

The weather in the Med is generally more agreeable; though by the time Salamis opens up (several months before La Spezia does if you want to transfer as soon as one opens) airplanes have already started to become a real pest. You'll get better sailing weather but there's few dead spots for air coverage in the med (at least anywhere where you'll find any merchants or TF's) forcing you to spend more time submerged waiting for nightfall.

[Bakkels]

Well your theory is right; going more southwards the weather will be a lot better, but as someone else said in another post; if you make it past '42, you'll be begging for rain, storm and fog. I now sailing around in that weather not being able to use your deck gun and such can be annoying, but when the Allied anti sub technology gets better, bad weather is your friend!

[FlankSpeed]

Thanks for the replies

At the moment I'm just practicing shadowing lone targets to take readings for the TDC and plot their course so I can flank them and then get into a good submerged attack position.

Bad weather just frustrates me as I generally like to shadow them on the surface at about 5000m, take my time and run a parrallel course while I do the plotting on the map and get their speed and such. They don't seem to notice me yet, but I guess over time they will become better at spotting me at this range?

I suppose I could just use the training torpedo attack missions but it seems more fun to learn on the job!

I think I'll take the advice and stick to the N Atlantic for now, as at the moment I'm avoiding/hiding/running from anything that can shoot back!

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by FlankSpeed

Thanks for the replies

At the moment I'm just practicing shadowing lone targets to take readings for the TDC and plot their course so I can flank them and then get into a good submerged attack position.

Bad weather just frustrates me as I generally like to shadow them on the surface at about 5000m, take my time and run a parrallel course while I do the plotting on the map and get their speed and such. They don't seem to notice me yet, but I guess over time they will become better at spotting me at this range?

I suppose I could just use the training torpedo attack missions but it seems more fun to learn on the job!

I think I'll take the advice and stick to the N Atlantic for now, as at the moment I'm avoiding/hiding/running from anything that can shoot back!

Starting in 41' some merchants will begin to arm themselves, by 42' pretty much everything is armed. At that point bad weather becomes a welcome friend allowing you to cruise more on the surface; ime ships sink easier in bad weather.

[Brag]

I just had a Freetown patrol. The weather was flat calm til I ran out of torpedoes near the Cape Verde Islands. The return trip was mostly rotten weather ´til a few hours out of Lorient. Great weather to see the nurses at the dock.

[Bakkels]

Originally Posted by FlankSpeed

Thanks for the replies

At the moment I'm just practicing shadowing lone targets to take readings for the TDC and plot their course so I can flank them and then get into a good submerged attack position.

Bad weather just frustrates me as I generally like to shadow them on the surface at about 5000m, take my time and run a parrallel course while I do the plotting on the map and get their speed and such. They don't seem to notice me yet, but I guess over time they will become better at spotting me at this range?

I suppose I could just use the training torpedo attack missions but it seems more fun to learn on the job!

I think I'll take the advice and stick to the N Atlantic for now, as at the moment I'm avoiding/hiding/running from anything that can shoot back!

Well, I don't know what U-boat you're using, but if it's a VII or IX, you can also go to the south Atlantic. Generally calm weather, and not particularly more dangerous than the North-Atlantic.

Also, I'm not really sure if they will become better at spotting you. Merchants don't get better at it imo. The do begin to arm themselves from '42 on, so IF they see you, and you're too close, they can really dish out some damage or even sink you if you're not careful, but they don't get better at spotting you.
Military escorts (destroyers and such) DO get better. Not at spotting per sé, but at hunting you down when you're submerged.
They'll just keep circling and pinging you and they keep throwing depthcharges a lot longer than earlier on in the war. Besides that, I find that when they spot me, it's no longer one or two that'll try to hunt me, but three or more. Now that's a real pain to get rid off...

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by Bakkels

Well, I don't know what U-boat you're using, but if it's a VII or IX, you can also go to the south Atlantic. Generally calm weather, and not particularly more dangerous than the North-Atlantic.

Also, I'm not really sure if they will become better at spotting you. Merchants don't get better at it imo. The do begin to arm themselves from '42 on, so IF they see you, and you're too close, they can really dish out some damage or even sink you if you're not careful, but they don't get better at spotting you.
Military escorts (destroyers and such) DO get better. Not at spotting per sé, but at hunting you down when you're submerged.
They'll just keep circling and pinging you and they keep throwing depthcharges a lot longer than earlier on in the war. Besides that, I find that when they spot me, it's no longer one or two that'll try to hunt me, but three or more. Now that's a real pain to get rid off...

Save the African coastline the South Atlantic doesn't really become fully populated until after the US enters the war, even then you still need to wait for Brazil and Mexico to move from neutral to ally to open up all the tankers that move around in that general region.

Don't forget to initiate any crew members properly when you cross the equator

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Brag

I just had a Freetown patrol. The weather was flat calm til I ran out of torpedoes near the Cape Verde Islands. The return trip was mostly rotten weather ´til a few hours out of Lorient. Great weather to see the nurses at the dock.

Good, I came from south africa and the weather was constantly between 13-15 m/s and rain all the time in 3 weeks .. so talk about what a nice sea experience

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Good, I came from south africa and the weather was constantly between 13-15 m/s and rain all the time in 3 weeks .. so talk about what a nice sea experience

Could have re-supplied near Capetown and head on over to Central America and all the juicy tankers all the way up to Mexico. Then dock at a nice tropical port "where the comradship is warm and welcome" to jump start the crew's morale for the impending stormy trip home

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Tessa

Could have re-supplied near Capetown and head on over to Central America and all the juicy tankers all the way up to Mexico. Then dock at a nice tropical port "where the comradship is warm and welcome" to jump start the crew's morale for the impending stormy trip home

Actually, I've done it once, when pythons May 1941och then up on the west side of South America but no big shot at the Panama Canal, the payment could not be done via the remaining banana logs

Hate to pop any bubbles but, SH3 has only one weather system. It matters not where you go.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Hate to pop any bubbles but, SH3 has only one weather system. It matters not where you go.

You have point there, from a statistical point so is the weather,winter time, better down there, Germany, France sucks, as an example...