Don't you hate when...

[seafarer]

May 1940. U47 has done well, on our way out to AM54. We've sunk over 66K tons, coming up north of Scapa.

We make our grid, and patrol it for 24 hours - time to start heading back to Kiel. We have nothing but 19 star-shells for the 88, about 860 rounds of 20mm for the AA, and 3 torpedoes left. We've been sinking individual ships all the way out thus far - coasty's, C2's, C3's, small tankers, T2 and a T3 tanker (plus 2 C-class destroyers who foolishly charged across our path so fast they couldn't have heard a brass band playing in their ear).

And what now? A convoy, big one going slow, reported off the Irish Sea - we can close, in a good position to intercept. But what the triple-H are we going to do? 3 torpodeos, some star-shells?

We'll close, maybe get a pick-off with what's left, but it's frustrating. You can't let easy targets go by, especially so early in the fighting, but we really can't do anything to this convoy, other than report the contact - and if we'd bypassed easy targets on the way out, we might have spent the rest of the patrol wishing for a contact.

Hindsight is 20/20, wishes are dreams, regrets are idle - we had a good patrol, we'll live to have another.

Just - - dang, a convoy, and it's big Oh well,....

Happy hunting everyone.

[AlanSmithee]

Well, you do have three torpedos left - that's something like three-fourths of a C2!

[svenks]

Get moving. Get to the convoy, there may be tankers there. More often than not, one torp is enough for them. I would sure think up to 3 tankers are worth it!

BRGDS
Sven

[SmokinTep]

Take a shot with the 3 torps you have left.

[Valtonen]

Hmm, ive got exactly same problem 3 front tors, 2 at rear. convoy is heading on our direction, but is it too risky to attack? It would be easier to use torps on lone targets with out risk of escorts.

[_alphaBeta_]

I think more aggression is needed here. I've penetrated into the middle of a convoy with only two torps left. Even if I'm not low on torps, I'll usually send at least three to my primary target to guarantee a sinking. If I'm going to risk angry escort retaliation, I want to make sure I take something down.

My point is, I wouldn't get hung on the idea of sinking as many ships in one attack as possible. Concentrate your firing and aim to sink one or two ships at max, then make your getaway. Once away, track the convoy while outside visual range and get in front of them. Repeat as necessary.

There's some patrols where I will stalk one single convoy taking them apart one ship at a time until I'm out of torps. Remember if you're not greedy getting away is much easier. In your case you have three torps left. That should be good for taking down any target if you do it right.

Just another perspective.

[seafarer]

Originally Posted by _alphaBeta_

I think more aggression is needed here. I've penetrated into the middle of a convoy with only two torps left. Even if I'm not low on torps, I'll usually send at least three to my primary target to guarantee a sinking. If I'm going to risk angry escort retaliation, I want to make sure I take something down.

My point is, I wouldn't get hung on the idea of sinking as many ships in one attack as possible. Concentrate your firing and aim to sink one or two ships at max, then make your getaway. Once away, track the convoy while outside visual range and get in front of them. Repeat as necessary.

There's some patrols where I will stalk one single convoy taking them apart one ship at a time until I'm out of torps. Remember if you're not greedy getting away is much easier. In your case you have three torps left. That should be good for taking down any target if you do it right.

Just another perspective.

Oh don't worry, we'll be taking a run for the convoy tonight - just frustrating to have such a big target show up, and have so little left to use on it We have been out for nearly 3 weeks, with plenty of ships to pick off on the way out, so it's hardly been a fruitless patrol.

But I can just see it now - we'll close on intercept just to find out it's a 30 ship convoy of nothing but tankers and C3s, maybe even a liner or two. And there'll be one lone ol' four-stacker out in front, and WEPs will be banging his head against the TDC wishing we'd only come across such a pearl sooner (although he was very excited when we took out a T3 less then 2 days ago - but there's no pleasing these young eager officers).

Reminds me of that line in Aliens, when they take everyone's ammo - "What are we supposed to use? Harsh language?!"

Oh well, maybe we can light-off a tanker with the star shells :hmm:

I had something similar back in my 3rd career - in a IXC coming back from the tip of Africa. Radio reports a fast task force ahead - but an intercept might be possible, if we ran at full or flank. No way to do that though - not enough fuel for any such ran and still make it to any base. As it was, we ran out of fuel about 10-20km out of Lorient and had to come in on the electrics at snorkle depth - France to CapeTown and back is a loooong way.