Convoy Stratégie
 

Hello. I have a few questions on convoy stratégy. My curent time is start of 1940. I have a large convoy with 3 destroyers, it's at night with a light fog. I am using TWoS mod.

I have the convy course and I approach them from 90 degrees at around 10km. I think i am around 1500 meters of their track at 90 degrees.
With this ligh fog I spot first the destroyer leading at same speed of 6 kts. I am stopped in the water and I have a visual contact when the ship is at around 3000m.
Problem is that when the destroyer is at or below around 2000m even at speed 0 and periscope just above the water line, he start to light everything and increase speed and run at me ....
I dunno how can they spot me at night like that...

Any help ?

Take all metal instruments from Bernard, and put him in a straight jacket and hog-tie him. You must not let Bernard make any noise. Put him in a padded cell, if you have to build it yourself...

But seriously, how long are you leaving the periscope up when you are taking your "peek" at the convoy. Up to scan, maybe 10 seconds, bring it back down. Wait a minute, repeat. "Lather, rinse, repeat" as they used to say on the shampoo bottle... Also, you are right about the range of hydrophone, and the DD are going slow enough for it to not be much of a stretch for them to be able to hear Bernard in the kitchen peeling potatoes for dinner. Being at 90°, set-up for shooting is great to shoot torpedoes, but also is giving the DD that nice broadside of your submarine sitting there. Face the DD bow-on if possible, and ~quietly~ turn after their "cone" for the hydrophone has passed. But definitely mention how long you have the periscope exposed. It could still be that...

Hum thanks for your reply. Maybe I rise the periscope up to 30sec... and yes 90 degrees might be the worst case scenario...
I will try again like you said, face to face and let the DD leading the convoy to pass behind me.
Do you have a draw or any detailed numbers for the DD cones?
Thanks !

Ok I tried to dive to 100m, the maximum where I am. Sient running with engines stopped. I wait for the DD to pass over me, when at bearing around 130 degrees, I only start engines at 55 rpm, the lowest possible, still keeping silent running, and starting to turn right for a 90 degree attack. After like 15 seconds, the DD just increase speed and run towards me ....

They are just super heroes I dunno... I will try again and wait a bit longer, he was at medium range when I started to move.

And then?
 

This is interesting. Please continue.

Second try. I think the DD is around the same distance on this attempt. I spam the hydrophone guy every 5 seconds... we are face to face sort of. I wait for him to pass over me. When he is at my bearing 150° and medium range I start to move for a 90° attack. I spam the contact report from my hydrophone guy; nearest warship is moving slow, moving away, medium range... he passed behind me and I am waiting him to be at long range. As soon as he is long range I order periscope depth.
Nearest warship is long range and one merchant is at medium range approaching, looks good, they all still at slow speed.
I raise the periscope. Just above the water line, but there is waves the wind is at 7 km/h. After like 5sec I spot the merchant, a C1 something medium freighter (war supplies). Less than 10sec, he is around 2000 meters, it's night and light fog. Impossible to see something unless you activate the scope green filter. I am about to lower the periscope as he is at my bearing 340. I can launch my torpedo when he is bearing 352...
But before I lower my scope, he lights everything and start to search for me ... yes less than 10sec and even with war supplies it's a merchant...
Seconds laters the DDs (maybe 3) increase speed and come for me...

I quit it's over I guess.
Conclusion : even the merchants are super heroes ^^

I dunno if this merchant is supposed to have the same spotting abilities as the DD just because he has war supplies and he is armed. Yes he has guns. But nonethe less they can spot me easier than me with the night fliter at night with light fog, in less than 15sec..

Really strange. You obviously know what you are doing.
I once had a DD follow me everywhere and I could not shake him or attack him as he maintained his distance. In the end I had to return to base and where he was eventually sunk by friendly surface ships. Clearly a bug that as thankfully never been repeated. Might be a bug.
Personally I would give up on this convoy and see if the same thing happens. If it does that is really depressing.
Please keep us posted.

I did a last try because the only issue I could see was that my save had enemy units at less than 32km.
This time I prefered to stay one one side of the convoy. I wait for the nearest DD to move away the same way I did before. It was probably a DD on a side of the convoy. Maybe around 3000 meters this time, no less for sure.
Then still motionless I went from 100 meters depth to preiscope depth. I think I had only 2 or 3 merchants left for a 90 degree attack, the last guys from the convoy. I raise my attack periscope.
It's still night time, no clouds, light fog. I can barely see them so they are probably around 3500 meters, maybe less.
This time they do not spot me and I can fire 2 torpedoes, one for each as they approach my perfect bearing for this 0 gyro launch.
I dive again still motionless, around 100 meters. When I reach 30 meters still descending, my torpedoes hit, perfect.
The merchants will both sink minutes laters but DD are moving toward my position at high speed.
They will ssearch for me like 20 min before returning to the convoy.

My conclusion : I think there were no bugs, the fact is that the spotting distance of DD and even merchants are just too good. At night in light fog, as I said earlier they spot your periscope in less than 15 sec if you are at or below 2000 meters.
I am not sure merchants had peoples with night googles in convoy travel searching 24 hours a day. I dunno for DDs.
I would love to have the hability to tweak this spotting distance but I am not into modding.

Hope this help

Very nice!!

Welcome aboard!
 

Re: Welcome aboard...
 

:Kaleun_Cheers:



Scribe! :Kaleun_Salute:

https://youtu.be/ZavdmNgz9tI

Periscope discipline! It must be maintained!

Also, if it’s night and foggy, why are you submerged? Be on surface.

It’s very early war so you should opt for a surface night attack! Hope my video helps you.

Too much waves, wind was like 9 meters seconds. It's impossible to get a firing solution with the sub moving up and down :-(
But yes I should maintain a better periscope discipline as well.

You can go decks awash.. that will stabilize your boat a little.

And… like real life skippers, If weather is an issue… you wait it out. It’s frustrating to let a ship go, but…

Do you have a strategy to avoid the following 2 or 3 DD to hunt you after you managed to sink few merchant ships in the convoy. Because no matter if I am detected or not, the DD always know where the torps come from and they start to search for me... and of course there is 3 or 4 of them so ...
Should I stay motionless? probably not... should I go deep even maybe liying on the floor etc
Thanks