Tracking a convoy with Hydro only.
 

I posted this question in the SH5 forum as well as I've been on an SH5 kick lately (those who still haven't should try it. WIth all the great mods and bug fixes it's just as good as SH4 now, in my opinion.)

Anyway, I thought I am just as likely, if not more, to get good recommendations on the SH4 side so here is my question to everyone. If visibility conditions are no good (i.e. fog or night) and you are playing "no map contacts" how do you plot a convoy's course and speed using just the hydrophone?

I have become proficient at the 4 bearings method on full realism for single contacts. What I'm having a tough time with is using this method to track and plot a convoy course, speed, range. There are too many sound contacts to be able to consistently take a bearing from the same target for all four bearings. It gets confusing and the hydro guy starts picking up new targets and as escorts are doing their search patterns the "closest sound contact" is constantly changing making the use of the "4 bearings method" almost impossible.

What are other people's strategies for plotting a course of a convoy using the hydro (no map contacts)? Thanks.

I'll stay surfaced and attack using radar. Can't remember my last sonar only attack. Last time I attacked with sonar only, I pinged the same target to get a basic range and course, use 3 minute rule between pings, fire a spread and hope I get lucky. Forget your sonarman, do it yourself.

I've made several surface radar attacks from 11,000 yards away, with torps hitting around 8000 yards. By the time the torps get there I'm usually 14 plus nms away. Course I only attack like this in very shallow water.

Thanks Armistead. I was hoping you'd chime in :up: . I would totally use radar if I had it. As a long time SH4 player and loyal fan of that game, I almost feel guilty saying it but I've been playing SH5 a lot lately. :oops: Hence...no radar...hence my question about trying to nail down a decent solution/course on a large convoy using hydrophone only.

Maybe the answer is to shadow it until weather improves.

On a separate note, SH5 really has improved greatly. There are 2 or 3 "must have mods" that have fixed almost all issues with the game. Those who feel like getting back into a Uboat really should try it.

Thanks for your reply.

If you're in a storm, move in close using radar or sonar and attack with your deckgun, just shoot down the bearing. Usually a few shots sets the ship on fire giving you a good aim point. Often the entire group will cut on their search lights, making them aiming points as well. Just make sure you watch radar and keep asking sonar to follow nearest warship in case they have radar. Better when you get two 40's, you can wipe out entire convoys.

I rarely play with manual targeting or no map contacts, to me it's not realistic that I should have to do every single detail that's normally handled by an entire tracking party. On the rare occasions I do play everyman, my method is similar to the normal method - once I get in front of him I let him come to me. The trick is getting in front with an end around.

I don't know how much attention the escorts pay to random single pings, but the first thing I do when I get a sound contact is send out a single ping, then click the send range to TDC switch to see what the range is. Reading the true bearing off the outer dial I go to the map and draw a bearing line out to that range, then draw a 2000 yard circle around that spot. Wait 10 minutes, get a bearing again, ping for range again, repeat the previous steps and now I have two marks. Draw a line through those two marks, that's the target track. Draw a perpendicular line 6 miles, use that as a starting point to draw a parallel line 6 miles off the track - that's my course for the end-around, full speed ahead. Every 10 minutes I get a bearing update to see how far ahead I am, then angle into the track when I'm sure I can stay 6 miles away. Once I get onto the track I dive, wait, take periscope observations and sound bearings to fine tune the track - the 2000 yard circles at the beginning were to allow for errors, as the target gets closer you minimize the errors.

Thing to keep in mind is that the target track is the Holy Grail, range and bearing are only to tell you where the target track is so you can get there before he does. In fact a torpedo is not a laser, so the range and bearing when you fire will not be the same when the torpedo hits unless the target is stationary - you're firing at where the target WILL BE, not where he is NOW, and you need to apply the same philosophy to the tracking and approach phase before the attack. Find out where he will be in the future, get there before he does, then wait in ambush.

Yes it has. I started with it again. The mod selection is quite good. :up: