A funny thing happened on my way to AM18... [Archive]

gsc67

06-09-2007, 01:10 PM

Well....After a first time practice round of 5 patrols and getting the hang of the things... I decided to turn up the heat and play with you big boys a bit... So playing with my realism up in the 80 range I stated a carrier off on the Commander and set sail from Kiel on a type VII. My first patrol grid was way out into the Atlantic on grid point AM18...good distance, but hey...must do as I'm told. So I go over the Isles through the inlet over Scapa Flow...Get to my patrol grid on the very low right corner. Then I get some radio message telling me about a large mixed convey on the grid right below me moving at 6knts.... Cake ! I can easily cut that off. I get REALLY excited ! ( It's 2am ! ) and low and behold I get there and cut it off with time to spare...not only that it's night time. Not only is it a nice large convoy...but you guessed it...TOTALLY unprotected ! I had a field day on my first trip out ! Here is my run down and I'm sure there is a lot of you saying big deal...but it's the last thing I was expecting to say the least.
T-2
T-3
C-2 (3)
C-3
Sm. Merch (3)
Costal Merch (2)
Total Weight... 46,092 tons

OK... Im done....I'll stop yappin now !
Thanks for your ear !

gsc67

06-09-2007, 01:10 PM

PavelKirilovich

06-09-2007, 02:34 PM

Now that's what I call an impressive convoy hit! I've never been able to approach a convoy - they're either too far off or too well protected, or the weather is too rough to make an attack practical.

Therefore, I've gotten really good at creeping into harbours.

Starforce3

06-09-2007, 02:45 PM

I;ve hit convoys but never managed to sink that much. Were you stock or using a mod?

gsc67

06-09-2007, 03:05 PM

I am stock with the 1.4 patch...

Starforce3

06-09-2007, 03:15 PM

you must have used the deck gun then because a VII doesn't carry enough torpedo to sink all that. I never once encountered a convoy in stock. Though, what year did you play?

gsc67

06-09-2007, 03:53 PM

I put torpedos in all of them, and had to finish off a T-2 and a T-3 with the deck gun. It was my first trip in '39...The T-2 and T-3 stopped dead in the water... I used my Torps in the rear of the boat as well. If I am correct the boat holds 12

Foehammer-1

06-12-2007, 08:35 AM

That's how I got a lot of my 100K's. 1939 convoys going through AM51-53 usually only have 1 escort or none at all. Sink the escort, then fire off torpedoes, then finish up with the deck gun. Easy 100K right there!

Stingray-65

06-12-2007, 10:04 AM

@ gsc67
VERY nice! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/clap.gif I remember my 1st patrol. It wasn't anything to brag about. All I saw & sank was a single warship. With each passing patrol I found myself waiting longer, finding & sinking more. I guess it took me a while to learn how to successfully operate the hydrophone & utilize weapons depending on various conditions. Still, it was quite some time before I decimated a convoy. You, sir, are going to make an excellent Kaleun! Just remember to always expect the unexpected dangers before initiating an attack & know that no matter what you do, your luck can run out. May you be on a long & successful career. http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/25.gif

@ Starforce3
My game is a heavily modded 1.4b version. But there were convoys in it even when it was vanilla. Just had to be in the right place @ the right time to find them.

Rugbyfan1972

06-12-2007, 10:05 AM

Certainly very impressive, although just a word of caution assumin that you sunk all of the ships listed, the T2 & T3 together come to over 20000 tons, 3 C2's are at least 18000 tons, say another 10000 tons for the small and coastal merchants, and probably 8000 tons for the C3

That adds up to: 54000+ tons. My worry is that the C3 and possibly another ship were neutrals in which case you would get negative renown for that ship i.e. the renown that you get for sinking that ship is deducted from your total at the end of the patrol.

When you look at the map does it show the ships in different colours i.e. Red=enemy, Green=Neutral and Blue=Allies (in this case allies means germany and her allies).

Thanks
Fenwick

Stingray-65

06-12-2007, 10:16 AM

Yep, Rugbyfan1972 is right. Gotta pay close attention to those flags & know if/when neutrals become fair game/enemies.

Once I found myself being attacked by a lone merchant whom I thought was neutral. I sank him for attacking me. When I looked it up afterwards, I discovered they had just entered the war that week. Thanks for the "heads up" BdU! http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

gsc67

06-12-2007, 12:39 PM

The T-2 was 7,650 tons and none of the ships weighed over 10 tons...not even close ! Did I get ripped ? There were some green ships, but I did not fire upon them. Are all the ships weighed in the same ?

Foehammer-1

06-12-2007, 02:08 PM

No, all ships have different tonnage. Ranging from 24,000 tons for a passengr liner to just over 2,000 tons for small merchants. Ships of the same class do differ from each other, but those figures are minor. SH3 commander adds randomness to it, always lowering the tonnage. Fortunately, you can disable that. I always shoot at tankers, those are above 10,000 tons, except the small tanker.

bf2player2006

06-12-2007, 02:12 PM

wow ive never really encountered an unprotected convoy in SH3

but great post!

i hope i can finally get me some juicy convoys

http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/16x16_smiley-very-happy.gif

Starforce3

06-12-2007, 04:03 PM

I sunk into the port up north of norway (arctic range) forget the name, but there was a whale factory ship. I was low on torpedo so I wanted to save my rear ones for the trip home incase any number of the dozen or so armed trawlers and tugs not to mention schnellboats up the arse decide to rain on my parade. But I snuck right into the dock parimeter and then backed up to give the torpedo time to arm and put 3 in it. The last one I noticed the target manual identified parts of the ship too, such as where the munitions bunker and fuel was, so I put a torp in the fuel tank and it made a nice explosion. I got good tonnage on that run. Next time I'll go back up there and see what's new. That whaling station on the island along the liverpool route hasn't yielded anything good yet which kinda sucks.

gsc67

06-12-2007, 04:47 PM

Wow !! You went up to Murminsk ? And there was only one boat in the port...How big was the ship? Cause that is a big time trip up to those parts ! I have had very good luck so far on the Liverpool line...I hang out on 52/53 and came across another large slow convoy... but as I cut it off I did not get a follow up report and some how it slip by the narrow passage and by me. I did not want to chase it down between the Isles as I went in slightly and the next thing I know these massive Destroyers see me through the fog, rain, and darkness..... I took that as a sign and dove to the 90mts I had clearence for and got out. So Im still patrolling out on the 52/53 border and there is shipping to be had. I have 7 torps left and downed 15 tons so far... Wasted one on a C Class comming through the straight at Scapa Flow cut-through.

Foehammer-1

06-12-2007, 05:51 PM

It's called Murmansk. And Archangelsk. All i ever saw there was a single tug http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/touche.gif

gsc67

06-12-2007, 06:07 PM

Thanks !! You saved me a trip ! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/11.gif

Starforce3

06-12-2007, 08:04 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gsc67:
Wow !! You went up to Murminsk ? And there was only one boat in the port...How big was the ship? Cause that is a big time trip up to those parts ! I have had very good luck so far on the Liverpool line...I hang out on 52/53 and came across another large slow convoy... but as I cut it off I did not get a follow up report and some how it slip by the narrow passage and by me. I did not want to chase it down between the Isles as I went in slightly and the next thing I know these massive Destroyers see me through the fog, rain, and darkness..... I took that as a sign and dove to the 90mts I had clearence for and got out. So Im still patrolling out on the 52/53 border and there is shipping to be had. I have 7 torps left and downed 15 tons so far... Wasted one on a C Class comming through the straight at Scapa Flow cut-through. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, I sunk one ship. There was a large tanker and something in one of the docking slots (other than myself lol), but due to the large number of schnell, armed tug and armed trawler, I wanted to save my last torpedo for my escape. Infact there were so many escorts around, some of which got on to me for brief times, I fully expected never to get in, let alone back out again. I conducted my attack during dusk, just before sunset I believe. (On a side note, has anyone attacking an enemy port ever tried firing on land based lighthouses or similar structures to nock out lights?)

Oh, and the whale factory ship was just over 13000 tons.

Starforce3

06-13-2007, 01:36 AM

Well, another sneak attacl on longyearby, 36000 tons sunk (whale factory, costal tank, lg merch)

2 schnells crashed into the pier and blew up, and an armed tug fallowed me into the harbor. I had also hit a large transport and it was sinking to stern on the way in, one more torp or some shells would have finished it. So when the tug went around a building I surfaced, and waited for him to back out from behind his docks. He landed more shells than I and destroyed me, though I swear I landed a shell real close to his main gun, a little foreward and I'd have taken out his main canon and probably pulled it off.

gsc67

06-14-2007, 10:58 AM

I'm trying to find this location your heading to?? Do you have any cordinates at all of your location ? I would love to go have a looksie at this place !

Foehammer-1

06-14-2007, 06:52 PM

Look at your map. Know where Russia is? Look on the northern borders. There are 2 ports there, Murmansk and Archangelsk

gsc67

06-14-2007, 09:04 PM

I know that....Im not sure that is what he is talking about though... That is why I am asking.

geoffwessex

06-14-2007, 09:07 PM

Starforce also mentioned "Longyearby", the main town and port of Svalbard (aka Spitzbergen) which is a very large island to the NNW of Norway. Longyearby (or Longyearbyen) is tucked up a large fjord on the western side. Don't go there in winter, though, as it will be frozen (and don't go ashore or the polar bears will eat you).

gsc67

06-14-2007, 10:04 PM

Ah Ha ! Thanks ! That is not on the map.... I will take a looksie for curiousity sake. I take it that is the large island west of Narvik, west of the Fjord...

Starforce3

06-14-2007, 10:05 PM

The best way in is to hug the northern shore of they bay, pass the harbor, head strait south and watch for patrols of armed tug, usualy in pairs. Avoid them or you'll have an escort swam like you wouldn't believe. You might be able to stay on the bottom for 3 hrs but with 6-8 vessels dumping ordinance overboard they're bound to hit something sooner or later, plus you need all your torps for the large vessels int he hardbor. Sneak in at night, preferably in calm seas from the east, hugging the south shore. Go out the same way. Note that escorts attaracted by the harbor attacks will somtimes get stuck on the outer walls, so watch for them. Sometimes the elco's and shnells actualy ram them so hard they blow up an sink. (you ought to get credit for such sinkings, since tricking a ship into a manuver that destroyes itself is still a kill) but you don't.

See my photogallery of the harbor. I'll make some more pix of the area.

gsc67

06-15-2007, 09:56 AM

Thank you SF... will take your advice...looking forward to a northern trip soon. Will need to use my fuel wisely.

Foehammer-1

06-15-2007, 07:12 PM

Always remember, you can resupply and take on fuel at the northern German bases. Or buy a IX boat :P

gsc67

06-15-2007, 09:06 PM

I will need to wait then... Im still early in the war... and as I see it, the base up through there are all green.

Starforce3

06-15-2007, 10:12 PM

So what if they're green. Doesn't mean the ships in them are neutral. There is a harbor I believe on the islands in the DH grid, where the harbor was neutral, but there were 3 british flagged vessels at anchor. Drive up and shell'em. While your at it, keep your eye out for the lone ships passing near by since there's several routes comming out of the med there. Just watch your flags, especialy if they're lighted.

geoffwessex

06-15-2007, 10:22 PM

It would have been illegal to enter a neutral harbour and attack a 'beligerent' ship. You're also attacking the very neutrality of that port. Check out the "Battle of the River Plate".
The Graf Spee entered the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay and couldn't be followed by the British ships it had been in a scrap with.

I'm not suggesting SH3 has thought of all this, so it may well work ok in the game. IRL a breach of neutrality like this would have been an international incident (even if Hitler wouldn't have given a toss).

gsc67

06-15-2007, 10:32 PM

Can I refuel at a green base ?

railshot

06-16-2007, 10:47 AM

I had a not so funny thing happen to me recently. Playing with GWX (Happy times, VII)I received the report of an enemy task force nearby. I plotted the intercept course and moved to the area with flank speed. Soon enough the task force showed up: an Illustrious fleet carrier, a light cruiser, a Fiji cruiser and a bunch of destroyers.
Unfortunately with the high speed of the task force I had no time for a bow shot at the carrier, so I gave cruisers 2 torps each, and a carrier got my stern tube (hoping to disable it).
The light carrier sank fast. Carrier got hit but with no visible results. Fiji, I was sure, was sinking. At some point only the bow (about 1/4 of the ship) was still above the water. Assorted debris and burning oil slicks were floating above its aft decks. Surely no ship can recover from this.
Well after awhile this Fiji somehow regained buoyancy and merrily went its way. I wish my boat could recover after being 3/4 flooded!

Starforce3

06-16-2007, 02:56 PM

Ships shouldn't be able to recover from that. Sure you didn't misidentify a ship or loose track of one? Seems more likely that a torpedo missed the bow of one and went into something behind it to your line of sight and you saw the ship infront, which sake while looking in another direction and when you looked backa damaged one was still moving.

gsc67

06-19-2007, 10:05 AM

Hey Star....I treked up all the way up to this big island of yours and came down the through the bay on the s-sw side where you said
* Svalbard (aka Spitzbergen)*...there is nothing around this whole island. Do you have a mod or something that adds ports ? Cause it does not even show me ports. I am running SHIII straight with the 1.4 patch. and Commander.

Starforce3

06-19-2007, 10:31 AM

perhaps the port is only added in the GWX mod? I was never up there in stock 1.4, too many single merchants running around norway too keep me busy.

gsc67

06-19-2007, 10:47 AM

Errrrr....1/2 a boat of fuel and a boat of torps....

Starforce3

06-20-2007, 12:13 AM

well, you cana lways go back and restart the mission.

Niklaus_Wilhelm

07-11-2007, 01:33 PM

My recent campaign is the only time I've ever been at all lucky with convoys... always they were slow-moving formations about 1200 miles away from me and only about 10 miles from port...

There's something frustrating though about surfacing at the scene of the crime and finding the seas too rough to finish off those vessels disabled by torpedo fire and abandoned by the pack... so much wasted tonnage http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

gsc67

07-11-2007, 01:39 PM

LOL... Did you ever notice it rains for days on end off the Isles when you have that happen ! I waited like 10 days before I said ^&%#&%& this ! Of course... On my way home...The sun came out and the birds flew just low enough to take a big ol dump on my boat !

Niklaus_Wilhelm

07-11-2007, 01:47 PM

Hehe, yeah http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Does the weather change when in real-time? I've only encountered changes when I've dropped out of T/C to find it p***ing it down right when I want to use the deck gun on a solitary steamer http://forums.ubi.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif Despite staying on in real-time quite a lot more these days, I've never noticed a change unless I'm T/C'ing it for a few hundred miles.

gsc67

07-11-2007, 02:34 PM

I have had it rain for countless days.. no matter what comp speed. I can travel 48 hours N or S but it still rains... so I am guessing it might be a seasonal thing around the Isles... I think one of our Brit friends could answer this for us better than I...cause it rains there like it does in Seattle it seems like !