Make the ordinary torpedo attack run but make sure they dont see you i.e. you dive, turn up close to the merchant and count the fangs ... I mean gunturrets, surface and raise the gun and blow those guns clean off the deck, start sailing away, and as you get far enough away you start shooting below the waterline as usual.
How many guns can a mechant have, and is this tactic not so good later in the war I wonder ....
I find that most of the armed merchants have pitiful aim. I'll run up to about 1500m to the ship surfaced, ordering the deck gun crew to aim for the weapons and fire all the while. If they haven't taken out the weapons by this time, I order a dive, move within 1000m of the ship, and let an eel loose. I than maneuver behind/in front of the bow/stern of the ship, the opposite of where its deckgun is located. If the eel hasn't finished her off, I can surface and pummel her with shells and not have to worry about their gun.
Well I am chicken nowadays cause I am going to work my way to the end of the war this time. So, what you are saying is that their aiming does not improve late in the war .... I have a horrible memory of a troop transport almost sinking one of my first boats, it was mid war and those guys could aim. So I was thinking of a , sorry for the spelling here, "ÃÅ“beraschung" technique, u know, catch them in the middle of dinner.
I think aim also depends on the experience of the crew aboard the ship. As the war drags on, I'm sure the crews encountered are more experienced than in early 1939. Also, I've never taken on a troop transport surfaced, as I've always only encountered them in escorted convoys. In my experience though, C2's and C3's are much easier targets using the method I described.
Bzzz Wrong! 1 Merchant that I decided to dispatch with my 88 took out my diesel and electric engines. I got him but was stuck dead in the water - Only way to finish was to use the end game & return to base trick.
Generally the ships I come across in 1942 have either a forward or rear gun. Surface from the opposite end to shell him.
So merchants never ever have more than one then, you just get close enough to make the observations and decide on which end to surface on ..... o.k.
So if more than one gun and we are late into the war then they should be treated as troop ships then, "so dangerous they are worth a torp even in calm weather", or?
Originally posted by StgShultz:
Bzzz Wrong!Originally posted by StgShultz:
Generally the ships I come across in 1942 have either a forward or rear gun. Surface from the opposite end to shell him.Wrong?! How is that any different than what I just said???Originally posted by InfectiousDust:
I than maneuver behind/in front of the bow/stern of the ship, the opposite of where its deckgun is located. If the eel hasn't finished her off, I can surface and pummel her with shells and not have to worry about their gun.
That sounds reasonable. The troop transports are definitely worth a couple of torpedoes tonnage wise anyway. I generally only use the deck gun to mop up anything that my torpedoes still left afloat.Originally posted by Maj_Solo:
So merchants never ever have more than one then, you just get close enough to make the observations and decide on which end to surface on ..... o.k.
So if more than one gun and we are late into the war then they should be treated as troop ships then, "so dangerous they are worth a torp even in calm weather", or?
I always man the gun myself (the crew just aren't as good at hitting things). I can pretty easily determine from the ship outline if it is armed, and certainly the first time he fires it will confirm where his armament is at. I start plinking away at that turret and can almost always kill his gun within a few shots, without much fear of his shots being anywhere near me, unless the merchie gets extremely lucky. Closing to flak gun range is another thing entirely, and not worth the risk to my boat. Once heis big gun is defanged, I cna plink away at him from a safe distance and count on his ultimate demise and pleasant sinking show. Good hunting.
I just ran into a T3, today, with 4 gun platforms. Jan 44, furthest I've got career wise and those boys can do you harm if you get under 2000m to target.
almost as much firepower as a flower.
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