Destroyer tactics help plz | Forums

[peanuts111358]

I am currently on the a second part of my current patrol and making my way to East China Sea. I encountered 2 Japanese destroyers, so I decide to raise their stress level a bit. I target the trailing ship from 7000+ yards and send 3 fish his direction. I think I read somewhere on these forums that their hulls do not go very deep in the water, so I set all 3 fish to shallow. The first fist hit and sank its target. A few seconds later the 2nd hit the already sinking ship. The 3rd torpedo missed (with was pretty obvious). I immediately set my sights on the remaining destroyer and it did not seem to phase him that his buddy sank. He just kept making a tight counter clockwise circle at a constant 15 knots.

How would I target him and get a good firing solution? Prior to me targeting the 2nd destroyer, I saved the game and sent 2 fish his direction but of course they both missed. I am currently sitting at periscope depth about 4500 yards from him with my stern facing him. Do I surface and send some deck guns shells his way or would I just sit there patiently and wait for him to break his circular pattern?

[tambor198]

The last thing I would do is surface and try to duke it with the Jap DD. Submarines are not meant to get into a surface fight with enemy DDs. Best advice is head deep, rig for silent running and evade. If you're bound and determined to sink him, give it a second try after he's lost contact with you. Usually after they loose you they slow down to five or six knots and listen. If you can catch him in this vulnerable position, you may get a decent shot at him again. Otherwise, leave the area after you lost the DD, and seek other victims which arn't so intent on sinking you.

[peanuts111358]

LOL.. Well, the situation is that he is not intent on sinking me. He is sitting about 4500 yards off my stern and circling. I doubt he even knows I am there. When DD's are in pursuit or have a target in mind, they travel much faster than 15 knots. I think 15 knots must just be a comfortable cruising speed for DD's.

Nonetheless, I think I will just leave this guy get dizzy and I will carry on my mission. I will mark my map where his location is and perhaps on my way back to port I will do a "fly by" and see if he is still there and circling at a constant 15 knots.

Im thinking maybe the captain had a heart attack when he saw his buddy sink and he had the wheel set to hard port when this happened and none of the other crew of his boat took the helm yet to correct the situation.

[anti-destroyer5]

1 tactic i could explain is after you dodging a destroyer's depth charges in any way that works. After that, it will circle around you to make sure you are dead, but that's the time you can attack them with torpedos. Be in that circle, which is a good place to attack them from, find a good firing solution, and fire the fish. i usually kill them with 1. Even if they pinged you, still attack. That tactic is 1 of a few tactics in my arsenal against destroyers. Don't ask about the others, too complicated, but that complication is what destroys those destroyers. Current realism: 85%