Get the most out of your subs...

[m0ngoose]

I've noticed a higer survival rate among my subs in the deeper water hexes around Lunga. This was mentioned earlier and I wanted to confirm that it seems to be working. Some other interesting things have happened. I had a sub surface and attack a crippled US transport 3 times in the same pulse. It put about 8 torpedoes and 20-30 shells into an AK....and this was in deep water.

I wonder if deep water improves performance as well? Anyone else see something like this?

In regards to the other discussion about attacking ships in transit, I have only ever seen my subs fire on ships in the same hex at the end of the pulse.

[Feinder]

Oh, and another suggestion...

If they're spotted (in the CombatReplay), think about moving them. While as players we don't explicitly know if the % change of taking a shot is reduced because they were spotted, it has been theorized that it -is- reduced (which would simulate notification to TFs in the area to be aware and take additional measures, thus reducing the chance of the sub to get a firing solution in the first place). It also means that if your playing a human opponent, he's probably forming a hunter-killer group to go looking for you. Maybe you want to hunt the hunters, maybe the chance for a shot a crippled CV outweighs the risk. But just be advised that there is probably an ASW patrol on it's way.

-F-

[lupi]

Originally posted by m0ngoose
I've noticed a higer survival rate among my subs in the deeper water hexes around Lunga. This was mentioned earlier and I wanted to confirm that it seems to be working. Some other interesting things have happened. I had a sub surface and attack a crippled US transport 3 times in the same pulse. It put about 8 torpedoes and 20-30 shells into an AK....and this was in deep water.

I wonder if deep water improves performance as well? Anyone else see something like this?

I don't think it is as much deep water related as it is how safe the sub captain believe in a surface attack situation. [which would be improved in deper water away from the plane bases]

Just had the argonaut surface on an unescorted transport TF halfway back to Truk. Expended all of her torpedoes and a good portion of cannon ammo to put here under.

[Feinder]

Actuall Lupi,

The deep water does help the sub captain. To kill a ship, you have to track in 2 dimensions. To kill a sub, you have to track in 3 dimensions. Dept charges had to be set to a specific depth for them to go off. I read in passing an article that said, a Depth Charge had to go off within 10 yds of the sub for it to do any real damage. If you're only hiding in 40' of water (in a coastal hex), it's pretty obvious what depth setting your DCs have to be set at. But if the sub's got 300' or more to dive in, that means that the ASW skipper has got to guess your depth pretty closely. In the book Morton's XO (for the life of me, I can't remember his name, because I'd like another copy of that book), he indicated that most ASW groups would notoriously set the DCs shallow.

Also being deeper means it's just that much harder to find you.

But there is DEFINATLY a benefit to being in deep water, as it means the ASW captain now has to consider at what depth he thinks you're hiding...

-F-

[lupi]

I'm sure deeper water helps the sub to survive, but I was speaking on the offensive ability of the platform.

[walk70]

Do you gain any advantage using more than one sub per TF when using submarines to lay mines in enemy ports? Or any port for that matter?

[Grotius]

I'm curious about that too, walk70. Are mines "cumulative"? Does the game actually track how many mines are in a hex?

[PzB74]

Had a couple of spectacular mine and sub successes in my scen 17 pbem game against Crocky.

I'm playing the US side.
Subs mined the shallow hexes nort of Vila in the slot and the turn after they had been placed the CV Shokaku hit a mine

3 turns later as I was searching for the CV group with my subs:

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub attack near Rabaul at 21,28

Japanese Ships
CV Zuikaku, Torpedo hits 3, on fire, heavy damage
DD Shigure

Allied Ships
SS S-45, Shell hits 1
-------------------------------------------------------------------

¨

Isn't this what it's all about?

I'm sure Crocky is going to be in payback mode for quite some time, but for now I'll enjoy

The SS subs are truly efficient, perhaps a little to much?
2 of them has taken depth charge hits already...but none of them are in danger of sinking.
A little odd since they had a hard time keeping their bouyancy without being deptcharged....