Pg's and SC's.

[PzB74]

Ken; My tf with 23 PG's and SC's didn't have much problems sinking your sub outside Noumea last turn [;)]

[redman1]

You guys are referencing SC's, which are not IJN units. My question is about IJN in particular (despite the title of the original thread).

Do you think that combined TF's for the IJN player, of say MSW, DD, PG and PC's are the best way to conduct ASW?

[Damien Thorn]

ORIGINAL: redman1

You guys are referencing SC's, which are not IJN units. My question is about IJN in particular (despite the title of the original thread).

Do you think that combined TF's for the IJN player, of say MSW, DD, PG and PC's are the best way to conduct ASW?

Never, never, NEVER risk your minesweepers on ASW operations. Mineswppers are your second most valuable ships after CVs (They are even more imortant than CVLs).
Use the PCs and PGs as what they are: torpedo bait. Just be happy if you losea few and force the sub to go home for more ammo. When they cut Japanese ASW in half in one of the patches this became the best you can really hope for.

Unfortunately, the way sub ammo is modeled US subs get twice as many shots as Japanese subs just because they have forward and aft torpedo tubes. In reality aft tubes were only used if the sub could get in the middle of a convoy.

[Drex]

Don't forget to use the APDs. They have good asw capability also. I usually use them as escorts anyhow since they are slow when compared to DDs in FTs.

[redman1]

Good point, Drex.

Along those lines, I've also tried putting a single ACV into a barge TF on the milk run in the slot, to not only provide more fuel for the barges (like a "milch cow") but also to provide its ASW capacity as a demi-escort.

[DoomedMantis]

AV's cant launch planes while moving, so they are best used docked in harbour, or at best are useful when the ships are loading unloading, but useless for the journey. CS on the other hand can move and launch

[madflava13]

ORIGINAL: Damien Thorn

Never, never, NEVER risk your minesweepers on ASW operations. Mineswppers are your second most valuable ships after CVs (They are even more imortant than CVLs).
Use the PCs and PGs as what they are: torpedo bait. Just be happy if you losea few and force the sub to go home for more ammo. When they cut Japanese ASW in half in one of the patches this became the best you can really hope for.

Unfortunately, the way sub ammo is modeled US subs get twice as many shots as Japanese subs just because they have forward and aft torpedo tubes. In reality aft tubes were only used if the sub could get in the middle of a convoy.

This is incorrect. US subs used aft tubes quite frequently. Oftentimes sub captains attacked with the stern tubes to keep the boys in back happy - friendly rivalries between the torpedo rooms were very common. If a situation presented itself where a target could be had with the aft tubes, US sub captains did not hesitate to do so...

[Hoplosternum]

Redman,

I would not put escorts in Barge convoys as they attract air attack. I don't think that anything except for the 100' Naval Attack will target barge convoys if they just contain barges. So all those Dauntlesses and Avengers stay grounded waiting for your CVs and surface fleets. Add in so much as a PC for 'protection' and refueling and you can get completely swamped.

Just my experience anyway....

[redman1]

Hoplosternum-

that's a good point. Obviously, there's a risk-reward analysis that must be done regarding your proximity to enemy aircraft.

[bilbow]

Running barge convoys with a single PC forces subs to attack submerged instead of with gun attack on the surface. You may lose a couple PCs this way, but the barges are a lot safer from subs. Useful mainly in areas where low-level air attack is not likely.

[Mark VII]

After seeing a barge convoy running the Shortlands to Lunga route get mauled by a surfaced sub not wasting torpedoes, I attached one SC and no more surface attacks. All three of my barge TF's have one SC in it and I only have seen an occasional torp attack. No Allied air power to worry about so they are safe except for a possible carrier or surface raid.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: bilbow

Running barge convoys with a single PC forces subs to attack submerged instead of with gun attack on the surface. You may lose a couple PCs this way, but the barges are a lot safer from subs. Useful mainly in areas where low-level air attack is not likely.

I dunno, I think I would rather lose a few barges than a PC. [;)]