US Subs - worth sending out ?

[KPAX]

With a dud rate of 80% at the start of the war, is it even worth it to send out the US Subs ?

With upgrades in mostly 4-42 to radar that helps.

A reduction from 80% to 60% in January helps a lot.

But with the Sept 1943 dud rate dropping from 60% to 10%, that us huge !!

I am in early 1943 to mid 1943 (2 PBEM games) and considering just getting the whole fleet in complete repairs and send out in Sept 1943.

What is everyone else doing ?

[The Dude]

Believe it or not, with the exception of the O19s and the argonaut I keep all my subs in port until Mid 43 for the simple fact that it is simple to much work for so little return until that time

[foliveti]

I have mine out on patrol in 1942. The April 1942 seems to keep most of them in the barn for a couple of months. I have not been really concentrating on the dud rate. Does that apply to the S-boats as well or just the fleet submarines? My S-boats seem to be getting some hits and in any event the subs are keeping the Japanese honest vis vis escorting his convoys.

[DrewMatrix]

I use them and I do get some hits. Remember, as the Allies you want to score some points, since it is harder for Japan to get 1943 autovictory in a high scoring game than in a low scoring game. So even if I lose 2 points worth of subs for every point the subs cost Japan I am "ahead" from an autovictory point of view.

[The Dude]

how big of TFs do you use? I just cant move all those subs for how effective they are. My wrist would lock up[:)]

[DrewMatrix]

how big of TFs do you use?

Single Sub Tfs. That is a lot of work on turn 1, but quite bearable thereafter, once the subs are disipersed and start returning to port at odd intervals.

Oh yeah, and I like sending some of the PI subs to the Indian Ocean. There are lots of Pacific Sub reinforcments, so send some to base in India and keep the Straits of Malacca dangerous for Japan.

I have gotten occasional hits on Japanese capital ships in the Straits.

[DrewMatrix]

On another topic, where is Langley BC? (I only know the Vancouer/Whistler/Vancouver Island area and that only in passing)

[mogami]

Hi, I send mine out so they will train but I send them on patrols to guard my advance bases. (Like Midway and Palmyra) Then I send them for upgrades.
I don't begin my major submarine campaign before I have trained the crews upgraded the boats and put a dent into Japanese ASW by sinking ships.
If the Japanese run amok for 6 months then by July or Aug 1942 the IJN will be depleted. That is a good time to begin moving submarines onto their supply lines.

[LittleJoe]

I send them out, of course that 1/5 chance is better than no chance sitting in port somewhere, my subs have scored me around 200 points in the first month of the war, and reguarlly attack his convoys around Japan, it makes my opponent have to use PG's and DDs looking for them that could be used to hurt me in other places.


And of course you get results like this on December 7th from time to time [:D][:D][:D][:D]

[The Dude]

On another topic, where is Langley BC? (I only know the Vancouer/Whistler/Vancouver Island area and that only in passing)

Its a prety much a glorified suburb of Vancouver about 30-40kms from downtown Van

[DrewMatrix]

a glorified suburb of Vancouver

This is probably too touristy for you, but my wife and I had fun taking a semi-old (1960s) train up the tracks a way from Vancouver (along the coast). They served dinner on the train, stopped at a small station and had 1940s dance music, then desert on the way back.

Fun date.

[Halsey]

It's really frustrating how bad they are. They do get training, if they survive.

In 10/42 they get radar. Very soon after this the number of attacks should increase. Hopefully that will mean more hits.[;)]

Don't use the Allied sub-standard doctrine. They're bad enough already.[:D]

[mogami]

Hi, USN submarines have the same problem commom to many Allied units early in war.
Bad equipment and poor training. It is not a submarine thing it is a peacetime to wartime issue.
Just like you need to train airgroups and get them out of Buffalo's and train ships and upgrade their AA you need to train your submarines. The Allies have very few units that are ready to rush into combat.

[CapAndGown]

I don't understand this bellyaching about allied early war subs. In my game against Grotius and in my practice runs against the AI my subs have scored much better than I feel they should have. I even offered Grotius the option of turning allied sub-doctrine on to tune down the subs somewhat. What am I missing?

[jwilkerson]

ORIGINAL: cap_and_gown

I don't understand this bellyaching about allied early war subs. In my game against Grotius and in my practice runs against the AI my subs have scored much better than I feel they should have. I even offered Grotius the option of turning allied sub-doctrine on to tune down the subs somewhat. What am I missing?

I guess we could also ask the question the other way - what are WE missing - as the bulk of forum respondents seem to be seeing Allied subs be toothless and japanese subs be targets. Are both sides escorting convoy's in your games ? Are both sides using ASW task forces to hunt subs in your games ? If not that could be the difference.

[Brady]

I use the piss out of them from day one...

...................

Off Topic, I have had many wounderfull trips to BC, it is a fantastic place, I have been all over the Gulf Islands, Vancover Island and took a Ferry ride to Prince Rupert from their in fact, took 15 hours but What Fantastic scenery. Banif and Jasper were places I will Never forget, Vancover is a Great City, beautifuly framed in with the Coast Mountains behind her, The Bridge to the Sky Corador is another wounder, that park in the Middle of Vancover on the Island with the Acuarium is way cool to. A couple years ago I drove to Alaska throught BC and the Southern part of the Youkon Teratory...I could go on and on about BC and the rest of Canada I have sean....

On the trip to Prince Rupert mentioned above, my GF and I got off the ferry from Washington state in Sydney, haveing been their before I headed into town to this Piza place I found before to get some lunch...as we were walking down the streat I head what had to be a warplane the Engine sound was unmistakable, I looked up and shure enough I was Stuned to see a Spitfire overhead Low heading out over the watter, it banked back and I grabed my GF's hand and raced for the truck, she was all wtf??? I will explane on the way to the airport I said,,Airport?!?!? why...At any rate their was a small airshow going on and we snuck out in the tall grass off the end of the runway and were treated to low leval flybys by about 6 different WW2 era planes, Including the spit,was quiet a day, espichaly to just happen apone it[:)]

[mogami]

Hi, Don't you hate it when they miss. (The sub escaped harm)

[Gen.Hoepner]

I'd say: use the all.
In one of my courrent pbem , with sub doc on, i managed to sunk a CVE just south of Balikapan in late december 41...2 fishes of 455mm( do not remember the right caliber) in her stomache and she went down[:D]

[Brady]

Ya it sucks when they miss, it sucks even more when they "Fail to detonate"[:)]

[janushm]

yup....use em all! in one of my games O16 alerted me of the KB heading for colombo by putting a fish into Hiryu's side. making the KB head for home. O16 survived. they do provide some early warning... or most importantly they tie down japanese assets i mean....i had a submarine operation off japanese coast for over a month i lost 3 subs... torpedoed 6ships tied down at least 15 destroyers and a hell of a lot PG's.

for the rest... O19, O20 and Argonaut are great. they scored several ships sunk and heavily damaged with their mines [its mid may 1942 in our game] and in total some 30 ships have been sunk by subs