sub hunting? Air power or destroyers?

[BrianV]

Anyone find a half-way decent way to sink subs? It's seems air power is useless, when historically air power was deadly to subs. Also destroyers seem pretty useless as well, what do you guys use for a good sub hunting group? Also does radar make any difference?

 

[Oof]

The best way to detect subs is with DD or CL. To have any chance of succes make sure you keep the ASW tech up to date. From 1940 onwards this tech really makes a difference. Another tech you need to keep up to date is the spotting tech (naval) which increases the chances of DD/CL to spot subs.

The best way to destroy subs is with CV (and escorts obviously). The CAG's in combination with the escorts really deal a lot of damage. You can deploy BB or BS as well to patrol for subs. Even if they don't spot a sub, once the join in the battle they will increase your chances of destroying the subs.

I usually don't bother to hunt for subs in the Pacific unless the're close to one of my naval bases where a fleet is based. The Pacific is just too big and with the AI redeploiyng every once in a while...well, the chances of succes are very slim.

 

[Kovax]

One item of note is that a couple of DDs won't do much to catch a submarine; you need a half-dozen or more to have anything more than the barest sliver of a chance of engaging. In one earlier game, I had three DD fleets with 4 ships each scouring the close confines of the Baltic for one lone sub, and it took over a year to finally catch and kill it. In retrospect, a larger DD fleet would have helped considerably, but hunting in the open Atlantic or Pacific would have been a lot harder. A CV or CVL can boost the odds a little, and the CAG will deal a lot of additional damage if your DDs do manage to engage, usually enough to sink the sub. Mainly, you need to research the ASW techs and submarine spotting for your DDs, which should shift the balance of subs versus convoys in favor of the surface ships by mid-war.

 

[Palmerdale]

There's only 2 technologies that directly affect your ability to locate subs -- Small Warship ASW and Sonar and Detection Equipment, both on the Escort tab. Maybe Radar technologies bleed over to affect the chance of detection.

Subs have Hull technology which makes it more difficult to find them, and 2 technologies (Submarine Anti-Aircraft Armament and Submarine Air Warning Equipment) to help them hunt planes.

The only specific anti-sub technology that airplanes have for an anti-submarine role is Air Launched Torpedo on the Bomber tab. This technology only appears to apply to CAG and NAV bombers.

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There may be another thing that help detect subs, particularly any technology with bonuses to Surface Detection. I do not know how (if) the game simulates sub attacks, but for a good portion of the war, subs had to be at or near the surface to attack. This Surface Detection bonus is liberally spread around to various Radar technologies for both Planes and Ships. I do not know of a way to reliably test the effect of these technologies in-game.

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I think I'm with Kovax on this. Overwhelming numbers is your best strategy when hunting subs, with a mix of ships, subs and air.

 

[BrianV]

Thanks for all the juicy info, this helps a lot. by the time I become good at this HOIV will come out

 

[Makje]

In my experience NAV and CAG are better at finding Subs and DD are better at kiling them.
In my current game it's 1941 and my CAG fleets of 2 CV + 4 DD regularly find subs and damage them but pretty much never kill them. Having a separate DD fleet in the same zone (even when it's a small fleet of say 4 DD) means pretty much always a kill on (all of) those subs.

Although in late war CAGs do get deadlier to all ships. Bigger numbers directly increase the odds of finding any fleet so my DD fleets are between 6 and 12 DD.
ASW techs and spoting are offcourse a must if you wish to find any subs in 1940 and before (actually france starts the 1936 scenario with a few ships with ASW tech level 2 so they are the best sub hunters in 1939, even though they haven't researched the tech...)

 

[EllisDee]

I've had a lot of success with "air power". NAVs are incredibly good for detecting subs. Use DDs for searching them out, then once you get to the dreaded "endless shadowing", send a NAV bomber to the area. They'll flush them out.

Use RADAR to spot them on the map, Destroyers to chase them, and NAVs to detect and destroy them.

 

[Adar1]

Actually the most effective way to get rid off the subs, is to bomb them while in ports (not 100% realistic, aknowledge it):