CV Hunting and Killing 101

[8thJinx]

It came to my attention this morning that there are folks out there that are unaware of the simpler methods of hunting CV groups and thwarting cruisers from white flagging towns in support of surprise takes.  So here is my quick two cent lesson:

1. If you tower, land kills, get killed, etc, and find your self in the tower casually looking for something to do, take two minutes to check your coastal bases and island bases.

2. Up in each of the shore batteries, and go to mouse pan mode.

3. Zoom out, and scan the horizon 360 degrees.  In a shore battery in mouse pan mode, you can scan the entire 360 degree horizon.  As an alternate, you can check status of town buildings to see if they've been taken out.

4. Do this for as many bases as you want.  You could do it for 10 bases, or no bases.  It's a free country.

5. If you happen to spot a CV out of shore batt range, but near a PT spawn and such, give a holler to your countrymen that there's a CV to sink.  Call for CV killers.  Up a bomber or PT boat yourself.  Have some fun!

6. If you're fortunate enough that the opposing side charted the course of their CV through your PT spawn, then get in a boat, come up to 40 knots, line up using the converging object method, and fire an accurately aimed, practiced spread of four torpedoes.  Also, you'll have to get close.  American torps only run for 4 minutes, or roughly 4,500 yards.  While the ships' guns may take you out, wait patiently in the tower for the system messages to come up that your torps have hit.  Remember! If you fire torps, and end up in the tower, don't re-up!  Your torps will disappear if you re-up anywhere.  Wait out the 4 minutes just to make sure you get hits, or know you've missed.

7. Then, once your torps have sunk the cruiser and/or carrier, or your mates have bombed them into reefs, look on 200 for the inevitable whines about cheating.  At that point, sit back and smile, and enjoy the flattery.  You have done your job well.

[Condor]

Good post. What is the converging object method and how do you select and fire torpedoes? I took one out and it wasn't obvious. Obviously I haven't used PT boats but it might be fun to try.

[The Fugitive]

pretty good write up here.

[8thJinx]

There's a good video on youtube that I know of, as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baM-5JTEXTs]

[Owlblink]

This is a GREAT thread, any Chance we can sticky it?

 

[Zimme83]

There are an even simpler method, just look at the map and look were the enemy ports are, the cv is 90% somewhere on a straight line between the port and the few closest enemy bases...
I often up medium bombers like Tu-2 or B-25:s to hunt cv:s before they reach a friendly base and most of the time the cv is roughly were I expected it to be.

With full zoom you can search an area a sector across so its easy to cover a lot of water.

[popeye]

Another way to check for CV sneaks is to bring up the map and check "down times" at coastal bases to see if there is any damage to towns.  Takes a few seconds per base.

[DubiousKB]

Everyone knows 8thJinx cheats at checkers!

... It's not a stretch that he's doing it in a PT boat too. . .   

Good advice.

[mbailey]

Ill do the whole "coast watcher" thing everytime I log on...and here and there while im playing....Always love seeing those boats off one of our bases 

Great thread 8th

[Condor]

6. If you're fortunate enough that the opposing side charted the course of their CV through your PT spawn, then get in a boat, come up to 40 knots, line up using the converging object method, and fire an accurately aimed, practiced spread of four torpedoes.  Also, you'll have to get close.  American torps only run for 4 minutes, or roughly 4,500 yards.  While the ships' guns may take you out, wait patiently in the tower for the system messages to come up that your torps have hit.  Remember! If you fire torps, and end up in the tower, don't re-up!  Your torps will disappear if you re-up anywhere.  Wait out the 4 minutes just to make sure you get hits, or know you've missed.

Ok, there must be more to using the PT boat effectively. I've read the links and watched the youtube video. I believe I'm doing it just the way it's shown on the video, but I'm 1 for 20, and my 1 was my second try. Maybe I'm t getting close enough but how do you know you're close enough. In the video it appears he releases the torpedoes well before the ship filla rgw width of the gun sight at full zoom. At least I assume it was at full zoom since he set up his convergence at full zoom. And yes I wait even longer tha 4 mins.

Any further suggestions? I'm 

[Zimme83]

How to find and kill a cv:
1) Draw a straight line from an enemy port to the nearest friendly base
2) Up bombers and fly along said straight line until you find the cv
3) Sink CV
4) Read spying accusations on ch 200

[Max]

Please explain mouse pan mode.

[8thJinx]

Ok, there must be more to using the PT boat effectively. I've read the links and watched the youtube video. I believe I'm doing it just the way it's shown on the video, but I'm 1 for 20, and my 1 was my second try. Maybe I'm t getting close enough but how do you know you're close enough. In the video it appears he releases the torpedoes well before the ship filla rgw width of the gun sight at full zoom. At least I assume it was at full zoom since he set up his convergence at full zoom. And yes I wait even longer tha 4 mins.

Any further suggestions? I'm 

On Sunday I think I sank 3 CV's and 4 cruisers using the PT boat.  The very best approach is from off the cruiser's starboard bow.  You won't sink much coming from behind the CV group, and there's very little room for error when coming from the sides.  I've always had great success coming from 5-10 degrees or so off the cruiser's bow.  Next attack I'll film it.  I set my boat's speed so the tip of the needle lines up with the upper edge of the white 40 knot tick mark on speedometer.  I like waiting until the boat starts shooting at me to release torps.

Like I said, I'll film the next one and try to post something.

[8thJinx]

Please explain mouse pan mode.

If you're in a plane cockpit (or shore battery, PT boat position, or vehicle position), mouse panning allows you to look everywhere using the mouse without the need for a hat switch.  I have the mouse pan toggle mapped to a side button on my mouse.  I normally fly with the mouse toggle on, look around if I need to, and when I need to aim for a shot, I flick the hat switch forward (I have that mapped to 'look forward', and the Home key on the keyboard does the same thing) which brings me immediately back to looking straight through the heads up display (or gun sight) and on target.  Works the same way in a tank, shore battery, ship gun, etc.  Mouse panning shuts off when you bring up the clip board map, if I recall correctly.

[1ijac]

Please explain mouse pan mode.

When in shore battery Max,  Hit F5, then F8, then use your hat switch to move view around is another way to see a bit more than the normal firing view of the coastline in the shore battery.  Hit F1 to go back into normal view mode.