(CCPlays) Cold Waters Explained: How to Defend Your Surface Ship From Threats (DotMod)

Channel:

Captain Chang Plays

Subscribers:

853

Published on October 11, 2022 9:47:10 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGkmCgqAiqQ

Game:

Cold Waters (2017)

Duration: 1:05:52

372 views

5

One of the features of DotMod is the ability to play as a surface ship, and this introduces a lot of different factors than when you play as a submarine.

As a surface ship, you have missiles you can shoot at enemy air threats, cannons and anti-ship missiles to shoot at enemy ships, torpedoes and ASROCs you can shoot at enemy subs, and sometimes, helicopters you can use to drop torpedoes on enemy subs. But in return, you have to worry about incoming torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, gunfire, and occasional aircraft.

Let us discuss how you would defend against each.

------

As a test, we set up a fight against 2 Chinese FFs and 2 Chinese submarines. And to make it fair, we will use the Adelaide-class Frigate from Australia.

The frigates will lob antiship missiles at us, and we will defend. Then we will counterattack.

Then we will search for the subs, prosecute them, and if need be, illustrate torpedo avoidance.

------

Standard Missile (RIM-66, i.e. SM-1) has three modes: anti-missile, anti-air, anti-ship. Toggle among them with '1' key. Generally you will need anti-missile. Fire the missile (from VLS) like any normal missile: aim it in the general direction and it will attempt to intercept the target in its sensor view. So you need to set activation well before the target missile arrives.

You will likely never have to engage an aircraft in Cold Waters, and it's the same procedure. Make sure you got the fuse mode correct, then send it with activate before you get to the target. so it will start hunting for it.

You can use RIM-66 as a light anti-ship missile. Just make sure you have the missile in the right mode, and launch it to activation point where it turns on, finds a target, and go for it. But Adelaide carries enough Harpoons to do the job.

In an emergency, your CIWS will engage aircraft. I've seen it take down Bear patrol bombers as well as hostile ASW helos if they get too close.

Firing TASM (Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile) and Harpoon are the same: select weapon, pick an activation point that allow the weapon a little time to pick its own target, and send it.

Close, start popping chaff at the 1 mile mark. I do it just before the CIWS open up and you get the audio warning.

Also note the angle of coverage of your CIWS, and how many of those you have around the ship. Place your ship at the optimum angle where incoming threats are covered yet not expose too much of your ship. Accidental hits (i.e. you splashed the missile, but the debris hits you anyway) hurts as bad as a true missile strike. Presenting your entire broadside to the enemy missiles is dumb. Turn your ship to present a narrower profile.

-----

Generally speaking, the best torpedo defense is to prosecute any subs so that they don't have time to shoot at you. Kill them before they can shoot is best, else, hunt them so hard they can't get close enough to launch.

If enemy did launch against you ANYWAY, your most important thing to do is recognize that, and change your path. You can assume that the enemy WILL have used your existing path and velocity to extrapolate your future position, and sent the torpedo that way. Do NOT be there. If you get "launch transient" and it's not a missile launch, change your heading quickly, by 180 degrees if you can.

If none of this worked, and you got torpedo near you anyway, decide quickly on an evasion path, so you can get out of the sensor cone, if it is possible. This depends on your heading, how fast you can turn, and what speed you can achieve.

If you are playing NATO, you probably have NIxie installed as a surface ship. Keep in mind that Nixie limits you to about 20 kts (same speed as your towed array) at either 0.6 or 1.2 km behind you (short or long stay) and while it will attract a torpedo, the idea is to get the torpedo AWAY from you, not toward you. You *can* use the distance and on/off switch to play with the decoy, pull torpedoes toward a particular direction then turn the decoy off and get the heck out of the way.

You are also equipped with various noisemakers that can distract a torpedo temporarily, if it is between you and the torpedo. But both you and torpedo will move. Torpedos will either "run around" or "run through" the decoy, then perform a turn. You have to anticipate those turns to achieve true evasion.

For example, if you have observed that this torpedo is a left run-around torpedo (it sees a decoy, it tries to go around it from the left) it will see you making and left turn, but if you turn RIGHT you will gain a little time (but not a lot, remember that torpedoes are faster than you).

You can use that knowledge and multiple decoys to build a temporary maze for the torpedo to get lost in while you get out.

I have not found naval gunfire to be worrisome. You need a LOT of rounds to put the hurt on the enemy and they to you.

Other Statistics