(CCPlays) Cold Waters Tactics w/ DotMod: How to Hunt Submarines as a Surface Ship w/ Your ASW Helo
0One of the features of DotMod is the ability to play as surface ships, not just submarines. In this custom mission, we set up an Arleigh Burke DDG against 2-4 Chinese submarines and illustrates how to hunt submarines as a surface ship (with your ASW helo) in Cold Waters w/ DotMod.
For authenticity of tactics, this mission is played at "realistic" difficulty.
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As a surface ship, you should turn on your radar, ESM, and scope almost immediately, unless you are trying to hide from an enemy with no missiles. Your surface-to-air missile (SAM) needs radar to guide, as does your cannon, if mounted.
You should also deploy your towed array and/or Nixie decoy ASAP, and go "silent running" aka ultraquiet, and try to listen for subsurface contacts. Your radar will automatically sort out the surface contacts in a few seconds.
If you are not operating near hostile surface ships, then warm up your helo if you have one. We will do so. The Seahawk can go out to 30 or 40 km if need be. ASROC, the rocket-deployed torpedo, only goes out to about 10 km. The helo has no dipping sonar though.
NOTE: I know I keep saying SUBROC in the voiceover, sorry! It's ASROC!
ASROC = Anti-Submarine ROCket, which drops a small torpedo.
SUBROC = SUBmarine ROCket, basically ASROC launched by submarine
Sonar picked up two subsurface contacts bearing north. I sent the helo after the closer contact, S2, probably a Kilo Improved and drop a torpedo. It's not close enough to spook the sub.
Let's assume too far, I dropped another torpedo to its south, then ordered the Seahawk back to land and reload.
Sierra 4 is cavitating? But... We dropped on Sierra 2, so there are multiple subs near us, hmmm...
And the Kilo is pinging us with active sonar. Yet it just drove past a circling torpedo, clearly, something's wrong with my range estimate... by a LOT.
I dropped an ASROC, only to have Sierra 2 fire multiple torpedoes at me. I made a 180 (so heading east), retrieved towed array, went all ahead flank, and still got the helo to land successfully. There was a bit of damage to the Nixie though.
After Seahawk's reloaded, I sent it to drop a torpedo on the Kilo. I also noticed there's a new contact, Sierra 5, that I haven't IDed yet, probably another sub.
Now I have a solution on the Kilo, I ordered the Seahawk to drop a torpedo on it. However, I also heard that Sierra 5 has launched on me. This means I need to change directions again. I chose northeast.
The torpedo Seahawk dropped managed to kill Sierra 2 (Kilo Improved). I sent it after S5, even though we have no solution yet. Seems we got enough signal to classify him as yet another Kilo Improved. So I have the Seahawk drop its last torpedo on Sierra 5 and return to ship. That torpedo missed, so I added another ASROC. This one landed just ahead of him and was almost immediately seeking.
By this time, I've rearmed the helo and it's off again. I've also turned north instead of northeast, which was lucky as I only just now noticed the torpedo launched by Sierra 4 much much earlier passing me to the east.
The torpedo that was seeking Sierra 5 (Kilo Improved) was having some problem cornering the sub. Another torpedo had to be added to finally kill it.
We have one hostile sub left, the Han. But we can't see it as it's probably masked by that M1 Merchant in the way. I kept the Seahawk airborne, as it still has a torpedo left. I was heading northwest, then WNW (heading 300) trying to expose enough of the towed array to sense Sierra 4 Han.
When the range on Han was updated... it was close, only 10 km close. I ordered the retraction of towed array, and ordered the Seahawk to drop a torp on top of it. and went to all ahead flank. We got multiple launch transients from Master 4, which means Han is or was near the surface for ESM or Radar to pick it out. But no matter. We are getting out of its way by heading west at flank speed (34 kt). In the meanwhile, Seahawk is dropping its torpedo in front of the Han. When that seems to have no effect. I fired an ASROC as well.
I was going flank due west, so I can't hear any of the torpedoes. I judged I have displaced enough (almost 6km) so I went back to silent running and deployed the towed array again. Now we can see the torpedoes, and how Han is managing to avoid them so far. I decided to send the Seahawk to add a torpedo or two.
One of the torpedoes chasing Han hit, but Han is still running. That's when the Seahawk arrived and dropped another torpedo and there was nowhere left for the Han to go. After impact, the sub sank stern first into the deep.
Sonar also revealed 3 torpedos passing behind us from the Han. I recall the Seahawk and stow it. There are no more subsurface contacts. We waited for the hostile torpedos to run out of power, then ended the mission.
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Debrief: 3 kills out of 3. Could have placed some of the torpedoes better.
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