Recently, we've taken a look into destroyers, so today, we'll take a closer look at strategies against carriers.
There's at most one carrier in each fleet per battle (I've rarely seen pairings where only one fleet had a carrier, and the other did not). In the earlier matching algorithms, almost every battle would have carriers, today it's common to have non-carrier battles as well.
Carriers have two kinds of planes to send out against you - dive bombers and torpedo bombers. Dive bombers find their target automatically once you lock them on, whereas torpedo bombers need to be "babysat" - aiming is manual. Airborne torpedoes do more damange than bombs, but not quite as much as the ones launched by destroyers and some cruisers.
Computer vs human players
In carriers, there is a huge difference between these two, much more relevant than in other ship classes.
The current carrier algorithm will:
- not scout - they'll wait for ships to be discovered before launching
- not babysit their torpedo planes - they'll drop at the initially set point
- stay in their initial position until being shot at
- usually focus on the closest target
Human players behave very differently. Expect planes out much earlier in the battle, and fighter-scouts to determine early targets. They also prioritise targets differently - a human player might focus on other human players first, considering them the most dangerous opponent, before dealing with less-dangerous computer players.
Sink that ship
I'd consider a computer-played carrier a very low threat (unless you're severely damaged), and an easy, low-priority kill. Spotting a carrier is really easy - just follow their planes. They're visible across the whole map, so just follow them on their return flight and see where they land - that's where the carrier is.
Once you've determined the position, get in range - you can shoot at it blindly with cannons, if you can spot it via landing / taking off planes. With torpedoes (especially when you're in a destroyer), simply get close enough to spot it, and stay outside their flight paths. You'll spot a carrier before they spot you. Don't use your artillery, since that will trigger them to start dodging, and they can be surprisingly quick - then you end up wasting time hunting them down. Instead, shoot a full torpedo salvo at minimum spread, and turn away - they'll stay in place, since they can't see you, and one salvo is usually enough to sink them.
With human players, you might consider taking out carriers earlier in the game, and not leaving them for last, since they can do quite some damage. You'll also have to get closer, since they might start evasive actions earlier, once they spot you. Consider approaching from the front, unless that's in their direct flight path, giving them less of a chance to run for it.
Dodging droppings
With computer players, that's relatively easy. Simply don't be the closest ship to the carrier, and they won't target you. Torpedo drops are very unlikely to hit, unless you've been sailing straight for an extended amount of time - simply change your course, and they'll miss.
With human players, that's a different story. Your best defence is to maintain a close formation, especially with larger capital ships, so they have to attack into concentrated AAA fire. This will deplete their squadrons quickly.
Watch out for their torpedo drops - good human carrier players can be quite deadly, and don't get distracted easily. Keep an eye on their torpedo bombers, and if they're heading your way, be prepared to dodge, if you can. I've been most successful with dodging into the drop, since there's a window between the bombers starting their target run and the actual drop where the player can't change their course anymore, so if you manage to sail "under" the drop, at least some will miss.
With larger ships, especially battleships, you don't have to worry too much - they have pretty good health and armour to start with, plus good AAA. One thing to keep in mind is that both bombs and torpedoes have a large chance of causing fires or leaks, which can do more damage over time than the actual impact. If you want to use your damage control supplies, make sure to wait until both plane formations have hit you, otherwise you end up putting out the fire, just to be faced with a leak that you then can't fix due to the cooldown.
