SH4 lifeguard duty anomaly, I think.

[SeniorSpan]

G'day,

So, after installing, playing, configuring, reconfiguring, learing to adding mods, uninstallings and reinstalling twice, due to errors adding mods on my part, I finally felt I had a fair understanding how play SH4.
Please keep in mind the last version of SH I played was the original SSI Silent Hunter.

I started a career in 1942 from Brisbane; patroled the Solomons sunk several ships returned to port for a refit and went back out; sunk one transport and one destroyer; returned to port and ended the patrol. For my next patrol I was assigned lifeguard duty off the Solomons. I arrived at my duty station, noted by the yellow and black marked, and found several blue squares indicating downed airman and here is where I believe the anomaly starts. I approached three different airman survivor markers but never could see them in the binoculars and was using the most magnified map to pin point their location; therefore, they never got rescued. As I approached I also used the F11 key for the external overshot, no survivor in sight suggesting the binocular view was correct.

I sure I'm missing something very obvious to correctly preform lifeguard duty, so would appreciate someone pointing me in the correct direction.

Thanks

Bob

[mgbmike]

I feel your pain. I'm stiil out on lifeguard duty from the War Patrols menu, in a raging rainstorm with heavy seas.
I did manage to "rescue" one pilot but I'm beginning to think the little buggers are swimming away from me! LOL

[TheSatyr]

You could always imagine that they drowned or a shark got to them before you did...

[GoldenRivet]

these guys drift in the ocean in different directions. just as if you were really at sea you would not stay stationary even if you were anchored to the bottom you would drift at least a few feet in any direction.

The way to find them is to go to periscope depth and the gydrophones will hear them... go to the end of the contact line and surface you should be really close to the guy.

for anyone who has tried to find a single floater in the sea - your odds go down in a hurry if your not found in the first couple of hours. think about it... your on a boat moving forward at 3 or 4 knots and your looking - basically for a head sticking out of the water... you literally have to be right on these survivors in order to find them

the secret is the hydrophone. hope that helps

[con20or]

You can HEAR people in the water???:down:


What do they sound like?:hmm:

[GoldenRivet]

kicking and paddling and going "HEEELLLLLPPPP!" then a little gargling

just kidding - i dont know i didnt listen but they show up on screen as a merchant sound contact

[simpliciter]

Everytime I follow sonar contacts this way its a wild goose chase. Getting frusterated that I can't ever find these guys. How many survivors do you need to get to complete the lifeguard mission? I found one at first, then nothing.

[-Pv-]

"...How many survivors do you need to get to complete the lifeguard mission?..."

There is another post here somewhere descibing mission completion fulfillment requirements. I think I remember something like 5 to get the renoun bonus, but not sure there is a mission fulfillment restriction. Call in a status report and see if HQ responds. I think as another poseted here, you need to respond to recovery very quickly.
-Pv-

[simpliciter]

I finally figured out how to find them with sonar.. doesn't work every time but seems like most of the time. So I accomplished the mission, get back to base and they send me right back out again to do the same damn thing :( Off Guadalcanal. Hopefully this will be the last one for a bit. Also noticed lots of A6M's flying around and not attacking me when I'm in plain sight.. guess they are too busy shooting at American Lancasters. Maybe they haven't figured out S class boats have no AAA.