Pretty Much Given Up On The Schnorkel in XXI
 

....in mid/later '44. Seems like planes are hovering over the sub waiting for it to come to Schnorkel depth and toast you. Maybe that changes when the upgrade to the Schnorkel detecting radar signals comes out.


But for now I'm surfacing to recharge and find the latest radar detector still gives me enough time to crash dive to safety as long as you stay focused.


I know the planes basically won the Battle of the Atlantic past mid 43 but am really finding their abilities and capabilities pretty bogus and overwrought.

What mod(s) you using? Whenever I've played SHIII, I usually "die" by 1943, and usually at the hands of a plane or two (or more), but I do give the DDs a good work-out too... That's in Stock & GWX. I haven't made it that far in LSH or WAC yet... :roll: :salute:

Complete stock -- no mods attached to my version.

See if THEBERBSTER doesn't reply, or send him a PM and ask him about LSH. I'm not sure how the airplane traffic in it compares to Stock. I've kind of gotten used to the idea of airplanes at any time from any directions over the years of playing the Silent Hunter series, and it just wouldn't seem right to me to not be interrupted by them every hour or sooner. I have come up too soon more than once, and had to dive right back down, when the planes turned and came back after me. The big thing is seeing them soon enough, and crash diving. Just be careful of what you're crashing into... don't wanna bottom-out at speed... I do know that no later than 1943, you can't hardly wiggle without an airplane seeing you in a lot of places... and not just one or two either... kind of like bees. :salute:

I have and am waiting a reply.

He'll get back with you. THEBERBSTER is the best for help in all of the Silent Hunter games, but especially SH3 and SH5. He'll be with you as soon as he can.

Cool -- looking forward to it

Yeah the skies did get growdy after 1943 in the Atlantic after Liberator was introduced and even the British coast was swarming with bees now that Roosevelt was flooding them with supplies.


The schorkel do need the RDR badly in '44, but I managed to get along by keeping the periscopes up high so to maybe spot the plane before they would get a fix on me.
Problem on this method though is that you would spot the plane in few kilometers only and by then you should expect a bombing run on your sorry butt.
Then again much faster to dive than from surface so so...


You do what works best for you as long as you keep sinking those ships kaleun!

I find the Radar Detection gear by '44 is good enough to recharge on the surface at night as it gives you enough time to crash dive as opposed to getting bushwhacked running the schnorkel. In the game it is almost like the planes sit on top of you and wait for you to come up.



I understand the Battle of the Atlantic was basically decided by aircraft but the abilities of aircraft are just a bit too magical for my taste. I'm dubious they were THAT accurate with the schnorkel .


In the game isn't there an equipment upgrade putting a radar detector ON the schnorkel itsels which might help but as I recall it has to be installed a certain way?

Yes there is, FUMB 29 Bali, available in late '44 I recall. Though the game labels everything differently depending on are you playing vanilla or some megamod. At least GWX gets it right with "late war sensors"-mod, but you still might need to fiddle around to get it all work.

Makes your life much better even though the detection range isn't that far as in when surfaced.

I'll test that out -- likely this evening as well.

Well got the message from Donitz summarizing all was lost so now its time to restart the Career, the XXI is redundant for now. But right to the end I only used the schnorkel in emergencies and found the radar detection gear gave sufficient warning to get under while re-charging on the surface.


Re-started with a Type VIIB and now up to a Type VIIC (renamed to U-96) which I will likely stick with until the XXI becomes available again as I like how quickly you can get under. Now at 1/41 out of St Nazaire at the tail end of The Happy Time so I might get at least a couple more convoy attacks in.


No majaor accomplishments yet other than nailing a T3 -- will check out the Straights of Gibralter soon tho'.

Last career, barttled thru the straights and checked out the hardbour and there was literally nothing there -- will try again this round.

Checked it out again and there was only a T2 that took 4 torps and didn't sink or credit me.


Swarms of destroyers tho' I managed to evade.