Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey
Hey IABL how will early war destroyer's be handled since IIRC it wasn't until sometime in 1916 that a depth charge the British felt confident enough to use was in service? They had nothing to attack a sub with but there guns and they had no way of knowing where one was really as well.
|
There will be underwater weapons available in 1914:
-By July 1914, before the war, the British had designed the explosive Sweep, which was towed behind antisubmarine craft. Consequently, destroyers equipped with Sweeps may be encountered from the first day of the war.
-On December 7, 1914, Jellicoe ordered research into what would become Depth Charges. As early as January 1915 the Royal Navy ordered production of "ancestors" to the Depth Charge, known as "Bombs" and "Cruiser Mines". Major faults were shallow explosive depth (around 45 - 80 feet) and inability to vary sink rate or explosive settings. A photo of the bomb thrower is below - although the picture is from 1917, one source indicated that the bomb throwers in 1914-1915 were largely similar.
-There is always the chance your submerged submarine could be hit by a torpedo; even the old Torpedo-Boat style Destroyers from the 1890's had them. Keep in mind that Silent Hunter 4 has been modded to allow AI units to use torpedoes - unlike Silent Hunter 3. Also note that many battleships and cruisers will have them.
-For sonar I will create a sensor intended to represent early underwater microphones, as well as guesswork by the enemy ship's crew (basically I will take the stock WWII sonar and weaken it severely). Good crews will have a better sensor than poor/novice crews. This will be replaced as the war goes on by proper hydrophones; by 1917, ASW craft will be much deadlier to the player.
Bomb Thrower
Early ASW bombs and "Cruiser Mines" from 1914 - 1916. The round portions above water are not explosives, but floats attached to the charge. Note that Model "C" is an aircraft bomb, altered for naval use.