Out of diesel!

[Mylander]

I have just run completely out of diesel about 300 miles west of Midway. I am returning from a successful patrol off of Honshu (about 14,000 hard-earned tons) with manual targeting, etc... I am heavily damaged, and have multiple wounded and 3 KIA aboard. We fought off air patrols, and limped away from Jap controlled waters on the surface on two diesel engines - one having been destroyed and one propeller shaft destroyed. I was afraid to submerge with damaged bulkheads and pressure hull compromised.

My question is: is there any way to call for a tow? Where is TowBoat US when I need them? I repaired my radio antenna, sent a status report, but I guess I forgot to mention my fuel state. Any way to end this mission, or do I need to replay it?

Thanks,
Mylander

[Hans Schultz]

start rowing.

[Tigrone]

I believe if you submerge then surface, your batteries will magically recharge, even though you've got no fuel to run the generators. You can poke along on battery power.:hmm:

[Onkel Neal]

What's with all these guys running out of fuel? :p Isn't there a fuel gauge of sorts? Heh, once you have reached the 1/2 point on the gauge, time to head home and always reduce speed on the way. 2/3 speed is max until you are sure you can make port.

cheers
Neal

[Jab_Bauer]

Well.. Looks like I learned something here. Thx for the 2/3 tip. I wont be running out of fuel anytime soon.

[Bilge_Rat]

The most cost effective way to conserve fuel is to poke along at ahead 1/3.

at 1/3 the average speed is about 8 knots, at 2/3 its 12, but at 1/3, you only use about 1/2 of the fuel of going at 2/3.

[Drebbel]

http://www.delsjourney.com/images/news/news_02-03-16/2-2925_No_Fuel_Sign.jpg

I thought they meant miles !!!!!

:D

[AVGWarhawk]

Yes, 1/3 or 2/3 will just about get you anywhere and home. I only use flank when making end rounds. Other than that we run a green boat and are concerned about global warming.....yeah right fire up the diesels and crack open the throttles:yep:

[heartc]

Other than that we run a green boat and are concerned about global warming.....yeah right fire up the diesels and crack open the throttles:yep:

:rotfl::rotfl::sunny:

[Floyd]

I thought they meant miles !!!!!

:D

Nope, that's for European who are used to see a fuel station every 10 km or so ...

[Quillan]

When I go into fuel conservation mode, I tend to run 2/3 on the surface and 1/3 submerged. I stay down until batteries hit 50%, surface and run until recharged fully, then submerge again. However, that might not be possible depending on the damage. On my first patrol, I pushed it too hard and had to stop off at Midway on the way back to Pearl to refit. I wouldn't have had enough fuel to make Pearl.

Unlike SHIII, there is no mystical "Return to base" command that gets you home if you run out. Don't run out.

[AVGWarhawk]

When I go into fuel conservation mode, I tend to run 2/3 on the surface and 1/3 submerged. I stay down until batteries hit 50%, surface and run until recharged fully, then submerge again. However, that might not be possible depending on the damage. On my first patrol, I pushed it too hard and had to stop off at Midway on the way back to Pearl to refit. I wouldn't have had enough fuel to make Pearl.

Unlike SHIII, there is no mystical "Return to base" command that gets you home if you run out. Don't run out.

I like the no magic return to port. Makes it a bit more exciting. No torps, maybe some cannon shells and AA ammo. Makes one a bit more cautious.

[Jab_Bauer]

Wait so right now im speeding along at full, around 19 kts. I started at pearl, and im headed to midway where I'll probably stop for more gas. But from midway to Honshu I should probably go.. how fast?

[AVGWarhawk]

Wait so right now im speeding along at full, around 19 kts. I started at pearl, and im headed to midway where I'll probably stop for more gas. But from midway to Honshu I should probably go.. how fast?

1/3 or 2/3 to get on station.

[NefariousKoel]

Wait so right now im speeding along at full, around 19 kts. I started at pearl, and im headed to midway where I'll probably stop for more gas. But from midway to Honshu I should probably go.. how fast?

I use 2/3 for getting anywhere. Good mix of range and speed.:up:

[Onkel Neal]

The good thing about SH4 is, if you really do not like the idea of running ar 1/3 speed to conserve fuel, just play with the unlimited fuel option on, and use your imagination to tell yourself, when you return to port, "Whew, just made it!" :yep:

[letterboy1]

The only time I crank it fast is when flanking a potential target or when heading to a destination with fuel. When heading from Midway to my objective, I always go 1/3. Diesel needs to be there for flanking targets. I just patrolled a sector near Honshu and decided to go around the western edges of Japan and into the Sea of Japan. I'm there and still have about 3/4 of my diesel.

[Faamecanic]

What's with all these guys running out of fuel? :p Isn't there a fuel gauge of sorts? Heh, once you have reached the 1/2 point on the gauge, time to head home and always reduce speed on the way. 2/3 speed is max until you are sure you can make port.

cheers
Neal

If found that with SH4 its just like SH3 the most fuel effecient speed is to poke along at max 1/3 speed (which is 9 kts).

[scubaDon]

I always top off my tanks going and coming. I run flank from Pearl to Midway, refit, and 2/3 or less rest of the time. At 50% fuel, I head for Midway and refit. Depending upon what's left to do and how successful we've been. I might return to finish the standing objective or head in to Pearl. Since the enemy air war is so prolific, I wish someone would mod a fix on the resupply of AA ammo on refit.

[Bilge_Rat]

The big reason I like using 1/3 speed is to get to my patrol zone with lots of fuel in reserve, that gives you alot of options. I certainly would not want to be in a situation where I have to stop chasing a juicy target because my fuel is getting low.

[Quillan]

Pearl Harbor to the East China Sea takes about 50% of your fuel in a Tambor at Ahead 2/3. Going to Midway first and refuelling there leaves you with about 70% diesel remaining. I haven't tried at Ahead 1/3.

[Mylander]

What's with all these guys running out of fuel? :p Isn't there a fuel gauge of sorts? Heh, once you have reached the 1/2 point on the gauge, time to head home and always reduce speed on the way. 2/3 speed is max until you are sure you can make port.

cheers
Neal

Yeah, trust me, I know about fuel conservation, but here's what happened - my propulsion was so FUBARed- running on one screw and two damaged diesels, I had to run that sucker flat out to have any speed on whatsoever. I think I was doing 5 knots with a tailwind (going downhill since I was north of the equator and heading south;) ) in broad daylight, on the surface right off of the Japanese coast with two big holes in my outer hull. I was hit by a bomb dropped by a Mavis flying boat, which holed my outer hull again, started more flooding, and sent me into an uncontrolled dive to 100 feet before I could even curse a blue streak! Back emergency, blow ballast again and again and again until the dive stopped at 400 feet! Finally I resurfaced. Not fun. Blasted away at E/A taking more damage, until both AA mounts were out of ammo, took the evasive maneuvers Wahoo could give me, and finally, mercifully the sun set, and she limped away as far and as fast as she could on the surface under cover of darkness. It still took forever to get even where I am now. After that first day, I made turns for 1 knot in order to conserve fuel as much as possible, and still ran out of diesel.

I question whether the sim has accounted for the fact that only two of my diesels are running and burning fuel. i.e. flank speed on the engine telegraph = a certain rate of fuel consumption, whether you're running two damaged engines, presumably at lower RPMs even at flank speed, or four engines wide open. My fuel seemed to burn just as fast. I don't know if this is a thing that can be modeled or not. May be hard-coded. I told myself that I was probably leaking fuel anyway.

But at this point, it would be nice if a friendly neighborhood AS or DD could give me a tow back to Midway, or hell, just bring me some fuel.

Anyway, lots of fun was had by all (except for the three KIAs and some Jap shipping), I was just hoping that someone could work me up a mod real quick-like for say, a jury-rigged sail?:D Or some oars? Stroke! Stroke! :arrgh!:

It has been suggested that I submerge and use my electric motors - I will try that, but I am sure that I will sink like a stone as soon as my decks are awash.

Maybe I can find my save game file, and edit myself some fuel! Muhuhuhuhahahaha! (Diabolical laughter)

Thanks for all of the help and suggestions, I'm getting sunburned out here, and Amos n' Andy is getting old... Might have to swim for it! :gulp: Naaaah...


http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2441/paintedshipfj2.jpg

Mylander

[Faamecanic]

Wait so right now im speeding along at full, around 19 kts. I started at pearl, and im headed to midway where I'll probably stop for more gas. But from midway to Honshu I should probably go.. how fast?

Just like with SH3 I found the best way to get the most efficent speed/diesel usage by going at the max Kts. that I could at 1/3 speed.

Just go to your speed gauge (not the telegraph, but the one where you can set your speed in kts) and up the speed 1 kt at a time until you cause the telegraph where it jumps to 2/3..then back it down 1 kt. For example 9 kts seems to be the best setting for a Gato and Tambor. I can get from Midway to the south coast of Honshu on less then 25% of my fuel (I have 75% left when I get to the coast of Japan).

[-Pv-]

Like everyone says, 1/3 is the best compromise between speed and economy on the surface. Use that to get on patrol station, then look at your fuel gauge and remember it's going to take you THAT much and a little more to get home if you don't travel very much further away. Keep that amount of fuel in reserve. Only use the higher speeds for manouvers in enemy territory and engagements. You also have the added benefit in that air patrols have to be closer to see your smaller wake. If it gets tight near the end, spend as much time submerged on battery at 2 knots as you can. It takes less fuel to charge a battery than the same distance traveled on the surface uses.

Another thing to mention while we're talking about battery, the slower surface speeds charge the battery faster. It's a feature of US fleet boat design having four diesel engines. When at ahead slow, one engine is powering the props and three are charging the battery. As you add each increment of power, another engine is pulled off the battery and placed online.
-Pv-

[Mylander]

There now, that's much better! Be to Midway in no time!

Interestingly, when I loaded my saved game, damage control screen shows my diesels all better now, but still no fuel, no go. The three holes in my hull are also gone. I found a way to make some way too! If I submerge at all, even decks awash, I sink like a stone to about 150', bow down. If I blow ballast, I hit the surface stern first with two knots of speed - in reverse... Maybe full left rudder, do this a few times, get turned around, and make it to Midway like this - up, down, up, down, up, down.... :rotfl: :down: Now to see if I can edit that save file somehow...


http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/7163/paintedshipsailjn5.jpg