Convoi tracking and detection

[Danox]

Hey all, Im completely new to this game (never played a submarine sim) and i think im doing pretty well atm.

Playing at 100% diff and doing a good job with manual tdc tnx to wernersobe (Great guides and great sinking mod aswell!). Also tracking down ships and plotting course and speed goes well. But this applies only to single ships.

I find it harder to plot the course of a full convoi with escorts (for example the one of the training mission) tried it with the radar aswell as the sonar. Radar is just to inaccurate to me, cant really see the exact distance of the targets and sonar is just a messy bunch sounds. Id like to hear some tips or even better a guide about tracking down a convoi and plotting speed and course as precise as possible.

Second question ragards detection.
If u ping with sonar to get distance, can this be detected by enemy ships. The tooltip of "depth under keel" button says it can be detected by enemy ships. Does this count for normal sonar ping aswell?
Thing I like to know aswell is the pinging sound u hear when ure close to a convoi escort, does this mean they know ure there and are searching for u, or is it something they do all the time? More important, how to stay undetected by them, staying behind them or direct under them are things i already know, but how much for example does silent run help? and at what depth ure save from being detected? (if there is any) etc etc. I hope u more experienced guys have some good tips or guides about this aswell.

I searched the forums as hard as i could but didnt find threads that could really anwered my question. Founds some small tips here and there but just not enough. I want some more detailed information if anyone has some. Im sry if I where blind and that there is a good thread (or more) that answere my question.

Tnx in any advise

[SteamWake]

Yes an active ping can and will alert the enemy.

As to the other questions there are a few guides in the guide sticky thread worth looking into. Ill edit in a link here shortly.

[Von Manteuffel]

Welcome, Danox.

Any noise your sub makes ( except the radio and gramophone ) can be detected by surface vessels - especially if they're listening for you. "Pings" are particularly dangerous. I had an uncle who was a stoker in WW II and he described a "ping" against his ship's hull as sounding like someone tapping the plates with a hammer.

Standard practice was to have a warship's hydrophones manned at all times, constantly sweeping for underwater sounds. As soon as one was detected / suspected, or in certain known danger areas, the ASDIC, or eqivalent was used, usually sweeping "Red 80 to Green 80" ( i.e. not quite a semi-circle ahead of the ship) and at maximum range.

On a contact, the DD would turn towards the contact and shorten the range at full / attack speed. ( ASDIC etc. was not affected by the noise of the ship's engines.) As the ship closed the target, the time between the "ping" and the return "echo" from the target got shorter. Since the speed of sound underwater is a known, if rough, constant, the operator could calculate the range to target and the direction (strength ) of the echo gave him its bearing. When the operator announced "Simultaneous Echo", it meant that the warship was directly above the target and the DCs were launched.

The main inaccuracy in the process was the depth of the target - thank Goodness!

So when you hear "pinging" in game, it doesn't necessarily mean you've been pin-pointed, but they know, or suspect you're around somewhere. If a destroyer is pinging and heading straight for you at a good speed - Get out of there!

The best way to avoid being picked up by escorts is to be as quiet as possible - so that their hydrophones don't make that initial contact. Silent running and creeping along at 2 / 3 knots mean you should stay undetected unless an escort happens to come straight at you and close. Depth is also your friend, especially as there is a "thermal layer" built into the game. It's depth varies, but once below that your "sound signature" is reduced. N.B. you can still be detected under the thermal layer, but it sort of diffuses, or refracts the sound of your sub, making it more difficult for hunting vessels to get an accurate fix.

So, with convoys, the best ( and safest ) tactics I've found is to get ahead of the convoy and lie in wait within torpedo range of the convoy's track and at right angles to it; at periscope depth; running silent with engines stopped. Use the periscope as little as possible - just enough to get the data you need for the TDC. It can be spotted by escorts, especially in calm seas in daylight.

Once you've fired your torpedoes, immediately dive ( I usually go to 200 feet which always seems to take me below the thermal layer ), turn and set speed for 2 knots - still running silent. By the time your torpedoes hit and the escorts begin to get active you should be at a good depth and moving away from your firing point.

Good hunting.