Avoid Visual detection

[BenG]

What is the best way to avoid visual detection - When attacking a convoy? Or is it possbile to make the DD less visually sensitive.

I am askign becuase I have just been tracking a convoy, on a dark night. I could barely make out the DD's myself - yet almost straightaway they turned couse and came straight fopr me forcing to Crash dive and play cat and mouse.

I've read various U-Boat commanders (Werner (his Book) and Kretschmer (TV Interview)) saying how they were able to get in amongst a convoy on a dark night and actually go up and down lanes or at least avoid detection (until they fire of course)).

Everywhere I look it seems to say that most U-boat attacks where on the surface - however I've never managed proper surface attack without being detected by the DDs or the target seeing me and changing course (thus screwing up my AOB calculations).

[GoldenRivet]

How was the weather? you are harder to spot in heavy sees and easier to spot in calm seas. the best attack conditions are at night in moderate seas with fair visibility.

What was your speed? The faster you go the more your boat leaps out of the water and the more wake and splashing it produces... this increases your detectability. Try closing in on the convoy at a slower speed.

What was your aspect ratio? (broadside the convoy or pointed directly at them) a low aspect ratio means that if a person is looking at your u-boat they will see just the front and conning tower... a high aspect ratio means they are looking at the whole u-boat broadside. this affects how detectable you are. try going right toward the convoy when you can.

What was the year? After late 42 / early 43 some of the allied ships started to get radar. this radar was accurate enough to detect protrusions from a calm sea roughly the size and shape of a periscope or snorkel mast. surface approaches should be abandoned after late 42

Are you radar equipped and if so was it turned on? Some of the escorts have radar detection capability later in the war about the same time radar starts showing up. If your radar was on it is like broadcasting a beacon as to your position.

[Heibges]

Some allied ships will have radar in March 1941.

The most important thing is to take your time, and analyze the pattern of the escort.

[Badger Finn]

Its all about patience plotting planning

and then some more patience plotting and planning

The 3 P's

:D

[papa_smurf]

Its all about patience plotting planning

and then some more patience plotting and planning

The 3 P's


I too use this method when attacking convoys (thats if see one!). Also take your time, and pick your moment of attack.

[siber]

Personally, I'll shadow a convoy until I know its (approximate) course and speed. Then, I try to run fast ahead of a convoy to a point well in front of it. Here, I'll submerge and align at an angle of 90 degrees to the assumed course. Here, I wait at 20m with engines stopped and crew on silent running... waiting.

Unless I've been very unlucky, the front escort will pass ahead or behind me. If it comes directly overhead, he'll detect me and I'll have to get as deep as possible and evade - give up on trying to attack the merchants, you need to escape and then start again as the convoy will likely change course while you're being attacked.

Once the escort passes ahead or behind, moving no more than 2 kts, come to periscope depth. Stop engines again. You should see the freighters coming closer, and the front escort weaving away from you. Hold your nerve, as the escort's weave can be confused for them coming to attack. Normally I get the hydrophone operator to follow the nearby escort moving away while watching the merchants.

Move forward slowly, until you can see a line of freighters heading straight for you in a row. This means you're directly ahead of their path of travel. When you see this, check the angle on your scope. If it's 90 deg, you're aligned perfectly. If it's less than 90, order a course change to port the number of degrees they're off 90 deg (eg. if they appear one behind the other at 77 deg, you're 13 degrees out and need to turn port 13 degrees.) If they appear at more than 90 deg, turn starboard the number of degrees they're off 90 deg. This will give you a precise angle to use for calculating AOB.

Now, unless you move forwards (or back) the oncoming freighters will ram and sink you without even planning it. Move forward slowly a few hundred metres (about 5 min at 2kts is good) but remain on silent running at slow speed or that front escort might hear you!

Now, AOB can be calculated very easily: AOB = 90 - angle at which ship appears.
(eg, ship appears at 72 deg, AOB = 18 deg assuming you've aligned to the convoy course as described above.) After about 45 deg AOB, you'll get good range and speed observations. Simply wait until the torpedo computer clicks down to 0 and then fire. Don't forget to open the torpedo doors first!

I've been successful with this method in all but the very worst weather. Note that the minute you are detected, the convoy will zigzag and the AOB method will no longer be accurate. However, if you've a large, close target it'll often give good solutions since you're in the middle of the convoy and the range is low. Also, being in the middle of all those ships, I sometimes get lucky with a torpedo that missed its intended target but hits another further out.

Generally I fire two salvos of 2 fish from the front, and one out the back each attack. However, if you're new at this method, use 3 or even 4 fish in a salvo to ensure hits. I understand this was standard practice in real life.

I can vouch for this method up until about 1942. Due to restricted gaming time and releases of updates/corrupt saves etc, I keep having to restart. I haven't yet been sunk though, but I suppose I haven't made it past 'Happy times' yet...

As you're submerged the whole time, there's no problem with visual detection.

[Avatar]

BenG,
Dont forget to go to 7m. This will lower your profile making it harder for them to see you. Also, stay as far as you possibly can from the ships. It will reduce your opportunities to raise the time compression and save you time, but if you do this correctly, it's well worth the wait.
But be advised, that by travelling at 7m, you boat can only make about 13knots in great weather. Also, your water plume may give your position away.
Just stay so far away that you can barely make out the ships on the horizon, in this case, the escort, and you should do fine.
If youre in horrible weather, then you have to plot the convoys course using hydrophone, and you shouldnt have to worry about being seen.
Also, if the weather is so bad that you cant see anything, I suggest going to 7m anyway. This will give you the precious seconds that your crew will spot a ship before it spots you. You can do this with TC cranked up, too.

[Abd_von_Mumit]

Move forward slowly, until you can see a line of freighters heading straight for you in a row. This means you're directly ahead of their path of travel. When you see this, check the angle on your scope. If it's 90 deg, you're aligned perfectly. If it's less than 90, order a course change to port the number of degrees they're off 90 deg (eg. if they appear one behind the other at 77 deg, you're 13 degrees out and need to turn port 13 degrees.) If they appear at more than 90 deg, turn starboard the number of degrees they're off 90 deg. This will give you a precise angle to use for calculating AOB.
I used to utilize the same method, in a slightely different way - on initial observation I checked bearing in the very moment the bows of the ships lined up to get the exact convoy course. But I skipped it, as after a few times I felt incomfortable with that method. It was much too easy to obtain target course with just one observation, and also it wasn't realistic at all - no convoys traveled in such idealy formed rows, as this is impossible at sea (unless you train a lot, like sinchronised swimming). :88)

Also, if the weather is so bad that you cant see anything, I suggest going to 7m anyway. This will give you the precious seconds that your crew will spot a ship before it spots you. You can do this with TC cranked up, too.
Not realistic too, actually I hate when my sonar guy reports a ship just because a large wave covered us for a second. :/

A side note: I know, I know, not everyone feels he needs high realism, I just couldn't stop myself. This is because I strongly believe that boosting realism to the possible maximum is the best a player could choose for himself. This pays back, when you sweat to dehydration being depth charged or enjoy your true victory over a tramp steamer.

[BenG]

I've notcied the file sensors.cfg in \SilentHunterIII\data\Cfg this has various parametsr for types of detction (Radar, Sonar etc... & VISUAL) is this cfg file for me of the enemy?

[Storabrun]

The best way to avoid visual detection in this game is to stay submerged! Surfaced night attacks worked better in RL than they do in this game. Sure, you can get into a convoy at night on the surface, but it's much easier submerged. And then you have to get out too, which is impossible at the surface with 30 searchlights looking for you. It will take much longer for escorts to find you if you are submerged, and since you have to be submerged to get out you might as well be submerged during the attack too.

[Abd_von_Mumit]

Storabrun: I can't agree with you. Attacking on the surface is easier (in Happy Times) than submerged, mainly because your ability to maneuvr and react much faster. But this depends on circumstances, like weather (in my opinion the worse weather the better), convoy state (unsuspecting, alerted) and of course your skills.

Skills and patience, as said before (and before that before too). If you are a type of 'fast player' who likes to go up with TC to 64 or more even when at battle, sure surfaced attack is NOT a good idea. But if you take a time, do it carefully, watch around, stay alerted, act carefully, there is a pretty good chance of huge success. Patience needed.

If one runs towards a convoy surfaced at flank speed playing Geronimo... well, it's one's choice to do so. :) Then I'd advise him to attack submerged, as the water will make him a bit slower. :arrgh!:

[Storabrun]

Yeah I'm sure it's possible. But it also depends on mods you have installed. 16 km atmoshpere makes it harder and mods that brighten the night (for you) makes it easier. I gave up on surface attacks when I couldn't spot anything but the enemy could. Besides, the big advantage of suface attacks would be if you could stay on the surface after the attack and get out fast, but that's almost impossible in this game. During the attack I really don't need to maneuver at all, I fire my 5-6 torps and get out of there, unless the escorts are sleeping and I have time to reload. But even then there is no need to move much, I keep the same solution as in the first attack and aim at the stern, or knock off a knot or two to compensate for their turning and aim as normal.