How often was a sub attacked by aircraft on patrol?

[AkbarGulag]

This is probably the greatest place to ask this, as many of you here have read books or actual reports/patrol-logs, for US subs in the "Pacific Theatre". How often/frequently did subs and their crews face air threats?. Clearly some would have been more or less fortunate than others, but there must have been some accepted norm while in theatre. How high was the risk for American boats?

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

Not that much I think as much of the air battles were between carrier groups.

But check here a place I get some info on other stuff.http://www.ww2pacific.com/

Maybe it's mentioned there.

[SteamWake]

Actually its a pretty good place to ask.

Subs were attacked fairly often but nothing compared to what we seen in the game.

Im sure someone will come in and post historical accuracy items. :up:

[Capn_Sinky]

I have read that early in the war it was a very real threat. I don't think it was as bad as trying to cross the Bay of Biscay in 1943 for the German U boats, but it was definately on their mind. Read of several occasions where a crash dive was initiated because a jumpy sailor standing watch spoted a seagull:88)

In Ed. Beech's book Submarine he spoke frequently of spending their days at periscope depth and comming up at night to charge batts and make up the distance when off the coast of Japan.

Bowfin is a good book too. Read it back in HS while playing Silent Service on the C128 (Old School:rock: ). Never read of them engaging aircraft either. Always dive as soon as radar picked up a blip. AA weapons on submarines sunk way more sampans than aircraft.

Most submarine cmdrs didn't like aircraft at all regardless of the insigna on the wing. Too much of a chance to be mis-identified. Nothing sucks more than being sunk by your on guys. (RIP Seawolf :cry:) Has anyone had a friendly attach in SHIV? Just currious if that was considered in prog the AI.

Capn_Sinky
O.I.C.I.C.
Officer In Charge of Ice Cream
USS Drum

[Gino]

In the Appendix of a patrol report it is mentioned what contacts the submarine had made. Engagements I think are very rare if at all. It was more like: Contact on SD, Clear the bridge, Dive, Dive...

Example: USS Cod
First patrol: [Oct 22 1943 - Dec 16 1943] 10 ships 14 aircraft
Second patrol: [Jan 11 1944 - Mar 13 1944] 16 ships 13 aircraft
Third patrol: [Apr 6 1944 - Jun 1 1944] 24 ships 19 air
Fourth patrol: [Jul 3 1944 - August 25 1944] 55 ships 54 aircraft
Fifth patrol: [Sep 18 1944 - Nov 20 1944] 54 ships 117 aircraft
Sixth patrol: [Mar 24 1945 - May 29 1945] 4 ships >170 aircraft
Seventh patrol: [June 26 1945 - August 13 1945]:33 ships Aircraft not mentioned as number but reported as 'few in number'

So, was there a threat? You betcha. A good strafing run is just as dangerous for a submarine as a bomb. I think it was the History channel that had a documentary on what a good performed strafing run did in France... It was sometimes better than a direct hit from a bomb. And a submarine doesn't have to take that much damage to make it useless.

groetjes,

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

Depends on the calibre of the guns. If you use 20mm, 30mm or those awesome 40mm cannon on the Hurricane 2D (although they were for anti-tank use) then you'll see some real damage. But I really don't think there were that much encounters.

[AkbarGulag]

Thanks for the resource DavyJones :D you luker you :arrgh!:

Gino, thats brilliant. Not only have you supplied an interesting snipet, I now know what to search for also :up:

Just that one log of 7 patrols tells a story. It looks like the japanese really tried to fight back, but a lot could also be where the submarine was operating. I guess if someone went to the effort, they could build a pretty good picture form logs like this, with corresponding patrol zones + times/dates.

Still, meeting over 170 aircraft contacts in an 8 and a half week period is a LOT. I bet those guys really valued the SD radar :doh:

[Captain Vlad]

Read Dick O'Kane's book, and they saw plenty of aircraft. The aircraft rarely saw them, however, as the Tang seemed to dive if there was a hint of an airplane in the vicinity.

[-Pv-]

As many have mentioned, the key to your question is the word "attacked" vs "sighted." In the game as in real life, it's better no matter how many planes you SEE, they don't see or attack you. If you use historically correct tactics, my opinion is the heavy traffic areas of the game have a reasonable although somewhat inflated (to add excitement to the game) representation of the hazard of aircraft.
-Pv-

[seafarer]

In real life, I'd think you'd also want to dive as soon as getting an SD radar blip just to avoid being seen. Why have all the surface traffic in that area alerted to the presence of a sub? Then you just have to waste fuel moving to a fresh area, or chasing down zig-zagging targets and such.

Better to remain unannounced until you put a torpedo into something :up:

[momo55]

I would be a big + if the radarguy would give you more info about a aircontact like the sonarman does with "closing ...moving away etc" anounsments .
Or dit i mis something and does that already exist ?

[Captain Vlad]

I think that's due to the limitations of the SD radar.