Fuel usage help

[Danger]

could someone please tell me why there is never enough fuel to complete a mission.

i have tried......
running on 1/3 diesel only to recharge battery's
running on standard
running submerged at day and surfaced at night
running on stop to recharge batteries.

i have tried so many combination's but find nothing that works. i always run out of diesel before i can get back to a port to resupply.
i have even left pearl, stopped at midway resumed but still run out. i am at my whits end with this.
i like to run realistic so use trigger maru 1.4 on realistic setting.

[Schani]

Heading out on a patrol along the way are refuelling stops (depending on the year), such as Midway and Johnston atoll. An Icon will show up at the upper right hand corner of the screen (an anchor symbol) when you get close to the refuelling stop. Move in close. Come to a complete stop. Then click on the icon. Then click on refit and you should good to go. They're marked on the map just like ports. 1/3 speed should be just fine. By the time you get to the refuelling stop you most likely have used about 9% of your fuel.

Good luck!:up:

[hyperion2206]

could someone please tell me why there is never enough fuel to complete a mission.

i have tried......
running on 1/3 diesel only to recharge battery's
running on standard
running submerged at day and surfaced at night
running on stop to recharge batteries.

i have tried so many combination's but find nothing that works. i always run out of diesel before i can get back to a port to resupply.
i have even left pearl, stopped at midway resumed but still run out. i am at my whits end with this.
i like to run realistic so use trigger maru 1.4 on realistic setting.

Which sub type are you using? Some of them have more fuel on board then others.

[Schani]

BTW: You may remain on the surface on your way to top off your tanks. Your crew will also be refreshed while refuelling. If needed you may return to the refuelling stop to also replenish any expended torpedoes and get more fuel. I think, but not sure that some damage may be repaired while replenishing. Though one time at Johnston my aft torpedo tubes became damaged. I guess an accident while refitting.

That is all.

[SteamWake]

Try running at 9.5 knots while surfaced. If you click on the telegraph button (below the telegraph) it will change to speed settings.

Running submerged will not get you any further because you burn more fuel rechaging the batteries. Do most of your cruising on the surface. Only submerge when needed for attacks and avoiding aircraft.

Running at full ahead gobbles fuel, flank swigs it in huge gulps.

Good luck to you.

[Danger]

thanks , i will try that, i thought that expending batteries then surfacing to recharge would use less fuel.
also. i have not seen any refueling stops, just ports, so i leave pearl and head to midway, refit , then go on my way. other than the ports, i have never seen any refueling stops.

i will try what has been suggested and see what happens.

thanks again.
S-!

[Sailor Steve]

No, when you are recharging the engines doing that work run at flank speed. Even if they didn't, energy can't be created, only exchanged, and the engines eat just as much during recharging as they do any other time, plus the energy always lost in such a transfer.

SH3 let you get away with that; SH4 is much better that way - or worse, depending on your point of view.

[SteamWake]

I forgot to mention, but remembered tonight while playing a little.

If your assigned one of those patrol missions "stay on sation for 48 hours" or so, just move to a position you are likely to spot something, cut the engines, and just bob around for the 48 hours.

Set yourself a 'bingo' fuel level, if you reach it head home regardless of having finished your task or not. For me that level is around 40% left. Again cruising home at around 9.5 knots.

[Capt. Shark Bait]

i've found that about 7kts is the mose efficient fuel wise

[SteamWake]

i've found that about 7kts is the mose efficient fuel wise

There is a command "max range at current speed" mess around with that a bit. It varies from sub to sub but 9.5 knots seems to be the sweet spot for most of them.

Oh yea also forgot to mention if you do run submerged for whatever reason keep it down to ahead slow 2 to 3 knots unless manuvering for an attack. That way it wont take so long for the batts to recharge.

[Archive1]

Danger:
Welcome to the forum. Just so you feel better I made the same mistake in thinking that running submerged would save fuel. Not true. I find that I'm on the surface 90% of the time and run at 9.0 to 9.5 knots (GATO and Balao classes), pop in to refuel and rearm by planning ahead and navigating accordingly - gotta think a bit out there.

SteamWake:
I'm not sure that icon/choice is available in SH4 as it is in SH3 - as I recall all you get is distance to the last waypoint, but not a calculation of potential total distance at indicated speed. Could be wrong, but I believe I looked for that info when I also was struggling to figure out how to stay afloat on fumes. Will look for it next patrol.

[Soundman]

TMO is setup to run most efficiently at standard speed... 9-10 knots.

[magic452]

"Max range @ current speed is in TMO but I don't know about RFB.
Checking that at various speeds should give you the best cruising speed
for the boat you are using.

[Capt. Shark Bait]

that 7kts was for a type VII

[Munchausen]

:hmm: ... and don't forget what happens if your batteries are damaged.

A little damage and, from then on, your chief will try to recharge them ad infinitum ... meaning, forever. You will need to remind him to stop charging after they've reached whatever the new maximum is. Else, you will burn fuel so fast that ... well, good luck making it back to Midway.

[Danger]

thanks again for the help. i have started a new career in TM and found that the staying surfaced as long as poss at about 8 knots is just fine, got to target with 3/4 of a tank left. :D

[breadcatcher101]

Probably you were just in a hurry to sink some ships then!

Don't let planes or deck guns hole your fuel tanks. It happens and only by stopping at a tender on the way back saved me once. They gassed me up and repaired the leaky tanks allowing me to return to battle. Always monitor your fuel level as this damage wasn't noted on the panel as I could tell.

[SteamWake]

Probably you were just in a hurry to sink some ships then!

Don't let planes or deck guns hole your fuel tanks. It happens and only by stopping at a tender on the way back saved me once. They gassed me up and repaired the leaky tanks allowing me to return to battle. Always monitor your fuel level as this damage wasn't noted on the panel as I could tell.

As far as I know fuel tank leaks are NOT modeled in the game. You probably recieved damage to the batteries and they would not take a full charge, therefore you are charging all the time and consuming more fuel.

Always keep an eye on the battery charge state. Even if the 'damage' screen shows them at full health, if they wont charge past 99% you will have to turn off charging manually.

[breadcatcher101]

It seemed a much more of a fuel loss than would have been the case with charging the batteries. I had got shelled by a tanker's deck gun that came out of the rain, used my last torps to sink him and headed back to Midway. Over a peroid of a few days I noticed a drop in fuel, far more than normal. I was at slowest speed on surface, only taking short dives to evade aircraft. I would have never made Midway with the high rate of fuel loss so I changed course and barely made it to the tender that is SE of the Philippines (can't think of it's location's name). They repaired the damage, whether it was damaged batteries or leaks in the fuel tanks. The panel showed no damage to the batteries unless I overlooked it. I might have.

Pretty sure too that once when a Zero bombed me I had a massive fuel loss at once along with other damage. Could have been just battery damage, I suppose.

[SteamWake]

It seemed a much more of a fuel loss than would have been the case with charging the batteries. I had got shelled by a tanker's deck gun that came out of the rain, used my last torps to sink him and headed back to Midway. Over a peroid of a few days I noticed a drop in fuel, far more than normal. I was at slowest speed on surface, only taking short dives to evade aircraft.

Slowest speed is not the most fuel effective again around 9-10 knots is best speed / distance. Your range at 3 knots is nearly half that at 10. Again if you are forced down keep it slow while on batteries 2 to 3 knots unless evading or manuvering to attack. When avoiding aircraft staying down about an hour is usually more than enough.... usually.

I would have never made Midway with the high rate of fuel loss so I changed course and barely made it to the tender that is SE of the Philippines (can't think of it's location's name). They repaired the damage, whether it was damaged batteries or leaks in the fuel tanks. The panel showed no damage to the batteries unless I overlooked it. I might have.

Thats the catch. The panel will show no damage to the batteries yet they will not take a full charge. Even bigger catch is the 'charge meter' for the batterys will look like 100% charge but its really 99%. The only way to tell is to hover the cursor over the guage.

Pretty sure too that once when a Zero bombed me I had a massive fuel loss at once along with other damage. Could have been just battery damage, I suppose.

A flat battery and a heavy sea state will kill your range, espically while slogging along at slow speeds.

Im pretty sure that a fuel leak is not modeled but I will allow the modders who know the inner workings confirm that.

Another thing that is not modeled is that a fuel and or oil leak would leave a slick on the water and make you easier to track. Good news / bad news.

[Danger]

i dont ever see any supply ships to refuel at, i always have to go back to a port.
i am using TM.
is this correct?

[magic452]

The short answer is YES.
The long answer is YES YOU DO.

Magic 452
Sink the all but six and save them for pallbearers.