How do you deal with a radar-equipped enemy?

[mookiemookie]

I'm an early war fan, but this career I'm trying to play as long as I can. That being said, I obviously am not well schooled at late war tactics.

I'm on a patrol off the coast of Canada in late November of '42. No schnorchel of course, but I do have a FuMo radar set (big whoop that thing is :shifty:) and Biscay cross. I'm trying to approach enemy convoys and task forces, but I keep getting the "enemy radar signals detected" message. From the bit of research I've done on the forum here, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're in their radar range at that moment. But that brings me to my question - what do I do now? Do I submerge and try to make a slow speed submerged attack? Do I attempt to determine their course and try and make it in front of them surfaced and then submerged? Do I say damn it all, go in and let them detect me with radar and then submerge and try and be as quiet as I can and attempt to get close?

In essence my question boils down to: How do I make an approach when the enemy is using radar?

[GoldenRivet]

well the big key difference in the radar detectors in real life u-boats and the SH3 radar detectors... the real life radar detectors just told you that radar was detected - thats it

there was no bearing to the radar signal, nor was there a range to the radar signal, nor did you know if it was friendly or enemy... all you know is that someone somewhere is using radar.

In SH3 if you have map contacts ON - then it will draw a perfect line to where the radar signal is coming from.

odds are the radar signal is coming from an airplane, so the idea is to dive.

if you dive and hear prop beats... you know it is coming from a ship.

try your best to determine his mean course and intercept him... thats really the best you can do.

if you try a slow submerged approach - he might be long gone before you get to him.

[Puster Bill]

I play with map contacts off, so the FuMO works for me like in real life.

Generally, depending where I am and visibility conditions, I don't dive immediately when I get a radar warning. What I do is speed up to full or flank speed, and I make my depth 6.5 or 7 meters. That is just running awash in a Type VII, and it noticeably decreases your diving time.

Then, when I get an "aircraft sighted" warning, I can crash dive and be at a safe depth before they can get to me.

If I don't get a ship or aircraft sighting after a few minutes, I ease up on the speed, but maintain decks awash. After a while, I go back to normal surfaced depth (by going to "0" meters).

If fog is heavier than "light", generally I dive to periscope depth on receiving the warning though. You don't get enough warning, especially later in the war with the faster planes, when visibility is impaired by fog.

If I am in shallow waters (say, less than 60 meters), I go to periscope depth on receiving the warning, because a crash dive can plant you on the bottom quickly if you don't stop it fast enough, and stopping it fast enough means you don't get deep quickly enough.

If I know the radar warnings are because of a nearby convoy, I generally try to haul a little farther away, and set up for an underwater approach at silent speed. Sometimes you discover this by going to periscope depth and hearing the convoy on the hydrophones after submerging to dodge the radar.