Mod to redesign Uboats

[twblackeagle]

Guten Tag fellow kaleuns,

Has anyone come up with this idea:

In keeping with the technology of the day when it first became known, would it not be possible to design Uboat Types that might for example bring together desired design characteristics which would signifigantly improve the performance and/or survivablity of a Uboat?


Let's consider the topic of maximum diving depth below sea level.
With the addition of 9mm of pressure hull thickness, safe diving range for the Type VII was increased from 150 meters to 250 meters. Thicker hulls increased the boat's net tonnage. But with certain modifications to the overall design such as eliminating the deck gun and ammunition stores and abandoning externally carried torpedos, the boat's design weight could be maintained within acceptable limits.

In the case of U234, it was reported that this boat's success with surviving numerous Allied attempts to intercept and sink it was due to its being equipped with a retrofitted snorkel, and its abiltiy to reach a depth of over 900 feet (approximately 270 meters). Allied resources did not anticipate the possiblity of any submarine being able to reach such depths and survive without being crushed. Because of this belief, Hedge Hogs were designed to function down to a maximum of 900 feet, and depth charges were never set to detonate at this depth - at least as far as I know.

Had such modifications been adopted earlier during the war crew survival and related level of experience would have benefited. Better survivability likely would have seen later boats manned with more able men capable of more fully utilizing the technological Uboat resources availble to them towards the end of the war.

I would happily like to connect with anyone who has done or would like to do any mods based either on this idea or other ideas not mentioned here.

What do you say gentlemen?

Oberleutant z s Rolfe Hass

[twblackeagle]

Another refinement for snorkel equipped boats would have seen reserve diesel engine air supply storage added inside extended conning tower configurations. This would have helped to alleviate the problem of engines drawing on interior Uboat air.

When sea conditions were such that snorkle heads underwent brief submersion, this wave action would have the effect of closing off air supply to the engines which would consequently draw on air inside the boat.

The effect on the crew could be torturous, because the resulting sudden loss of air and air pressure within the occupied crew compartments could result in painfully burst eardrums.

Any one knowledgeable about this?

OB z s

[Sailor Steve]

SH3 mods already include those items.

[Tessa]

Another refinement for snorkel equipped boats would have seen reserve diesel engine air supply storage added inside extended conning tower configurations. This would have helped to alleviate the problem of engines drawing on interior Uboat air.

When sea conditions were such that snorkle heads underwent brief submersion, this wave action would have the effect of closing off air supply to the engines which would consequently draw on air inside the boat.

The effect on the crew could be torturous, because the resulting sudden loss of air and air pressure within the occupied crew compartments could result in painfully burst eardrums.

Any one knowledgeable about this?

OB z s

Snorkels were a great technological achievement, but in practice worked correctly only in the best conditions. Until it got redesigned for use on the type XXI which greatly reduced water backflow running with the snorkel up could lead to almost toxic conditions inside with water frequently mixing into the engines, or the engines getting starved of O2 and sucking it in from inside the sub itself. Many crews described the experience as miserable at best.

Hedgehogs are easily evaded by being stopped when they fire. If positioned correctly they'll all land around your boat causing no damage at all. High quality construction of the pressure hulls helped largely to their ability to dive so deep; the only major mistake they made was with the XXI and to put all the hydrolics outside the pressure hull making repairs at sea impossible. This likely would've been one of the first things to fix had the war lasted long enough, as once the hydrolics were damage you were unable to load the torpedo tubes anymore (among other things).

[Jankowski]

ok, here is an idea.

on some u-boats you see these swirly wires going up the periscope. these were supposed to reduce the wake of the periscope, maybe as an additional thing we could add it o the game?

[Madox58]

All ready been done.
FlakMonkey's twisty periscope thingy.

[Jankowski]

wow, need to take a look at that!

[Seminole]

OK...Speaking of new mod possibilities that "enhance" survival...how 'bout this....

SHIII itself plays it's very own version of D.I.D. With the exception of the single missions (which I never mess with) where, I think, you can be counted as captured...when your number is up in your campaign ...as far as SHIII is concerned...you are dead..your crew is dead ... you are proclaimed morally, ethic'lly
spiritually, physically
positively, absolutely
undeniably and reliably dead
... not only merely dead, you are really most sincerely dead.



My point is...does it have to always be so?... I would like to see a mod, if possible to do one, that lets you on occassion claw out of a hatch with some of your crew and survive. Heck maybe even be rescued to start a new career....:yep: It must have happened I have to think. Wolfgang Ott, at the end of his fictional novel Sharks and Little Fish gave a very moving account of what it might have been like for U-Boat survivors floating in the open sea. As he put it "some were still alive when rescue came."



Instead of that awful SHIII screen proclaiming you as DEAD/ Career Over.... perhaps something similar to this:

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae187/Pullopullo/survivors.jpg



...just a thought....

[RConch]

I agree that there should be some provision to allow for survival.
One of the first things I did with the game was look for the "abandon ship" key. None found.:hmmm:
I hate to harken back to CAoD, but not only were there wolfpacks, but also the ability to abandon ship.
So many years later we seem to have lost the ability to have wolfpacks that attack and the ability to abandon ship in U boat sims.
What went wrong?:nope: