Navigation Question

[reignofdeath]

So while practicing on my getting intercepts right and all by using the help with each tool, as I was doing this I couldnt help but notice, each one is upside down. What I mean by this is, if you turn the help on as you use the tools (protracter, waypoints etc.) you will see the degrees or directions and what not, but what Ive noticed is theyre all upside down, and at first I thought it was because Bearing was backwards from normal degrees (180 is actually North where as 0 and 360 degrees are almost always North) so then I checked by clicking on the waypoint plotter and noticed that South was in the position north was in and vice versa. I cant help but be annoyed by this as it kinda screws me up when I try to plot an intercept course coming to 90 degrees off track and what not. hope that makes sense :up:

[Pebble Monkey]

With the plotting tools, read backwards on the protrators. It works because usually the line you've drawn ends in the centre of the protractor, so it would be impossible to read your course if the protractor was the right way up. Correct course is always pointing towards the origination point of the line, with the line ending in the centre of your tool.

[reignofdeath]

Okay and I now have a second question pertaining to my campaign, I did my patrol and headed toward the Gibraltor straight in hopes of finding some ships. while submerged my Hydrophone found a warship (it is black night and very stormy seas right now (high winds, storm in the distance and no fog yet) would it be okay for me to run on the surface until in visual range? or should I stay under for as long as possible?

[danlisa]

All dependent on distance, you decide.

Conduct some further soundings and get a generalised course and speed plotted for your target. Surface for a set period of time, then submerge and sound again to re-establish the targets course/speed and distance.

Try not to be surfaced when you enter visual range. Some warships are n00bs and some are veterans. ;)

It is however, during early war, possible to be surfaced (decks awash) and be within 1500 yards of convoys without being detected.

You make the call, Captain. :)

[reignofdeath]

Well I figured out the ones in Gibraltor are definately vetrans. I was all good until I got within about 50 km of the strait or so. Then a destroyer pinged me I couldnt get out of the way in time and made a run on me. crippled my diesel engines and I had to fight to keep the thing even from sinking (flooding was bad in the Diesel Engine Area) but I almost got away when he pinged me again and made a second run and got me. man I gotta get better. 2 careers. one patrol each, each with one ship sunk only :nope::damn::shifty:

[danlisa]

In instances like that, Crash dive and a knuckle turn towards the attacker, rudder amidships, gain some depth until the DD passes you then knuckle turn again and reduce speed to 2 knots. Keep gaining depth until you are 120+.

Then let the cat and mouse start. Always try to keep a minimum profile to the attacker, your boat is a lot smaller end on.

You can man the hydrophone and listen to the attackers engines, when they ramp up he is starting a depth charge run, you can have a quick burst of speed to alter course or depth, when you hear the DC splashes, resume 2 knots.

If you are playing GWX (I know you were going to try) you have to think like a RL captain or you will die. One piece of advice, just because they are pinging, doesn't mean they know where you are. ;)

Stay calm, don't panic.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've only been through the Straits three times, always at night, always '39/'40. First I carried on then was lost at sea after a save too close to France, the second was during a really heavy storm, tried a few long shots at something in Gibraltar in the distance, no effect, tried some more still to no effect then got out again before daybreak - curiousity got the better of me and I used the external cam - I guess all my shots hit the quay on THIS SIDE of the ship! :doh:

Just keep going, we all have crap patrols - you're just getting yours out of the way first! :D

[danlisa]

.....tried a few long shots at something in Gibraltar in the distance, no effect, tried some more still to no effect then got out again before daybreak - curiousity got the better of me and I used the external cam - I guess all my shots hit the quay on THIS SIDE of the ship!

Torp or Deck Gun?

Gib has an extensive Submarine Net system.:haha:

[timmy41]

its safe to run on the surface until visual range until early 42. then, many DDs have radar that will pick you up before you can see them, even in foggy weather and storms.

read the GWX manual even if you dont get GWX, it has a lot of helpful info on everything youll want to know.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Torp or Deck Gun?

Gib has an extensive Submarine Net system.:haha:

Torpedoes, sea-state was too choppy for guns - maybe that's what stopped my torps?

Choppy sea, subnet, quayside, Bernard's fuse 'improvement'...? All I know is - it's not my fault in any way :hmmm:

[danlisa]

....its safe to run on the surface until visual range until early 42......

Not entirely. ;) From the outset, a percentage of enemy vessels in GWX are rated as veteran or elite. Where they are , who knows.:har: Perhaps you've been lucky.

I would risk it but then I know what was done during development.

[Puster Bill]

One piece of advice, just because they are pinging, doesn't mean they know where you are. ;)

Stay calm, don't panic.

I sometimes hear the ping rate increase. I always assume that they've actually detected me at that point.

[reignofdeath]

Thanks guys. Im not worried about it just frustrated. I still need to get my intercept and Manual targeting down. but for the most part I know where to hit ships to break their back and such. Gibraltor was a hell hole for me though. I will try it another day:shucks:

On a side note. about the pinging. I assumed they knew where I was becasue I could here it. and when they got closer it would get shorter, but I assumed they got me when my sonarman said "Captain we're being pinged!" or something of the sort. I do say I had one hell of a fight to keep her up though. first round damaged my Conning tower, Diesel Engines and Sonar room all in the red, the D . E. filled up with water, nothing I could do to stop it (I had like 20% realism i.e. infinite battery and O2 and such) so I just put it into high and tried to keep her above crush depth (I couldnt maintain once I started flooding and the repair crews wouldnt fix the flooding fast enough) and then finally she came back for another pass and I tried to hard turn to port while crash dive (I was at 50 m at the time in depth) I evaded the first 4 or 5 in the string (they still got reaaal close, enough to shake the sub but not really damage it) and then the next 3 blew up litterally one meter or less from my conning tower. I was sunk :rotfl2:
oh well a new patrol a new day :sunny: Any real good shipping lanes?? preferably where alot of undefended merchants go?? :)

[K-61]

I'd advise a new Kaleun not to venture into ports, straits or shallow waters. Practice your interception and approach techniques with convoys and single ship contacts. Have you tried the convoy exercise in the academy? That's a good way to get some practice without getting your career Kaleun killed. Or, you could try some easier level missions until you are confident of your skills.

[K-61]

Are you playing stock game or GWX? In stock, the damage radius of depth charges is rather larger than it should be. GWX corrects this so you can survive closer drops but the skills of the escorts are upped a bit. I prefer the AI of GWX.

[timmy41]

if you get GWX, there will be a map of shipping lanes that can be pulled down when looking at the map.

[reignofdeath]

Stock for now but Im in the process of downloading GWX 3.0.. any other tips you guys could give me?? I think I may start a career over from the beginning of the war again as Im getting quite tired with getting sunk every patrol lol :p

[K-61]

I think for you we might reverse the standard BdU advice:

"Be less aggressive!"

[reignofdeath]

Quick question though?? why the two knots?? and also SH3 commander makes random thermal layers? thats where if I hit it they cant ping me right?? how do I figure out what it is?

In instances like that, Crash dive and a knuckle turn towards the attacker, rudder amidships, gain some depth until the DD passes you then knuckle turn again and reduce speed to 2 knots. Keep gaining depth until you are 120+.

Then let the cat and mouse start. Always try to keep a minimum profile to the attacker, your boat is a lot smaller end on.

You can man the hydrophone and listen to the attackers engines, when they ramp up he is starting a depth charge run, you can have a quick burst of speed to alter course or depth, when you hear the DC splashes, resume 2 knots.

If you are playing GWX (I know you were going to try) you have to think like a RL captain or you will die. One piece of advice, just because they are pinging, doesn't mean they know where you are. ;)

Stay calm, don't panic.

[reignofdeath]

Actually Id have to counter that because If I was more aggressive. I would have had the oppurtunity to sink about 5 or 6 merchants (reported contacts in the area from other ships planes etc.) but I just kept on going to my patrol then tried getting near a hot spot. thats my problem I think, Im trying to jump right into the hot spots with no experience and its killin me. :P

[K-61]

Although the thermal layer is simulated, it is not a static factor and thus varies. The Germans had no method for detecting the thermal transient and in the game you will not be able to figure out where it is. However, if you dive deep enough you'll likely be under it, but you must still run quietly, at 1 knot - 50 RPM. To set that, use your free roaming viewing perspective [F2] to move to the engineer's engine dials. Use your arrow keys to move around until you are facing the gauge; you can zoom in very close. Drag the telegraph needle in tiny increments until you can see the needle on the 50 RPM line. Also, don't forget to set the silent running button [Z] to stop all noisy activity of the crew, such as repairs and reloading torpedoes. Below a certain depth you will have to increase speed to prevent the boat from sinking. 50 RPM is not enough to keep the boat level. Come up until you are stabilized and then go back to 50 RPM. If you have damage that needs immediate attention, then you've got a tough decision to make: let the water come in or plug the leaks. If it's a minor leak I stay quiet, but a moderate to heavy leak is more dangerous than what the escorts might do.

Also, there is a mod which allows you to automatically set the 50 RPM speed by pressing the "~" button but at the expense of the stop engines key. The speed settings are moved around but you'll still be able to set your speeds, except for full speed reversed, hardly a sacrifice to make for the convenience of the auto-50 RPM button.

Gotta head out now to take my wife's car in for a service. Back in a while.

[reignofdeath]

How do I zoom in?? I cant figure out how to zoom while in the boat. and secondly. I cant touch the dials when Im inside. only from like an interface view

[desirableroasted]

When you are in the control room, right click on your CE (he's the hunky guy at the end of the compartment). You will then get his "view", which includes the gauges showing the engine RPMs.

You won't be able to change them by clicking on them, but as you lower your speed using your usual engine controls, you will see your RPMs drop.

Some people say you have to be down to 50rpms to be completely silent. This is probably true, but you also won't be moving fast enough to get out from under them.

I go with 90 rpms, go as deep as I can, and, once I have their noise fairly much behind me, slowly leave the area (that's the plan, anyway).

Standard advice is to steer so as to leave as little profile as possible. All things being equal, good advice. However, you will never be able to "turn tail" on a rapidly circling escort, nor can you show a narrow profile to 2-3 escorts. Far better to use your low speed to get out from under, then worry about turning tail.

[reignofdeath]

So basically drop below the thermal layer and creep away

[desirableroasted]

So basically drop below the thermal layer and creep away

That's about it. Easier said than done, and it can be frustratingly tedious.

But your advantage is that you are (largely) silent, unseen and working a 3-dimensional space.

And that 3rd dimension, depth, is 90% of your defense.

On the other hand, it is just a game. To get a feel for your boat and what it can take, and what you can do, go up and fight some destroyers and aircraft, and don't worry about getting sunk (they will take care of that for you).

The game is a lot more fun if you go at it whole hog aggressive in the beginning, then learn how to be cagey.

And welcome aboard, Seaman Recruit Smith, from a former Cryptologic Technician (Operations) 2nd.

[frau kaleun]

Quick question though?? why the two knots??

The faster you go when submerged, the easier you are to hear. 2 knots is basically "silent running" speed. Low RPMs, less prop noise. Even at your highest possible submerged speed, you can't get away from an escort by outrunning him - so making less noise becomes far more important than making good speed.

[CaptainMattJ.]

The faster you go when submerged, the easier you are to hear. 2 knots is basically "silent running" speed. Low RPMs, less prop noise. Even at your highest possible submerged speed, you can't get away from an escort by outrunning him - so making less noise becomes far more important than making good speed.
yea but the second they ping you theres no point in staying at 2 knots. of course if your in an ideal position to attack a convoy, just stop he engines entirely and wait for them to come to you.

[frau kaleun]

yea but the second they ping you theres no point in staying at 2 knots. of course if your in an ideal position to attack a convoy, just stop he engines entirely and wait for them to come to you.

Just because they're pinging doesn't mean they've located you. If they have, they're going to make an attack run and that would be the time for a strategic increase in speed.

[Snestorm]

I hold at 90 RPM whether they ping or not, and whether they drop charges or not.
I also play "no parking". So 50 RPM (Dead Slow) is the absolute, temporary, minimum for collision avoidance purposes during a submerged attack.
If I end up inside a convoy, I'll try to put myself on their course, or exactly opposite their course. Then I'll be force to make a 90 degree shot (The torpedo turns 90 degrees).
It's alot harder and more exacting than taking a bow on shot from just outside. (Stress!)