What are some good sub tactics in SH5?

[JimmyS1985]

I just got done watching Das Boot and I saw somethings that I never thought of to do in the game, in the movie. I installed IRAI so I expect the destroyers to be more aggressive and harder to avoid than the incredibly dumb ones with the regular game. THe first time I heard a sonar ping from another ship was after I installed IRAI, even with 60 hours of gameplay.

For example, is it a good idea to turn while you submerge, to avoid depth charges? I always went down and kept on my course. I haven't had enough depth charges dropped on me to find out if thats a very n00b tactic. How do I get full rudder, instead of getting the rudder to turn only 5 degrees at a time?

What is the radio used for, asides spotting convoys so far away you will never intercept them? I still haven't gotten to a campaign that requires milk cows.

How do you locate a ships exact location using the hydrophone in SH5? What kind of math skills does that require? Can I sink a ship using only the hydrophone, or should I get visual contact first, regardless?

WHy do they dive so deep in the movie? What is the crush depth for our subs in SH5 and what are the advantages of diving super deep? I usually dive to 40m or so and thats plenty, but in the movie they go all the way down to 280 meters, is that depth even possible in the game?

And just what are some basic need to knows, like how much hull integrity should you have left before considering running back to base? What are the advantages of a simple refit versus ending a patrol? What is a lethal amount of Co2 in the game? How come the game only lowers time compression when Im already being sunk by a destroyer?

I really don't know what Im doing in this game as the tutorial was entirely lack luster. One final question, why can't I dive to a specific set depth? Its always either crash dive, dive, periscope or surfaced.

[Hinrich Schwab]

I just got done watching Das Boot and I saw somethings that I never thought of to do in the game, in the movie. I installed IRAI so I expect the destroyers to be more aggressive and harder to avoid than the incredibly dumb ones with the regular game. THe first time I heard a sonar ping from another ship was after I installed IRAI, even with 60 hours of gameplay.

For example, is it a good idea to turn while you submerge, to avoid depth charges? I always went down and kept on my course. I haven't had enough depth charges dropped on me to find out if thats a very n00b tactic. How do I get full rudder, instead of getting the rudder to turn only 5 degrees at a time?
Shift + left or right arrow gives full rudder. "0" on the number pad is rudder amidships. It is a shame the new interface did not leave the rudder keys alone.
What is the radio used for, asides spotting convoys so far away you will never intercept them? I still haven't gotten to a campaign that requires milk cows.
The radio is not really important. When a radio contact report comes in, it is possible to do some basic calculations to determine the possibility of intercept. Usually, anything that can be intercepted in 24 hours, considering fuel expenditure, is a viable target.

How do you locate a ships exact location using the hydrophone in SH5? What kind of math skills does that require? Can I sink a ship using only the hydrophone, or should I get visual contact first, regardless?

Sound location with the hydrophone is fairly rudimentary. Simply man the station yourself and turn until you hear the contact. It is possible to calculate solutions and engage with the hydrophone alone, but I have never done it and will leave those specifics to members who have used this tactic.
WHy do they dive so deep in the movie? What is the crush depth for our subs in SH5 and what are the advantages of diving super deep? I usually dive to 40m or so and thats plenty, but in the movie they go all the way down to 280 meters, is that depth even possible in the game?

Diving deep is the only way to have a chance to avoid the sonar cone of an ASDIC array on a destroyer. Depending on the time of year and depth of water, there is a temperature barrier called a "theomcline" where the temperature differential between the top layer of water and the lower layer have a large enough temperature change to dampen or reflect sonar pings. About hitting 280 meters in game and surviving, I do not know. The historical calculated crush depth of a Type VII U-boat is ~220-240 meters. This is a rough calculation and there were recorded instances of U-boats going beyond 250 meters and surviving.

And just what are some basic need to knows, like how much hull integrity should you have left before considering running back to base? What are the advantages of a simple refit versus ending a patrol? What is a lethal amount of Co2 in the game? How come the game only lowers time compression when Im already being sunk by a destroyer?

I really don't know what Im doing in this game as the tutorial was entirely lack luster. One final question, why can't I dive to a specific set depth? Its always either crash dive, dive, periscope or surfaced.
The damage model has hull integrity directly linked to true crush depth. I would consider returning to base with a hull integrity rating of 75% or less. In the later years of the war, 80%. Regarding CO2, the game models the issue differently from reality. Usually, there is no reason to even worry if the gauge is 50% or less. I have never been down long enough in any of the games to see the gauge grow beyond 50% at a time. I would not worry too much about it. Regarding time compressions, be sure Travel Mode is disabled and never exceed 128X compression. The time compression factor reflects the number of seconds that pas for each real-time second. At 128X, each second is 2 minutes, 8 seconds. Higher time compressions prevent reacting in time to avoid or survive an attack. For example, 1024X compression has 17 minutes pass for each second. That is more than enough time for an avoidable encounter to turn into a sunk U-boat.

[Sailor Steve]

IFor example, is it a good idea to turn while you submerge, to avoid depth charges?
Best practice is to dive deep as soon as you're discovered, then change course and go to silent speed. I don't know if you can hear the propellors in the game like you can in SH3, but if so as soon as you hear them and then hear them speed up it's time to go to flank speed, turn hard one way or the other and change your depth by 20 meters or so. Once they start going off (hopefully somewhere other than where you are) it's time to go back to silent speed and go straight ahead again. In the movie they wouldn't go to flank until the charges were going off on top of them, which is a good way to get killed. In fact, in the movie they kept showing external shots of charges going off so close any one of them would have cracked the pressure hull and killed them all right then and there. Anything for a dramatic scene, I guess.


I always went down and kept on my course. I haven't had enough depth charges dropped on me to find out if thats a very n00b tactic. How do I get full rudder, instead of getting the rudder to turn only 5 degrees at a time?
I think it's Ctrl + the turn button, but I didn't get to play it much before it made my sorry old computer throw up.

WHy do they dive so deep in the movie?
Because the deeper you are the sooner you're under their sonar signal and they can't hear you, and the longer it takes depth charges to reach you, leaving you more time to evade.

What is the crush depth for our subs in SH5 and what are the advantages of diving super deep? I usually dive to 40m or so and thats plenty, but in the movie they go all the way down to 280 meters, is that depth even possible in the game?
Standard crash dive depth was 70 meters, as that's about how long it takes to pull out of a full-flood dive. That also gives you maneuvering room as described above. In the movie the only reason they went to 280 meters was that they were damaged and out of control. If the bottom hadn't have been there they almost certainly would have died. That incident was also in the book, and was based on an actual experience. Other u-boats reported being forced that deep and surviving, but of the many boats that didn't return, we don't know how many were lost for that very reason.

One final question, why can't I dive to a specific set depth? Its always either crash dive, dive, periscope or surfaced.
You should be able to click on the depth guage and select any number you want. You certainly can using TDW's NewUIs mod, which allows you to use the HUDs from other games.

[Empty B]

I don't know if you can hear the propellors in the game like you can in SH3


Yes, you can. But I think they are very close, like 50 or 100 meters.
(I play 100% realistic, so I don't have external camera)

[troopie]

One final question, why can't I dive to a specific set depth? Its always either crash dive, dive, periscope or surfaced.

There is a small round grey button beside the displayed speed in the lower left corner that toggles between basic and advanced controls.

This allows you to choose your depth, but beware, when using it at low speeds in stock your sub will keep diving below your selected depth:shifty:, keep an eye on it!