Destroyer top speed

[Rongel]

I had a nice encounter today that started me to think about the destroyers speed. I spotted good sized convoy at about 03:30 and it seemed to have only two escorts. I only had one torpedo left but still decided to make a stealthy surface attack. Torpedo hit on target and I ran away before the destroyers saw me.

When things had cooled down, I decided to start stalking the convoy and send contact reports. The distance was about 12 000 meters. Morning came and everything was okay, until I spotted a destroyer coming straight at me in 8000 meters! I was spotted (maybe they intercepted my contact reports)! So I ordered flank speed, and quickly turned the u-boat around. I ran to the engine room and ordered to redline the engines and soon my speed was no less than 22 knots!

I checked the SOAN and saw that destroyers top speed was 35 knots. Things didn't look good. But still slowly I was gaining distance! The destroyer was coming straight at me, but I could outrun it! It must had travelled only half speed.

So the question is: Is there a hard coded values for the ship speeds? The .sim file shows that the top speed is 35 knots but I have never ever seen that kind of speeds. Even the superfast patrol boat seems to be going only 15 knots or so. Did the earlier games had this kind of behavior? Can this be fixed? :hmmm:

[Rongel]

I made a small test in mission editor: I put one escort going 35 knots and TDW's patrol boat going 44 knots (both at maximum speeds). And yes, it works, both of them were cruising like crazy, really aggressive behavior. Quite scary actually :D.

For some reason we don't see that in game :damn:. As soon as they get new orders, they slow down to 15 or so. But it isn't problem with IRAI, it's telling them to go full speed (1) to investigate contacts.

[pedrobas]

I made a small test in mission editor: I put one escort going 35 knots and TDW's patrol boat going 44 knots (both at maximum speeds). And yes, it works, both of them were cruising like crazy, really aggressive behavior. Quite scary actually :D.

For some reason we don't see that in game :damn:. As soon as they get new orders, they slow down to 15 or so. But it isn't problem with IRAI, it's telling them to go full speed (1) to investigate contacts.
Rongel, in the IRAI thread there are severals posts talking and asking about this.

[Michael13]

This DD didn't spot you. It's a bug (of IRAI i think), that happens sometimes. DD just sail to you at medium speed to 8000 m distance. If he will reach this he will start to do circles. If you sail away - he will just persude you. No matter what you will do - he will not go away. You can even sail to him and smash him into ground at the end...

[Hinrich Schwab]

The "phantom destroyer" is a stock bug. It flawlessly shadows at a specific range and circles. There are no patches or fixes for this, yet. It has nothing to do with the mods. The two ways to get rid of a phantom destroyer are to reload a save (which resets the problem) and running at flank until the destroyer is ~25 nm away, which ceases rendering and processing the unit on the maps.

[Rongel]

Thanks for comments!

I have witnessed the "phantom destroyer" few times myself, once a British destroyer followed me back to Germany, where German escorts were waiting for him :D

I'm not sure if that is the case here. Basically it's possible that it saw me and started to investigate (chase). My strongest proof about this is that I made a single mission where destroyer spots me at 9000 meters and changes it's course towards me. Then I put flank speed and say bye bye to the destroyer which can't keep up with my speed. He should easily catch me but for some reason he doesn't go full speed and lets me slip away.

[misha1967]

I may have finally found the explanation to something that happened to me!

You see, I had two German destroyers do the same thing. I "picked them up" just off Helgoland and they followed me dutifully halfway across the North Sea. They'd disappear when I used TC above 256 or so, then reappear in the exact same positions relative to my sub when I lowered TC.

I briefly toyed with the idea of keeping them there - they might come in handy in finishing off convoy stragglers and lone escorts :D - but thought better of it. With my luck, we'd run into the Hood and the poor surface boys of the Kriegsmarine would be history.

Anyway, it's not just enemy destroyers, and the fix is, as already mentioned, to save/reload. When I did that, the two German destroyers were still there, but they promptly did a 180 and made a beeline for the Vaterland :haha:

[Dogfish40]

I may have finally found the explanation to something that happened to me!

You see, I had two German destroyers do the same thing. I "picked them up" just off Helgoland and they followed me dutifully halfway across the North Sea. They'd disappear when I used TC above 256 or so, then reappear in the exact same positions relative to my sub when I lowered TC.

I briefly toyed with the idea of keeping them there - they might come in handy in finishing off convoy stragglers and lone escorts :D - but thought better of it. With my luck, we'd run into the Hood and the poor surface boys of the Kriegsmarine would be history.

Anyway, it's not just enemy destroyers, and the fix is, as already mentioned, to save/reload. When I did that, the two German destroyers were still there, but they promptly did a 180 and made a beeline for the Vaterland :haha:

Yes, I've had both German and British DD's attach. No Kidding, everytime there is one of those patrols with 9 or so DD's, one of them breaks off and thinks I'm it's Mommy:O:
I have to save and reload and then it immediately breaks off (unless it actually spots me,...hasn't happened yet). It's no problem, just an annoyance.
I'm not sure that this is exactly what Rongel is describing though. When the "Phantom DD' bug happens to me, it either runs a parallel course or it follows me. It never comes at me. Rongel said the DD was coming at him. This sounds a bit differant.
D40 :salute:

[misha1967]

Yes, I've had both German and British DD's attach. No Kidding, everytime there is one of those patrols with 9 or so DD's, one of them breaks off and thinks I'm it's Mommy:O:

:haha:

That explains it! They imprint!

I can see it now: Me, the mother duck, chugging into Wilhelmshaven with a string of half a dozen British DDs in a line behind me. And with Bernard on the aft deck throwing bread crumbs into the water, of course. He's not quite right in the head, after all. :O:

[Dogfish40]

:haha:

That explains it! They imprint!

I can see it now: Me, the mother duck, chugging into Wilhelmshaven with a string of half a dozen British DDs in a line behind me. And with Bernard on the aft deck throwing bread crumbs into the water, of course. He's not quite right in the head, after all. :O:

Yeah!! Bread crumbs , A wind up DD decoy,Quack, Quack, Quack...KABLAMMM!!!
Half a dozen roast DD's..."Be Vewy, Vewy Qwiet, Wewe Huntin'....:O:

[Rongel]

Yes, I've had both German and British DD's attach. No Kidding, everytime there is one of those patrols with 9 or so DD's, one of them breaks off and thinks I'm it's Mommy:O:
I have to save and reload and then it immediately breaks off (unless it actually spots me,...hasn't happened yet). It's no problem, just an annoyance.
I'm not sure that this is exactly what Rongel is describing though. When the "Phantom DD' bug happens to me, it either runs a parallel course or it follows me. It never comes at me. Rongel said the DD was coming at him. This sounds a bit differant.
D40 :salute:


Exactly!

That was no poltergeist DD, just your average British destroyer. It spotted me was coming straight at me, but I was too fast.

Next time you are surfaced and destroyer has spotted you, just run away as fast as you can, I dare you! :D

[Captain_AJ]

I Really try not to avoid destroyers .. I turn my bow right into them and set My tdc at 0 than adjust my boat so I can get a bow shot on the the Murderer. Most Destroyers drafts are around 3.5 meters so I set my dept at that and range around 1000 meters and than .. Shoot him .. Iam learning some things from trial and error .. The last time I ported My boat had 46% damage .. So iam still alive in my current campaign and going for round two after a short port vist .. Still Doing operation drumbeat ! Now On second happy times ! --ALL fun ! So iam glad ther slow down .. Not realistc I guess !