Nav Chart Accurate ?

[Goat]

You Old Squids must have this all down, solid... *I* am a bit bewildered. I am on my very first patrol. On the grid, doing a pattern... I'm not really sure what to do, but I am cruising along at 1/3 , in heavy seas, looking for targets. I guess you run in X1 Time on the surface or submerged... higher on the Chart? I have the bug moving along on the chart when up pops the square symbol for a slow ship. I change course to intercept her.... and when I get there.. 'merging' symbols on the chart... Nothing is there! Now, I suppose it is cheating to use the Nav Chart for finding targets, but for THIS mission, I'd settle for ANYTHING that got me in a position to learn my TDC, etc.

How can it be that a ship symbol is on the Chart... when none is there ??

[_Seth_]

Well, the ship is moving too. You have to calculate the ships travelled distance (and course), and intercept it there. if it isnt there, it could have altered course..

[Dantenoc]

The icon pops-up on the nav-map but doesn't update. Which means that the enemy ship was once there but now it's not, it has moved on... you gotta find it for yourself with the limited information given to you :yep:

It's time to go to U-boot school :know:

[Hueywolf123]

The other thing is, zoom your map in for a better view, use your tools to plot the distance, try to get to the intercept position slightly ahead of your intended, go to p-depth. Always try to be square on to the target, as a noob, it can be difficult, but you will get there. I always reccomend to noobs, that between each early patrol, they visit the academy - just for practice
Be patient buddy, you will get there

[HunterICX]

When I get a Contact icon on the navmap I mostly mark it and draw a line of its current heading (for examp NNW) and I go to pd depth when I think I,m close to it...and if I hear the sound contact I go to engange , Full speed , crew at Torpedo attack positions and sink that bugger....if its merchant ofcourse :rotfl:

[Goat]

Thanks... All of you. Since this IS my first patrol, and I'm looking for a situation to use the TDC, I am probably running the mission far from what should be. Being an old surface guy and used to 'motion' I have yet to submerge. I'm just riding it out on the surface. That should allow my best visibility.

When I shifted to the F5 Chart view, I could see that the 'square' ship was actually almost on a collision course with me. I figured she was harmless so I changed course to run her down, IF I didn't take evasive action when I saw her. I cranked up to Time X 256 and watched the symbols almost merge. High magnification, each grid line only a couple hundred meters. Back at F4 I saw nothing, even through the Big Eyes. I'd sure have thought I could see a SHIP at a couple hundred meters. Baffles me. I actually ran back and forth over the ship... in F5...

I suppose I should never have BEEN in F5 once on patrol, eh ??? 'Cheat' ?

I wont give up but it confuses me.....

[abel29a]

Going F5 is not a cheat - the symbol is a radio report brought to you by another sub, a aircraft or maybe a radio transmission intercept. I always stay at F5 while cruising, just to make sure I DO see the contact reports when and if they show up on the map.

Once one pop up, draw a line along the little "tail" of the box - this will give you the targets course. Then check what the box says about speed - Slow = 6 kts, Medium = 7-8 kts, Fast = 12++. This will allow you to estimate roughly how far down the path of the target you have to travel to make sure you make the intercept. Set your waypoints so that you intersect the targets course as close as possible to the box on the nav map (to give the target as little time as possible to alter course et cetera).

[mookiemookie]

I'm just riding it out on the surface. That should allow my best visibility.

Unless of course the weather is crappy. You can ask your watch officer for a weather report. If he reports precipitation or fog, that lowers your visibility range. I run the Grey Wolves mod, and in heavy fog you can't see anything until 500-700 meters! In most cases you can hear a lot farther than you can see. 15-20 meter depth and hydrophones are your friend. In fact, in the U-boat Commander's Handbook, they recommended routine dives for hydrophone checks at dawn and dusk.

I suppose I should never have BEEN in F5 once on patrol, eh ??? 'Cheat' ?

Not at all! Real skippers used their nav maps and got intel on ships positions (spies, radio traffic, luftwaffe patrol reports) all the time. Use the tools available to you. :up:

[Goat]

OKayyy... I'll write this one off and keep going. I just **DON'T** understand why we didn't collide on the courses I had... But... Upwards and Onwards... 'Once more into the breach...'....

[Goat]

I think I got 'led astray' by the 'movement' of the Reported Ship Position on the F5 view as my own WAS moving.. appearing to 'come together'....