I have both GWX & SH3C 2.7 installed.
I see no option in SH3C to enable this.
Can I assume it's part of GWX, and enabled by default?
:confused:

Sigh, RTFM...it's a default feature of SH3Cmdr (as I also mentioned in my first post above).

Yep, and if I am not completely misinformed the simulation of a layer was in 2.6.1 as well. Correct me if I am wrong.:)

Again, thanks for all work matey:up:

Per

:yep: Correct. :up:

And R2.6 and R2.5 as well...

That's not strictly true as the US had a very good understanding of the subject as early as 1938.

The main issue in the Atlantic was that the thermals in most places in that ocean were actually at such a great depths (+300m) that no submarine was capable of taking advantage of them. The pacific on the other hand has thermal layers as shallow as 50m meaning subs in these waters could take greater advantage of them.

Sorry I don't understand enough thermodynamics to explain why there were such vast differences between the two but I'm guessing it was more to do with the relative sizes, depths and current flows at play.

I don;t have a major problem with them being modelled at shallower depths with GWX and SH3C2.7 because from what I've read there where places and times when there were shallower thermals and therefore they "could" have been encountered. My only suggestion is that they be very rare rather than regular occurrences as they are not regular in the Atlantic in RL. Modern subs can however now dive deep enough to take advantage of them as well as carrying sophisticated measurement sensors to allow them to understand there presence.

In shallow waters the layer can appear at 15-20 meters depth.
I remember once when i was scuba diving.
I was diving outside the swedish westcoast and it was during a hot summer day.
(thermal layer in shallow water is season dependant)
It was about 23 degree celcius in the top layer of water. Normal bath temprature :)
But as we dived deeper and came down to about 15 meters we faced a green sludge. My first impression was that it was the bottom. it was so thick and dense and consisted of green planktoons. The layer was about 1 meters in thikness and when we dived belove it it was a shock. The temprature droped from 23 to 5-6 degree. and when i looked up it was like dense lid.
It was quite an experience to se this.

Next day we went to the east coast and dived there (baltic sea) but on that side of tghe coast there was not any thermal layers. reason for this is that the baltic sea is a mixture of salt and fresh water so thermal layer cant appaer.

So for thermal layer to appear in shallow water its dependant how much plankton its in the water, The density (salt water or fresh water or a mixture) and the time of year(temprature) and also how strong the current are.

I knew that! "SLAP!" ......no i didn't.

No thermal layer...but the fresh and salt water also form layers, right?
The fresh water floats on top of the salt water (or is it the other way around?:hmm:), if they're not disturbed by strong currents.
I think I've read somewhere, that this can form layers in polar areas, where there's allot of fresh water added because of melting ice.

Yes you are right about that but the fresh water that is smelted is in small quanities compared to all salt water around so it will be a small layer on top of the salt water just at the surface. Its all about the density. Salt water is "heavier" so the fresh water will float above it untill its mixed. Ice consist of fresh water therefor that float on the surface coz the lower density.
Its also a matter how strong the current are in thos areas. How fast the fresh water will mix it self whit salt water.

What i mean about is that thermal layer cant appear in brackish water like it is in the baltic sea.

Rgr that.
I learn something new here every day. :)

I thought the manual that came with the stock game talked about thermal layers and how you should use them but I just took a look and it's not mentioned after all. But I seem to remember the devs saying it was modeled.

Oh, well, I have GWX, too so I'm glad they've included it.

Us boats know this, because they used bathythermographs that allow know water temperature at determinate depth.:roll:

in sh1 is a normal instrumentation in us boats like gato and balao

Thermal layers were mentioned in the manual to SHII.

In fact, if you are playing SHII and dive through a thermal layer, your crew will announce, "Passed thermal layer!"

Whether it is merely the crew announcement that has been removed, or the entire simulation of the event that is gone, I cannot say. But I know they said that in SHII, and I know I have never heard it in SHIII.

The devs for sh3 must have been intressted in this also coz they made a video whit Joergen Oesten about it.

Can be found here:

http://www.silent-hunteriii.com/uk/videos.php

And look for Herr oesten Thermal layers.

Quite intressting video where he explain how the uboat captains and crew took advantage of thermal layers.
He says that they knew they where under the layer when suddenly the destroyers/hunters lost track of them.

They where aware of this phenomen but didnt use to its advantage. Mostley coz they didnt know where the layer was.
He say that they could measure the water temprature but they never did that.

GWX does not model Thermal Layers, SH3Cmdr does. ;)

50 lashings to GT182 for his most unfortunate typo that has propulagated this confusion. :rotfl:

BTW, Thermal Layers are not necessarily modelled every time - it's random with an average chance of about 50% (including reloading during mid-patrol).