Thermal Layer
 

I'm sure this has come up, but I didn't find anything with search.

Are these modeled in the game?

IIRC, no, that isn't modellled into the game. Don't quote me on that; however, to the best of my recollection of past discussions, thermal layering isn't part of the game code.

Correct. However, thanks to Hemisent, SH3Cmdr users experience pseudo-thermal layers by default. :up:

There was a mod to simulate thermal layers. I believe it was out last summer of fall, tho I can't remember who did the work on it. I have it installed in my Vanilla SHIII but have to search for the zipfile to see who made it. And, it works fairly well.

Just get SH3 Commander2.7-It's included.
Works great for RUB and GWX

yup that and allot more sweet things!

Thanks, I was thinking when I went deep, the DDs would lose me, and I wondered if that was it.

Thanks guys!

There does seem to be thermal layers at work
 

Or else it's the DD/DE ASW detection cones. I am in the Med in 1942 in a VIIC and if I dive down to 140-160 meters and go silent running @2knots I can evade even 2-3 destroyers at a time fairly often.

I thought Thermal Layers were modeled somewhat since the GWX manual exhorts captains to dive deep to minimize sonar signature?

From the SH3Commander readme:
I would love to learn, how to find the layers....to know at which depth they occur in a particular area, in a particular season.
But since SH3Commander seems to randomize them, there isn't much to learn, I guess?

Why can't we read water-temp, in SH3? A pretty straight-forward sensor, even in WW2-days.
Would be a nice job for the nav.officer....surfaced, he reports weather, and submerged, he reports water-temp and currents.

How is that? I dont seem to see any option enbaling "thermal layer".

Kumando, it's already in GWX. You don't need to do anything to enable it.

My reference to it was for stock SHIII and as a mod to add in.

There are five depths which are modelled:
100m + or -
140m + or -
190m + or -
220m + or -
260m + or -

There is no way to determine if you have one, other than by being very in tune to the enemy above's behaviour(other than using the stealth meter). The layers are not a hard deck but rather an area where the enemy listening abilities begin to degrade.

example: Commander issues you a 100m TL file. What this means is that, depending on the year and sensor being used above you the detection capabilities may begin to degrade around 85m for some, around 90 or 100m for others and perhaps at 105 or 110m for late war higher tech units.
If you were using the stealth meter you would notice the red bar gradually dirty up and slowly go to brown-olive-green as you slowly descended thry the layer. Having said this you still MUST be at silent running. If you try to increase speed you chance making noise and becoming detected. However, given this scenario should you dive down to 150 or 180 you can "sometimes" disable SR and reload, repair etc etc. A lot depends on sea state and AI level.

Hope this helps.

note* VALID ONLY FOR VANILLA, RUB and GWX PLAYERS USING SH3 COMMANDER

In real life 1939 to 1945, no German submarine was fitted with a device to monitor external water temperture.

Why?

At that point in history very little/nothing was understood about thermal layers and the effects these had on ASW warfare.

By diving deep U boat Kaleuns exploited thermal layers, but had no idea they were doing it. All they understood at that time, was that "safe", meant going deeper. Thereby accidently encountering thermal layers of which they had no knowledge of.

Hope this helps.

Yes, thank you guys. :up:

In general (if depth under keel permits), I go to 240m for evasions.
So there's a good chance I'm underneath a thermal layer. :D

I assume you mean "it's already in SH3Cmdr"? ;)

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.