Historical crash dive time for fleet boats?
 

Enquiring minds want to know. How long did it take a Tambor, Gato, or similar sub take to get under on a crash dive? Ive looked everywhere, i can't find this info. Making this post is my last resort :88)

I believe a minute was the "standard" time, but several memoirs (Gato-class subs) note crews training hard to reach 30-35 second dives.

So i guess that 1 min and 10 second crash dive in stock is a bit much eh? I toned it down to 58 seconds or so, but was contemplating the feasiblity of shortning it even more. Sort of doing my homework on it as it were.

Well I can understand your frustration. I had gotten so used to ~35 second crash dives in SH3. I do realize that the American boats were not as fast to carry out a crash dive, but Damn......What are you guys doing down there when I issue a crash dive, throwing a keg party or what? :dead: :hmm:

I swear to god you guys are half asleep when you throw the levers to flood the tanks!!
I better start seeing some urgency around here soon or some of you guys are swimming back to Pearl! :nope:

It is hard to put an exact figure on a crash dive. Fluckey used to flood negative while surfaced if he was expectiing trouble.

The Narwhal (much bigger than a fleet boat) spotted a japanese aircraft comming straight on them from 7000 yards and crashed dived. She past 50 feet when the bomb hit the water.

The Pampanito web site claims 30 second crash dives for a Balao class.

I have read accounts of boats going to 165 feet and level in 70 seconds.

I have read stories of green crews fresh out of dive school diving in 60 seconds.

Since fleet boats are true diesel electric boats they dont lose all power to the screws like a direct drive U boat or S class. So once the planes are down and they have neutral bouancy or less they now are flying in the water and speed takes over.

I dont know how much of a factor crew has in effecting dive speed in SH IV. If it plays a part that is effected by crew exp., then I would set it at 60 seconds worst and 30 seconds best with 45 being the average. It really should be crew dependent.

Anyways. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I just read that 50-60 seconds was the average time. This is from the XO of Trigger in his book "Submarine!".

From what I read, 60 seconds was the average, fleet boats took longer to dive than U-Boats. Personally, I would not set it at less than that.

Does anybody know if crew experience affects dive times in SHIV?

I went to the Fleet-Type Submarine Manual looking for a hint about dive times; didn't find any, but this section indicates that they did lose power to the screws momentarily:
http://www.maritime.org/fleetsub/chap18.htm#18A

Of course that might explain why it took so long to dive.

http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/USSPampanito.htm


Here it shows with practice the sub could submerge in 30 seconds. It might be related to the type of sub as well. Anyway, nice article. Note the picture of the sub going off the dry dock. Looks like the same pic in the game.

That's what I was wondering... anyone timed crash dives with a green crew and with a vet crew?

I keep starting new careers so I have yet to get more than 2 patrols with one crew :(

Yahoo! The new CEO of the "2nd Patrol Your Dead Club":up:

nice photos. I read an excerpt of a book once, a war memoir of a U.S. submariner who in intensive training with his new crew had gotten the dive time down to, I believe 50-60 seconds, although I don't remember where now, (ed Beach maybe). 30 seconds seems a tad fast.

My crews are able to crash dive in under 60 Seconds..

The Historical accounts I have read say the same.

The USS Nerka dove and sank a Akikaze DD in 32 seconds. :arrgh!:

Put the crew to battle station and the boat should dive way faster. Time might be affected
by fatigue status of crew, but i have no real numbers. I forgot my crew on battle station
once and all were approx. 90-99 fatigue. Had the impression that every command
too very long to be followed. Oh, and the engines stopped.

An excerpt from the USS Pampanito web site.

"A World War II submarine spent most of its time on the surface where it could travel quickly and more easily find its targets. She dove to make stealthy attacks or escapes from the enemy. To make it possible for the crew to walk outside the boat while on the surface, and to protect equipment that is not in the pressure hull, the main deck is built up over the pressure hull. The space between the pressure hull and the deck is the free-flooding superstructure. The many holes that are visible allow air to escape and water to flood this space. Any trapped air would slow down the dive. Pampanito can go from the surface to 60 foot depth in under 30 seconds."

http://www.maritime.org/tour/tadeck.htm

Anyways that's my story and I am sticking to it.

I don't have much to add in terms of factual data, but I can tell you that if you travel with 'desk awash' in SH4, the dive time is greatly reduced, mainly because the dive-planes are already run out and (I guess) the boat is already cloaser to neutral boyancy.

I only travel this way on the surface during the day. Even with the short range of the "Plane!" calls, I am under long before the plane can get to me.

Nice to know but I love shooting the twin .50's at the planes:yep:

you can run 'desk awash' and shoot the gun yourself.

The watch crew is still on the bridge as well.