Silent Depth - Submarine Simulator
Preamble:
Welcome to Silent Depth, the submarine simulation playing in World War II.
Being a member of the Silent Service of the US Navy you take command of a Gato/Balao class submarine and go on extended patrols in the dangerous waters of the Pacific in world war II.
After the attack on Pearl Harbour the submarines of the Navy were the only defense line of the US to defend the west coast in the Pacific.
Those submarine did their task very well so Japan finally had to gave in and surrender.
As a commander you are part of the Silent Service and fulfill your taks in the silent depths of the Pacific.
Manual:
Controlling the submarine looks complex but it's essential to become successful.
Main Screen / Bridge
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/bridge.jpg
When surfaced the following stations can be chosen.
Map (1) Systems (2) Exterior View (3) Bridge View (4) Periscope (5) TBT (6) Deck Gun (7) Game Menu (8)
In the upper right corner there is the compass (9) It shows the direction of the bow (red arrow) and the viewing direction (yellow).
In the lower left there is the depth gauge (10) Click into it once and it will set the order to go to periscope depth. Click twice to set a new depth or to surface. The test depth of your submarine is 400ft (130m). Going deeper will result in damages on your submarine and a potential loss.
Next beside the depth gauge is the rudder indicator (11) with a range between 0°-35°, and the speed indicator (12) which goes from 0kn-25kn.
Next is the rudder (13) itself which displays the current heading.
In the lower right there is the engine telegraph (14) with its different steps < left backward, right forward >
Map (1)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/overview_map.jpg
On the overview map the position of the submarine is shown globally (1.1). By clicking at any point on the map the submarine goes into that direction using time compression.
On the upper right the current time (1.2) is displayed plus date and time digital (1.3). During night the submarine uses red light so the map is illuminated that way too.
Below are the views for diesel oil, capacity of the batteries plus compressed air (1.4) which is needed not only for your crew but also for surfacing. Keep these values always in your attention! In case you run out of any of these resources your patrol ends.
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/detail_map.jpg
As soon as you have a contact the map is switched to a detailed one.
On the left side there is a magnifying glass (1.5). You can switch between the global map and the tactical detailed map using it. You can cancel a battle and try to flee. This is not possible when you are under attack!
You can set way points in the tactical detail map using ADD POINT and UNDO (1.6).
On the right side there is the time compression control where you can change the current time compression value from 1x up to 32x. In case you're under attack this is limited up to 4x.
Enemy ships / submarines (1.7) are displayed in red. Unknown or lost contacts are displayed in gray. Torpedoes (1.8) are yellow.
Systems (2)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/systems.jpg
In the system screen you see the status of every section of your submarine
(2.1). The status of the sections will be reported either in
turquois (normal),
red (damaged),
blue (flooded) or
gray (destroyed). You can click on any damaged section to repair it. In case it can be repaired (not everything can be repaired submerged!) there will be a an
orange repair progress bar. You can always select that section you'd like to have repaired with priority.
At the bottom you see the levels for
compressed air (2.2),
diesel oil (2.4) and
capacity of your batteries (2.5).
The
water temperature gauge (2.3) displays the current water temperature in Fahrenheit. Try to use that in combat when a destroyer is hunting you. There are thermal layers where you can hide below from the japanese sonar.
Exterior View (3)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/externview.jpg
In the
exterior view (3.1) you can move the camera around the submarine and zoom in and out. In case your submarine is damaged heavily you might see it as well.
Bridge View (4)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/bridgeview.jpg
The bridge view (4.1) is mainly to have an overview for what's going on around your submarine and to control your course and speed.
Periscope View (5)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/pericope.jpg
When submerged and above 58 feet (17,67m) you can use the
periscope (5.2). It will be moved down again as soon as you leave the station by selecting another one. In the periscope view you can spot and follow targets and fire torpedoes. To successfully use your torpedoes keep the following in mind:
Torpedo Switch (5.1) Your submarine has 6 fore torpedo tubes
(FWD) and 4 aft torpedo tubes
(AFT). Select the ones you want to use. A
green light signalizes a loaded and ready to fire torpedo, a
red light means that the current tube is reloaded. You submarine has 24 torpedoes which can be reloaded only in your home port Midway.
Fire Button (5.2) The red fire button fires one torpedo. The loaded torpedoes will be fired one after each other.
Target Marker (5.3) The target marker is displayed below your target with a
yellow triangle. The captain reports the
target information (5.7) to the weapon officer who computes a fire solution for the torpedoes. If the
solution is ready and set the color of the triangle switches to
green. The hit probability is at 90% in case of continuous speed and course of the target when up to 1500yd and below above. A
red target marker shows that there is no solution (e.g angle too steep). You can always fire a torpedo straight forward by just hitting the fire button.
Optical Magnification (5.4) Your periscope can use up to 8x magnification.
Turn Periscope (5.5) You can turn your periscope around 360 degrees. Either using the handles left and right or by swiping inside the periscope view.
Torpedo Run Time (5.6) The torpedo run time is displayed as a
red marker in the stop watch. When the second hand (which shows the actual torpedo run time in black) goes beyond the red marker it probably missed the target. Take care: under some rare conditions a torpedo might return to your submarine.
TBT Target Bearing Indicator (6)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/tbt.jpg
The
TBT (6) has the same functionality as the periscope and can be used only when surfaced. One benefit is the usage as binocular and you can use the higher speed and maneuverability while surfaced.
Deck Gun (7)
http://www.silentdepth.com/manual-en/deck_gun.jpg
The 12,7 cm
Deck Gun (7) is a powerful weapon against unarmored or light armored targets. The
Crosshair (7.1) is a guidance for firing. It needs experience to guess the targets' speed and distance correctly.
Gun ammunition and reload time (7.2) Your submarine has 96 rounds which can be reloaded in Midway.
Data Sheet:
Submarine: Type Diesel U-Boat
Length: 95,33 m, Width: 8,31, Draft: 4,60m, Test depth: 130m, Maximum depth: 187m, Ship's complement 91 crewmen, Engines: 4 x 1350 PS diesel engines and 4 x 685 PS electric engine, Speed: 20,25 knots surfaced und 8,75 knots submerged. Range 11.000 sm at 10 knots surfaced and 95 sm at 5 knots submerged. Maximum time submerged 48 hours. Armament: 6 fwd torpedo tubes 53,3 cm und 4 aft torpedo tubes 53,3 cm. 24 torpedoes, 40 mines optional (not simulated in the game). 1 deck gun 12,7 cm with 96 rounds of ammunition. 2 anti aircraft guns 20 mm (currently planned for future updates in the game)
