Submarine questions
 

When a submarine is running on the surface with both diesels on propulsion, does this mean he batteries are powering everything on board? Is there no other generator for lighting etc? How long would it take to charge up air and batteries at the same time? Would it be only one of the diesels connected to the dynamo or could both charge at the expense of propelling the vessel?

Also, if ballast is blown at a great depth would water need to be taken on on the way up to compensate for air in the ballast tanks expanding as the water pressure drops?

What type of submarine are you inquiring about?

With regards to the diesels then Uboats. But any submarine with regards the ballast question.

Fleet boats had a smaller engine/generator that could be used to power some of the support systems while on the surface.

BTW, you have a lot of nerve asking a legitimate submarine question here in GT.

Don't you know that GT is for whining and illogical emotional comments only?

If you're talking about modern diesel submarines, I'm pretty sure they are all improved versions of the diesel-electric drives developed by the Americans prior to WW2. The diesel engines do nothing but drive the generators. The generators 1) Drive the motors which propel the sub, 2) power the boat's systems, and 3) recharge the batteries. Of course while submerged the batteries drive the motors and power the systems. There is also at least one small axhiliary diesel engine which drives its own generator to help supply power and ease the load of the main generators.
http://www.maritime.org/fleetsub/elect/chap2.htm#2A

If you meant WW2 u-boats, they had the engines either propel the boat directly or recharge the batteries.


On the other hand we have a whole forum dedicated to this sort of thing.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/forumdisplay.php?f=186

With regards to the boats in SH3, Where you have a choice of having a diesel drive the generator or propell the boat with the other one, would having both propell the boat allow the battaries to slowly drain on the surface due to powering lights etc while both diesels are driving the screws? I know the game is a simplification of reality but just wondered. Would a uboat have had a mini generator for when both diesels are propelling the boat? As there would still be electrical needs of course.

Unkie Neil posted this youtube link to a USN training vid not long ago:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=200577


It won't answer your in-game questions but it provides great insight into the workings of a WWII sub :up:

With regards to your second question, if you're in a situation where you are blowing your ballast tanks you probably are intending to surface. Otherwise if you just wanted to change depth, you use the planes. So no, you wouldn't blow ballast and then turn around and re-flood the tanks. To do so would be a waste of a limited resource, compressed air.

Busted at your own pet peeve .... :O:

:haha:

You may be hearing from Onkle Neal soon. :dead:

You guys never actually read anything I write, do you? Yes, an embarrassing typo, but only a typo, which I never mention to others.

My own pet peeve is abuse of the language, not spelling. A so-called native English-speaker who doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're", between "where", "wear" and "ware", between "there", "their" and "they're" is what annoys me. People who are too lazy to learn their own language. When I've been called on those myself I've been appropriately contrite. But spelling? It happens.

As I said, it looks like neither of you has ever actually read what I've written on the subject, and neither of you has a clue as to my "peeves", pet or otherwise.

Sure Steve. Watever you say. :salute:

What part of "That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!" did you not understand? :O:

Returning to the point in hand, I meant that blowing ballast deep will lead to the air in the ballast tanks expanding and pushing more water out as the boat rises won't it? Is there a way they compensate for this?