First time being depth charged - Evaision Advice?
 

Ok,

I have three maybe four ASW ships that have been circling above me and depth charging me, and pinging me for the last 45mins. I have gone as deep as I dare in the shallow waters off the Scottish coast - at 81 meters at the moment, speed reduced to 1knot and rigged for silent running. When one of the ships passes over the top of me for the attack run I wait for the depth charges to explode and then go to flank speed and hard rudder... reducing back to 1knot and centering rudder after the explosions have stopped. I am trying to make a course that keeps my stern pointed at the nearest ASW ship, but this is hard as their are atleast three of them going around me in a circle and this is the first time I have been in this situation.

So far the depth charges have been rocking my boat but I haven't taken any damage yet but I feel it it is only a matter of time.

I just wondered if there is any simple advice for a new player to attempt to get himself out of this mess, although I accept the fact that the end for the gallent crew of the U-45 is almost certainly near :D

The problem with having more than one hunting you is that, in theory, one or more boats can keep tracking you while someone else makes the attack run. Quick maneuvering and bursts of speed while the charges are actually going off should be okay - and you might want to try and work a depth change in there as well - since I don't think anybody's sonar is going to work with all the commotion in the water, but other than that I think you just have to run as silent as possible and hope they all lose contact for long enough to give up and go away.

Try using the rudder to make slow, looping course changes to port and then starboard while creeping away.

I had 2 of them after me once in about 70-80 meters of water and managed to get away, but I'm still not sure how I did it. They weren't very persistent, that's for sure. Good luck! :salute:

Thanks for the tips... have been checking the hydrophone, actually there are only two of them not the four I originally thought (unless some have given up). I have been trying to make guesses about their course and I think I am out of their circle now. They've stopped pinging me and running over the top of me so that's a good sign atleast. Hopefully they won't re-acquire me and I can just slowly drift away from them at 1knot. It's only 1939 still so maybe I'll be ok.

Very intense gameplay, I think I am becoming addicted!

Earlier in the war this is definitely much easier. That's probably the only thing that accounts for me getting out of a similar scrape, that was also very early in the war. I really thought I'd bought the farm that time, had followed a merchant close into the coast and suddenly had 2 DDs on my butt, they came out of nowhere while I was trying to set up a shot on the merchant. Ordered a crash dive and ended up with less than 10m beneath my keel. :o

IIRC there is always the chance of running into an "elite" enemy ASW crew, at least in GWX, but generally speaking the ASW AI gets better and better as the war progresses. Early on, you can get away with a lot... especially if you can get to 120 meters or more, I don't think they can even set a charge to detonate that deep. I stay out of the shallows now as much as possible. :yep:

It don't take much, that's fer shur. :D

Well actually you're doing it textbook style :up: Just keep in mind that patience is the key here (or anywhere else in SH3 for that matter :03:). Don't even try to increase the time compression! (A foolish error I made countless times. To be honest, I still make that error sometimes.). Be patient, stay deep.. well you obviously know the drill. Just wear them out. It's '39, they should give up relatively fast.
And keep your speed under 2 knots. That way they won't hear you. (You probably know this already but still) You don't even have to go into silent mode. Because all that does is prevent you from loading torps and doing repairs. So if you're not damaged or reloading, setting your speed at under 2 knots will have the exact same effect as running silent.

Enemy ships get stuck if you run your u-boat very close to the coastline.

Actually I didn't know that, I thought silent running activated some kind of special super stealthy mode! I'll probably still use it though, I like the way the crew start whispering their updates when you toggle it on.

Well, I got away from those pesky destroyers with only minor damage to the deck gun, so all ended well, let's see if I can make it past 1940!

I wonder if you can actually hear the ASDIC pings bouncing off the hull in real life, or if it's just something computer games and hollywood movies add for drama. Scary stuff...

Actually, you want to set your RPMs to 80rpms or under (some say 75).

Go up in the conning tower, where you will find two identical dials. If you are at 2 knots, they will be pointing at around 100.

Ease your speed down until they read no more than 80. Then you are at silent running.

Also, it is a good thing to rig for silent running even if you aren't doing repairs or loading. Principally, because the minute you do get damaged, the compartment crew will try to fix the damage, even if you have not assigned your special repair team to the compartment.

Actually I think you can, since a ASDIC wave is a sound wave after all. Anyone care to pitch in on this?? Im not for sure.

Really?? Ive never had problems with 2 knots at 100 rpm, I seem to be able to slip away alot with that. Granted it was 1939, but I DID slip out of Loch Ewe while running at 2 knots with about 3 destroyers and 3 more trawlers hunting me. One made a run on me so I bursted to flank then when the last charge stopped dropped it to 2 knots and I guess I was far enough away (I had silent running already engaged too)

Yes you can hear active sonar off of the hull when inside. My experience is with modern submarines.

You will. Mid 41 and later they get GOOD.


Deeeeeep and slooooooow and wiggly is the way to go.



Just like sex.

I am intrigued by your ideas, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

The game reports "2 knots" at any speed between 2.0 and 2.99 knots (which is why you can move at "0 knots" -- you are at .9 knots, perhaps).

At 2.9 you are going to be making too many rpms to be silent. So, to be safe, check your rpms, not the reported speed.

That said, even at higher speeds you still may get away:

• you could be under a thermal layer. You won't know when you are, but they are modeled in GWX.
• the DD crew might not be very good.
• if you are deep enough, his hydrophone may overshoot you.

In 1939, you can, often and surprisingly, simply walk away from the scene of the crime at 3-5 knots and only 50 meters depth. By 1943, I am wishing for a crush depth of 500 meters and a pair of Dorothy's magic shoes.

But your mileage may vary.