Hit... something... in the channel
 

After transferring from Kiel to Wilhelshaven (seen enough Norwegian neutrals for awhile), I was eagerly heading to my new patrol zone West of Britain in my Type IIA. Wanting to save fuel, I decided to go through the channel. I've done this before, both in SHII and the stock SHIII. Yeah, it's pretty hairy, but it's possible, and going north around Scotland kills your diesel level. Now, with the GW mod installed, I keep colliding with... something that destroys my boat just northeast of Calais. The first time it happened was under time compression, so I assumed I'd been detected and depth-charged. The second time, I made sure to slow down and determined what I could. It was no destroyer; the game definitely called it a "collision". I was running at periscope depth at ahead slow, no ships in sight. Would hitting a mine be called a "collision"? Did the Brits build a brick wall across the channel? ;)
Has anyone else experienced this?

Could be one of those, mines, net or seabed

Wouldn't be the seabed, I was too shallow. I guess it could be a mine, but it sure seems weird to refer to hitting a mine as a "collision". As far as sub nets, I don't know how they work, but would hitting one at the slowest speed possible result in massive damage to your boat and almost immediate death?

Mr. Salyers mein freund...

The English channel is rife with dangers to submarines.... mines, nets near harbors, shallow water, good aircraft and warship patrol...

I can't remember, but we may have placed some sunken barricade ships there too.

.... Alas, the U-boat man's life is a difficult one. :yep:

:up:

:hmm:

active sonar might help :ping:

to pass trough ship wrecks :hmm:

:)

Yes it might.... If you want to broadcast your position to EVERYONE WITHIN MILES!!!!
:stare:

Ahhh, verdammt Englischers...
or should I say, Grey Wolvers!

Thanks for the clues, Kapitan Lehmann.

:up:

That is the thrill factor. :up:

Beside, once they get there they will be miles (if not a few meters) away and above ;)

Mines. Had this once sailing out of St. Nazaire. My career was busted. I wanted to know what it was so I reloaded to check it out. I used outside cam to check, and figured out that this was a Mine. It does not blow up when you "touch" it with your bow, it has to be somewhat "insinde" the boat in the middle section. At least the Type VII Boat.

I have always wondered if this is modeled in game. I have often pinged escorts for range and they never seem wise to it.

Dunke schoen , DerKaleun. Activating the camera to find out what happened was a great idea; wish I'd thought of it. It was the "collision" thing that threw me. Did it say that when you died, too?

It is. I learned the hard way. Even asking your hydrophone man for an approximate range to target is the same in game-world as pinging him. I didn't touch my first career in the stock game for about 4 months because I couldn't get past a particular convoy. I'd sneak up to hide in their path in complete silence. The escorts were completely unaware. I'd ask the hydrophone man for an approximate range and instantly, the escorts would start pinging. I knew that asking for precise range resulted in a ping, so I'd been careful not to do it; it was only after reading a post here that I discovered "approximate" range was the same thing, only with less accurate results. I refrained the next time, and it worked beautifully; a perfect attack after countless failures. Now, in my GW career, I may not even get active sonar. I might just spend those renown points on something more useful. If you used active sonar later in the war with no repercussions, you were very lucky.

Yes. That´s what stunned me. It was perfect weather, no ships in my path, as I engaged time compression. Few seconds later my butt was fishfood, due to a "collision". This made me curious...

Hmmm, i dunno. Unless your playing a Euro version and theres a difference between the US and Euro version this hasn't been my experience at all.

- Whenever id ask the sonar for a ranging, id get a "no target selected" error. He'd only range what i had locked into the Periscope/TDC.

- I have never seen a difference between "precises" and "aproximate" ranges.

- As ive said ive used it multiple times (although i use it manually by manning the hydrophones myself). Often in bad weather when i cant see anything in the persiscope. ANd i swear to you, every time i use it, i think, "Every fiber in my being says not to it that ping button, but why the hell not, he's not gonna hear it" I have never seen the AI react to to my use of active sonar.

The AI has only reacted to me on the following occasions:
- If they got me on radar
- If they got my radar on a RWR (i think this is why ive lost a couple boats to HK groups )
- If they visualy see me
- If i sink a ship they were protecting.


I have yet to have a DD come sounding, and Depth charges pounding over an active ping for a ranging when they didnt know i was there. Im dead serious, it strikes me as odd, and i watch for it every time.. but it never happends.

I instal;led GW and ran in to the net outside of Kiel. Thanks for marking it on the map, KdU! :hulk: