I remain surfaced as much as possible, until air cover becomes a real pain. If weather is bad and visibility low, I submerge and run slow, using hydrophones to hear farther than I can see. Why stay up top and risk being run over? I've had a couple of collisions that way and it is a nasty surprise.
My most recent convoy must have a radar equipped escort. It's spring of 41, off the coast of Spain, weather bad and very low range visibility. I was using hydrophones to track the convoy and when I was close enough decided to surface and try to spot it visually. Suddenly I began to take damage but could not see where it was coming from. As I crash dived a corvette came into view. I evaded and several hours later was running somewhere to the east of the convoy when again that corvette suddenly looms out of the murk firing everything it has at me. Again, crash dive and evade. This time I chose to break off. I have no advantage over that convoy and would likely get killed if I persisted. Discretion is the better part of valour. I'm in the first patrol of my new IXC; she's not an agile VII and I can't risk getting caught on the surface, wallowing like a whale.
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