According to one of my books, "
Japanese Radar And Related Weapons of WWII" by Yasuzo Nakagawa, it alludes that the Japanese had inferior passive sonar microphones. Their submarines used the type 93 sonar developed in 1933 which used a dynamic microphone. During the mission to Germany in 1941, the Japnese learned that the Kriegsmarine was using "
Rochelle Salt" in sonar and passive receiving. A much superior quality than the Jpanese were using. A model of the "
Rochelle Salt" sonar was delivered to the Japanese on a return mission at Yokohama in October of 1942. A Japanese representative from NEC examined the German sonar and declared it "
superior to anything Japan had at the time". It wasn't until early 1945 that Japan was ready to begin production of the new sonar at the Komukai plant of the Toshiba company in Kawasaki City, but the plant was subsequently destroyed during a B-29 Bomber attack. In light of this, that is, if this is true, it is highly unlikely that the Japanese were ever successful in placing effective sonar devices in merchant ships. If they did, they were most likely to be old, skeletonised, makeshift devices that produced little results, if and when they were even working properly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fish40
I must admit, this is actually my first harbor raid while playing this game. I am in the USS Trout in 42'. I was asked to patrol the waters near Okinawa, and after limited success, I decided to have a closer look in the harbors. I wasn't disappointed either. They're loaded! Naha proved too difficult due to the layout which put the ships behind protective seawalls. This would mean I would have to enter the Harbor proper, which is alittle too close for my comfort. The harbor to the South has proved easier. The ships are in the open!
|
These harbors are regulars on my list of targets. Itoman is in fact easier, but Naha is by no means impregnable. Since the ships are all docked, you can use long range attacks while remaining just below the surface at battery depth. I usually attack from two angles from both the north and south openings. This way, I can hit almost every ship in the harbor. And yes, these two harbors are always filled with merchants, usually some large and medium tankers too.