SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post

TG626 · 01-30-14, 01:03 AM

I've read quite a bit here about attack scope vs observation scope.

The general trend seems to be that they do nearly the same thing in game, and as a result many never use the observation scope.

Now the following was in a Porpoise class sub, so maybe it doesn't apply to other classes (?)

However, I noticed today that there is one BIG difference: HEIGHT.

The Attack scope is considerably taller then the Observation scope.

Today, I was sitting in the harbor south of Tokyo. I ordered periscope depth. When I raised the observation scope it was thisclose to the surface. So close it was being washed over and I couldn't see.

I shallowed my depth 5 feet and got a clear sight and the destroyers didn't see me. Now if I had raised the attack scope at that same periscope depth it would have been towering out of the water...

I haven't checked if periscope depth is always the same, but I wonder if this is part of the "Destroyers always see me instantly" that I have read about in some threads?

( for the record I sank a destroyer and a "large European liner" before making a clean get away. )

01-30-14, 01:03 AM	#1
TG626 Lieutenant Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: USS Seal - Somewhere in the Pacific Posts: 268 Downloads: 141 Uploads: 3	Yet another 'periscope' thread... I've read quite a bit here about attack scope vs observation scope. The general trend seems to be that they do nearly the same thing in game, and as a result many never use the observation scope. Now the following was in a Porpoise class sub, so maybe it doesn't apply to other classes (?) However, I noticed today that there is one BIG difference: HEIGHT. The Attack scope is considerably taller then the Observation scope. Today, I was sitting in the harbor south of Tokyo. I ordered periscope depth. When I raised the observation scope it was thisclose to the surface. So close it was being washed over and I couldn't see. I shallowed my depth 5 feet and got a clear sight and the destroyers didn't see me. Now if I had raised the attack scope at that same periscope depth it would have been towering out of the water... I haven't checked if periscope depth is always the same, but I wonder if this is part of the "Destroyers always see me instantly" that I have read about in some threads? ( for the record I sank a destroyer and a "large European liner" before making a clean get away. ) __________________ T. E. Thompson, LTCDR Commanding Officer, U.S.S. Seal (formerly S-40 (SS-145))