If you consider that your average convoy speed is 8 knots, and you should hear (hydrophone) a large convoy up to 100Nm (AFAIK not sure if this is modeled but it doesn't matter) on a good day.. this gives approx 12 hours to traverse this distance. If you idle along at 7 knots in the opposite direction.. your total closing speed is 15 knots, giving you 6 hours.
On a bad day your hydrophone distance should be less, but so should your and convoys speed be less... so six hours is a good balance between detection and irritation.
What I do is run square box patrol at 6 hours per leg (any speed < 7knots will do) and at the end of each leg dive for a hydrophone scan, turn 90 listen again then surface for the next leg.
Get very tedious, but I've picked up convoys at long distances.
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