Yeah, I wouldn't recommend running DA for prolonged periods either. It just eats gas and kills your speed.
I just crash dive. I don't find it impacts the length of the patrol all that much. It may take a couple of days off of your maximum loiter time, but I don't find that to be a big issue. Especially since I almost always run out of torpedoes well before I run out of fuel. In my experience, there is a tradeoff between a crash dive and a regular dive. In a crash dive, I find that it's very rare for an aircraft to spot me before I get under water. With a regular dive, I have had enemy aircraft spot me before I submerge and attempt to bomb where I was plenty of times. Further, when you have been spotted, air patrols in the area will ramp up substantially, meaning you will have to dive more often. In the balance of things, I feel that crash diving actually tends to use less fuel overall than regular diving. SJ-I Radar might change this, but I tend to just play it safe where aircraft are involved.
Also, while I wouldn't generally recommend just running submerged during the day, I have been known to do so. Specifically in the event where I'm getting buzzed by aircraft frequently enough that it's becoming a real annoyance. Though I fully admit that in this case I'm purely trading fuel for gameplay convenience. There is, to my mind, an exception though. Specifically, this would be at the start of the war if you don't have air search radar. In this case, I don't find that you can reliably spot an aircraft and submerge before it has a chance to make at least one pass on your sub.
@Crannogman
Yeah, you can maintain 11 knots DA, but only at a much higher engine RPM, which kills fuel efficiency. Testing in game isn't difficult at all, the game has a maximum range at current speed button built right in.
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