I agree with Fireftr18. Last night my Balao boat was bombed as I was initiating a crash dive. Little bugger came out of nowhere, unseen by the radar. I didn't have time to assess the percent hull damage because the damage reports were coming so quickly, and the boat seemed to be diving out of control. The engines were damaged and even with the bow angled up and speed set to Flank we kept sinking stern first at a good clip. The last thing I noted before we all perished was a depth reading of 1007 feet!
That is not a norm. I've also intentionally taken a Gato down to see how deep it would go. We imploded at an improbable 432 feet. I've taken other Gatos down to 500 feet with no effect. So there is likely a degree of randomness to the maximum you can attain. One thing common to all boats is that if your boat is capable of reaching 500 feet, going below that, especially at a slow speed, will cause your boat to keep sinking until it is too late. I have learned to never exceed 500 feet unless I am running at full speed, but even then may have to blow the tanks to get back above 500'. Below 600' even blowing the tanks may not be enough to rise back to a safer depth. If you hear loud popping, check the hull damage reading. Each pop will increase hull damage by about 5%, and the deeper you go the more frequent the pops, of course. Then all will fade to black...
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