To illustrate my previous posts, I had yesterday a close encounter with a Black Swan escorting a merchant in the Med March 42. Beautiful night, calm weather. I had underestimated the speed (was announced by radio as medium and I calculated my intercept a bit too short) So I was a bit far away and thought I could get away by increasing my speed at periscope depth to 1/3 to close up... False move...
Anyway she picked me up. Soon as I saw the searchlight on, I went to dive at slow speed silent running directly towards her so as to stay a short time in her sonar cone. Was pinged for a few seconds of course but as we travelled opposite directions the first DCs went boom behind me. Made my usual 10° rudder turns left and right. By the time she found me again I was around 120m. She always came at me some 30/40 degrees from one side (there the importance of being at the hydrophone station) so just by turning inside her course as soon as I heard the engines revving up for the run (and the bearing staying fixed), the DCs always were aside of me without having to increase speed more than to 1/3. After 45 mns she lost me and as I was moving on opposite heading to the merchant, she had to go back to her escort duties. I still believe silent escape works. Just stick your ears behind the hydrophone and don't panic. Of course I admit it's a little more tricky when they are 2 or 3 and when they have nothing else to do but chasing you around...
