[mrbeast]

Originally Posted by Mocdra

Thats not true...
Us Boats operates Surfaced on Patrol. Only near Harbors or Airfields etc, along enemy coasts is submerged Moving at Day standard Operation Mode, even to avoid detection from the enemy.
Only on the Surface is the Crew Able to detect other Ships with the Bridge Lookouts ( Smokestacks , antennas etc). In the first War years the Standard Detection procedure.
Submerged the Crew have only the Hydrophones ( with a shorter range as normal visual sight in the WWII) and the Periscope( shorter visual range due the lower Point of view).
Then again... Why now should operate a WWII Boat suberged at Day.
Modern Nuclear Boats better detecting ships an others by operating nearly permanentely submerged and detects it with Sonar; The Range is over the half whole Ocean.
Visual Sight is here very secondary


Submerging on normal open Water Patrol is ordered at the detectet EXISTENCE of Air and Sea Threats or an attack from them. Then the submerged Day Convoy Attack etc.

Then the Japanese did`nt had these Number of Aircraft to cover the whole Ocean several hundres Miles in Radius AROUND the Japanese Islands and Bases to trigger such Attack frequencies an strongness..
Example: Attacks from Flying Boats comes with 2 or 3 Aircraft at once all 10-30 mins... !!
Who **** these Planes into the Sky ?! or have anyone open a Bag with these ??

First Cold War Diesel Electric Subs was fully submerged over the Day !.
Only Nuclear Subs are most submerged and surfacing rare times.
Modern Subs are real Underwater Ships. WWII Boats was`nt !.

I´ve readed some Books about Subs in WWII !. Thats the Source.

Greetings

Moc

I'm afraid it is true. Standing orders to USN sub captains stated that during daylight hours and when operating within 500miles of suspected or known enemy airbases they should conduct operations while submerged. Later some bolder captains operated on the surface during the day to gain tactical advantage and captains were soimetime criticised for excessive periods under water. But again the majority of operations during day light hours were conducted while submerged. They would usually have to operate at about 150ft, as in good conditions a sub at scope depth could be seen quite clearly from the air.

As the Pacific was peppered with Japanese airbases the risk of detection by IJN/IJA aircraft was quite high. Some of the flying boats (Mavis' or Emilys) were even equipped with radar sets later on.

U boats operated on the surface but that was because the risk of air detection was quite low early in the war and KM 'Wolf Pack' tactics could not be carried out while spending long periods submerged. Plus U boats were required to remain in radio contact so they could be directed to convoys etc. The USN usually only transmitted radio messages at night at a regular time to allow subs to recieve while hidden by darkness.

Modern SSN/SSBNs never surface while on patrol they have no need to and the risk of being spotted by spy satellite keeps them deep at nearly all times. They would only consider surfacing in an emergancy or if a particulal op called for it.

Also its not true that WWII hydrophones could only detect at short ranges. They could detect ships well outside visual range.