I could certainly use it... more for close in maneuvering with ships all around me. I agree that you shouldn't see the tails unless you know the direction the ships are actually moving or when you get a reported contact from a German unit out there, they should report direction and there should be a tail. If you can't see them or the report doesn't contain the course of the reported ships, there should be no tail.
I like the idea of the tail on my own ship simply because it makes maneuvering so much easier in close quarters. I'm sure it's something easy to put back in too.