The hydrophones were a very unreliable tool, an aid at best. That’s why the doctrine was to stay surfaced to search for contacts and only submerge and listen if compelled to do so. This doctrine is reflected in the commander’s handbook. I would recommend reading the book “Secret Diaries of a U-boat” by Hirschfeld, he was a radio man and that book lays bare the real shortcomings of hydrophones. They were dependent on the salinity of the water in sea areas, the plankton content, many factors affected their usability. His skipper, the ace Bleichrodt, had very little use for them as is evident in the book (apart from using them to evade, and even then he doesn’t trust it - his words: “what’d I tell you Hirschfeld, the tech is ****”)
No game gets hydrophones right. They are highly overpowered in every sim I’ve ever seen.
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