Why do electric engines kick in when you submerge?

[Seefer]

I may be missing something obvious here but why do the electric motors automatically kick in when you submerge? I assumed these motors were of importance only when maneouvering amidst enemy ships to maintain silence.

Should they be kicking in when I submerge during non-combat navigation? Is there a way (and a reason) to prevent the electric motors from propelling the ship when submerged?

What is the general thinking to managing battery charge levels during patrols?

[kylania]

Without a snorkel to pipe out the exhaust smoke, your diesel engines would flood your boat with poison and kill you all.

The electric engines were your propulsion underwater until they figured out the snorkel system that let them use diesels underwater. Even then it was an unpleasant experience for everyone.

[Seefer]

Originally Posted by kylania

Without a snorkel to pipe out the exhaust smoke, your diesel engines would flood your boat with poison and kill you all.

The electric engines were your propulsion underwater until they figured out the snorkel system that let them use diesels underwater. Even then it was an unpleasant experience for everyone.

So there's no snorkel on this series of subs in SH5? I was curious about the snorkel entry in the command.cfg file.

I'm surprised the exhaust from the diesel engines in WWII subs was not somehow sequestered via a compressor into some tank under pressure, which could then be vented, either underwater or whilst surfaced, at will. Then again I'm no engineer so unsure of the technical difficulties of such a system. Though come to think of it, I suspect it would mean air pressure issues due to the diesel engines requiring oxygen from the closed-system air supply inside the submarine?

[Zachstar]

You have any idea how much oxygen it takes to run a diesel engine? ALOT

[Seefer]

Originally Posted by Zachstar

You have any idea how much oxygen it takes to run a diesel engine? ALOT

Yup, I neglected to account for the oxygen required from the very air the crew are breathing in order for combustion. It's a good job I don't design submarines for a living

[Sailor Steve]

A few u-boats which were snorkeling in less than perfect seas had to emergency surface when the snorkel dipped below the waves. There was a float to keep water from coming into the engines, but the engines sucked the air out so fast that people were already struggling to breath when they broke surface and the fans kicked in.

Standard procedure was to shut the engines down and switch to electrics as soon as the dive was called. The 'Christmas Tree', the board of lights showing which hatches and vents were still open, had to be all green before they even began flooding.

[Faamecanic]

Also the pressure (actually vacuum) created by those engines when the snorkel would dip below the water, was quite painful. Ears popping, eyes buldging...in a matter of a second.

[Blue-Casket]

lol
I knew this question was going to be asked sooner or later !

[raymond6751]

Originally Posted by Seefer

What is the general thinking to managing battery charge levels during patrols?

You want to conserve your charge for when you need to hide underwater. I travel on the surface until a contact is made or I am approaching known enemy locations. The only time that changes is when I am low on diesel fuel and need to conserve that. Then I only allow the charge to drop to 50% before surfacing for a charge. A surfaced u-boat is almost helpless if attacked.

[The General]

Originally Posted by Faamecanic

Also the pressure (actually vacuum) created by those engines when the snorkel would dip below the water, was quite painful. Ears popping, eyes buldging...in a matter of a second.

Wow! Further proof, as if any were needed , that life on board a U-Boat was tough. They were brave, brave men, especially those who went out after experiencing this the first time

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Blue-Casket

lol
I knew this question was going to be asked sooner or later !

It's been asked many times before; about once every year.

[commandosolo2009]

speaking of which, is the a schnorkel in game, and is there a timeline for unlocking it??

sorry if its a repost

[Rip]

Originally Posted by commandosolo2009

speaking of which, is the a schnorkel in game, and is there a timeline for unlocking it??

sorry if its a repost

No reason for them to, real snorkels didn't appear till after the current game ends. Even when they were developed it took quite some time before very many actually had one. The device isn't even mentioned in Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War until well into the second volume. The crews were not enthusiastic about them primarily do to the issues listed earlier in the thread. Also they were very noisy making sonar useless while running the diesels and was a major obstruction to periscope use.

Rip

[commandosolo2009]

Originally Posted by Rip

No reason for them to, real snorkels didn't appear till after the current game ends. Even when they were developed it took quite some time before very many actually had one. The device isn't even mentioned in Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War until well into the second volume. The crews were not enthusiastic about them primarily do to the issues listed earlier in the thread. Also they were very noisy making sonar useless while running the diesels and was a major obstruction to periscope use.

Rip

Well if its not in the **cken game, why is there an option for snorkel up/down.

Biggest fail in the history of fail, IMHO

[Sailor Steve]

Not necessarily. Maybe they're anticipating a future finishing of the campaign.

People complained that the English voices in SH3 had American accents rather than German, but all the while they were planning ahead for SH4.

Maybe this snorkel thing is a good sign.