How did real Uboot sailors determine target range?

[Shrike37]

I'm just wondering how the real Uboot sailors determined target range? In SH3 we have the Stadimeter built into the periscopes and UZO where you mark the waterline and mast height. They had the same thing right? If so, how the heck did they measure the range in anything other than calm seas? I think I would do MUCH better guesstimating range (which would be way off) in rough weather than trying to use the Stadimeter tool without being able to "Pause"...

[Brag]

Even in a bobbing sea, you get a decent idea what the Stadmeter tells you. With lots of practice or using binoculars when on the surface, you can get fairly accurate.

[meduza]

I have the "no stabilize view" option unchecked. It gives me a bit lower realism percentage, but it doesn't concern me. Besides, I believe that the real life periscope had some kind of a stabilization. The UZO probably didn't.

[Hitman]

I'm just wondering how the real Uboot sailors determined target range?

When submerged, using the periscope split prism stadimeters (early models) or reticles (late war models)

When surfaced, using plain naked eye estimation and some references as help, like: Amount of lense covered by the objective, hull cut or not by the horizon, etc.

In the real life UZo there was no range measuring tool built in. Distance was estimated by naked eye, but since all attacks where done as close as possible this did not matter much except if shooting with large gyro angles.

[DaveU186]

They got Bernard to swim to the target with one end of a tape measure.

[irish1958]

They would guess and fire a shot, see where it came down, then guess again, etc.
When they could "bracket" a ship, they had you and would then pour it on.
It is like putting in golf, or getting to Carnegie Hall. Practice, Practice, Practice!
Torpedoes were another problem, as you couldn't bracket a ship. To reduce error, you would try to get as close as possible and take multiple readings.

[Kpt. Weyprecht]

Originally Posted by Hitman

When submerged, using the periscope split prism stadimeters (early models) or reticles (late war models)

They switched from split-prisms to reticles? Something like moving from what we have in SH4 to a kind of OLC/U-Jagt tools?

[warispeace]

I'm assuming they would have used the mil dots in the targeting reticles to measure the size of the ship, then looked them up on a chart to estimate range. Just a guess though.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by Kpt. Weyprecht

They switched from split-prisms to reticles? Something like moving from what we have in SH4 to a kind of OLC/U-Jagt tools?

Actually it's the two combined. OLC/Joegrundman had to resort to a simple reticule style because the SH3 engine doesn't support dual image rendering. Sh4 does. But in the real german attack scopes those prism things could be rotated on it's side (90 degrees) to measure the appearant width, just like you do the height. Sh4 can't rotate them, or atleast the Americans didn't use it like that. To mimmic the AOB measurement OLC/Joegrundman also included a horizontal reticule scale to make it as realistically functional as possible. And by god they succeeded!

Also, because you see two of the same images moving up and down together in the attackscope it is easier for your eyes to track the difference. You don't need to worry about keeping the waterline in the same spot. So stabilised view option isn't such a bad idea in my opinion.