Newbie Submariner

[DaviRN]

Greetings All

New to SH4 and been practicing torpedo attacks etc

Justa couple of things ....

American submarines seem to be painfully slow when submerged (5 knots or so) ... were they like this in WW2?

Did see some threads about this but I'm loathed to start tweaking the .cfg

Japanese destroyers are on top of me in no time

Get sent to Davey Jones Locker often when attacked by Japanese DDs, when attacked I'm submerged (obviously) stop or one knot or so, track the DD position on the nav map etc doesn't seem to work. If I go to outside view, they are right above me and seem to follow me?

If I sneak into a convoy, they still find me

What's the best defence for attacks by Japanese DD'S

Finally, I'm guessing WW2 American submarines were equipped with spotlights.

Are they in the game or a mod?

Appreciate any assistance.

Regards

[Aktungbby]

DaviRN!

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome to SUBSIM

Maybe list if you're playing with any mods. Someone will be by to help with these.

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by DaviRN

Greetings All

New to SH4 and been practicing torpedo attacks etc

Justa couple of things ....

American submarines seem to be painfully slow when submerged (5 knots or so) ... were they like this in WW2?
Yes - most submarines of WW2 were painfully slow underwater. 9 knots tops, and they could not go very long at that speed. Besides the fact they were LOUD doing it.
Did see some threads about this but I'm loathed to start tweaking the .cfg

Japanese destroyers are on top of me in no time

Get sent to Davey Jones Locker often when attacked by Japanese DDs, when attacked I'm submerged (obviously) stop or one knot or so, track the DD position on the nav map etc doesn't seem to work. If I go to outside view, they are right above me and seem to follow me?

If I sneak into a convoy, they still find me

What's the best defence for attacks by Japanese DD'S
Slow and quiet, change course, change depth...
Finally, I'm guessing WW2 American submarines were equipped with spotlights.

Are they in the game or a mod?
Not modeled in the game, and I am not aware of a mod, though there might be one
Appreciate any assistance.

Regards

Welcome to SubSim DaviRN!

When you establish contact with a target, prior to the actual attack run but on your approach, you can submerge your boat and go deep, doing 1x Time Compression. Track the time. When you hear "Passing thermal layer.", make a note of that depth and time, and then add 40-50 feet to the depth figure. The thermal layer usually helps you "hide" a bit quieter. If you have time, come back up to Periscope Depth, and see how long that will take. Then do your final approach and attack run.

If you are on a good track, and can slow to Ahead 1/3, do that. If you have to do some wiggling to get on a good attack track, do that as soon as possible, then get down to Ahead 1/3. You want to be below that thermal layer when within about 4-5 miles. When you get about 3 miles out, so to Silent Running. You can also hit the little button by the speed telegraph, and call for a 1 knot speed, which will take your prop rpms down to about 50. This is about the quietest you can be, but it is painfully slow.

Give your boat enough time to come up to Periscope Depth, all the while being quiet. When you pass about 90 feet (sometimes sooner), you can start opening your torpedo doors. Surely you set all of the depth, speed and pistol settings for the torps prior to this... Use your NavMap screen to judge the angle you want to poke your periscope out of the water, such that when you go to raise it, you know where you will be targeting, and then do it to it...

Whether you fire one or ten torpedoes, do not leave your scope up any longer than needed. ie: Do not watch the torpedoes to destination. Get the scope down, even between acquiring targets, if possible. Get all your shots out, down scope and go deep immediately, headed for that "Thermal layer". You can try staying quiet, and maybe get away, but sometimes, it is better to hit Ahead Full to get the boat down fast. As you pass the thermal layer, you can hit Ahead 1/3, and then 1 knot, and turn, say 15-30 degrees one way or the other, from your diving course. Then just go along like that for a bit, under the thermal layer. If it seems that the DD are not finding you, and you get a bit of distance from them, you can go off Silent Running, and allow your crew to reload the tubes... but pay attention to if the DD come looking for you, because you might have to go quiet again, and go deeper for a bit... ymmv depending upon the situation you are in. It is best to attack when there are some waves kicking up, especially if there is a rain squal around. Attacking with a dead-calm sea is dead-dangerous for you and your boat and crew... digitally speaking