DD visual spotting range at night

[Krait]

Hello, Kaleuns !

My first post since... 2005? (forgot my old nickname..)

First let me thank Neal for providing a way to install SH3 without starforce!
That one hold me back from reinstalling the game for a long time!

Now for my question

I was wondering how close I could get at night to a convoy while surfaced.
So I made this simple mission with the sole purpose of finding out how close I could get without being noticed by a DD (pre radar)... and if there was a significant difference between fully surfaced and 'decks awash'

To my surprise.. well please find out for yourself

I have uploaded the missions (German folder) for you to find out when you get spotted...

I run with GWX and to be complete in my 'survey' I ran it with full and blank campaign; standard GWX sensors and "no continues ship spotted" sensors.

Here are my test missions:
http://www.gamefront.com/files/20258...nge-3+Moon.mis

http://www.gamefront.com/files/20258...tion+Range.mis

Please don't forget to make new folders with the same name as the missions.

I would really appreciate feedback on this!

Thanks!,

Kaleun W.A Mozart

PS (spoiler)

***********

In the full moon mission the DD passes me at 100 meters.. and doesn't notice me (?)

A site to find out when there was a full moon in 1940 in this case:
http://www.fullmoon.info/en/fullmoon-calendar/1940.html

Nicely done by the SH3 engine by the way (indeed full moon at that time!)

PPS

Not that a full moon seem to have any influence..

I would suspect that the DD had a CrewRating of 0.

Try it against a DD with a CrewRating of 4.
I guarantee a different result.

[Krait]

Thanks for answering.
I have the DD crew as Elite, though ?

Returning to port in Heavy Fog, an Elite crew german DD swerved and avoided a collision with me.

Why wasn't he blind?

[Krait]

I have no idea.

Please check out the 'moon' mission, or open it in the editor.
The weather is perfect, my watch crew spot the DD from 9000 to 14000 meters. (Seems different every time I run the missions)

The DD crew spot me in daylight almost instantly.
They also take notice of me when I submerge and go over 100 RPM or when I'm surfaced and fire my flak at the moon...

Originally Posted by Krait

I have no idea.

Please check out the 'moon' mission, or open it in the editor.
The weather is perfect, my watch crew spot the DD from 9000 to 14000 meters. (Seems different every time I run the missions)

The DD crew spot me in daylight almost instantly.
They also take notice of me when I submerge and go over 100 RPM or when I'm surfaced and fire my flak at the moon...

this is because over 100rpm your engines are off of "Silent Running" under that (Some say 50 rpm but 100 is fine, 50 is just being safe) they cant 'hear' you under water.

And as far as sneaking up to ships, I snuck in past a destroyer escort on the surface (Not half submerged) at night before and passed the destroyer within probably 1000m, although like you said you could probably get closer. I infiltrated between two rows of a convoy with ships on either side of me about 300m away and wasn't seen.

However, this was 1939/1940 when all escorts and ships sensors are what you'd call weak. As Snestorm said though, kick up their difficulty and you'll be singin a whole different tune.

[Krait]

Thanks for the input!

I deliberately went over 100 RPM btw to see if they would react; same with shooting my flak.

I don't know how to crank up the difficulty beyond elite..
I changed the date to 1944 once and they noticed me (Radar) at almost the same time my watch crew saw them.

In my current career (April, 1940) I'm about to intercept a convoy. In 13 hours it will be dark and I will probably find out the hard way that it's impossible to close a DD to 100 meters..

Edit:
Screenshot from the 'moon' mission:

[TorpX]

Your vulnerability to detection should also depend on your angle, that is your visible surface area.

[Captain Nemo]

Originally Posted by Krait

In my current career (April, 1940) I'm about to intercept a convoy. In 13 hours it will be dark and I will probably find out the hard way that it's impossible to close a DD to 100 meters..

A few careers ago in 1939/40 (I can't remember the exact year but it was early on) I was shadowing a convoy at night. I was attemting to overtake the convoy on it's right flank when the DD covering the right side of the convoy decides to do a search pattern further out from the main body of ships. He came real close, so close in fact that we had a minor collision. I thought I was a goner but the DD just sailed on unaware that I was there. So I say you can get within 100 metres of a DD in the early war years.

Nemo

[Osmium Steele]

While raiding a dutch port, on a clear, moonless night, we ran afoul of an asw trawler. After a lucky DC attack, everything topside was destroyed, both diesels, both batteries, hydrophones, etc. We're completely blind.

After barely getting a handle on the flooding, we go silent for 3 hours.

We surface, decks awash. Imagine my surprise to see the trawler less than 50 meters on our port side, completely dark.

I assume I could have sat there until sunrise.

[Krait]

Thanks, guys !

I chickened out to close the convoy escorts to 100 meters, btw ...
better safe than sorry, eh?

And I want to thank all the modders for keeping SHIII alive !

It seems a far different game than stock SHIII in 2005 (From what I can remember), although we had Wazoo's nav. tools IIRC

Cheers, und gute Jagd !

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by Osmium Steele

While raiding a dutch port....

That was your first mistake...

[Osmium Steele]

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

That was your first mistake...

I hear ya. The axis invasion/allied landings were underway. I was hoping for a nice troop ship or auxiliary cruiser like you can find in Dunkirk a few months later.

Lesson learned.