Meters or Yards??

[don1reed]

For those unfamiliar with "high-scoping".
Due to the inherent design differences between a US Sub and Uboats, the conning tower of the US boat was taller and if you look at the periscope sheers, the metal support casings for fore & aft scopes, there are "look-out" platforms on port & starboard sides and abaft of the sheers.

"High-scoping" was performed while the boat was surfaced by a watch stander inside the conning tower.

As you can see, 9 nm...Thats 18,000 yards(16668m) on a clear day. Gene Fluckey, in Thunder Below!, describes three instances of "Atmospheric phenomenon" occurring when travelling in the Kurile Islands and up along the Kamchatka peninsula, where they could see Japanese convoys 26-50 nm away through the scope. These same phenomena are known as Arctic Mirages, reported during the first Polar expeditions.

edit: sorry, didn't mean to drift from the topic.

The International Extraordinary Hydrographic Conference of 1929 set the standard of 1 nm = 1852m; however, individual nations all use nautical miles when measuring linear distances over water on charts. Why the Devs chose a land-based measure on the F3 chart is not in keeping with nautical protocol. So, we just live with it.

[don1reed]

I can imagine three reasons why German U-Boats didn´t use "High Scoping":

If I could, AS, let me add one more reason:

The UBoat Commander's Handbook
B. How to Prevent the Submarine from Attracting Attention.
I., 23). & 24). It is the raised periscope on the surface that makes the typical submarine silhouette...etc.

I guess a lot of the younger Kaleuns adheared to the Handbook religiously, (due to Allied radar) as well.

[Hylander_1314]

It doesn't matter to me, as I'm comfortable with both types of measuring. But since the U.S.N. used feet, yards, and nautical miles during WWII, the game should really reflect this. I know the metric system by design is easier as it is based on unit measures of ten equal incriments, and is actually easier for people to adjust to, than the other way around.

But the unit measurements are not really going to matter that much unless the Devs give us real navigation qualities with latitude and longitude (including the minutes) and accurate star charts, and a sextant for the navigator, along with ocean currents, and trade winds across the sea. And let's not forget north, and magnetic north on the charts, like my maps of the Great Lakes have. Which vary by approximately 12 to 13 degrees latitude. Dependinding on the quality of the protractor I use at the time.

For history, and accuracies sake, I would have to say that it should use the English system of measure, along with gallons for fuel remaining, and lbs for weight.

[Oesten]

Originally Posted by bookworm_020

The US is one of only three countries that still use the imperial units for measurement.

See!

The US is more imperial than Britain now!

:rotfl:

[marky]

Originally Posted by Oesten

See!

The US is more imperial than Britain now!

:rotfl:

LOLZ!:rotfl:

id say yards, or make it so u can switchy for our backwards european friendz!

jk! :rotfl:

[TwistedFemur]

Originally Posted by elanaiba

Why not? 1 fathom = 2 yards!

how bout leagues ?

[azn_132]

Originally Posted by TwistedFemur

how bout leagues ?

U make me think about that one league story like 2000 leagues under the sea or somethang like that?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by azn_132

U make me think about that one league story like 2000 leagues under the sea or somethang like that?

You've never read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea? It's one of the great classics of literature. It's by the great French author Jules Verne. You should read it. Or at least see the movie; it was good too.

[Schatten]

What Sailor Steve said, the book is a masterpiece and the movie is good old school Hollywood adventure fun.

Oh and a league is 3 miles, so...that was a long trip to take under the sea.

[Hylander_1314]

The best film version is the original Disney film with James Mason as Capt. Nemo, also starring Kirk Douglas, as Ned Land. One of my favorites since I was a little squid. Actually first read the book when I was 7 yrs old.

[azn_132]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

You've never read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea? It's one of the great classics of literature. It's by the great French author Jules Verne. You should read it. Or at least see the movie; it was good too.

I was too busy sleepin late and play on SH3 all the time.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Schatten

Oh and a league is 3 miles, so...that was a long trip to take under the sea.

When I was a kid I was quite confused; I knew that a league was three miles and I knew that the Earth was only around 7500 mile across, so I couldn't figure how they could go down 20,000 leagues, or 60,000 miles. It was one of my more embarassing moments when I finally realized that was how far they travelled, not how deep they went. :rotfl:

[Ducimus]

Ive never heard the English measurement system refered to as the "imperial" system before. Wierld.

Here were taught two different measurement systems. English and Metric. Truth of the matter is we use both systems, depending on what we're doing. Anyway, I think people from Europe can just as easly adapt to a depth gauge in feet, just as easily as ive had to adapt to a depth gauge in meters. We switch back and forth between the two systems over here daily

[Schatten]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

When I was a kid I was quite confused; I knew that a league was three miles and I knew that the Earth was only around 7500 mile across, so I couldn't figure how they could go down 20,000 leagues, or 60,000 miles. It was one of my more embarassing moments when I finally realized that was how far they travelled, not how deep they went. :rotfl:

Well if we're admitting stuff...yeah I wondered the same thing when I was a kid too. I still remember looking up "league" in my handy dandy Worldbook Encyclopedias that my mom bought me for my 7th birthday and going "Ohhhhhhhhh!" :rotfl:

That experience is probably why I still knew a league is 3 miles when that came up.

Moral of the story: If you have kids buy them books, they'll still be able to conjure up essential information about things like leagues 3 decades later to post on the internet and look like they sometime have a clue.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Ive never heard the English measurement system refered to as the "imperial" system before. Wierld.

And just to make it worse, a US gallon is not the same as an imperial gallon.

Here were taught two different measurement systems. English and Metric. Truth of the matter is we use both systems, depending on what we're doing. Anyway, I think people from Europe can just as easly adapt to a depth gauge in feet, just as easily as ive had to adapt to a depth gauge in meters. We switch back and forth between the two systems over here daily

Completely agree. I had no problem with metric in SHIII; it just feels natural, as imperial measure will feel natural in a US boat.

Here's something most folks don't think about: There are metric tons (tonnes) and standard tons (2000 pounds), but ships' displacements are measured in long tons (2240 pounds). This is why some early British systems (such as guns) are also measured in hundredweights. One hundredweight is 112 pounds, or 1/20th of a long ton.