Visual Detection Ranges..

[High Voltage]

Assuming you are offering the smallest possible profile, at what range can you generally expect your lookouts to spot a contact, say on a perfectly clear day, or at night? :hmm:
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I usually try and determine what heading they're on and try to get ahead of them at flank speed. I then go to PD, 1/3 ahead and listen on hydrophones to confirm they're still there. I have seen some people mark a contact point on the directional vector which goes from your boat to the target, but i hesitate to use this as it is very imprecise in determining range and a few bad marks can throw you completely off.
I am very cautious and hesitate to approach these ships from the side as i have been attacked by destroyers that spotted me despite what i thought was a safe range. As a result i am forced to use a lot of Time compression to "guesstimate" the best spot for me to position myself in an optimal spot. I stay at periscope depth taking hydrophone contacts and peek up my scope every once in a while to get a better mental image of what is going on up above. I DO NOT know exactly when I should be descending to deeper depths and when and how i should come back up to PD.

Let me just clarify that I am quite adept at intercepting map contacts reported to me by radio using Dantonec's excellent tutorial, but it is the final pre-attack positionning I need help with.


I have heard different opinions and methods expressed and am curious to see if there is any sort of consensus.

Keep in mind that this would apply to GWX with 8km visibility and not 16km.

Thank you and Happy Hunting

[Corsair]

This is a very complicated question in fact because it all depends of what time in war you're talking about, which induces what sensors and what skill have the opposition...
I guess we all learned through hard experiences that your watch crew always spot targets too late (you can see them with the binos a long time before crew reports them) and of course the DDs always spot you too early.
A very clear and calm night if 2 or more escorts is for me a no go, not talking about a clear day.
I like a little bad weather, makes attack a bit more difficult but getting away much easier (which is usually the part where you risk to get killed).
Two things have influence on how they visually detect you : your profile and your speed.
From what you write I think you're doing the right things, just needs practice.
If you do the intercept right and are at meeting point a little early, get a hydrophone fix, surface and go towards the contact. As soon as you can see them it's time to put yourself on their path, submerge and wait. Hydrophone and a short periscope peek from time to time should put you in position.

[High Voltage]

Thanks for the encouragement Corsair.

Anyone else have ideas on this?