Were Jap Merchant's equipped with hydrophones later in the war?

[ddiplock]

As the title says, were they? Because I've started a new career in the beginning of 1943, and I started moving into a firing position on a Japanese merchant, had my scope down and everything to avoid giving the game away and then he mysteriously starts zig-zagging every which way.

The only thing I can think of, is the fact I was running my electrics at flank and he "heard" me, but that's only if he had hydrophones. But I think I read somewhere that the Japanese did begin to equip their merchants with hydrophone systems.

Does SH4 reflect this at all?

[Sailor Steve]

I haven't read anything one way or the other, so maybe it's just my bias talking when I say I find it very hard to believe. Did anyone ever put listening devices on a merchant ship? I don't think even warships outside of dedicated ASW vessels carried sound equipment. Trained sound operators are harder to come by than trained gunners.

They did equip some merchants with depth charges, but the documents that show their use seem to indicate that they followed the torpedo tracks and dropped them blindly, as none of them ever came close.

[banjo]

This type of merchie zigzagging happens to me all the time. I think it is a flaw in the game--not planned. I use TMO and RSRD.

[Mush Martin]

At periscope depth or other shallow depths 75ft maybe, seagulls will
trail over your boat like they do behind a fishing trawler, in short
you dont need sound gear to know theres a sub out there.

M

[ddiplock]

Originally Posted by Mush Martin

At periscope depth or other shallow depths 75ft maybe, seagulls will
trail over your boat like they do behind a fishing trawler, in short
you dont need sound gear to know theres a sub out there.

M

Yeah but I dont quite think SH4 replicates THAT detailed aspects of the war lol

[Mush Martin]

Originally Posted by ddiplock

Yeah but I dont quite think SH4 replicates THAT detailed aspects of the war lol

Ive been killed lots O times
"Mush"

LOL damn seagulls

[Quillan]

I have no idea if it's stock behavior or was brought about by one of the mods I run, but regardless of circumstances the enemy merchants start zig-zagging when they get within ~2000 yards of my position. I have done it while over 1000 yards off their course, lying stationary at 300 feet depth with silent running on, and as soon as they get within that 2000 yard distance they slow down and start varying course.

[Hartmann]

Some q ships perhaps could carry hidrophones, but not regular merchants, :hmm:

one good test is see if at 150 meters cause the same behaviour.

[Digital_Trucker]

Underwater visual detection, perhaps?

[ddiplock]

Well, whatever it is, its very annoying. Its like they somehow know your there. That's why I asked about the hydrophones, as i'm sure I read somewhere the Japs equipped some of their merchies with them, but i'm not sure. lol

Its annoying anyhow. ruins perfectly good shooting chances

[tater]

MANY japanese merchant ships were equipped with hydrophones, particularly later in the war.

Many also had some DCs, though they did not prosecute targets, they just dumped them over the side to try and scare subs away.

[Hartmann]

Originally Posted by tater

MANY japanese merchant ships were equipped with hydrophones, particularly later in the war.

Many also had some DCs, though they did not prosecute targets, they just dumped them over the side to try and scare subs away.

they were running out of destroyers and ships, so need every thing that float converted in to a submarine chaser

[ddiplock]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

they were running out of destroyers and ships, so need every thing that float converted in to a submarine chaser

Does SH4 replicate this by giving merchants the ability to detect submerged subs? that might explain why the merchies have started evasive tactics when i'm tearing towards them at flank speed in the later years of the war.

[Fincuan]

Many merchants in SH4 receive hydrophones towards the end of the war, and in some cases it's even upgraded. You can easily check this from the ships' .eqp files.

[tater]

Originally Posted by Hartmann

they were running out of destroyers and ships, so need every thing that float converted in to a submarine chaser

They used small converted merchants as Aux Subchasers, yes. That is not what I'm talking about. I mean that a large % of all merchants had a few DCs aboard, and they'd simply dump them over the side during an attack to scare the subs (didn't work). They did not try to hit anything.