Real Submarine Technology & History Q&A

[LukeFF]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Second, I have a few questions about the S-boats.

Patrol Endurance. How long could they remain at sea? Apart from fuel considerations how much food could they carry?

Offhand I don't recall, other than that, according to 1939 data, the max range was about 10,000 miles at 8 knots surfaced. Of course, the fuel tanks in these boats were known to constantly leak, so that number could vary significantly.

Battery Capacity. How far could they go while submerged? In 1941, were their batteries degraded or had they recieved refits before wartime deployment?

There was not a lot of funding available for S boats in the 1930s, so their first modernization refits/overhauls typically did not occur until late 1942/early 1943. So yes, in general, the equipment was very old and in need of an upgrade. Submerged speed/range at the outbreak of war in 1939 was 100 miles at 5 knots. Max submerged speed for S-18s was 9 knots and 9.5 for S-42s (again, 1939 data).

Surface Speed. How fast could they go in heavy seas? In SH4 they can plow through rough seas with little problem, but it seems to me this is a game flaw.

Max speed was 13 knots for the S-18 and 12.5 for the S-42. In heavy seas, no doubt it was noticeably less. The S boats were not known for their sea keeping abilities.