"Use HE shells on merchants' radio to prevent them from transmitting your position.."

Onkel Neal · 03-01-10, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conus00

U-571.

Oops. Did i say (wrote) it out loud.

Hartmann · 03-01-10, 07:55 AM

It depends but could be very difficult.

In daytime you have to surface at visual range of the ship, and prepare the gun to fire, it could take several seconds , enough time for the ship to use the radio .

In the case that your crew is very fast and can fire in seconds you still have to hit the radio at the first shot and know the exact place.

Frederf · 03-01-10, 10:27 PM

This is a very interesting question and I hesitate to express a direct "No way" or "Of course" opinion either way. Certainly there is a long list of criteria to be able to radio the position of an attack which could be source of "no radio" outcomes. And still the radio ability is likely rather robust so it might be very difficult to prevent the "radio success" outcome.

Radio Equipment and Crew Ability are two distinct requirements for a radio message to be sent. A radioman without a radio won't succeed just the same as a radio without a radioman won't.

Causes for equipment failure:

General electrical power failure (battery / backup power?)
Radio destroyed (more than one radio?)
Antenna destroyed (more than one antenna?)
Range exceeded (message impossible to send?)

Causes for crew failure:

Death (Torpedo more likely than shell?)
Shock / Panic (Morale-based?)
Imminent sinking (Task prioritization?)

I imagine hitting an ammo or kerosene ship might causes destruction such that any radio operations would be impossible immediately even if it took the hulk of the ship many minutes or hours to sink.

Ducimus · 03-01-10, 10:34 PM

See that structure topside with the big antenna sticking out of it ?

Yes, sir. That's the radio shack.

You and Wentz get on the deck. On my command, put a shell right through the god damn porthole.

03-01-10, 10:46 PM

i see this being very usefull in low visability where in fog or heavy rain you can be surfaced and on deck before they see you or at least before they can identify you as the enemy.

but ya, in good visability there should be no way to stop being reported in time

Sailor Steve · 03-02-10, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hartmann

It depends but could be very difficult.

In daytime you have to surface at visual range of the ship, and prepare the gun to fire, it could take several seconds , enough time for the ship to use the radio .

In the case that your crew is very fast and can fire in seconds you still have to hit the radio at the first shot and know the exact place.

The conning tower breaks the surface first. It takes several more seconds before the deck is above water. Twenty seconds to get the hatch open and get the crew out on deck. If the first man out unplugs the tampon, and the second man out opens the ready-use locker and grabs the first shell, and the third man out opens the breach, and the fourth man starts training the gun onto the target, it will probably still be more than a minute before the gun is ready to fire. Then you still have to deal with the fact that in anything but a dead-calm sea the submarine is a relatively unstable gun platform.

Then you have to find the radio shack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ducimus

See that structure topside with the big antenna sticking out of it ?

Yes, sir. That's the radio shack.

You and Wentz get on the deck. On my command, put a shell right through the god damn porthole.

Of course the radio antenna is mounted to the mast, and the radio shack is somewhere inside...

Galanti · 03-02-10, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

If the first man out unplugs the tampon, ..

Which would require 1000 morale points, btw.

Schunken · 03-02-10, 04:34 PM

Lets call it "plug" okay guys....

Andreas

Sailor Steve · 03-02-10, 05:10 PM

I'm an old sailor. I call it what it is.

Some young'un wants to make jokes, fine with me. I did it too.

By the way, Galanti, that was a good one...and tasteful, to boot.

Frederf · 03-02-10, 06:16 PM

It would be unfortunate for such a feature to be abused in a "gamey" kind of way but it's just as bad that the radioman happily reports you despite standing on the bulkhead as the flaming exploding ship is 70% sunk bow first.

I hated how the enemy guns, searchlights, etc were 100% operational well into a firey, sinky death and all turned off at once like a light switch.

03-01-10, 07:55 AM	#2
Hartmann Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Grid CH 26, Spain ,Barcelona Posts: 1,857 Downloads: 204 Uploads: 0	It depends but could be very difficult. In daytime you have to surface at visual range of the ship, and prepare the gun to fire, it could take several seconds , enough time for the ship to use the radio . In the case that your crew is very fast and can fire in seconds you still have to hit the radio at the first shot and know the exact place. __________________ But this ship can't sink!... She is made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can. and she will. It is a mathematical certainty. Strength and honor

03-01-10, 10:27 PM	#3
Frederf Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 665 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 1	This is a very interesting question and I hesitate to express a direct "No way" or "Of course" opinion either way. Certainly there is a long list of criteria to be able to radio the position of an attack which could be source of "no radio" outcomes. And still the radio ability is likely rather robust so it might be very difficult to prevent the "radio success" outcome. Radio Equipment and Crew Ability are two distinct requirements for a radio message to be sent. A radioman without a radio won't succeed just the same as a radio without a radioman won't. Causes for equipment failure: General electrical power failure (battery / backup power?) Radio destroyed (more than one radio?) Antenna destroyed (more than one antenna?) Range exceeded (message impossible to send?) Causes for crew failure: Death (Torpedo more likely than shell?) Shock / Panic (Morale-based?) Imminent sinking (Task prioritization?) I imagine hitting an ammo or kerosene ship might causes destruction such that any radio operations would be impossible immediately even if it took the hulk of the ship many minutes or hours to sink.

03-02-10, 05:10 PM	#9
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	I'm an old sailor. I call it what it is. Some young'un wants to make jokes, fine with me. I did it too. By the way, Galanti, that was a good one...and tasteful, to boot. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

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03-01-10, 10:34 PM	#4
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	See that structure topside with the big antenna sticking out of it ? Yes, sir. That's the radio shack. You and Wentz get on the deck. On my command, put a shell right through the god damn porthole.

03-01-10, 10:46 PM	#5
Webster Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	i see this being very usefull in low visability where in fog or heavy rain you can be surfaced and on deck before they see you or at least before they can identify you as the enemy. but ya, in good visability there should be no way to stop being reported in time

03-02-10, 04:34 PM	#8
Schunken Medic Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 168 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Lets call it "plug" okay guys.... Andreas

03-02-10, 06:16 PM	#10
Frederf Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 665 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 1	It would be unfortunate for such a feature to be abused in a "gamey" kind of way but it's just as bad that the radioman happily reports you despite standing on the bulkhead as the flaming exploding ship is 70% sunk bow first. I hated how the enemy guns, searchlights, etc were 100% operational well into a firey, sinky death and all turned off at once like a light switch.