DD visual spotting range at night

[Krait]

I have no idea.

Please check out the 'moon' mission, or open it in the editor.
The weather is perfect, my watch crew spot the DD from 9000 to 14000 meters. (Seems different every time I run the missions)

The DD crew spot me in daylight almost instantly.
They also take notice of me when I submerge and go over 100 RPM or when I'm surfaced and fire my flak at the moon...

Originally Posted by Krait

I have no idea.

Please check out the 'moon' mission, or open it in the editor.
The weather is perfect, my watch crew spot the DD from 9000 to 14000 meters. (Seems different every time I run the missions)

The DD crew spot me in daylight almost instantly.
They also take notice of me when I submerge and go over 100 RPM or when I'm surfaced and fire my flak at the moon...

this is because over 100rpm your engines are off of "Silent Running" under that (Some say 50 rpm but 100 is fine, 50 is just being safe) they cant 'hear' you under water.

And as far as sneaking up to ships, I snuck in past a destroyer escort on the surface (Not half submerged) at night before and passed the destroyer within probably 1000m, although like you said you could probably get closer. I infiltrated between two rows of a convoy with ships on either side of me about 300m away and wasn't seen.

However, this was 1939/1940 when all escorts and ships sensors are what you'd call weak. As Snestorm said though, kick up their difficulty and you'll be singin a whole different tune.

[Krait]

Thanks for the input!

I deliberately went over 100 RPM btw to see if they would react; same with shooting my flak.

I don't know how to crank up the difficulty beyond elite..
I changed the date to 1944 once and they noticed me (Radar) at almost the same time my watch crew saw them.

In my current career (April, 1940) I'm about to intercept a convoy. In 13 hours it will be dark and I will probably find out the hard way that it's impossible to close a DD to 100 meters..

Edit:
Screenshot from the 'moon' mission:

[TorpX]

Your vulnerability to detection should also depend on your angle, that is your visible surface area.

[Captain Nemo]

Originally Posted by Krait

In my current career (April, 1940) I'm about to intercept a convoy. In 13 hours it will be dark and I will probably find out the hard way that it's impossible to close a DD to 100 meters..

A few careers ago in 1939/40 (I can't remember the exact year but it was early on) I was shadowing a convoy at night. I was attemting to overtake the convoy on it's right flank when the DD covering the right side of the convoy decides to do a search pattern further out from the main body of ships. He came real close, so close in fact that we had a minor collision. I thought I was a goner but the DD just sailed on unaware that I was there. So I say you can get within 100 metres of a DD in the early war years.

Nemo