Escaping from sonar

[U777]

If I'm flooding I don't dare venture outside of the green zone. If I'm already under that then all I know is to order a green zone depth and to blow ballast.

Originally Posted by K-61

How do you guys cope with the sinking boat problem at depth? My boat can take the depth, but cannot maintain depth at 50 RPM's. For example, at, say, 210 M at 50 RPM's my boat slowly sinks, even if I order it to ascend. The only way I can get it to ascend is to increase speed, which reduces my stealthiness, or blow ballast, which you can only do so many times before you run out of air.

Set turns at 90 RPM.

Type IX (A), B, C:
Silent Speed: 90 RPM
Dead Slow: 50 RPM
(Real)

[U777]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

Set turns at 90 RPM.

Type IX (A), B, C:
Silent Speed: 90 RPM
Dead Slow: 50 RPM
(Real)

How do you do that, fine tune the engine telegraph?

Originally Posted by U777

How do you do that, fine tune the engine telegraph?

Right Click the Chief Engineer's avatar.
Turn the view to the right, until the RPM guages become visible.
Move the view upward, to bring them closer.
Left Click the bottom edge of 2 knots on your Engine Order Telegraph (Speed Dial).
Although you barely touched 2, the Chief Engineer should say "new speed 1 knot", but your guage will continue to read 2 knots, while level and not turning.
The reason for this is that your setting the speed just a hair under 2 knots.
You can check the RPM Guage at any time for conformation.

Hint: You do not have to "set" Silent Running to achieve the benefits afforded by it.
Just by regulating your RPMs to 90 or less, you recieve the full benefit of silent running.
Make sure Automatic Torpedo Reload is off.
Unless you choose to "set" the Silent Running icon, you can immediately begin any neccesary repairs, at the cost of temporarily loosing your silent status, until repairs are stopped or completed.

[stoneys-nutz]

If you are finding the time compression x8 a bit of a pain, install SHcommander, (Link below) you can then set the TC to your taste, and make a load of other adjustments too.


http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...do=file&id=733

[Schöneboom]

Re the "sinking boat" problem at 50 rpm, alternatively, one can use bursts of full speed while depth charges are exploding to ascend temporarily. I can't guarantee that the DDs' hydrophone operators are always deafened by the explosions, but it has worked for me.

I do not know for certain if the DDs can hear your main pump (Hauptlenzpumpe) that normally keeps you from sinking. But if you select silent running, that pump will be off. I have noted that the Longer Repair Times mod makes encounters with DDs particularly nerve-wracking, even with a thermal layer helping -- that's a good mod for the true masochist!

Btw, playing in real-time, these encounters rarely last more than a few hours. I tend to think that using TC in such situations would only prolong the ordeal.

Viel Gluck!

[JokerOfFate]

In the early days you can escape sonar but in the later years they're just too smart, they will come after you in packs your best chance on getting away is not giving away where you are.

Silent running doesn't work when they know your there, it's easy to get away from one destroyer when they drop DCs you do a 180 launch a decoy to keep him busy and slowly move away when the decoy dies he'll begin a sweep of the area, 75% of the time he'll continue on your last know course.

But if there's more than one then confuse them plot a zig zag course thats very tight at parts and very wide at others, randomly change speeds, deploy decoys and do sharp turns at random. Just make sure they can't judge where your heading also keep changing your depth. Half of the time they'll ram eachother because of the random course.

If more than one is on your tail they will most likely know where you are 24/7 so there no point in going slow and using stealth.

[Hangman]

Speaking of DD's with a convoy, I am curious as to their behavior.
If you have some DD's escorting a convoy (lets say there are five), and you attract some attention (three of the five), how long do they try to sink you before they return to their convoy ? Do they leave the convoy open to attack by another uboat indefinitely ?
I would think if they're pounding you for ten hours, and their convoy is running at 7 knots, that convoy is long gone before they decide to go after it. Hypothetically, is an entire convoy worth less than a single uboat ?
So I guess the ultimate question here then would be; do you as a uboat driver take precedence to the AI after you are discovered and is there a time limit to that precedence ?

Thanks.

[K-61]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one with the sinking problem. I remember in Aces of the Deep you had to come off of silent running after a while because the boat would gradually become heavier and you had to turn on the pumps to clear the bilge. I'm not sure if SH3 models this, because I have hovered at periscope depth on silent running for long periods of time and encountered no sinking. At depth it should be possible to dodge depth charges, due to their sink time, but eventually you'll run out of air or battery power. In any event, I've never had to surface during a hunt because of low air or battery; I either evade long before that or get killed. Thanks for your responses.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Are you using GWX? IIRC with GWX3 you need to maintain a minimum speed or you'll actually start to lose depth.

At depth it should be possible to dodge depth charges, due to their sink time, but eventually you'll run out of air or battery power. In any event, I've never had to surface during a hunt because of low air or battery; I either evade long before that or get killed. Thanks for your responses.

If you keep to silent running and stay at ahead slow/ahead 1/3 (with a few bursts of flank speed to evade when necessary) you should be able to stay under long enough for them to lose interest, if you survive long enough and aren't picked up by them again of course.

My usual egress consists of zigzagging with about 15 degrees rudder per turn, then a straight line once I know they've lost me, all at ahead slow.

[K-61]

Yes, I'm using GWX Gold. I try not to venture too deep unless they are really hammering me. Usually I set my depth for the edge of the red zone and I am able to keep it there at 50 RPM's. Going deeper than that I start to sink and have to increase speed. Recently I have been hunted by as many as four escorts and managed to evade.

I haven't been hunted yet by an elite support group, but I am sure my time will come and then we'll see how good my evasion skills really are.

[JokerOfFate]

K-61 beware those elite guys are tough on GWX sometimes they never give up. I got trapped at 200m going about 3knots for 5 hours game time at x8 not fun but luckily I had cool aid so I was ok.

[ReFaN]

Been at it for 16 hours once in 1945, vs a Elite group, Impossible i say!