Pinging

[Palladius]

I realise this may seem horrifically n00bish, but when your crew tell you you're being pinged, does that mean the enemy is using active sonar to determine your position?

And, if so, does that mean staying rigged for silent running is pointless? Should I just hit Ahead Flank on the basis that they know where I am so I should try and make a run for it?


Also, while I'm here, how come some of my crew don't move between electric and diesel engine compartements when surfacing or diving? It's not a major problem, but sometimes I forget to move them by hand and wonder why I'm crawling along.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Palladius

I realise this may seem horrifically n00bish, but when your crew tell you you're being pinged, does that mean the enemy is using active sonar to determine your position?

Yes, that means they're using active sonar. Unless im mistaken, test ive done when experimenting with AI's active sonar cone,"we're being pinged sir!" doesnt always neccessarily mean that you HAVE been pinged, only that the AI is using active sonar in your general direction. By default, their sonar cone is so large, its really hard to miss anything if your the AI hunting for a uboat.

Originally Posted by Palladius

And, if so, does that mean staying rigged for silent running is pointless? Should I just hit Ahead Flank on the basis that they know where I am so I should try and make a run for it?

No. Don't do that. How then the DD's have you on both active AND passive sonar. Don't make their jobs any easier then it already is your best bet is to run silent, run deep ( pun intended), and try to present the smallest profile for them to ping as you can. SOmetimes that involves a hard rudder and a quick flank speed, but you dont want to have that sort of propeller noise coming out of your boat for more then a 3 to 5 seconds.

[Keelbuster]

I think you're right about the message 'we're being pinged' not meaning they know about you - anecdote - i had escorts circling a decoy far being me and pinging _it_. When they made their turn and I fell within their cone, i got the report. However, they didn't have me, and they keep hammering the decoy. I think the message has something to do with the DDs attack run - when they start to close on a target for attack, they speed up the Active sonar pings, etc. If you are in their cone when they do that, regardless of whether you are the target, you get the message. I think. Any opinions?

Kb

[MarshalLaw]

I believe your right, once you move into their detection cone , that when you get the message. Most times when I get the message they usually are setting up for a depth charge run. Sometimes they are dead on other times they are not. Also depends on when in the war. 1943 on they have you dead on!

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Keelbuster

However, they didn't have me, and they keep hammering the decoy.

Kb

I forgot all about that. This is True. Ive experiemented with this in two ways.

1. Was messing around with narrowing the active sonar cone once. Made it REALLy narrow, id get the message, but they didnt really have me.

2.) Decoy's. One of my favorite things to do is right as i get depth charged (as if DC's mask the noise ), drop a bold, order the boat deeper, and then go to flank speed for a few seconds to build up momentum. Give them enough time, and yeah, they'll be pounding the decoy and not you, but yet you still get the message, "we're being pinged sir!"

[Keelbuster]

Yea - it often works. I find that you can usually strip one escort off you at a time - one per decoy; sometimes more. The worst is when you get them stuck on a decoy, then they find you again and you have to start all over. And about the DCs - crazy that they don't mask you at all. I hate that.

Kb.

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by MarshalLaw

I believe your right, once you move into their detection cone , that when you get the message. Most times when I get the message they usually are setting up for a depth charge run. Sometimes they are dead on other times they are not. Also depends on when in the war. 1943 on they have you dead on!

Agreed.

It's hit and miss. Sometimes I just shrug it off based on the distance between my boat and the escort as determined by the hydrophone noise.

Once in a while, the escort sets up a run nearby or elsewhere and I just keep creeping away.

Sometimes, though, you're dead...

It's hard to decide if you should react or not. Of course, if you're listening to a single escort on the hydrophones as it closes and it disappears after speeding up, to be found on the other side of the dial cruising away from you, well, you just got dropped on!!