Frustrated Captain considering desertion

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

That really depends on the severity and situation honestly. Trying to kill a target at night in rain + fog is bad. I find when the weather is really bad, I can barely even see the bow of my own sub from the conning tower. Given that at least identifying the target positively as friendly/foe is extremely important in real life, and the fact that this was done visually in WWII (and even now to a large extent), rules out a night attack in bad weather.

When the weather is really bad, you can't effectively launch a torpedo attack during the day either as you have to close to well within arming distance to just see what flag he's flying under, which leaves the sole option of a knock down drag out brawl with guns. I suppose you could let him pass at point blank range to get the id, then do an end around and kill him.

Actually if you're at any time before the last half of 1944 and in Japanese waters, identification isn't necessary. Submarines are the only American game in town and if it floats, it's Japanese. Check out my John P Cromwell training video for a daytime surface attack in lousy weather conditions.

The best way to shoot in zero visibility is strictly from radar. It's a guaranteed kill situation at to risk whatever to yourself. At any point in the war, Japanese merchie/escort formations are unmistakable on radar and totally different from American military task forces. So your identification can also be by radar.

If it looks like a nice line of pips or two parallel lines of pips in the middle, surrounded by an array of pretty equally dispersed pips on the outside, it's fair game! Zero visibility is paradise!

Whip over to the Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks thread in post #1 and load up the WernerSobe sonar only, my Dick O'Kane sonar only, and the John P Cromwell videos. They'll give you all you need to party down in the muck.