Static Search Vs. Dynamic Search

[TorpX]

Pardon for the double post.

Originally Posted by magic452

A couple of points here.

First a sea lane is not a narrow straight line even in the heavily traveled choke points. Markassar Strait is about 50 nm. wide. Luzon three times that.
Shipping lanes are no doubt about the same. You can sit in the center and still leave more than enough room for convoys to sail right by. Why give up the higher percentage for contacts just to save some fuel that is for the most part not an issue.

The math I used does not require a particularly wide or narrow sea lane. You can use different figures with these calculations and get substantially the same results. Fuel not being as much an issue is due to shortcomings in the game. In RL rough weather would slow you down much more. Even as it is when I am playing an S-class, fuel is indeed an issue. If I cruised continously in an S-class, it would be a short and unhappy patrol.

Second ships and convoys don't run straight courses they zig zag and can very easily sail right past you. Again a dynamic search will increase your chances of making contact and I would think the increase would be greater than what your figures suggest. The zig zags put them in your contact zone longer than a straight course would. The course changes reduce their overall progress on their base course. I do your yo-yo across the lane almost exactly as you describe but I'm also moving North or South. I described this in my second post.

I'll grant you targets zigging will give you more of a chance to detect them, but this doesn't fundamentally alter the math.

Again your giving away contacts to save fuel you most probably won't need.

I would say you are giving away contacts by wasting fuel and terminating the patrol prematurely.

Third Radar. 20 nm. range Your search area doubles and enabling you to cover most of area of a choke point if you're moving.

I'm not disputing the usefulness of radar (or sonar or anything else). Anything that doubles your detection range will double your chances, likewise anything that halves your detection range will halve your chances. This is true whether you are moving or not. Radar really has nothing to do with it. If you want to compare a radar equipted boat to one without radar, the radar boat will obviously win.

In any case, if you have a 20 nm radar, you can cover most of the area of a choke point even if your not moving.

If I'm in a dead area I'm going to patrol in a way that searches the greatest area in the shortest amount of time. Your not going to find much no matter which method you use.

OK, lets say you arrive at your patrol area on monday. No matter how quickly or intensely you search search your box. You will have to do it again tuesday, and wednesday and thursday....... However quickly you search, you cannot pull the targets to your location. If the area has an average of 2 ships transiting each week, it will take weeks to obtain a good number of contacts. And it is unlikely you would find them all. Realistically, most areas would not give you a contact every day, but by continuously cruising you would be burning a lot of extra fuel each and every day.

Your mission is to interdict shipping not stay on station for 60 days. They have other boats to replace you in that area.

I'm wanting to RTB knowing I gave myself the best opportunity to have success.

And when I get there I'm going to say "I one of the top guns and don't send me to the Marshals again." I'm sure they will listen.

But I do see what you are saying and your points are well taken, I can see several places that a static search might be the best tactic especially early in the war where fuel is a little bit bigger concern. Armistead has pointed out a couple as well.

Magic
[/INDENT]

Look, I can see your just a bit skeptical. I am not trying to convince you to do it my way, but the math is the math.

The bottom line is a moving search is not as big a help as you like to think. When you are moving to the east, targets can slip by to the west, when you move to the west, targets might slip by to the east. If you go farther to the east to "cover more ground", a target could go past in the center or the west. You cannot be in two places at once, nor can you hasten or delay their arrival.