Not Diving Deep To Escape Escorts

UKönig · 08-15-15, 06:30 PM

Sonar doesn't work well near the surface in bad weather and stormy seas, and the motion of the ocean is what's known as "surface clutter". In aircraft terms it would be like listening for birdsong in the exhaust trails of a jet plane. Maybe, but unlikely.
In the early war I will go as deep as possible but on average, not more than 285m. In a type 7, I prefer to keep it around 220m. That's because the early depth charges did not go deeper than 152 m, or 498 feet. So as long as you have a comfortable margin over your boat, the charges cannot get you. Go ahead, make as much noise as you like, eventually they will run out. The only problem then is how long will it take for the escorts to go away, vs how long will your air supply or battery power will last.
By the time Jan 1942 rolls around diving very deep offers little protection against the muchly improved asdic and hydrophones of the allies. They also fixed the limitations of the depth charge. There, only your experience will save you. And once they start "pinging" you with active sonar, well, being quiet is out of the question. The return ping is caused by your submarine hull and there is no way, out side of the albericht coating, to conceal it. Once they've found you, they've found you. Again, survival comes down to your own experience and skill.

08-15-15, 06:30 PM	#7
UKönig Captain Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 495 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Sonar doesn't work well near the surface in bad weather and stormy seas, and the motion of the ocean is what's known as "surface clutter". In aircraft terms it would be like listening for birdsong in the exhaust trails of a jet plane. Maybe, but unlikely. In the early war I will go as deep as possible but on average, not more than 285m. In a type 7, I prefer to keep it around 220m. That's because the early depth charges did not go deeper than 152 m, or 498 feet. So as long as you have a comfortable margin over your boat, the charges cannot get you. Go ahead, make as much noise as you like, eventually they will run out. The only problem then is how long will it take for the escorts to go away, vs how long will your air supply or battery power will last. By the time Jan 1942 rolls around diving very deep offers little protection against the muchly improved asdic and hydrophones of the allies. They also fixed the limitations of the depth charge. There, only your experience will save you. And once they start "pinging" you with active sonar, well, being quiet is out of the question. The return ping is caused by your submarine hull and there is no way, out side of the albericht coating, to conceal it. Once they've found you, they've found you. Again, survival comes down to your own experience and skill. __________________ Because I'm the captain, that's why!