Depth of water

K-61 · 10-23-15, 05:29 PM

Another rough clue is the colour of the water areas on your chart. The deeper the blue, the deeper the water. The darkest blue parts are often 1,000+ metres deep. The lighter shades are more shallow, until they are almost white. If you are sailing in these areas, you must keep in mind the depth, because if you order a crash dive, it is likely your boat will hit the seafloor at speed and cause serious damage.

Take a look at the waters in the Bay of Biscay, west of France. You will see there is a large continental shelf in that area. When you operate from the ports there you will have to keep the depth in mind as you sail out from base to the ocean. If you get jumped by airplanes here your life will get interesting very quickly. With little water under your keel sometimes you will be forced to stay surfaced and fight it out. When I have to transit this area at the time of the war when the Allies are heavily patrolling there with planes [the historical Biscay Offensive, which massacred large numbers of U-boats coming and going] I sail out or in at high speed, with the flak guns manned as long as the weather allows it.

Later in the war when you get your snorkel you can sail out submerged, but planes are always a potential threat to boats at scope depth. The snorkel leaves a wake which can be spotted from the air. When snorkeling it is a wise practice to have the scope up to help possibly spotting such patrols. If you see a plane you can withdraw the snorkel and dive as deep as you can.

The Allies at a certain time in the war figured out that one of the Achilles Heels of the U-boats [they had several] was the necessity of traversing the Bay of Biscay when leaving or returning to the French ports. Once at sea, it was hard to know where the U-boats were, but they knew that the Bay of Biscay was an area they must traverse at some point, twice per patrol. By deploying radar and search lights aboard planes, they were able to damage or sink a significant number of U-boats. 1943 was a terrible year from the perspective of number of U-boats destroyed. 1943 was the turning point of the war. From then on, the U-boats were the hunted.

10-23-15, 05:29 PM	#3
K-61 Grey Wolf Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Ontario Posts: 795 Downloads: 39 Uploads: 0	Another rough clue is the colour of the water areas on your chart. The deeper the blue, the deeper the water. The darkest blue parts are often 1,000+ metres deep. The lighter shades are more shallow, until they are almost white. If you are sailing in these areas, you must keep in mind the depth, because if you order a crash dive, it is likely your boat will hit the seafloor at speed and cause serious damage. Take a look at the waters in the Bay of Biscay, west of France. You will see there is a large continental shelf in that area. When you operate from the ports there you will have to keep the depth in mind as you sail out from base to the ocean. If you get jumped by airplanes here your life will get interesting very quickly. With little water under your keel sometimes you will be forced to stay surfaced and fight it out. When I have to transit this area at the time of the war when the Allies are heavily patrolling there with planes [the historical Biscay Offensive, which massacred large numbers of U-boats coming and going] I sail out or in at high speed, with the flak guns manned as long as the weather allows it. Later in the war when you get your snorkel you can sail out submerged, but planes are always a potential threat to boats at scope depth. The snorkel leaves a wake which can be spotted from the air. When snorkeling it is a wise practice to have the scope up to help possibly spotting such patrols. If you see a plane you can withdraw the snorkel and dive as deep as you can. The Allies at a certain time in the war figured out that one of the Achilles Heels of the U-boats [they had several] was the necessity of traversing the Bay of Biscay when leaving or returning to the French ports. Once at sea, it was hard to know where the U-boats were, but they knew that the Bay of Biscay was an area they must traverse at some point, twice per patrol. By deploying radar and search lights aboard planes, they were able to damage or sink a significant number of U-boats. 1943 was a terrible year from the perspective of number of U-boats destroyed. 1943 was the turning point of the war. From then on, the U-boats were the hunted. __________________