SH3: Question about depth charge

[ivanov.ruslan]

An easy way, but quite unrealistic, to watch through the extended camera , the barrels are clearly visible, when they do, you reduce speed
But when more destroyers is over you, then it becomes complicated





I think it is not possible to determine the exact time when it is safe to reduce speed

[bstanko6]

Ivanov, you are completely right!

Truth of the matter is, there was no real way to avoid depth charging or ASDIC!

Kaleun's learned through tragic mistakes of their comrades.

You have to try different tactic and confuse the enemy.

Going slow while a canister of death is falling towards you, to me, is suicidal!

For the newbies, understand this, if you are pinged, you are seen. They know where you are and will continue to depth charge until you are dead, or they run out of charges. Going slow will not hide you.

Being depth charges is a game of battery management, patience, and confusing manuevers!

Good luck!

[Aktungbby]

anggono!

Originally Posted by anggono

Upon the first depth charge exploding I'd normally go to "Full Ahead" and make evasive turn.

Unless I'm misreading your OP you don't wait for 'the first explosion'; when the soundman announces 'depth charge in the water!' (count each one ) U book it at top speed; diving with a 90 turn; this allows U the slim 'rate of sink' time ( 15-20 feet per second) to maneuver and the fact that only 7% overall of ship-borne depth-charge attacks were successful... thus the advent of Hedgehog and Squid's 30%+ later success rates.

There are several occasions when an escort will lose contact with a submerged U-boat. During the explosion of a depth charge, an intermittent blackout occurs, deafening the pursuer’s listening devices until they calibrate themselves. When the escort passes directly above a submerged U-boat, both sonar and hydrophone contacts are lost. Sonar is useless at short ranges and in addition, the U-boat’s position would be out of the sonar’s arc of detection when the ship passes directly above. Also, due to the interference of the ship’s own propeller noise, hydrophones cannot pick up any sound coming directly from astern of the ship. This provided several window of opportunities for a U-boat to change course or to run at high speeds without being detected.

U-boats could also launch BOLD canisters to confuse their attackers. Consisting of a chemical compound which emitted large quantities of gas, the resulting bubble cloud could resemble a submerged U-boat. Unless the sound operator was especially skilled, it was often difficult to distinguish it from a real U-boat. The allies called this a “Submarine Bubble Targer” (SBT).
It was not an easy task locating and attacking a submerged U-boat. Much skill and persistence was needed, and was especially so if the U-boat had already dived very deep beneath the sea. Sometimes escorts forced a U-boat to the surface by waiting it out. Since U-boats had very low underwater speed, escort captains knew that it could not travel very far. In addition, it could not remain submerged for very long periods. Appreciating the fact that carbon dioxide levels will start to rise, escorts will often wait in silence until the U-boat was forced to surface by itself due to the lack of breathing air. During the war, more than a handful of U-boats were defeated by sheer patience.

With multiple sonars on hunter- killer groups there is no recalibration time factor. Enjoy that last Johnny Walker... Red or Black, your choice, in your Kaleun's quarters! The Fatherland thanks U ...in advance and promotes U postmortem to KorvettenKapitän! Required reading: http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/D/e/Depth_Charge.htm vs the real 'Johnny' Walker-Walker was the most successful anti-submarine warfare commander during the Battle of the Atlantic and was known more popularly as Johnnie Walker (after the whisky). http://www.subsowespac.org/tactics/def_maneuvering.shtml

[anggono]

@Aktungbby. Let me have the Johnny Black while I try the "sprint and drift" technique suggested by bstanko6.

Actually I speed up on the first explosion. My soundman didn't say anything about "Depth charge in water", he is not very smart indeed.

@Fahnenbohn. I guess the post depth charge fizzle is not modeled in SH3 after all.

[Jimbuna]

Your best chance of not being heard is to stick to 1 knot max but that does limit your maneuvering ability.

Welcome to SubSim

[badwolf]

I use an escape maneuver that works for me well.

Two ways you can be detected.
Pinging off your hull. Has a short range of detection. Avoid this by keeping range and exposing minimum hull. Bow or stern, not side on.

Sound detection. Has a decent range of detection. Keep at silent running 150 revs per minute when they are close.
Revs per minute is the true way to measure the maximum noise you make and so highest speed undetected. Different class subs travel different knots at 150 revs per minute. It's the revolutions the props go at that determines noise, not sub speed, knots.

Occasionally a destroyer will pass close overhead without dropping depth charges, as he's unaware you are there. Would be a bad mistake to go into flank speed, thinking he's on a run. So listen for charges hitting the water or the crew announce it or get to know how loud the ping is when he's directly above you.

So lets say, you are being attacked by 2 destroyers.
Both can't attack at the same time. One is closing in on you, while the other is a distance away circling for his turn.
You are on silent running, the destroyer passes above and drops it's charges. Instantly you go to flank speed. Up to you if you do a turn maneuver, but this will effect acceleration speed. I personally go into flank and dive if I can.
Keeping flank speed you follow the coarse the destroyer was on at attack, then note which way he turns. You turn the opposite way, 45 degrees approximately to get max speed/distance using his and your speed. Now, how long you keep flank speed is down to experience. But you drop into silent running when the second destroyers starts to close in. Usually straight after you have done your 45 degree course heading. I may be wrong, but I think the first destroyers props will keep you undetected when your very close behind.
The second destroyer should attack the place where you went into silent running, followed by the first again etc. Having not detected you for a while, the destroyers will break attack and go into search mode.
You must escape, fast as you can, before their search pattern picks you up again. This is most important when faced with multiple destroyers. Noise is harder to detect at longer ranges. So when the destroyers are a distance away, you can increase speed a bit above silent running, according to range. The amount of speed increase will come with experience.
If one comes close, drop into silent running and keep stern pointing towards the destroyer.
Happy hunting.