US subs performance vs U-boat performance.

donut · 09-20-06, 11:45 AM

raiding Turk atol in USN GATO,My gaming desire,what fun.

Hitman · 09-20-06, 01:59 PM

Different boats for different purposes.....

The US subs had to travel thousands of miles before they arrived to their patrol zones in the vast Pacific Ocean, so they are more to be compared with a german long range Type IX/D2 than to any other U-Boot.

In a face to face comparison between a Balao and a IX/D2 (Both ships available appeared around 1943), you note that:

-Maximum diving depths is similar, with slight advantage for the IXD2 (Talking here about REAL crush depth, not factory specs)

-Slight speed advantage for the US sub (Surfaced & submerged)

-Armament advantage for the US sub (Both deck gun and 4 extra torpedo tubes)

-Huge electronics advantage for the US sub (Radar with PPI)

-Range advantage for the US sub

U-Boots are beautiful, and specially the Type VII was a masterpiece at the beginning of the war (Like its WW1 predecessor the UB-III), but let's face it: The US never attempted to do such a mid-size sub, so comparisons agains that one are not fair.

I would also like to remark that unlike the germans, the americans had little need for further development of their subs after the war started, because 1) They already had better electronics than the germans, and 2) Japanese ASW was not as good as the allied one. Note however that japanese convoys had less ships and much more escorts, so it still was a VERY challenging affair to engage them.

Camaero · 09-20-06, 03:44 PM

Well I learned a thing or two new. Heres to SHIV being as good or better than SHIII!

DanCanovas · 09-20-06, 03:59 PM

my interest lies in the atlantic and med but i think SH4 will improve upon SH3 in terms of graphics and gameplay. really looking forward to it

CCIP · 09-20-06, 06:12 PM

I think it's fair to say that the US fleet boats were just that - fleet boats built on an entirely different design philosophy, whereas German U-boats were, on the other hand, purpose-built Atlantic commerce-raiding vessels. It's a bit unfair to compare them.

Ironically, the U-boats lost a war where they did exactly what they were built for, whereas the US subs won a type of battle they weren't designed for :hmm:

09-20-06, 01:59 PM	#2
Hitman Pacific Aces Dev Team Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Spain Posts: 6,109 Downloads: 109 Uploads: 2	Different boats for different purposes..... The US subs had to travel thousands of miles before they arrived to their patrol zones in the vast Pacific Ocean, so they are more to be compared with a german long range Type IX/D2 than to any other U-Boot. In a face to face comparison between a Balao and a IX/D2 (Both ships available appeared around 1943), you note that: -Maximum diving depths is similar, with slight advantage for the IXD2 (Talking here about REAL crush depth, not factory specs) -Slight speed advantage for the US sub (Surfaced & submerged) -Armament advantage for the US sub (Both deck gun and 4 extra torpedo tubes) -Huge electronics advantage for the US sub (Radar with PPI) -Range advantage for the US sub U-Boots are beautiful, and specially the Type VII was a masterpiece at the beginning of the war (Like its WW1 predecessor the UB-III), but let's face it: The US never attempted to do such a mid-size sub, so comparisons agains that one are not fair. I would also like to remark that unlike the germans, the americans had little need for further development of their subs after the war started, because 1) They already had better electronics than the germans, and 2) Japanese ASW was not as good as the allied one. Note however that japanese convoys had less ships and much more escorts, so it still was a VERY challenging affair to engage them. __________________ One day I will return to sea ...

09-20-06, 03:44 PM	#3
Camaero The Old Man Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: USA, Massachusetts Posts: 1,477 Downloads: 18 Uploads: 0	Well I learned a thing or two new. Heres to SHIV being as good or better than SHIII! __________________

09-20-06, 06:12 PM	#5
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	I think it's fair to say that the US fleet boats were just that - fleet boats built on an entirely different design philosophy, whereas German U-boats were, on the other hand, purpose-built Atlantic commerce-raiding vessels. It's a bit unfair to compare them. Ironically, the U-boats lost a war where they did exactly what they were built for, whereas the US subs won a type of battle they weren't designed for :hmm: __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

09-20-06, 11:45 AM	#1
donut The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: The Shifting, Whispering Sands, NM Posts: 1,463 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	raiding Turk atol in USN GATO,My gaming desire,what fun.

09-20-06, 03:59 PM	#4
DanCanovas Grey Wolf Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: London, UK Posts: 778 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	my interest lies in the atlantic and med but i think SH4 will improve upon SH3 in terms of graphics and gameplay. really looking forward to it