Do American Subs do Surface Night Atacks?

Steeltrap · 04-24-07, 07:43 AM

Another factor not covered by the sim is that USA subs suffered periods of blindness through their periscopes. This was due to the attack scope having a narrow head (to minimise chances of it being spotted) which meant they were unable to draw a great deal of light through them. So in periods of low light they were, effectively, blind.

As others have said, it took the abandonment of pre-war doctrines for subs to start demonstrating their potential. One reason Dudley Morton of Wahoo was so famous is he is widely regarded as the first skipper to demonstrate what an aggressively handled fleet boat could do.

The sim has the problem of you inevitably being spotted before reaching firing position on the surface. This is unrealistic as subs were very difficult to see with their low, narrow profiles. Sure, bright moonlight meant surface attacks weren't possible, but with that much light they could use their scope, so it didn't matter.

SHIII required considerable work by modders to enable surface attacks - I suspect this is the same situation in SHIV.

04-24-07, 07:43 AM	#5
Steeltrap Grey Wolf Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 818 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Another factor not covered by the sim is that USA subs suffered periods of blindness through their periscopes. This was due to the attack scope having a narrow head (to minimise chances of it being spotted) which meant they were unable to draw a great deal of light through them. So in periods of low light they were, effectively, blind. As others have said, it took the abandonment of pre-war doctrines for subs to start demonstrating their potential. One reason Dudley Morton of Wahoo was so famous is he is widely regarded as the first skipper to demonstrate what an aggressively handled fleet boat could do. The sim has the problem of you inevitably being spotted before reaching firing position on the surface. This is unrealistic as subs were very difficult to see with their low, narrow profiles. Sure, bright moonlight meant surface attacks weren't possible, but with that much light they could use their scope, so it didn't matter. SHIII required considerable work by modders to enable surface attacks - I suspect this is the same situation in SHIV.