v1.3 Patch And Japanese ASW

[Bando]

Jace, what you're saying is running at surface, decks awash?

[Jace11]

Yup, try 8 meters on the dial (if using metric) or the equivelent in feet.

It definatley reduces their visual range.. it does help, but I just got spotted in one of my test missions, range was 2800m..

1.3 sets the minimum surface area (in sim.cfg) much less than mine, so it my be less effective. Plus DD's have radars that can pick up anything bigger than a door at long range, so it wont work against them, however an unescorted tanker or merchent would be a good target to experiment on, and the quicker crash dive (literally a few seconds..) is a bonus..

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Bando

Jace, what you're saying is running at surface, decks awash?

Hmmm. i dont remember if i put that in or not. Never thought about doing that because i tend to use radar depth, but still, decks aways means diesal power, not electric.

[Fearless]

Actually, it would be great to have a command setting to place you at 'decks awash' stage. The other one would be a "Rigged for Dive" command. From what I've read so far was that Fleet type subs were at rigged for dive stage as soon as they departed so that minimal effort to submerge the sub was required.

[scrag]

Not sure I am a big fan of 1.3. The Merchies seem to be uncanny in the ability to target me with there guns (Me at tnight DIW and waiting for them to draw near. Also the airpatrols are ridiculous (central pacific being attacked by a single engine A/C no Carrier or TF near. Weird. US Tactics developed where surfcae approach racing in and getting torps off at 2 - 3 k or closer then evading (on the surface and then repositioning to attack again after reloading. Now I spend more time at PD bow on waiting to have the target come run me over to shoot. Yet the DD's are seem to detect me more frequently while escorting merchants - as I have been able to successfully approach and sink carriers and one cruiser twice now and live to tell about it. I also had a single torp kill on a CA - weird she blew like a chinese fire works factory fire.

[theluckyone17]

Oh, I have to agree... the ASW is getting kinda tiring, with 1.3 installed, and TM1. Not boring, but tiring.

I was patrolling Sagami Bay, just outside Tokyo Bay. With the deep water, and early '42 convoys leaving Tokyo according to the SH4 map, I figured it'd be worth a try. I'd spend most nights on the surface, and most days under water at about 100 feet. If I picked up an warships, I went to 250 feet, 1 knot or less, and silent running.

This pair of warships (destroyer and a subchaser, I believe) passed me twice. On their third time around, I was unlucky enough to pass right underneath them. The destroyer never heard me... but the trailing subchaser did. Instantly, the active sonar started up, and it was a lost fight from there.

I'd twist and turn, trying to keep the pinging warship off my beam. Raising my speed helped get my bow around, but the other warship must've been listening off to the side, since I never managed to lose them. Just going deep (300'), with silent running, and less than a knot speed, failed to help. They continued to ping, and continued to drop depth charges. I'd continue to twist, alternate depth (250' to 300'), and finally just staying slow & quiet (again, 1 knot or less).

Only one near miss actually damaged me... enough to take out both 'scopes, deck & AA gun. Needless to say, the patrol was over at that point, and the warships continued making runs at me, regardless of anything I tried.

Wife finally came in, requesting a tuck-in, and I said the heck with it... quit the patrol without saving, posted this, and went to bed.

[Excalibur Bane]

I noticed they said in the patch notes, that gunners get better if they continue firing at the same target (Not the exact quote but you get the idea) which is odd, because I've experienced almost exactly the opposite. I often surface at night to engage lone or pair merchants that are unescorted. I ran into a pair of tankers, both with fore and aft gun mountings and both of them raining shells on me and they hit me twice in about 10 mins of continous exchanges (I don't man the deckgun myself). On top of that, the merchants guns do little to no damage at all. Neither of the two shells that hit, left a mark on the hull or produced any damage. Not even a "We're under attack, sir!" per usual. Though I've noticed they will now train the AA guns on you when you get in range, I don't remember them doing that in 1.2

I sat and watched the gunners with the binoculars and they either shot about 200 feet in front of their own ship or fired at a 70 degree angle in the air. That's some pretty weird gunning for a merchant ship, they can't be THAT bad.

[Tom C]

...but still, decks aways means diesal power, not electric.

Not sure if I agree regarding decks awash, at a certain point depending on the sea state you're risking water down the main induction, and that's a good time to switch to battery. Also I don't know about the diesel exhausts, with decks awash they might be underwater, I imagine there could be backpressure problems?

[John Channing]

Originally Posted by theluckyone17

Oh, I have to agree... the ASW is getting kinda tiring, with 1.3 installed, and TM1. Not boring, but tiring.

I was patrolling Sagami Bay, just outside Tokyo Bay. With the deep water, and early '42 convoys leaving Tokyo according to the SH4 map, I figured it'd be worth a try. I'd spend most nights on the surface, and most days under water at about 100 feet. If I picked up an warships, I went to 250 feet, 1 knot or less, and silent running.

This pair of warships (destroyer and a subchaser, I believe) passed me twice. On their third time around, I was unlucky enough to pass right underneath them. The destroyer never heard me... but the trailing subchaser did. Instantly, the active sonar started up, and it was a lost fight from there.

I'd twist and turn, trying to keep the pinging warship off my beam. Raising my speed helped get my bow around, but the other warship must've been listening off to the side, since I never managed to lose them. Just going deep (300'), with silent running, and less than a knot speed, failed to help. They continued to ping, and continued to drop depth charges. I'd continue to twist, alternate depth (250' to 300'), and finally just staying slow & quiet (again, 1 knot or less).

Only one near miss actually damaged me... enough to take out both 'scopes, deck & AA gun. Needless to say, the patrol was over at that point, and the warships continued making runs at me, regardless of anything I tried.

Wife finally came in, requesting a tuck-in, and I said the heck with it... quit the patrol without saving, posted this, and went to bed.

Interestingly your descrition sounds a lot like the last hours of the USS Wahoo as described by the Japanese reports and some IJN photos that have been located.

JCC