Radar end 1942?

[Tahrn80]

Hello all...

I use GW and SH3 commander.

Last week end, I set up a carrer starting in dec 1942.
In the first convoy I picked, night, no moon, calm sea (so ideal conditions ), one escort detected me at a distance of around 5000 meters.

I had no radar detection device installed, but it is the only hypothesis I have.
However, I have never noticed radar so early.

Am I wrong? Is it due to some other thing?

[ronbrewer]

Possibly the calm sea gave you away depending on your speed. Rough seas would allow you to get in closer on the surface.

With calm seas I would go to periscope depth before getting too close to escorts, even at night. No need to take chances with the early radar units.

[tycho102]

Yeah, they'll pick you up at 12-15km if you're using your radio or radar, and over 10km if they are using radar.

At 5km, you were spotted.

[NeonSamurai]

Personaly ive always thought the AI destroyers tend to pick your boat up far too soon at night, especialy when there is little to no moon, or in fog.

Of course they also tend to cheat, ive noticed they tend to be magneticly attracted to my boat even though they obviously havent detected me. Like today when i was stalking a convoy, christmas 1939. one of the destroyers suddenly made a beeline to me even though i could barely see him myself with binocs, he followed behind me for about 5 hours, well with in gun range, but zigzagging and neither shooting at me nor having me in his spotlight (i was running on the surface). Every time I changed course he matched it but he never fired a shot. Eventualy he gave up after i got far enough from the convoy. He maintained about 1200-2000m distance the entire time.

[johan_d]

They have hydrophones also..

[NeonSamurai]

Hydrophones are useless on the surface vs surface contacts, especialy at speed. Wave action and a bunch of other environmental factors pretty much nullify hydrophone detection.