The idea that night has to be pitch black is quite wrong, at sea anyway.
If the moon is out, capital ships could be spotted up to 10k away. With only stars out, it's around half that distance, and obviously if it's cloudy it's more difficult to see things. Black silhouttes are easy to see against a very dark blue sky, or stars, or the moon.
There is a quote by a former WW2 Japanese sub captain to that effect somewhere on the SHIV forums, and it also accords with my own experience.
|