Engaging with passive sonar

[TopSecr3t]

Morning,

So last night as I was playing I came across something that struck me as pretty difficult situation. I found an escorted convoy on my play through and as acquired them I found out much to my dismay that the weather was quite abysmal with wind speeds reaching 15 knots, heavy fog, heavy rain good stuff.

Even though I have active radar and sonar I don't want to use it in fear that I might alert the convoy to my presence. So my question is this: Is their anyway to attack these guys using only passive sonar? I know about the 4 bearing method but I don't know if it will be accurate enough.

[merc4ulfate]

[TopSecr3t]

I'm already somewhat familiar with that strategy, but is it still safe to ping? They do have escorts after all. But then again the waves are pretty chaotic, I'm not too sure how the sound will propagate in the game.

[Aktungbby]

TopSecr3t! RULE 1 of submarine warfare: " live to fight another day". No pinging an escorted convoy. In a commerce-tonnage war that maru can also die another day. War is a $ vs $ struggle (KI$$) and your expensive submarine's value: both in expensive equipment & specialized crew and follow-on patrols in the conduct of operations etc is of more value than any maru in a given situation. 'Economy of forces' governs this situation.

[TopSecr3t]

Thanks mate

[Rockin Robbins]

Ping them. But be smart about it. One or two pings is all it takes to get the information you need and they need time to refine your direction. They can't refine your location from intercepting a ping.

So you have to look at the tradeoffs. If you ping twice you get their exact location. If you wait three minutes and ping again you then have their course and speed as well. At that point you can shoot from passive sonar. You have them cold.

What do they have? They don't know your direction or range. All they know is that you're out there somewhere. You have a shooting solution. They have vague information. That sounds like a great trade to me.

However, an even more slick way to gather the same information is by radar. It works at much greater range and with better accuracy. I haven't had any warships react to my radar yet in the game.

[ColonelSandersLite]

https://archive.org/stream/maneuveri...ge/26/mode/2up


It's worth noting that getting an accurate sonar bearing on a target in a convoy is not easy. The IJN didn't deploy radar detection until 1944 so if you have radar, it's probably best to use it.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Ping them. But be smart about it.

However, an even more slick way to gather the same information is by radar. It works at much greater range and with better accuracy. I haven't had any warships react to my radar yet in the game.

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

https://archive.org/stream/maneuveri...ge/26/mode/2up


It's worth noting that getting an accurate sonar bearing on a target in a convoy is not easy. The IJN didn't deploy radar detection until 1944 so if you have radar, it's probably best to use it.

BINGO!

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

https://archive.org/stream/maneuveri...ge/26/mode/2up


It's worth noting that getting an accurate sonar bearing on a target in a convoy is not easy. The IJN didn't deploy radar detection until 1944 so if you have radar, it's probably best to use it.

Heck, that's easy peasy. You might have some difficulty knowing WHICH target you have an accurate bearing and range to though......

[Crannogman]

How many escorts, how many merchies? I recommend you run right into/through it surfaced or decks awash. Put a fish into whatever comes out of the fog... And don't be afraid to have to gome home afterwards to patch some holes

[ColonelSandersLite]

@RR
That's kinda my point though. If you're getting different contacts on different readings then it will throw off your plot.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

@RR
That's kinda my point though. If you're getting different contacts on different readings then it will throw off your plot.

Stuff gets,very interesting when you plot one target for the beginning of a three minute timing for course and speed, then ping another target entirely at the end of the three minutes, extend the line to establish the "course," measure the number of hundred yards for the "speed," and surprise! Surprise! They don't go where your plot predicts.