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Part of the challenge
of Silent Hunter is the skill of locating your prospective targets. The
use of the Chart and RADAR functions will certainly allow this. In the
majority of the single missions, your targets are located by the AI.
Once a RADAR contact or a visual sighting is announced, it is up to you
as the skipper to order the necessary course changes to get your boat
into an acceptable position to inflict the greatest amount of damage to
the contact. "Patrolling" is a tactical skill that will be used
primarily when you are in the career mode. In this category, it is up to
you to determine
your boat's course of travel in order to be able to make the same
contacts that the AI does in the single missions. There are no great
secrets to accomplishing this and quite frankly, making a contact with
the enemy can be done almost accidentally. However, going into a patrol
zone with a clear plan makes acquiring the target contact much more
satisfying.
Historically,
submarines deployed to particular areas were generally given a
tremendous amount of latitude in how they conducted their patrol, and
the actual zone assignments covered much less territory then we are
afforded in SH. The term "patrolling" may conjure up an image of the
rather passive activity of simply transiting back and forth in a given
area in the hopes of stumbling onto a big, fat, juicy convoy. As the
commander of a submarine hell bent on sinking the entire Japanese Navy,
it may be better to interpret patrolling as "hunting", which has a more
active connotation. It is interesting to note Mr. Webster's definition
of hunting - To chase or search for, as game; to pursue with force;
to scour, as a region, in pursuit of game. By becoming comfortable
with the Chart function in Silent Hunter and with a little understanding
of the history of WW II submarine warfare, our patrolling techniques
become less of a crap shoot and more of a finely honed skill.
I briefly described my
favorite method of patrolling in the Chart section. By "Zig
Zagging" along a coastline, I am able to greatly increase my
opportunities to make a target contact. But I plot my course only after
I have studied the chart screen and determined the high traffic areas.
Throughout the time you are in an assigned zone, you'll notice convoy
markers springing up in different locations across the screen. The
sightings may appear to to random, but you will begin to see a pattern
develop. These are the high traffic areas where you might want to
concentrate your patrol. The Japanese tended to travel along well
established trade routes, and you may miss a few convoys passing a
certain point on the way to that area, but given time, the odds are in
your favor that another will be along shortly. If it ultimately turns up
dry, simply move on to another. Hunting in areas close to enemy ports
and harbors can be productive but keep an eye on the water's depth.
These hotspots are heavily guarded by ASW patrols and an attack near
shallow water can can spell disaster if you're not careful.
If you are like many a
die hard Silent Hunter fans, your interest goes beyond the game. I have
included on the links page, a list of some of the best sources of
information regarding the subject of the submarine war in the Pacific.
By reading some of the first hand accounts of submariners, you will
recognize the names and locations of the areas the were productive to
the skippers during WW II. Names like Bungo Suido, Luzon Straits,
Kyushu, Honshu, Truk and many more will be recognized from an historical
perspective, and will help to give you a pretty good indication as to
where
you will be most successful. When beginning a patrol, I immediately
survey the chart screen for a spot that I knew had a significance during
the war. I may alter my course during my transit to that location, but
it makes a good initial starting location. I give the time compression
function a good work out during this transit, knowing that RADAR or a
visual sighting will inform me of any contacts. Submarines would
generally spend the daylight hours patrolling submerged to reduce
detection (especially from aircraft), surfacing at night to continue
hunting and recharge their batteries. The advent of the SD radar made
early warning of approaching aircraft a possibility, resulting in the
surface strategies and tactics being revised. My preference is to get to
the high traffic areas ASAP, and will usually travel on the surface to
take advantage of the additional speed available as well as the
opportunity to use the high scope. An air contact without the benefit of
the SD results in a crash dive to a depth of at least 100 feet.
Remember, submarines were sometimes plainly visible at shallow
submergence from the air. The lamp black color of early war subs did not
camouflage the boats well in some waters and they became easy targets.
PHOTO RECON MISSIONS
While out on a war
patrol you'll more then likely receive a radio communication ordering
you to conduct a Photo Recon mission. While it is true that US subs
performed these tasks during the war, from an historical perspective,
they are a bit over used by Silent Hunter. Your biggest challenge in
this assignment will be to remain undetected by a few patrol boats
wandering around but other then that, you won't have any mines or
submarine nets to deal with. . . truthfully, not very realistic. For the
hardcore realism fan, it may only take a few of these assignments before
you ignore the orders when they arrive all together.
In any case, upon
receiving the orders, locate the port with the red "T" on the chart
screen. This is your target area. Once inside the harbor, the T will
mark the facilities to be photographed so make a bee-line for it. You
need to be fairly close and it can only be accomplished during the
daylight hours (so time your entrance into the harbor accordingly). A
red marker will appear in your TBT or periscope view field indicating
that you are in range to snap a picture. Now hit the "TAB" key. The red
T will have disappeared from the chart screen and you'll hear "Mission
completed, sir".
Life Guard Duty
Life guard duty was a
critical service that US submarines performed during the war, and they
did so spectacularly - having plucked 520 US airmen from the Pacific
Ocean waters. In fact, former US President George Bush Sr., was rescued
by the USS Finback after being shot down while he was on an air strike
mission over the Bonin Islands during WW II. There was a sense of
confidence among pilots knowing that if shot down, the odds of their
survival increased dramatically because of the subs assigned to fish
them out of the drink, echoed in an article by Ernie Pyle entitled
EVEN IF YOU WERE SHOT DOWN IN TOKYO HARBOR THE NAVY WOULD BE IN TO GET
YOU OUT!
As in a Photo Recon
mission, you'll receive orders to be on stand by to support an air
strike at some designated point. Take a look at your chart screen and
you'll see a blue triangle. Pay particular attention to the time you
need to be on station . . . you don't want to be late, otherwise you'll
miss the show. Once you've taken your assigned station off the coast,
you'll be able to pick up the incoming flights on your RADAR screen as
they head to their target area. You can even watch the attack as it
takes place. Once the air strike is completed, the approximate location
of any downed pilots will be marked with a blue triangle. Head for this
blue marker. Your lookouts will announce "Downed pilot spotted". Close
to within 200 yards and you'll hear "We're close enough for a rescue"
Immediately, cut your speed to 5 knots or less (otherwise you might run
the aviator over) and hit the "E" key to extract the pilot. It's not
always a cake walk - you might have to contend with enemy patrol boats
or aircraft so it'll take some careful planning and maneuvering to
successfully complete the mission.
SAMPANS
There has been some
discussion as to whether or not the sampans we can encounter during a
patrol actually serve to warn the IJN of our presence. I really can't
say for sure because I never pass up the chance to give my gun crews an
opportunity to get out on deck. Close to within 1200 yards and fire
away. If total tonnage and scoring has any appeal, sampans add to the
total.
Good hunting . . . . .
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CHARTS |
RADAR |
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Silent Hunter
Commander's Edition |
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