As a kid, I built models of U-Boats and I read everything that I could on the subject. I joined the Navy, largely due to a fascination with submarines.
Over the years, I became friends with three famous U-Boat commanders - Erich Topp, Otto Kretchsmer and Rheinhard Hardegen. I would write to them and chat with them by phone. Hardegen was the last to pass in July, 2018.
We discussed many U-Boat tactics that these men developed, but were not able to implement. I took concise notes and began to experiment with their tactics while playing Silent Hunter IV at 100% realism.
Sometimes, I play this U-Boat simulator when taking a break from music.
One tactic I employed, frequently used by Hardegen, was to approach targets "decks awash" which presents a very low visual profile to an adversary. Since targeting (at the time) was based on a visual observation of the target's size, a smaller profile gives the llusion of a target being much further away that it really is, and subsequent shots fired will strike far away from the U-Boat. Eventually, the observers will be able to 'walk' gunfire onto the U-Boat, so this is a shoot and move scenario.
This allows the U-Boat to engage an enemy, such as a Destroyer - with its deck gun.
I was able to sink this Destroyer with my deck gun, by hiding around a shot-up, disabled and abandoned freighter.
It took a while to sink, but it eventually succumbed to my deck gun fire.
Other techniques involved diving to the very limits of the boat's design limitations.
Hardegen, Topp and Kretchsmer knew the U-boat was capable of at least 1,000 feet. In 1943, U-175 under Heinrich Bruns dove to an incredible 320 meters and Harald Busch took U-331 to 260 meters and survived.
I've used thermal layers and diving deep to penetrate an escort 'shield' and destroy targets undetected, despite as many as 7 Destroyer escorts.
Playing at 100% realism means if your boat is destroyed, all progress is lost. My boat has been badly damaged a few times, requiring an insane 12 hours of real-time navigation (you can give a course and commands to the virtual crew to carry out while you are out of play) to get the badly damaged U-Boat back to Penang.
In one case, my boat was so badly damaged - off Christmas Island - that we could not submerge. We had to limp back to Penang on one diesel engine. Thankfully, a rain storm provided cover and the boat began flooding so badly that we successfully beached it at Penang with no crewmen lost.
We were given a new U-Boat as ours was not repairable.
So, using tactics developed by these commanders, many of which were never approved by Berlin for implementation, I racked up 770,000 GRT in only 4 years of service.
With 6 months of the war left in play, I'm shooting for 1,000,000 GRT.
Over the years, I became friends with three famous U-Boat commanders - Erich Topp, Otto Kretchsmer and Rheinhard Hardegen. I would write to them and chat with them by phone. Hardegen was the last to pass in July, 2018.
We discussed many U-Boat tactics that these men developed, but were not able to implement. I took concise notes and began to experiment with their tactics while playing Silent Hunter IV at 100% realism.
Sometimes, I play this U-Boat simulator when taking a break from music.
One tactic I employed, frequently used by Hardegen, was to approach targets "decks awash" which presents a very low visual profile to an adversary. Since targeting (at the time) was based on a visual observation of the target's size, a smaller profile gives the llusion of a target being much further away that it really is, and subsequent shots fired will strike far away from the U-Boat. Eventually, the observers will be able to 'walk' gunfire onto the U-Boat, so this is a shoot and move scenario.
This allows the U-Boat to engage an enemy, such as a Destroyer - with its deck gun.
I was able to sink this Destroyer with my deck gun, by hiding around a shot-up, disabled and abandoned freighter.
It took a while to sink, but it eventually succumbed to my deck gun fire.
Other techniques involved diving to the very limits of the boat's design limitations.
Hardegen, Topp and Kretchsmer knew the U-boat was capable of at least 1,000 feet. In 1943, U-175 under Heinrich Bruns dove to an incredible 320 meters and Harald Busch took U-331 to 260 meters and survived.
I've used thermal layers and diving deep to penetrate an escort 'shield' and destroy targets undetected, despite as many as 7 Destroyer escorts.
Playing at 100% realism means if your boat is destroyed, all progress is lost. My boat has been badly damaged a few times, requiring an insane 12 hours of real-time navigation (you can give a course and commands to the virtual crew to carry out while you are out of play) to get the badly damaged U-Boat back to Penang.
In one case, my boat was so badly damaged - off Christmas Island - that we could not submerge. We had to limp back to Penang on one diesel engine. Thankfully, a rain storm provided cover and the boat began flooding so badly that we successfully beached it at Penang with no crewmen lost.
We were given a new U-Boat as ours was not repairable.
So, using tactics developed by these commanders, many of which were never approved by Berlin for implementation, I racked up 770,000 GRT in only 4 years of service.
With 6 months of the war left in play, I'm shooting for 1,000,000 GRT.
Last edited:
as its cost is $4Billion per unit vs the Ohio class cost of $2Billion per unit. Its far more advanced in its guidance and propulsion systems but its size is just slightly larger than the Ohio Class and yet it will carry 16 of the UGM-113A Trident II/D5 missiles vs the current Ohio armament of 24 UGM-113A Trident II/D5s ( reducing to 20 in 2023 under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty or NSART).
