I ran the True Ability numbers through excel for a fleetmate a few months back, and
classing to only 2nd sonar definitely makes it more difficult to hit the max TSR however
you could relatively easily hit the 2nd highest TSR.

Depending on the environment played, could potentially effect the choice as well as $$ or
(time if your an AA'er) into the sailor.

The way I've seen Subs most effectively used in HA, the extra sonar range would be useful.
However in GBIIs, if you can boost the SD/Rep rate materially by sacrificing 1.25 TSR I
would still make that choice.

Many sailors can be designed as soft sailors, many will need significant vets to help
reach the caps, however it can be done with weight saving and benefical to other stats.

Gunners/Torpedo is a good example. Left as arms sailors they can be leveled and still
reach caps later on. This will provide some additional SD/Rep Rate. Scouts would be
another example.

http://opennavyfield.com/forums/index.php?topic=93.0

Choose wisely.

From Adelberts guide:

"** A ** Sonarrange (Sonarmen)

- Only Sonarmen contribute to the range of sight while submerged
- They only work in support slots
- Sonarmen do NOT stack at all. The sonarman in the sternmost S-slot contributes only
** UPDATE March 2nd : The sonarman with the most true ability contributes now **
- Sonarrange is only dependent on the sonarman's true potential ability. No other sailor,
ability, ship, nation, FCS or anything else plays a role.

I will talk of Tactical Sonarrange (TSR) in 'ticks' of guidelines. It describes the
distance from the center of your ship to an enemy ship at which you will see it 'in color'.
TSR1.0 is the distance between two major tickmarks on your guidelines - no matter in which
zoom you look at it.
The real sonarrange - at which you will see the shades of ships - is greater then the TSR
by 3.0 as long as you have a sonarman on board.

The TSR of a submarine without a Sonarman on board is 3.0
As soon as a sonarman is on board, it 'jumps' up to 9.25, even if he has 0 recruits and/or
0 ability.
To get further TSR, you need more true potential ability on your sonarman.

TSR 9.25 > 0
TSR 10.5 > 620k
TSR 11.75 > 1160k
TSR 13.0 > 2130k

It will hardly be possible to go above that, since it requires an ability far beyond 3mil
and even an elite BO at lvl120, classed as Sonarman doesn't get there with a 'normal'
amount of vets."

**********

If it was me making the decision, I'd say the extra 1.25 TSR isn't worth the extra Rep/SD
you can get from leaving it at second sonar (do not think it would be terribly difficult
to hit 1,200k true ability at second sonar). Can do the math to see what it would take to
reach each of the last two required true abilities and decide whats most important to you.

I've actually late classed Sonarman a bit and have left him as 2nd sonar. The
range is decent - and because I've leveled him on an AA ship, I have 70 vets
already. You'll have to get confirmation from sub players but I don't think it's
as urgent as some of these other posters say. Planesman I would class on time
but sonar seems to be one you can "cheat" a bit on.

Depend where you put the sonarman to, you do differently:

To use Sonarman on DD, you better make it empty.

To use sonarman on SCV, you better delay class it as much as possible.

To use sonarman on SS, you better use elite and class it as soon as possible.

I would class him asap then you would have higher ability rates for sonar.

bump