Tanker takes 5 torps no problem?

[SUBMAN1]

How can people be sinking Battleships when I plug a 10K ton tanker with 5 torps in all different spots and it still cruises along at 6 knots?

-S

[akdavis]

Hi. Tankers by nature are designed to carry large amounts of liquid. When you blow a hole in tanker, you are simply replacing liquid with liquid. The other compartments can all be flooded to neatly compensate for any additional, unplanned liquids you might give the tanker. The liquids tankers carry are not necessarily volatile either, so don't plan on 1 torpedo causing a massive secondary explosion.

In real life, it was not uncommon for tankers to take more than 5 torpedos without sinking.

Size isn't everything. ;)

[79TransAm]

I was wondering the same thing, but that explanation makes sense

[nfitzsimmons]

I just put 5 torps into a modern large tanker, and it just kept sailing merrily along. On the other hand, in the same convoy I put one into an old medium freighter, and he stopped dead. Didn't sink, though. I evaded the escorts, waited until the rest of the convoy left, then sank her with my deck gun, since I was winchester on torpedos.

[Krupp]

I've been noticing, when setting up shooting ranges in the mission editor, that the japanese warships seem to be easier to sink than many merchants or tankers.

It is weird that a battleships, fleet carriers and other large warships, with a torpedo belt and effective damage controlling plus compartmentalization (which definitely should be implemented in the game,but apparently their not) inside the ship goes so easily down, compared to the weary merchants.

I'm not saying it's true, but after firing hundreds of torpedoes, it certainly feels so.

[-Pv-]

I quick inspection of the SH4 documentation will show tankers are among the most durable of the ships in the game. Expect to work them over hard. As a reward, they are also the highest tonnage of the merchant ships. If you can get more magnetic hits under the keel, it takes fewer hits (as does these types of hits with all ships.)
-Pv-

[Quillan]

I've pretty much decided not to shoot at tankers anymore, just for this reason. A couple of nights back I came across a convoy with two large modern tankers in it. I fired 3 torpedoes at one of the tankers, and a single at a large modern composite freighter on the opposite side of the convoy (hoping to stop it to deal with later), submerged and passed through the convoy, and came up on the far side. The tanker was merrily ablaze but steaming along without slowing down. The freighter was down by the bow and listing slightly. I gave the tanker 3 more torps and the freighter one more, all from my rear tubes. At the end of this the tanker has about a 15 degree list to port, was down at the bow, on fire from bow to stern, and sailed off into the distance without ever slowing down. I gave up at that point. The freighter never did go down and I didn't get into position to put a third torp into it either. 8 torpedoes, 8 hits, zero sinkings.
Yep, that worked well.

[SUBMAN1]

Yep - that seems a little excessive. I did some more tests though on the Large tanker that I was experimenting with, and it seems to hae a weak point directly aft of the forward superstructure. Pop a single torp in him at this exact spot and he will break in 2. Kind of a tricky shot though. Seemed easier to hit specific points in SH3. The TDC in SHIV will plug a torp directly into the middle of a target. Had to use the spread option to aim slightly left.

Using 100% realism by the way.

-S