torpedo attack protocol
from sunk !
"It was necessary to know range, course and speed of the target in order to aim and obtain a hit - for the most part the captain at the periscope had to make the necessary estimate.
If the class of ship were known its speed, of course, could be deduced by counting the engine revolutions with the hydrophones. In the case of a merchant ship one could get the course and speed by following up astern, obtaining the range by radar...
...
The expected range at the time of firing - two thousand yards - and the bearing - green fourty five degrees - were set.
...
the favorable moment for firing was approaching. I altered the setting on the director to green sixty degrees, range fifteen hundred yards, and began the approach for firing.
At last, in a loud voice, I gave the order, "Stand-by - Fire !" The torpedo switch pressed at intervals of two seconds and then the report came from the torpedo room, "All tubes fired and correct"
siw torpedoes were speeding, fanwise, towards the enemy ship.
...
the ship we had sunk turned out to be the Indianapolis."
Hashimoto, Sunk !, 1954, pp 222-225.
from I-Boat Captain :
"I tried to judge their speed from the bowwave each was making and called out," Target speed is 26 knots ! there are two ships in sight !"
then I began to call out ranges and bearings.
"bearing Mark !" I cried out, and lieutenant Kondo answered "Set !"
the angle between the destroyers' bow and the line of sight between him and me was 40 degrees, right. Range was 600 yards.
p 163.
__________________
"Honorable Builder of Sinking Ships"
Last edited by keltos01; 11-12-10 at 10:11 AM.
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