Torpedo settings?

[17thcpikeman]

Any advice on what settings to use and how to set them for torpedos?

I am on my first patrol (again) and have two types of torpedos, GI GII. I notice that the ranges of the GI is to about 12000 m and the GII is 3000m.
1 what torpedos should I use, which is the best?

2 at what ranges? I understand that at 12000m a ship has a greater chance of changing its heading so throwing the soloution off and therefore missing the target. I have been closing it about 1700-900m but the chance of detection is higher.

3. Magnetic or impact? I tend to use magnetic and have noticed that sometimes the torpedo just thuds against the side then sinks any advice?

4. depth of run, is this important? should i be aiming for as low in the water as possible? does this make any difference?

5. salvo over single. I tried for the first time last night a salvo of 2 torpedos and they both hit one in front of the bridge one behind the bridge and the ship sank quickly. in the past i have fired a torpedo then waited a second or two before launching the next one and having the torpedo hit in about the same area doe sthis do any extra damage or it the way the salvo hit better?

I have been against single ships upto now with success but convoys are proving more difficult, I panic and focus to much on one ship should I try and hit several to bring them to a stop then come back to them later instead of trying to sink them straight off?

[Kpt. Kozloff]

1) I prefer TI, 'cause it's pretty stable and you can adjust it's speed (that can save you from DC'ing to death), TII's only after late 1940
2) The closer the better, but never closer than 350/370m though
3) As long as the depth is adjusted correctly it won't matter, a dud will always happen though
4) Depth is variable on the weather, the higher the waves the higher the threshhold, 0,5m - 1,5m under the keel
5) Don't be affraid to use Kretchsmers tactic, one ship - one torpedo, spread is useful on heavily escorted convoys though

Check the community manual, GWX and SH3 manuals, you'll find everything you need in there.
:up:

[17thcpikeman]

Kpt Kozloff - thanks make things a little clearer. What is the community manual? :-?

[Dowly]

Kpt Kozloff - thanks make things a little clearer. What is the community manual? :-?

The SH3 newbie thread points out to this one:
http://www.communitymanuals.com/shiii/index.php?title=Main_Page

Tho, I cant get it to work. :doh:

[Kpt. Kozloff]

Yeah, the server's down or something. Anyway you can find all the info you need on this forum matey.:up:

[Corsair]

Any advice on what settings to use and how to set them for torpedos?

I am on my first patrol (again) and have two types of torpedos, GI GII. I notice that the ranges of the GI is to about 12000 m and the GII is 3000m.
1 what torpedos should I use, which is the best?

2 at what ranges? I understand that at 12000m a ship has a greater chance of changing its heading so throwing the soloution off and therefore missing the target. I have been closing it about 1700-900m but the chance of detection is higher.

3. Magnetic or impact? I tend to use magnetic and have noticed that sometimes the torpedo just thuds against the side then sinks any advice?

4. depth of run, is this important? should i be aiming for as low in the water as possible? does this make any difference?

5. salvo over single. I tried for the first time last night a salvo of 2 torpedos and they both hit one in front of the bridge one behind the bridge and the ship sank quickly. in the past i have fired a torpedo then waited a second or two before launching the next one and having the torpedo hit in about the same area doe sthis do any extra damage or it the way the salvo hit better?

I have been against single ships upto now with success but convoys are proving more difficult, I panic and focus to much on one ship should I try and hit several to bring them to a stop then come back to them later instead of trying to sink them straight off?

1. T1 are steamers. They have a greater range, the possibility of adjusting speed - slow, medium and fast. Leave a bubble trail. Great to shoot on convoys as you can edjust speed to match with distance of different targets.
TIIs are electric powered so no bubble wake. Keep them for daylight shots.

2. Best distance for me it between 500 and 1000m. Less chances to miss if you goofed your estimations and less time for target to react if it spots the torps coming.

3. Magnetic : I do not use this before 1941 as not reliable. Magnetic pistols are to be used with shots 1 m under the target (don't use them in choppy seas) Good thing is that they don't need a special angle to the target , just need to go under it from any direction. Impact pistol needs a shot near to 90° and avoid being to deep so it doesn't bounce off the target's round part of the hull.

4. Depth of run is to be used according to the target draft (reco book) if you fire magnetic pistol. You need to set your run depth around 1m under the target.
For impact, I usually use 4 or 5 m depending on the target draft.

5. For big targets (I don't use torps on small ones...:D) always shoot a 2 torps salvo of same kind as usually one torp wont sink it. I my solution is good, usually enter a 2 degree spread. (a 2 torp salvo will hit each x degrees left and right from aimed point)
Salvos of more torps with larger spreads can be useful on a high value target when your solution is not 100% proof to enhance chances of a hit.

Hope it helps...

[JboX88]

I'm pretty new to this game too, but for depth I put them at 1m for any warship and about 2m for any merchants.

[17thcpikeman]

Thanks for the manual link will try it later seems to be down at the moment.

Corsair - thanks that makes a lot of sense I will try the 1m under for the magnetic and the angle of 90 for the impact. I did enjoy the salvo it sank the ship very quickly. I guess i need to creep in a little closer :hmm: and just be a little more patient.


Cheers guys this is great in helping me play better and enjoy the game more. :up:

[Brag]

Some good info inparted in the previous replies. When attacking escorted ships, get away from the torpedo launch location and dive deep. STAY AWAY from shallow water.

Good hunting :up:

[CaptainAsh]

I used salvo only against warship bigger than destroyer.
I looks useless to me against merchant ship... Shot them once. Wait... They don t sink? Shot them once more...

[17thcpikeman]

Hehehe sallow water dangerous :D "crashdive" oooops depth under keel 25 mtr oouch:damn:

[Corsair]

I used salvo only against warship bigger than destroyer.
I looks useless to me against merchant ship... Shot them once. Wait... They don t sink? Shot them once more...

Only works when no escort hanging around... which means early war only as it is more and more difficult to find unescorted valuable targets as time goes by. As I only classify "valuable target" anything large size, it's very unlikely to go down with only one torpedo, not talking about having a bounce, a dud or a premature explosion.

Yesterday in the Med 42, nice weather, I found a large merchant early morning with a River class escort. It was far away (2000 m) so I only risked 1 electric torp. I got lucky and scored a direct hit in the engine room which slowed it down to 2 knts. But it was not until the night that I could get undetected in a position to shoot a second time to finish it off.

[GT182]

I generally use magnetic over impact for one reason. If you do set the depth deeper with a 90* shot it most always explodes, unless it's a dud. Even at an angle 10 to 15* greater than 90, for lower hull shots, there is a very good chance of a magnetic shot succeeding over an impact shot. Give it a try in a Single Mission and you'll see what I mean.

Now a question for those that might know. Was the magnetic sensitivity of torpedos ever increased over the years during WWII, by either side? I know torpedos were constantly worked on to improve them, but wonder if this was a factor too for improvement.

[High Voltage]

Make sure you open your torpedo doors "Q" before firing, otherwise there will be a 2-3second delay which could cause you to miss. Firing 2 or more torps at the same spot DOES NOT cause more damage to ships, always aim for different sections as you want to flood as many compartments as possible..

when you are looking at a ship through your scope or UZO, when the ship has been identified in the notepad to your right, click on the word "ship" on that pad and your recognition manual will open to the correct page, allowing you to instantly find the ship's draft - which then tells you how deep to set your torps if using magnetic.


Good Luck:ping::ping:

[Einbaum]

Well, it was night with very choppy seas in my patrol area and had a small merchant running away (she hadn't noticed me though...so moving on a straight course). I was directly behind her following in her wake. She was steaming at probably full speed which is 11 knots, same as my Type II. So I was gaining on her very very slowly...about a 100 metres per km. So it was either go for a long shot or forget about her.

So I fired all my 3 torps. First one was from about 600 metres. I set it on medium speed, impact and the same depth under keel as the target...it missed and exploded way way in front of the target. The second one was set at magnetic, fast speed and I left keel depth the same. This one missed and was never heard from again. The third torp was set at magnetic, medium speed and the keel depth adjusted to a metre and a half above the targets keel depth. This is the result:

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/6414/33941059kf6.jpg


I have no idea if it hit the ship or detonated underneath it...I would guess the latter. The ship went on for about a km before it started taking a lot of water from the rear. It then exploded and broke in two...all hands lost.

I think it was more luck than anything on my part....first time I have ever succeeded with a stern shot

edit: Just thought about it....it did detonate the magnetic pistol under her because the ship's prop was undamaged considering it kept steaming. If it impacted her stern, her prop would've been gone. Makes sense. I set all the torps depth wrong and shallower than I wanted because I identified the ship wrong and thought it had a shallower draft...I only noticed that afterwards, but it worked. Did I learn anything from this? No.