Missed a sitting duck....

[Sunday Driver]

SH4 Noob here - just completed my first patrol - sank a few ships including a successful night attack solely by sonar bearings and ranges - and quite pleased with myself, getting the hang of manual targetting, etc.

Feeling nice and smug right up until my last attack (one torpedo left) which was a disaster.

Clear morning, flat seas, picked up a freighter on radar, then set up a 90 degree attack position from about 1000m from its plotted course. Identified the ship and input this to the TDC. Estimated its speed at 6kts (half published speed) and input this. Estimated AOB and input this. Obtained range (at distance therefore prone to visual error )and input that. Set the TDC on position keeping.

As the ship approached, I took constant fresh ranges and AOB readings and input these.

As the ship passed my 0 degrees (bow) at 90 AOB and at the exact range, I fired my torpedo.

I immediately switched to external camera to watch the action, only to see the torpedo leave the tube, then veer off to the right at 45 degs and pass a couple of hundred metres astern of the target.

No idea why this occurred. Any ideas?

[tater]

US Mk 14 torpedos were notoriously prone to failures in the first 1.5 years of the war. Deep running, premature detonation, failure of the magnetic pistol, failure of the contact pistol, gyro problems (what happened to you), and circle runners.

The % chance of this in the stock game is very low compared to reality. You got a bad torpedo. Play with RFB, or the hardcore torpedo mod, and maybe 70% of your torpedos will fail one way or another---just like the real US skippers had to deal with.

tater

[Sunday Driver]

Thanks, Tater

It must have been a giro failure - I couldn't figure out what I may have done wrong.