Torpedo hits screws

[Lucas]

Hi everybody and thanks for reading my topic.

I have a question cause i'm kind of fed up with some elements of SH3 and most of all torpedoes not detonating. I understand sometimes there can be a dud, a misfire, or whatever. But what i just saw is just retarded.

In the single mission i went to attack some carrier. I got to within about 1 click and fired a spread of 4 torpedoes. Pistol set to magnetic. I get detected, the carrier flanks. My torpedoes were right on though, so he;s in trouble. YET! somehow he manouvres such, that torp 1 is too far to the left, torpedoes 2 and 4 go ínches amiss, and torpedo 3 almost hits the ship but then it gets hit by the ships left screw and its a very hard hit aswell, it gets shot a few meters away.

Now, how is it that those 2 torpedoes that really went inches from the metal of the ship - how do they not explode??? And how does a torpedo not explode from getting hit over the head by a ships screw? I mean apart from the magnetism that is induced by the blow, a hit this hard should almost tear the torpedo in two halves! If that doesnt make it go off, what will.. :huh:

So anyway, it made for a pretty funny sight a few moments later. The carrier was overtaken by three torpedoes. I can just imagine what the captain was thinking, and it aint pretty words. :-)

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/6407/screwhitvq2.jpg

[Von Taticus]

If you use magnetic pistols then you need to ensure that the torp passes under the hull. between half and one metre below the hull.

If you use type 1's then they are steam powered and the ships can see them coming, giving them enough time to usually avoid them. type 2's are electric and don't leave a steam trail.

There are some good threads about torps. SH3 seems to model them pretty accuratly.

couple of other rules.

only use magnetic pistols for larger ships. smaller one don't aways set them off.

impact pistols will only be reliable is a nice "square" impact is achieved. or within 15 degrees of sqaure.

Follows these rules and you'll hadly get any "duds".

[Lucas]

so if i set them to run deeper and go underneath a ship they will explode sooner from magnetism than if they bounce off ?

[Sailor Steve]

Now, how is it that those 2 torpedoes that really went inches from the metal of the ship - how do they not explode???
In the real war there were many problems with torpedoes not exploding; not just a few. I didn't think that was properly modelled in the game, but I could be wrong.

And how does a torpedo not explode from getting hit over the head by a ships screw? I mean apart from the magnetism that is induced by the blow, a hit this hard should almost tear the torpedo in two halves! If that doesnt make it go off, what will.. :huh:
Again, I'm not sure how the game models anything, but in real life contact pistols had to hit exactly right or the torpedo wouldn't go off. The pin has to be depressed into a special detonator, or it doesn't work. Hitting it with a hammer shouldn't make it go off (though I wouldn't try it, just to be on the safe side). The complaints were always that they didn't work properly; never that they worked too well.

[Heibges]

Sometimes Kaleuns experienced 95% failure rates, on certain patrols.

I have blown the screws and rudder off from merchants many times.

[maillemaker]

so if i set them to run deeper and go underneath a ship they will explode sooner from magnetism than if they bounce off ?

If you set them to run too deep they won't detect the ship and they won't go off - they will sail right under the ship and come out the other side.

You need to consult the identification manual, pull up the specification for the ship you are shooting at and read it's draft. Set your torpedo to run .5 - 1 meter deeper than this.

I've watched (remote cam) magnetic torpedoes sail right under ships when I set them too deep.

As for a torpedo hitting the ships screws - as was said - these things were not "motion sensitive" to detonate - they had an impact fuse in the nose of the torpedo. Unless you got a good, solid, square hit on the nose of the torpedo, it might not explode. If it simply ran into the propeller and got chopped up, unless you got a good, square hit on one of the propeller blades it might not go off - it may just chop up the torpedo.

The Americans, as I understand it, had similar woes with their impact primers, except differently. Their torpedoes actually failed to detonate the most when you got direct, square impacts! Something about the impact primer bending and deforming. So the better a shot they lined up, the worse off they were until they fixed the problem! :)

[Jimbuna]

In RL it was Jan 42 before the defect in the magnetics were overcome....The game does a pretty good job of representing this if you tick the dud torpedo option until the relevent time period :arrgh!:

[cultist]

impact pistols will only be reliable is a nice "square" impact is achieved. or within 15 degrees of sqaure.
what does this mean...what is this square

[Jimbuna]

15 degrees either side of exactly sideways on :arrgh!:

[MENTAT]

or in other words, a 90 degree hit.

[Hadrys]

One more time: I use only impact, make wonders with them, sink 17k tankers with 1 eel, shoot ships on parallel course, use wired angles (important is where you hit the keel), rough water or like a lake, nothing will hide from my T3 :arrgh!: Just some practice and courage to try.

[cultist]

wired angles?

[maillemaker]

I have to say, I'm coming around to the magnetics. I used to swear off of them, after too many pre-detonations and non-detonations, but I'm finding lately if you use them in calm seas and set the depth properly after consulting the identification manual to determine the draft of your target, magnetics are GREAT for nailing harassing destroyers.

In FACT, I'm getting so good at nabbing destroyers that I'm starting to think hanging around at periscope depth is a better defense than heading for the deep. When you run at PD or a bit deeper, like 14 meters, it's hard for them to ram you unless they hit the conning tower, they frequently don't drop depth charges on their pass, and when they do they often blast themselves!

But especially if you have electrics in your tubes and you can catch them broadside in a turn coming about to chase you, or even bearing straight down on you chasing your periscope (I love those shots), you can usually nail them pretty easily with a magnetic.

[Hadrys]

wired angles?

I try to approach and attack the convoy at 90°, get as close as possible, than get inside so the escort has tied hands and if the convoy goes 7kts, zig zag slows it to 5-6kts so we're home! Stay inside, reload and than just pick your targets either from 0° or 45 with small range like 300-400m. Torpedoes need to do and arc after being shoot streight from the tube to hit and this is it! You get a more proper angle. Also when targeting stern (my favorite - flooding ship pushes itself underwater) or bow + torp depth, you have keel angle more adequate than targeting amidship. I only use magnetic than no other chance - shooting a torp parallel to the target course but that's not my favorite, to small chance. Also I don't like setting depth under keel as with gwx ships can have a difference of 2+ meters.

[CapZap1970]

Hi Lucas:
Just in case, many torpedoes during the first years of war (until 1942) did not explode due to malfunction. This is simulated in SH3 and controlled trough the menu before you load a patrol. If you want to make a patrol without DUD's just uncheck this option in the realims settings menu before you launch the patrol. ;)
CapZap

[Jimbuna]

Hi Lucas:
Just in case, many torpedoes during the first years of war (until 1942) did not explode due to malfunction. This is simulated in SH3 and controlled trough the menu before you load a patrol. If you want to make a patrol without DUD's just uncheck this option in the realims settings menu before you launch the patrol. ;)
CapZap

Echoed in #7 :lol: :up:

[papa_smurf]

Dont dispair with torpedoes not working correctly, ive had patrols where 90% of my torpedoes were duds.:damn: Wait till 42, and they will be much more reliable - and watch the fireworks:D