Getting torpedos to hit at the same time

[Sigurd]

I've seen several people talk about getting torpedos to hit different ships within a very close timeframe. I'm wondering how you pull something like that off. Is it just a matter of messing with the Torpedo speeds, or something else?

[papa_smurf]

The way i do this is to open my torpedo doors first (do this by selecting torpedo tube and press "w"), this way it reduces the time that it takes to launch torps.
Doing this I can usually get my torps to hit within a few seconds of each other.

[Engel der Vernichtung]

I think he's talking about different targets, different distances.

Basically, you shoot the farthest one with a slow fish, and make a note of the time at the end of the torp track on the F6 screen. Then, target the near ship with a fast fish, open the torpedo tube (Q key), and when the time on the end of that track is about 5 seconds less than the time to impact on your first fish, launch the second fish. If neither ship maneuvers, you should get impacts that are virtually simultaneous.

[Steel_Tomb]

Yeah, the best way to master this would be too create something in the mission editor or do the "happy times" mission over and over again. Its very rewarding to get multiple impacts at the same time causes absolute chaos in the convoys :arrgh!:

[rik007]

Impacts need not be that simultaneous. Even when there is half a minute between torpedo impacts ships have no time to manouvre anymore. But I admit a full sync is great.

[Heibges]

If you have two columns of ships in front of you, fire torps at the far colum first, then the near column.

[Brag]

Simultaneous is a misnomer. But it is nice to hear a series of explosions close together as you dive to get away from the grumpies. :D

[TarJak]

You can try this technique which was posted a couple of years ago:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=85807

It still works if you can get positioned correctly.

[Tontoman]

With practice it's almost second nature with a guesstimate.

But for numbers... torp runs 44kn or 81.4km/h (1knot = 1.85km/h)
So in 1 min it travels ~1.36km. or 44 seconds for 1km.
Soooo, if your ships are 1 km range difference, wait ~40 seconds before firing off second torp.

I find that's the easy part... the hard part is not having another ship cut across the torp path and triggering it early and saving your target :damn:

T.

[Heibges]

Simultaneous is a misnomer. But it is nice to hear a series of explosions close together as you dive to get away from the grumpies. :D

That's why I fire as soon as possible on the closest ship, after I've fired on the furthest. She might see the torpedo wakes, or notice the periscope, or notice the uboat on the surface at night.

[gutted]

what you do is place yourself as close to 90 degrees to the convoy. set your scope at 0 degrees then go to the TDC screen. turn manual entry on and input their speed... then set AOB to 90 degrees port/starboard. range doesn't matter at all.

set all torps you plan on firing to slow. i'll explain why later.

next, turn off manual entry then go to the scope turn it in the direction of the convoy until the gyro reads 0. this is your firing point. when the first ship of each column crosses this line.. fire a torpedo.

after all fish are launched turn your scope to 0 degrees. when the ships get to 0 the torpedos should impact.

watch this to get an idea of what is happening:
http://jg52.com/gutted/sh3/Animation2.gif

and the results:
http://jg52.com/gutted/sh3/Convoy.wmv


the reason you should use slow, is that faster settings will use a smaller angle from 0 degrees... making the ships closer together by the time they get to your firing point.you might not be able to squeeze the fish inbetween them. with slow, you are firing sooner.. and you can squeeze them in.

[ReM]

It should be fairly easy...

If you know the distance to your target, and the speed of the torp you can calculate time to impact...

For me it is normal practice to fire at multiple targets....a quick calculation in the head and they're off...usually they detonate within a fraction of a second....

[gutted]

no need to calcuate

[Von Manteuffel]

Sorry, tried to post a table, but it wouldn't take.

Anyway, basically, there are three torpedo speeds: 30 knots ( G7a set at Slow & G7 e ) ; 40 knots ( G7a at Medium ) ; and 44 knots (G7a at Fast ).

As a rough calculation, a torpedo will take 6 seconds to cover 100 metres at 30 knots; 5 seconds to cover 100 metres at 40 knots and around 4.5 seconds to cover 100 metres at 44 knots.

So, if your target is 1200 metres away, a torpedo travelling 44 knots will take 12 x 4.5 = 54 seconds (approx) to reach it.

During that time, if your sub is travelling at, say, 4 knots, it will put 100 metres between its position at impact and the original firing position. 1 knot = approx 0.5 metres per second.

I have some tables I use for this, if someone can tell me how I post them here, please?

[gutted]

again...

in SH3; since the AOB, gyro angle and periscope are linked... there is no need for any calculations.

just input the target's speed and point your scope on the bearing that makes 90 degrees to the ship's course. input an AOB of 90, then turn your scope back towards the target until the gyro reads the intial course you put your scope at. fire as he is passing through your crosshair.

thats it.

so if you are perfectly perpidndicular to your target.. you input his speed then put your scope at 0. input 90 AOB then turn your scope left or right until the gyro reads 0.


if he is coming from your left, and you are pointed in towards his course by 30 degrees.... you would input his speed then turn your scope to the bearing of 30. basically you are looking at the point where you will be at 90 AOB. at that bearing you input 90 degree starboard AOB. then turn your scope left until the gyro reads 30.

basically, since the AOB is linked with the scope when the manual entry button is turned off on the F6 screen.. all you have to do is put in an AOB at a certain bearing. if you have the speed dialed in... when you move your scope the AOB dial adjusts itself so that it is correct no matter where you are looking.

we want our torpedos to impact at 90 degrees so that the range doesn't matter. with a right triangle between your torpedo's course, the ships course.. and the firing angle the range doesn't matter (.ie the proportion of the triangles legs are the same at any range).

it's alittle harder in SHIV as the AOB and gyro angles aren't slaved to the scope like SH3.. but it's not harder by much. i made a table with precomputed firing offset angles for different speeds using a very simple trig forumula to find the needed angle for fast or slow torpedos.

http://jg52.com/gutted/SH4/90_FiringAngles.png

[Mush Martin]

I do this quite a bit and by and large what I find helps is that instead of
analyzing the attack beforehand in terms of range and distance I tend
to think of it more in terms of interval. (duration of launch and trip time
per torpedo) in accordance with my usually perpendicular attack angles
(Long Range) what I do is start longest to shortest.

although the fellow above is correct it doesnt all have to be at the same
second to prevent evasion the closer you get to simultaneous strikes the
less chance there is for responses by the enemy.

total simultaneous first strike is not always necessary but it is the acme of
skill IMO.

MM


[edit] Im with steel tomb on this too. a customized practice range built in single missions
can really help your approach in career. (ie, using a simulator on shore before sailing)

similarly I used mission editor to build escort groups on a practice range and used
free cam to study their tactics and patterns while they hunted me.
helping my evasion techniques in career. this was very cool to watch.
buttercups deliberate and creeping attacks sprint and drifts the whole ball of wax.
people love to knock the ai around a bit but what a great job they did. to me
as I did this it seemed miraculous to have the ability to play against such.