Things i really can't understand

[Weedcow]

First of all let me explain..

I am currently damaged, so i cannot dive under 15 meters, which is why i am currently at 14 m- Theres a minesweeper engaging me right now, i have 8 torps to down it, which may sound like an easy task.- It just isn't.. i got almost no electricity, and only enough fuel to get back + perhaps 200 km of sailing-

Now the problem is - i simply can not hit it... It just sails in circles around me, and its impossible to hit it! I loaded 5 times now, and when i can not use the angel on bow in a common situation probably, this is almost impossible-- I can not figure out how i can do this, cuz the torp set up is made for a constant direction, not a circular motion - What am i to do ? Without downing it, im the one being downed..

[tater]

MInesweepers are also very shallow draft. Even if you put a fish under him getting it to explode may be tricky.

[FreddaH]

I was in that situation the other day. I saw no option but to surface and engage the bugger with the deck gun. It went well for a while and the enemy ship was heavily damaged, but unfortunately, he soon found the range and pumped shells into me, blowing me up.

However, the situation you are describing is pretty bad, as he obviously has you zeroed, and you can't dive to escape. I say: blow ballast and man the deck gun! :arrgh!:

/Fredda

[cali03boss]

be a man. Surface!

[Weedcow]

:) Yes- It seems this is the way *General quarters!*
Man the deck gun- Prepare to be boarded..

[Rhino1978]

just another idea,when he passes you in an attack run or is round your rear go to flank so he can hear you and try to get him to chase you then give him the good news with a stern shot.make sure outer doors are open and enough distance to arm torp at least 400m

[Weedcow]

A good idea yes :) 2 torps should sink it, and if i set up the direction before, it could be pretty fast fired -

[Rockin Robbins]

I agree, you have to find a way to hit him with a torpedo. Set them as shallow as you can and set up an AoB 0 or 180 shot. get him to chase you, even if you have to pop part of the sail out of the water. Make it a max 400 yd, min 300 yd shot and you have a great chance to tag him.

You're toast on the surface unless you're living a real clean life, so I'm afraid you're toast...:lol: You still may end up seeing if you can spread some jelly on that toast and give it back to him, but your advantage is your torpedoes. You have plenty to waste. Go for it!

[tater]

Gotta be careful of arming distance as well.

tater

[Aquitaine]

Sorry to resurrect this thread...:)

I'm having a similar problem with minesweepers. My last patrol, I sank 9 (!) destroyers, one after the other (and then chased down some juicy convoys) but two minesweepers, one in two different escort groups, gave me no end of trouble. Manual targeting, auto targeting, setting depth as shallow as possible, my torps would go right underneath them - bow, stern, middle, doesn't matter. Maybe one out of ten tries I'd actually get one to explode.

These are US Mk14 torps, RSRDC, but no other mods. I'm not missing, I just can't get the buggers to explode. Below 300 yards I usually figure I don't have enough time in the water for a torp to arm itself, but I've got one now at 500 yards with a decent AOB, and still no dice - slow torp, fast torp, doesn't matter.

Am I missing something?

[Ping Panther]

This is an interesting thread. Is it true that minesweepers were also typically constructed with wooden hulls?
(Not that setting topedoes for magnetic triggers is the consideration here to blast them off of you. But it just got me thinking...)
Shallow keel draft and a tight turn ability on those sweepers is a trouble to deal with.

I hope WCow has dealt with his sweeper issue by now!

[Soundman]

This is an interesting thread. Is it true that minesweepers were also typically constructed with wooden hulls?
(Not that setting topedoes for magnetic triggers is the consideration here to blast them off of you. But it just got me thinking...)
Shallow keel draft and a tight turn ability on those sweepers is a trouble to deal with.

I hope WCow has dealt with his sweeper issue by now!

I have wondered if this is modeled in the game too. The same applies to Subchasers, they supposedly had wooden hulls and I've never been able to hit them with a fish (using TMO) and go Hmmm? :hmm:

[rubenandthejets]

just another idea,when he passes you in an attack run or is round your rear go to flank so he can hear you and try to get him to chase you then give him the good news with a stern shot.make sure outer doors are open and enough distance to arm torp at least 400m

You could trying pinging the depth to lure him in too. Always seems to get a lot of attention.

If you go to the surface and deck gun it out, try jumping on the AAA yourself if the gun crew is OK and hose the ship with it. I find all the "interactive" components of the superstructure go up in flames pretty quickly-you clear out his guns and maybe blow up his cans too while the DG crew punch portholes below the waterline. Works best with 40mm, but any AAA will do the trick. Maximises the amount of angry metal flying at them.

[tater]

The game uses collision nodes to detonate the "magnetic" pistols, wood would not matter.

300 yards is too short for a mk14. The arming distance is 450 yards, so 500 yards might be too close if he is closing at all (since the range will close during the travel time of the fish).

[Aquitaine]

300 yards is too short for a mk14. The arming distance is 450 yards, so 500 yards might be too close if he is closing at all (since the range will close during the travel time of the fish).

Really? I've definitely hit destroyers at under 450 yards - I thought the arming distance was simply a matter of time (so it would be a lesser distance at a slower torpedo speed) and not distance.

Maybe the game's just cutting me a break, though. Will try the AAA gun on the minesweeper. Can't imagine why I didn't think of that before. :)

[Berinhardt]

This may not get points for realism, but have you tried setting your depth to 40ft and ramming the minesweeper with the periscope blades? Works well for DD's (although you won't get credit for sinking it.) :DL

At the very least it would get you out of your situation.

[DaveyJ576]

Is it true that minesweepers were also typically constructed with wooden hulls?

Some are, some are not. All of the Navy's current MCM force are a combination wood/fiberglass construction. Steel hulled sweeps could not sweep for magnetic influence mines. All minesweepers are deliberately designed with as shallow a draft as they can get away with, so hitting one with a torp would be difficult.

[mcarlsonus]

Was anything made out of fiberglass in WW2? Makes sense a minesweeper'd be made of wood or another non-magnetic substance, but even PT Boats were wood-hulled!

[Nisgeis]

Really? I've definitely hit destroyers at under 450 yards - I thought the arming distance was simply a matter of time (so it would be a lesser distance at a slower torpedo speed) and not distance.


An actual torpedo has an impeller on it that arms the torpedo after a fixed number of revolutions. It's driven by passage through water, so the faster the torpedo goes, the faster it arms. This means that whether it's on the slow or fast setting it will arm at the same distance, but different times. Whether this is modelling in game correctly, I don't know. The Mark 18s have a much reduced arming distance - are you sure it was Mk. 14s you fired?

[SteamWake]

Fact of the matter is that the sweepers draft is shallower than the torpedoes can be set for.

Even at the shallowest setting possible the torps will still slip beneath them.

Evasion is the best tactic in this case, however in your case it may be too late. Still if you can get some distance at some point surface and hit flank. I believe you can out run them. Just keep a skinny profile to make yourself hard to hit.

Good luck :salute:

[Nicolas]

Im not alone, the little escorts cant be shot. but if someone tweak the game so the torpedoes can be set shallower? :hmmm:

[Wilcke]

Im not alone, the little escorts cant be shot. but if someone tweak the game so the torpedoes can be set shallower? :hmmm:

I would just download the sub nuclear deck gun mod, surface and hammer them. Do a search for that in the SH4 Mod, or find a post by Rockin Robbins he links it in his sig.

Happy Hunting!

[Nicolas]

I dont like nuclear guns, i think the deck gun must be weaker...
But i managed to make some changes and now i can sink with torpedoes this small ships...

[rubenandthejets]

Those little acoustic torps do the trick too. Whack one of those up 'em.

[SteamWake]

Those little acoustic torps do the trick too. Whack one of those up 'em.

Those are hard to come by, unreliable, and un available early in the war. Not to mention dangerous to use in shallow waters.