I could stand some help

[Vacquero]

Hello, I'm new here and new to SH 4 and I have some questions. I've used search and can't find anything. Is there any explanation as to what the deck guns are? I figure the 4 50 cal is bigger but not completely sure on that one, and is there any info on torpedoes. Like warhead size and all that good stuff. Hell if I missed any of this stuff with search, feel free to heckle. But please provide a link.

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

First, an explanation of gun calibres. Calibre is from an Arabic word meaning a mold, and refers to the inside diameter of a tube. If we mention the .50-calibre machine gun, it means the inside diameter is 1/2 inch (note the '.' - 'point five-zero caliber).

The 4"/50 deck gun has a diameter of four inches. the '/50' is naval parlance meaning the length of the barrel is fifty calibres, or 4x50=200 inches. Thus HMS Hood's 15"/42 is 630", or 52'6" long.

This site will explain everything else you could possibly want to know - at least concerning naval rifles. And torpedoes. And depth charges. And mines.
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_Main.htm
http://www.navweaps.com/

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome to SUBSIM Vacquero :up:
Some nice info there from SS :yep:


RDP

[Defiance]

Hiya,

Welcome aboard :)

Dang already got beat to it lol

Have Fun

Ciao

Def

[Rockin Robbins]

Welcome aboard! Hope you'll spend some time at the place that makes SH4 a lot more fun to play!

RDP, what is that THING in your signature? A crypt marker?:rotfl:

[gAiNiAc]

Mk XIV warhead weight is about 500#'s.

[Vacquero]

Thanks for the welcome and the info. Funnily enough I figured out the whole 4"/ 50 caliber thing after I posted, and it came from tanks of all things, i.e. 120mm/ L44. Like the Abrahms packs around. Now all I gotta figure out how to do, is hit things with all those fancy torpedoes I haul around with me.

[FIREWALL]

Welcome :up:

[buddha95]

good luck, pm me any time if i can help. im semi noob but learning

[Vacquero]

One of my biggest problems, right now, is that I have hell identifying ships. It seems that by the time I can see them well enough, it's time to start shooting. I've got the hang of approach I think. I've plotted a convoy's course, and drawn 90 degree angles off of my mark, and gotten within 900 yards of that line. but I want to fire while they're about 2000+ yards out, so I have enough time to set up on another ship. I guess you just got to have a lot of irons in the fire, and a little more patience. Hell I got 100k+ tons my first patrol, but I cheated cause I had auto target on:D Now on manual TDC I guess I rush it to much, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.... right?

[FIREWALL]

One of my biggest problems, right now, is that I have hell identifying ships. It seems that by the time I can see them well enough, it's time to start shooting. I've got the hang of approach I think. I've plotted a convoy's course, and drawn 90 degree angles off of my mark, and gotten within 900 yards of that line. but I want to fire while they're about 2000+ yards out, so I have enough time to set up on another ship. I guess you just got to have a lot of irons in the fire, and a little more patience. Hell I got 100k+ tons my first patrol, but I cheated cause I had auto target on:D Now on manual TDC I guess I rush it to much, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.... right?

Shoot first and ask questions later. :p :rotfl:

[ReallyDedPoet]

RDP, what is that THING in your signature? A crypt marker?:rotfl:
He, he, good one. Maybe we could use it for all the lads here who get keelhauled :yep::lol:
Edit: Experimenting with the color a bit :D


RDP

[Sailor Steve]

Mk XIV warhead weight is about 500#'s.
643.
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTUS_WWII.htm

[Vacquero]

Is there any way to target specific locations on a ship. I've figured out how to run a torpedo under the keel, but for some reason I put multiples in the same place.

[kylesplanet]

Use the dial above the depth dial to set the spread pattern up. You can spread your torpedos from stern to stem if you like. Just remember the closer you are, the more degrees of spread you need and vice versa, if your very far away, don't put a lot of spread in the solution or you'll miss.

[XLjedi]

Use the dial above the depth dial to set the spread pattern up. You can spread your torpedos from stern to stem if you like. Just remember the closer you are, the more degrees of spread you need and vice versa, if your very far away, don't put a lot of spread in the solution or you'll miss.

Wouldn't you easily be able to determine an appropriate spread angle adjustment just by looking thru your scope? :hmm:

If the profile of the ship ranges 20° then maybe a 5° spread... if it only takes up 10° then maybe 2° or 3°?

[Vacquero]

I think I figured it out, I unlocked the scope and aimed for the forward magazine. Had the Torpedo set to run under and explode, and presto. One hit on a Mogami, sent her to the bottom after a quite spectacular explosion. I even have pics.

[XLjedi]

I think I figured it out, I unlocked the scope and aimed for the forward magazine. Had the Torpedo set to run under and explode, and presto. One hit on a Mogami, sent her to the bottom after a quite spectacular explosion. I even have pics.

Yeah, but that only works if manual targetting is disabled...

Better to just leave it locked on target for now and get use to using the spread angle knob if you ever intend to make the transition to manual targetting.

[Vacquero]

Hmmm....... I had manual targeting on. Weird

[Rockin Robbins]

Warning: shameless self-promotion to follow. Barf bags available upon request. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery by e-mail or fax.

The easiest and best way to aim for certain parts of the target is to use arronblood's, gutted's and my Dick O'Kane attack method (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=652326&postcount=67). Here's my video of a blown (http://files.filefront.com/Dick+OKane+targeting+video7z/;10643361;/fileinfo.html) attack (running the mouth instead of pushing the shoot button) to show you how forgiving the method is.

With the Dick O'Kane method you do not worry about the identity of the target so you can misidentify it without consequence. The range does not matter, so you don't fiddle with the stadimeter. And you aim for the exact part of the target you want to hit. What's not to like?:p

In fact, it is so foolproof that you can execute it using sonar only (http://files.filefront.com/Dick+OKane+Sonar+Only00197z/;10324567;/fileinfo.html) with near 100% hit probability.

[XLjedi]

Hmmm....... I had manual targeting on. Weird

Then I'd say you were just lucky... and/or your PK solution wasn't quite right. If you'd have shot two fish they both would've hit the forward magazine area.

The US Fleet Boat PK will not properly adjust distance or sharpen/widen the AoB as you move the aiming wire. You can only "Mark" bearing to target with the wire in a fleet boat. You can however do what you're talking about with the TDC on the U-Boats if you're playing with the UBM expansion for SH4 (or SH3).

Just remember...
Firing solution updated via scope aiming wire:
US Fleet Boat = NO, U-Boat = YES

[Vacquero]

You're absolutely right. I've been doing a lot of testing, trying the spread dial. Took awhile, but I found out it doesn't reset for each torpedo.

[kylesplanet]

Use the dial above the depth dial to set the spread pattern up. You can spread your torpedos from stern to stem if you like. Just remember the closer you are, the more degrees of spread you need and vice versa, if your very far away, don't put a lot of spread in the solution or you'll miss.

Wouldn't you easily be able to determine an appropriate spread angle adjustment just by looking thru your scope? :hmm:

If the profile of the ship ranges 20° then maybe a 5° spread... if it only takes up 10° then maybe 2° or 3°?

I have fired at these targets so many times that I can pretty much guess the appropriate spread to use as long as I'm not making a really long shot.

I have also fired fish at targets without a complete firing solution and had decent success at doing so. One can get better at guesstimation than you think. It's certainly not as effective as doing the correct solution but it can come in handy in a convoy and you get pressed on time.

[XLjedi]

I have fired at these targets so many times that I can pretty much guess the appropriate spread to use as long as I'm not making a really long shot.

I have also fired fish at targets without a complete firing solution and had decent success at doing so. One can get better at guesstimation than you think. It's certainly not as effective as doing the correct solution but it can come in handy in a convoy and you get pressed on time.

I don't doubt that you've built up a memory, I just don't get it. What exactly is there to even have to guess at?

You look thru the scope and the ship spans 20° in your scope view.
Here's an old scope shot from SH3, but it's similar in SH4 (I think)...
http://www.xl-logic.com/mobo/patrol_reports/attack_20070906_16a.png
The ship spans 20° says so right there in the scope field of view. If the scope display is scaled right, then the aiming wire would point to about 1° near the bow and about 19° or 20° near the stern. If the wire is pointing at the stack, my point of impact in this shot was about 6-7° to the stern. A 5° spread toward the bow would've put one right where those cargo boxes are.

I guess I have to go look at SH4 now and see if the attack scope has the degree spread marking indicators on it.

[Vacquero]

I had the funniest damn thing happen to me during a patrol. I'd run on ahead of a convoy and got in a good possition to intercept. Had my eyes on a Large Modern Tanker, figure 10,000 tons is a good notch to add. Hit it with two torpedoes under the keel, but it didn't sink. I dodged a couple dc's and reworked the TDC for a straight shot, and fired a torp when I realized I'd forgotten to take the spread out, well that one missed but managed to take a Small freighter out, that was about 2500 yards behind my intended victim. Well one more torpedo finished the tanker, when I looked and low and behold a destroyer was coming around behind me. Opened the rear tubes and fired, but for some reason the PK had em set to make a very drastic turn, they ran straight and made a hard right turn which for just a second looked like they were going to hit me. Luckily yet another destroyer stopped them for me, unlucky for him.