Finally Got some Cuties...

[Seminole]

Thats the small homing torps..not things you catch from girls...;)


I load 2 into the aft tubes...intercepted a convoy....sank 3 with the forward tubes...instead of diving I waited on an approaching escort to narrow the range...I showed him my 'scope aft...

Meanwhile, I had set the cuties for 5 feet depth...changed the manual setting to fire the rear tubes at a direct straightaway 180 degree course..waited ...waited..then the shells started landing around the scope. Figured he was close enough.

I fired 2 and headed for 300 feet..went silent and evaded the escorts.

Never heard a thing..thought I had missed.

After about 10 minutes (just guessing) I was informed of two torpedo impacts. On external camera I saw a large tanker with 2 small holes blown high up on the hull near the engine compartment. Of course not enough damage to sink her.

So then..what is needed to score on escorts with these homing fish? I can't imagine how they missed that escort and ran about for ten minutes looking for something else to home in on. :shifty:

Guess I should be glad it wasn't me.

[Kruger]

I figure that you let them go when the destroyer was too close to you (for them to arm, and instead they went nuts and tried to reacquire another contact ) and too fast. They can only reach 12 knots.

They are clearly inferior to the German homing torpedo, but nevertheless they do the job if properly used.

[SteamWake]

Firing cuties at a 'closing' escort is going to fail at least half the time probably more like 80% of the time.

They (cuties) 'look' for acoustic signatures, these signaturs come out of the ass end of the boat not the bow. Probably went right by the escorts and looked for some noise... any noise and picked up the merchant.

You did the right thing by going deep and silent so that the other 'noises' out there were greater than you avoiding killing yourself.

[Rockin Robbins]

Cuties have a fatal flaw, their top speed of 10 knots. In practice this means that you have to fire when the destroyer is going slower that that. When he's charging your position to drop depth charges, he's going faster than the cuties can go. Cuties are for when the escorts are lollygagging around looking for you but not in active pursuit.

[Dolemite-]

Instead of trying to take out DDs with cuties, use normal torps. The electric Mk 18 is the best choice. Set them to run at the shallowest depth and make sure the exploder is set to magnetic. As long as the destroyer is following you in a straight line you should get a kill.

-

[Seminole]

I figure that you let them go when the destroyer was too close to you (for them to arm, and instead they went nuts and tried to reacquire another contact ) and too fast. They can only reach 12 knots.

They are clearly inferior to the German homing torpedo, but nevertheless they do the job if properly used.


So then..the Destroyer actually ,in effect, outran the things then they went looking for targets? :huh: Amazing!

Still ...it is going to be interesting to play around and see just what they can or can't accopmplish. Time to push the envelope. If I can come up with another perfect pitch sonar man I think its going to be time to have a little fun with clueless escorts.;)

Thanks all for the guidelines and parameters of cutie ops..

[jamz]

I have no luck with cuties. Had 2 patrols with 'em, don't want any more. Watched a Destroyer have a leisurely cruise around with two of them on it's tail, maybe 50 yards out. It might have attracted their attention, taking it away from me, but probably not.

I have much better luck with regular torpedoes, firing straight on or directly behind me.

[SteamWake]

Cuties are fun to fire a couple into the middle of a convoy that has 'broken up' into those crazy evasive manuvers. :up:

[Rockin Robbins]

I had great lick with a technique I call "Cutie on a Leash." This is fine when you have three DDs or so ganging up on you. It stopped working with the laterst version of TMO, but should work with stock or RFB.

Fire a cutie out behind you with there is a DD looking for you in the general line. If the DD evades, when the cutie gets about 1800 yards away, give 30 seconds or so of full throttle, enough for the cutie to turn around and come toward you. Hopefully it will pass right over you.

Now, what's the most coveted piece of real estate for a DD hunting for a sub? That's right, he has to look for that overhead spot to drop his CARE Packages. Where's that nice slow Cutie returning to? What a coincidence!:arrgh!:

Stand by for booms. Repeat as necessary. I've kept an active Cutie hunting for 20 minutes before. Hit probability, nearly 100%. Heh, heh, heh!:sunny:

[Nisgeis]

I'm not convinced cuties work properly.

EDIT: I can spell properly, really I can.

[Rockin Robbins]

I'm not convinced cuties work properley.

My Cuties are OEM versions: no manual, no warranty. Shoot 'em and hope they work. Pray they don't work on you.:o

[Diopos]

I had great lick with a technique I call "Cutie on a Leash." This is fine when you have three DDs or so ganging up on you. It stopped working with the laterst version of TMO, but should work with stock or RFB.

Fire a cutie out behind you with there is a DD looking for you in the general line. If the DD evades, when the cutie gets about 1800 yards away, give 30 seconds or so of full throttle, enough for the cutie to turn around and come toward you. Hopefully it will pass right over you.

Now, what's the most coveted piece of real estate for a DD hunting for a sub? That's right, he has to look for that overhead spot to drop his CARE Packages. Where's that nice slow Cutie returning to? What a coincidence!:arrgh!:

Stand by for booms. Repeat as necessary. I've kept an active Cutie hunting for 20 minutes before. Hit probability, nearly 100%. Heh, heh, heh!:sunny:


Cunning!:arrgh!:
:up: :up:

[Rilder]

I'm not convinced cuties work properley.

My Cuties are OEM versions: no manual, no warranty. Shoot 'em and hope they work. Pray they don't work on you.:o

Mine come with a 30 day money back guarantee... pity its a bit hard to retrieve one after its been fired. :lol:

[Nisgeis]

Does anyone think they DO work properly?

[Rockin Robbins]

Heck! Define properly. Do we even have any design data and test data on the real thing? I have no standard of comparison myself to make any opinion. All I know is that I've enjoyed using them. They could be completely wrong and I'd be fat, dumb and happy! I would love to know whether they are realistic to tell you the truth. I do know I was upset when Ducimus nerfed them and I couldn't do Cutie on a Leash with TMO any more.
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/smileys/smile001.gif

[Rilder]

Damn it you guys made me google it for more infos.

http://www.bergall.org/cutie.html

[LukeFF]

Heck! Define properly. Do we even have any design data and test data on the real thing? I have no standard of comparison myself to make any opinion. All I know is that I've enjoyed using them. They could be completely wrong and I'd be fat, dumb and happy! I would love to know whether they are realistic to tell you the truth.

From U.S. Submarines Through 1945:

Of 106 Mk 27s Mod 0 fired in combat, 33 hit (24 ships sunk and 9 damaged); wartime production was 1,100. Mk 27 swam out because an evading submarine might not fire until after she had passed below maximum pneumatic firing depth.

So, basically, one should expect about a 1 in 3 chance of a hit with one of these torpedoes. The German T5, on the other hand, had a much poorer hit rate (something like 75 out of 700 fired; the numbers are out there somewhere on Uboat.net, I believe).

[Nisgeis]

Heck! Define properly.

Well, what I mean is that the real torpedoes had a certain run out range they would run to before starting to look for active targets. The german one for example ran out to it's initial range and then homed on the noise it could hear, if it lost that noise, it started circling to pick up a new noise.

I haven't done any specific testing, but from the few I have fired, it seems, at least to me, that the initial run out length is the range to target, which changes as per the TDC torpedo run estimate. The effect I see with the external camera (I know I'm naughty) is the torpedo missing by a small amount seemingly ignoring the prop noise and after it passes it starts circling round and follows. By that time the DD is steasming away and safe.

It might just be that the homing run out length is set and it just coincides with me firing the torps at the same point... but what run out length do they have to go through before they start hunting?

[Rockin Robbins]

Well, what I mean is that the real torpedoes had a certain run out range they would run to before starting to look for active targets. The german one for example ran out to it's initial range and then homed on the noise it could hear, if it lost that noise, it started circling to pick up a new noise.

I haven't done any specific testing, but from the few I have fired, it seems, at least to me, that the initial run out length is the range to target, which changes as per the TDC torpedo run estimate. The effect I see with the external camera (I know I'm naughty) is the torpedo missing by a small amount seemingly ignoring the prop noise and after it passes it starts circling round and follows. By that time the DD is steasming away and safe.

It might just be that the homing run out length is set and it just coincides with me firing the torps at the same point... but what run out length do they have to go through before they start hunting?

Hmmmmmmm.....Seems like you're right. I've seen that behavior.

There would be a simple means to find out. Just grab the pointer in the range/bearing part of the TDC and pull it all the way up to the top, minimizing the range. Then fire one. It should go out to that minimal range and then pick something up instead of passing the target and then attempting to do a 180 to catch back up to it.

If you're right, the manual range setting would be a good workaround.

[LukeFF]

It might just be that the homing run out length is set and it just coincides with me firing the torps at the same point... but what run out length do they have to go through before they start hunting?
All the homing torpedoes have an initial run length specified in Torpedo.SIM (for German torpedoes) and Torpedoes_US.SIM (for American torpedoes).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/LukeFF/SH4/Mk27.jpg

[Rockin Robbins]

Here we were having a really cool theoretical conversation and BLAM, in comes Luke to ruin it all with the facts! http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/smileys/nya-nya.gif

Hey, Pally! We're talkin' here! Don't confuse us with the facts!

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/smileys/giggle.gifhttp://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/smileys/hahaha-024.gif

[Seminole]

Yikes!!!!

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm36/Seminole_05/FFFFFFF.jpg



Luckily I was down 300 feet and they were surface skimming....:smug:

I watched on external camera. These guys were tracking that Destroyer but everytime they closed the range..the destroyer took off at top speed and outran them. Must rethink my position on destroyer intelligence...:yep:

These tiny buggers aren't very useful..that I can see.. but they are a whole lot of fun ...at least while the charm of novelty effect is in play...

[Kruger]

I was unfortunate enough that they ran out of fuel right above my position. They began to sink, and finally one of then exploded on my conning tower. Useless to say that in about 10 seconds it was all over. :damn::damn::damn::damn::damn:

[Seminole]

I seem to remember a song from TV, deades ago that went...

if it weren't for bad luck...I'D have no luck at all...



...well what you described sure fits that bill...:huh:

[SteamWake]

I was unfortunate enough that they ran out of fuel right above my position. They began to sink, and finally one of then exploded on my conning tower. Useless to say that in about 10 seconds it was all over. :damn::damn::damn::damn::damn:

Wow.... how in the ... a million to one shot. Ive never even seen a torp 'sink'.

[Kruger]

Oh..they do sink. At least in the game, and I think also in reality.

[Monica Lewinsky]

Here we were having a really cool theoretical conversation and BLAM, in comes Luke to ruin it all with the facts! http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa293/RockinRobbins13/smileys/nya-nya.gif

http://learnabit.homeserver.com/lab/noooooooo2.jpg

NOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo !!! Don't tell me that Luke - USE the FORCE!!!

I have been monitoring this thread and never had the chance to "stock these", [cuties] until now. I made a promise to myself to start the War in 1941 and play it to the end using MANUAL targeting for EACH patrol. Total BLAST OF FUN, so far! I'm in my 16th patrol and it is now April, 1945 in Pearl and I am at Pearl for a refit/restock/new mission orders, etc. I have been at it for 7 months now using manual targeting. Please, don't tell me how the war ends in the game. My 14th patrol was a TOTAL DUD - inserted Mr. Secret Agent Man in Japan and sank >ONE< ship because fuel guage said "phone home". :(

Anyway ...

I said to myself while re-stocking torps in April, 1945, "Hey look at this! ... here for those cutie torps that those guys are talking about on the forums". I think they were 500 points EACH, so I stocked up the AFT Torp tubes with 4 of them. Then like a DUMB jerk, I bought 2 for the bow tubes - sounds like they are useless launched from the bow?

Question[s]:
Using manual targeting, do you launch them in the general direction out the AFT tubes without an EXACT planned impact point? Just got to my patrol zone [sink merchants around Luzon is the mission goal]. Have not fired any of them, yet.

I assume these [the cuties] are a waste on Merchants but MORE useful on putting Destroyers on the bottom?

I have no prior experience with them - thanking you in advance of your advice before I launch one or two!

[Rockin Robbins]

Question[s]:
Using manual targeting, do you launch them in the general direction out the AFT tubes without an EXACT planned impact point? Just got to my patrol zone [sink merchants around Luzon is the mission goal]. Have not fired any of them, yet.

I assume these [the cuties] are a waste on Merchants but MORE useful on putting Destroyers on the bottom?

I have no prior experience with them - thanking you in advance of your advice before I launch one or two!

I wouldn't worry about having a couple for the bow. They work fine there.

You can launch them with an exact impact point if you wish. But in order to aim that precisely you would have to be at periscope depth. As far as the cutie is concerned, you at periscope depth are nothing but another target. I launch from 99' or below in the general direction of my tormentors. These torpedoes are cute but not bright. Maybe they should be called blondies.

It is possible that you might get propeller damage on a merchie, but most likely they will steam away without any problem at all. On the other hand a cutie hit will often sink a destroyer or smaller escort. I can't wait until swdw gets his surface ship physics working for escorts and they can't dance out of the way like Natasia Liukin.

[Seminole]

My interest in cuties has dissapaited entirely after three patrols . It was a pleasant break from routine. It was interesting to see them zip around through convoys. Trying to catch escorts.
Nice to see first hand their capabilities and disabilities.

But funs over. Time to get serious and back to work. Don't think I'll be packing anymore cuites...well...maybe just one.