How to arm a torpedo?

[Frank0001]

In order to set running depth, course, magnetic/impact pistol or speed, we play with the lovely dials when we press F6. However, how was this done IRL?
Did they have the same dials and if so, how will the torpedo 'know' how deep/fast it should run? Was it set on the torpedo itself?

Thanks in advance :salute:

[Dissaray]

Most of it was done with gyroscopes that were installed in the torpido itself at least for the turning and depth. As for arming and all other things pertaining to distance they used a propeler on the front of the torpido. X number of turns on that ment do this or that, the gizmo that counts the number of turns was preset with the torpido's speed in the caise of multy speed torpidos.

There were dials on the ship like the ones you play with in the game, or some thing very simular to them, though they just told you where to "aim" as in where youre target should be when you fire or how many degrees you should set the torpido to turn to to get close to your point of aim. These setings then had to be transferd to the internal giudance mechinisums of the torpido, though how exactly that is done I don't konw.

[ryanglavin]

To simplify what disarray said, the TDC usually did all the computations. You could set how deep you would want the torpedo, and it's speed.

[maillemaker]

I'm curious what the mechanism was that actually "spoke" to the torpedo while it was in the tube. Did the TDC communicate electrically or mechanically to the torpedo?

Steve

[Dissaray]

Your questions got me currious so I did me a litte internet search and found an article that may well awnser your questions, as well as correct me about that depth keeping device. As it turns out they used a mechanical pendulum and a hydrostatic valve in combination to set and keep the depth, though they didn't go into great deatail on how those things work, sadly as that seams rather intresting.

Here is the article if you are intrested in a bit of reading. http://www.uboataces.com/weapon-torpedo.shtml
I have to go to a class just now so I didn't get a chance to read all of it but there is a section about giadance and some pictures that may get you the info you want about how they programed the torpidos. It seems they had to program them befor they put them into the tube, thoguh I can only base that on a picture I found in that article.

[mookiemookie]

I know there was some sort of interface in the torpedo tube that would relay the settings from the TDC to the torpedo. How that operated exactly, I'm not sure.

[Dissaray]

I imagin, based again on that picture, that some kind of tool was extended inside the torpido tube and was inserted into the tool port that I saw them working with in that picture and adjust the gyroscopes and valves based on data generated by the TDC. Just a guess though.