Torpedoes

[Scarredclown]

I've done my first mission and returned to base safely. A first... I check to reload my torpedoes and have the choice between mark 10 and 14. Why would i choose mark 10 ? Arent mark 14 superior ?

[CCIP]

Historically, the Mark 14 was fatally flawed (severe depth errors, occasional gyro errors, faulty detonators) and basically did not work until they were fixed in 1943. The Mark 10 did not have the same detonator problems and was much more reliable. The Mark 14 was better than the Mark 10 on paper, but in practice was completely broken and useless due to the BuOrd's negligence in testing the torpedoes. Unless you're playing with RFB though, those errors in SH4 are reduced in severity.

The Mark 10 is also the only torpedo that fit in the tubes of S Class boats.

[Scarredclown]

Ok , i'm using RFB as of this morning. So i'll check this out. Also this week, a lot of my mark14 ,in stock, were detonating prematurely. Thats explains a lot. Since i'm in RFB, i must consider mark 10 .

[razark]

Why would i choose mark 10 ?
In addition to the above mentioned torpedo issues, there's the realism factor.

If you're in an S-boat, Mark 14s are too long to fit in the tubes, so you would need the 10s. The game doesn't make that distinction. The base may also have been out of stock of the newer Mark 14s, and you'd have to take the Mark 10s they had.

[Pigboatcook]

We all have our likes and dislikes but my early war load-out is the last tube forward (#4 or #6) and my last two aft (#7&8 or 9&10) are always mark 10s.
I also make sure my last reload forward and aft are mark 10s. They are, for me, my best ace in the hole regarding escorts making a run on me. They might be slower, and less range, but when I want the fish to explode if I get a good close in shot I opt for the 10.

[SquareCanine]

I think the torpedo specifics are contained in the dat file which I'm not setup to read. From others research and my own experience, the Mk 10's are extremly reliable in terms of not detonating early and having good depth keeping, and they have a much more reliable contact detonator (they're as slow as a Mk 14 on slow, and they weigh less, so this is expected). They're really the only torpedo that can be expected to work when making glancing shots (without using an influence detonator).

I often keep a pair of 10's in the aft tubes for defence. If I'm being charged by a destroyer, I want shots that are going to actually explode, and not run deep.

@razark: I've never used that class, but the game files look like the S classes are correctly setup to only use Mk 10's (TorpedoTube21inOldUS). Perhaps a mod screwed that up, or maybe 1.5 does (1.4 for life :rock:).

[thegrindre]

@razark: I've never used that class, but the game files look like the S classes are correctly setup to only use Mk 10's (TorpedoTube21inOldUS). Perhaps a mod screwed that up, or maybe 1.5 does (1.4 for life :rock:).
Sorry, off topic but I'd like to know what mods you are using, sir?
If you are playing v1.4, what works for you?

Thank you. :)

[Longknife]

As has been said the Mk14's are better on paper but in practice were awful & even directly contributed to lives being lost on "our" side. By late 1943 they were finally squared away & proved reliable. Ironically about the time they got the Mk14's working the Mk18's were in service & had many of the same problems but because they generated no wake were more warmly received. I recently read somewhere that 40% of the ships sank by the American subforce was with Mk18's IIRC.

BTW in regards to your signature you English is far superior to my French so my hats off to ya!:up:

[SquareCanine]

It should be noted that the Mk 14's are not modelled entirely correctly in this game. The game correctly improves the performance of the contact detonator on the slow speed, but the relationship between angle and reliability is quite wrong.

The Mk 14 was actually better at an angle, something like 45 degrees, because this reduced the forces on the contact detonator, and excessive impact force is what was usually causing failure. Mk 14's should have at least a 70% failure rate when impacting at or near 90 degrees (that's how bad the real life version was until this was fixed in 1943).

@thegrindre: I don't use any mods. I do modify some of the game files to fix or prevent certain issues, but my game is mechanically stock.

[fireftr18]

My last attack, I came out 0 for 15 fired. All duds or pre-matures. Sounds pretty accurate to me.
:Kaleun_Mad:
@%&#$ Mk14s

[TorpX]

It should be noted that the Mk 14's are not modelled entirely correctly in this game. The game correctly improves the performance of the contact detonator on the slow speed, but the relationship between angle and reliability is quite wrong.

...



In RFB, they are well modeled.



I don't agree that the Mk. 14 was fatally flawed. Most of the problems associated with it were due to the exploder. If BuOrd had done proper tests, all the problems could have been fixed before 1941.