Detecting torpedoes

[Kumando]

Can anyone one tell me what is the best way to detect and avoid an incoming torpedoe?

[MarkShot]

Your sonar crew (whether on auto-crew or not) will call out TIW (torpedo in the water bearing XXX). Generally, that's how you know.

However, it is possible to spot launch transients on broadband water fall displays. This is useful for subrocs, since you only get the TIW when the fish enters the water.

In terms of evasions, some basic tips (SP):

(1) If the shooter had a good solution on you, then I usually find it worthwhile to reverse course. (a proper solution will be leading the target for its assumed motion) As far as I know, I don't think the AI wire guides its fish after launch.

(2) You want to get out of the seeker cone before it reaches detection range. So, put it on your 3 O'Clock or 9 O'Clock. Go as fast as prudent. (meaning you maintain SA and don't sound like a freight train)

(3) Consider launching CMs (at a depth different then your own) prior to your evasive turn. Hopefully, as the fish approaches it will lock on to them further buying you time to evade.

One final thing: Counter-fire a snap shot or a spread on the bearing of the TIW. This gives the shooter something to think about. When the shooter is busy evading, then he won't be able to work out a solution for you while you are evading.

Of course there is much more, but that is a start. In SC, the AI evades by foolishly attempting to run straight from the fish. In SCX, the AI evades by trying to get out of the cone and tends to turn back into you after it has gone laterally for a while.

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You should find and download two documents:

(1) The Blue Book v20.

(2) TimmyG00s guide.

This will help immensely. Also, get a copy of Nottefallmappe (newbie guide for DW) which various portions will prove useful.

[Kumando]

Those was very useful tips for evading, but is it possible to track and mark the torpedoe with the sonar, so that it can appear in the tactical map and see the direction and changes of direction it makes to evade precisely?

[MarkShot]

Yes, you can get a tracker on inbound torpedo. However, this is often not easy to do (harder I think in SCX than SC). The problems are:

(1) You may already have a track on the launching platform. So, your BB (broadband) contacts for the launching platform and the inbound torpedo will be on the same vector. In that case, you'll need to pick out a specific frequency component from NB (narrow band) and assign a tracker. You want to be careful not to lose (by accidental clicking) your track on the lauching platform as you are definitely going to need that if you survive your evasion routine.

(2) If you launch a snapshot spread as you should, then you now have that the noise of your fish running down the same bearing as the inbound fish. More confusion. And perhaps throw in some CM (counter measure) noise for good measure.

(3) As you accelerate to evade, your sonar may be degraded or even washed out.

(4) You do not have time to dick around in the sonar station as you have to get out of that seeker cone. I believe at the greatest detection range that cone is about 2 miles across.

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However, the torpedo at a later time may appear to drift to another bearing and make it easy to get a tracker assigned. But in that case, it is probably going to pass by you safely (see below). {to watch the bearing you don't need a tracker, you can eyeball it}

Your auto-crew won't do a decent job of TMA on a weapon. I, personally, don't find doing it by hand on a weapon to be very productive. All you really need to know is that you have got out of the cone or that it has passed you (see below).

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The rule of thumb is that a weapon that maintains a consistant bearing to you has got you (meaning it is tracking to intercept). A weapon that drifts in bearing in front or behind (the more common case as you evade), does not have you.

If you hear a pinging weapon, it is bad news, but you can hear it before it has you. If the active ping meter is below 50% strength, then you are probably still okay, but you are in risk of it picking you up. Once again if the bearing of the pings drifts, it does not have you yet. If the bearing stays constant, you have but minutes left to live.

If the interval between pings decreases, it means that it has you. (It is no longer searching far and is in the terminal homing phase.) You can try poping CMs, changing course, and going to flank. Of course, there is always the chance that if you can reduce its closure rate that it may run out of juice before reaching you. If you suceed, then expect more inbound fish, since you will have left one humonguous noise signature for the enemy.

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Hope that helps.

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PS: I am no expert and I am just sharing what little I have picked up. Did you find those documents? They will teach you a lot.