I'm so happy I found this thread.
 

I had no idea that wave action contributed to premature detonation. I prefer the magnetic pistol in any case, I'd forgotten about avoiding the 90 deg angle for contact fused torpedoes too - or at least I'd forgotten how important it is. I just fired about eight MK 14's at a tanker [Nippon Maru] for one detonation, which sank it after about 20 mins. A little more thought next time methinks.....

I'm currently running Operation Monsoon and loving it. It is early 1940 off the coast of Gibraltar. I'm in an early model so I only have three forward tubes. I come across a sweet convoy coming out of the straights and in the slightly foggy atmosphere run at them between escorts on the surface. 13 Knots is about as good as it gets but I line up on a huge tanker while the escort catches up to me.

I have loaded my boat with five(yes that is the total load out for this model) homing torpedoes. I pass in front of a merchant and come about hard to starboard hoping the now firing escort hits the merchant not me but she is close. I have to slow so the fish do not come back at me and dive. All three go after the tanker DUD:har:, DUD:woot:, DUD:D, could be heard in the water and laughing :haha: sailors from the merchants. I managed to get the other two off moving through the convoy, DUD:dead:. DUD!!:/\\!!

The Germans had issues as well with the torpedoes. I was just glad the sun was going down and made it harder for them to see as I moved toward the back of the convoy underwater and once clear I rose to the surface and got away under cover of fog and night back to Cadiz for a new load out.

Seeing the positive side
 

They say if you expect the worst you're only going to get pleasant surprises and I've found that that's true to a certain extent. There's no joy attached to getting a dud when you've got course and speed nailed and you're positioned for a perfect shot, but on those occasions when you have less time to work a solution and your data are of dubious quality, when your sonar operator reports a dud, then you can console yourself with the thought that at least you hit the damned thing.

On a related note I'm starting to love the TDC more and more, or more accurately the PK. It makes it far easier to assess the quality of my guesswork.......

I was watching Silent Service doc on Youtube and an old bubblehead said that the japs linly used passive sonar? Not to doubt the old man, he went through a depth charging, but is this on oversight on the part of the game?

I had thought that the Japanese didn't get active sonar until Mid-War.

I'm not sure about Passive Sonar. :hmmm:

I'll need to do some research.