Homing Torpedoes/Cuties
 

I got to play with my first homing torpedo affectionately known as a 'Cutie'. It was not so cute when it hit my prop:oops: . Someone please send a boat. I need a ride to port :roll:

LOL!
repeat after me, "fire tube 1! All Stop." :)

WTF????? (why that's funny)
 

I thought those puppies didn't start listening for 300 yards? No, huh?:hmm:

I usually launch 'em from 99 ft, the deepest they will launch although the real life guideline was twice that. Then they go up to the surface and hunt around up there. You can then make all the noise you want to to guide your Cutie to likely collisions!:arrgh!:

I dunno. Surely there was a setting on the cutie for that. My grandpa mentioned talking to one of the "new" electric torpedoes and it wiggling around in response. I assumed he was referring to the cutie.

Well, AVGWarhawk the odds are against you to begin with. The cuties go 12 knots is it? The DDs go that fast just walking and your submerged sub goes 7-9 something like that at flank. So now the DD is going to guide it over to you....:rotfl::damn:. The only time I had a chance to buy some, it never entered my mind that they would home in on me. But I got lucky and they never hit me.
Walk over to the nearest 7-11 and I'll pick you up. We're kinda crowded so you may have to ride on the bridge, I'll try not to submerge and more than I have to.

Peabody

Indeed they may have been slow, but I think the best use would be mainly as a defense and shot out of the stern tubes while a DD was on your behind. If used in this manner, then speed is not much of an issue.

I used one of them on Lt. Parker during the Trigger Maru new construction trials. The bastid kept spotting the torpedo wake and I'd miss, even firing from under 500 yards! I didn't have an option to pick up the electric torps in port, so I eventually got so frustrated that I dumped 500 renown on a Mk 27 and fired it at him.:p

Hehe....I used two when a tanker decided to chase me :D. In the mean time I had sunk the tanker with my cannon. The cuties were still active and I could hear them on my sonar. So, I headed off at 10 kts and they found me :rotfl: It was more of a trial and error as this was the first time I used them. It was more error on my part:roll:

Rockin Robbins posted about keeping the cutie on a leash to get a couple of tries at sinking the bad guys and it really helped me out. I can't remember the name of the post but he might be kind enough to re-post that.(hint hint):p I can try to explain it but his instuctions would be much better than mine. The gist of it is you can use your subs noise to bring the cutie back towards you then all stop and it will make another run at the DD.
You would be suprised how effective this is.:up:

Cutie on a leash!
 

Here it is. From my post of 1/28/08. You just christened the technique: Cutie on a leash it is!:rock:

I've abandoned firing spreads at escorts. They're not good enough tonnage to justify multiple torpedoes, and they're capable of dodging a spread just as well as a single torpedo. With this in mind I've changed my anti-escort tactics.

If you have the renown to spend on some cuties, when you have at least two escorts hunting for you, set AoB to zero or 180. Then when both escorts are arrayed ahead or behind you, giving you more than one possible target for your cutie, ascend to 99' (max torpedo launch depth) and loose a cutie in their direction. Now the fun part: Once the cutie gets 800 to 1000 yards behind, hit full power for 20 seconds or so, pointing straight at the cutie. This will turn the cutie back toward you. Bad move? Where do escorts have to go to kill you? Hehehehehehe. Repeat as necessary until you hear a boom. It works well and you can control that cutie for an amazing amount of time before it becomes inactive. Disadvantage: escorts are not profitable renown-wise compared to the cost of the cutie. However, if the cutie gets you to the merchies, you don't care!:arrgh!:

I will have to try this move. I used two again tonight. They just motored of into the sunset. I think they were tracking a flatulant seagull. :-?