I would never fire a salvo in hopes of a hit. If the convoy knows you are there it will zigzag and make a hit even less likely. Why waste four torpedoes on a desperate shot when you can evade and later re-establish contact with the same convoy and set up again for a deliberate attack. I've had perfect setups spoiled at the last second, broke off attack, evaded and then attacked again later. Only I had four more torpedoes available to me since I didn't waste them on a desperate gamble.
Occasionally I will fire a single "Hail Mary" shot on a distant valuable target. I bagged my first Bogue carrier that way. I was too far away for a deliberate attack, so I fired one G7A. My reasoning was that it was early morning and they might not see it in the predawn darkness. Meanwhile, I dove deep and moved away. Several minutes later it hit and the carrier came to a stop, with a list to port. After several hours of evasion and stealthy maneuvering I was able to approach closer and finish her off. Had I fired a salvo of four, which is all I had left and only one hit, I would not have had any left for the kill shot.
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