Somewhere in this thread someone posed the question of whether or not the magnetic declination in the northern latitudes of the North Atlantic might interfere with the magnetic pistols. I believe it should not.
Declination, while it does vary with time, is a very slow process, and would only interfere with navigation by magnetic compasses were it not factored in to one's calculations. While there are local anomalies in several places on the face of the earth, declination changes very slowly. Herr Kapitan Mittelwaechter's point about adjusting for the anomalies is well taken.
I lived for many years in New Jersey, then for even longer in Fairbanks, Alaska. In New Jersey, the declination (difference between magnetic and true north) was only 11° 37' W, changing by 0° 2' W/year. That same year (1972), declination was 28° 53' E changing, by 0° 1' W/year. It's changed over the past 40 years to 20° 7' E changing, by 0° 22' W/year.
So, while it *does* vary with location and time, it's always (well, nearly always) printed on navigation charts, USGS topo maps, and the like.
Since the torpedo was only using a magnetic field disturbance detector to fire its detonator, and not for finding its way, it would never know about the drift of the magnetic north pole.
<sigh> Every once in awhile my old Boy Scout stuff comes struggling out of my brain and rears its ugly head.....
Zygoma
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May all your submarine's surface operations exceed your number of dives by exactly one at the end of your career.
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