Yes, the American acoustic policy was much better. The procedure was not to launch acoustic torpedoes from any depth less than 200'. The torpedo couldn't go that deep. It wasn't necessary to shut down engines and become a sitting duck, a factor that probably contributed to the fact that the Germans didn't sink a single target with their acoustic torpedoes while American had several successes. One of those successes was by the SS Kraken near the end of the war.
I even use the torpedoes' homing capability for my advantage. I'm at 200' running silent and the escorts? Well there's one prime piece of real estate, and that's directly above me. If I can get the escort and the torpedo to attempt to occupy that space simultaneously I'll probably hear a very satisfying boom.
So I let the torpedo get 400 to 1000 yards away and hit ahead emergency. The torpedo will do a 180 and head for my position. I've set the depth for on the surface and as soon as I verify the course of the torpedo will take it directly overhead, I cut back to ahead slow. Now an escort making a run already has a Cutie aimed in his direction and nearby. Since they slow down for precision drops they're sitting ducks for my Cutie on a Leash.
If nothing happens, wait for the cutie to be 400 to 1000 yards away, another spurt of power to turn it around and re-roll the dice. I've done this with a single torpedo over 10 minutes. It's fishing at its best!
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