One of the main problems with the American detonators was that the inventors did not know enough about physics.
In Northern climates the magnetic field around a metal object tends to be roughly semi-circular in shape. The closer you get to the equator the flatter and shallower the field tends to be, to the point that, when you are at the equator, the field resembles a plate that stretches out from the object for a sizeable distance... thin, wide and shallow.
When a US torpedo would run into this flat, enlarged area it would set off he detonator at the edge of the field and you would get a premature explosion. If you set the torp to run deeper (or if it ran deeper than you meant it to which was the case through 42-43) it would run under the field and never detonate.
This is the reason the US Submarine Service finally had to give up on the magnetic detonators and go with contact only. It is also the reason why the German U-Boats, who operated in more Northerly climates, had more success... although they certainly has their problems too.
JCC
|