[joegrundman]

How you want it to work is how it works, at least for me.

Point 1, all merchants in a convoy have the same speed
Point 2, all merchants have the same course

AOB, course and bearing to target is a formula, such that if one is constant, the other two are linked.

So, if so long as you don't change your submarine's own course, once you have inputted a correct AOB for the target course, then the AOB will automatically be updated for every ship in the convoy when you pass your scope view over it.

The only variable is range, and so long as you are firing reasonably straight ahead and the target is presenting a side-on view, range doesn't matter much.

My conclusion is: either you aren't using the TDC properly (which you insist you are) or you have inaccurate speed or course estimates. Most probably speed.

HOWEVER: there is 1 important aspect of using the notepad, and the TDC on auto.

Because the AOB in the TDC is relaetd to scope bearing for a fixed target course, it varies quite a lot in the TDC. But the original inuptted AOB, which is ofetn still written on the notepad, is only for 1 particular bearing. If you then sight on a new target and send range to target to the TDC you may also be sending the out of date AOB which is sending erroneous data to the TDC.

I have missed lots of torps this way - by forgetting to clean the notepad after sending aob.

A way to bypass this is to set up the TDC as soon as you know the target course and your own anticipated course at the moment of firing. The ideal arrangement is taht you lie perpendicular to the target track, in which case you zero the UZO straight ahead, go to the TDC, put the TDC on manual, set the AOB to show what the AOB should look like when it passes straight in front of you (in this case 90), then click auto on, and that's your TDC set up for the attack. you just have to make sure that you are on your anticipated firing course at the moment of firing.

This is known as fast90 targetting and wasserman wrote a much better guide for this than i just have.

Then with the notepad clean, all you need to use it for is sending range.

joe