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Originally Posted by Flamingboat
As an example I need help with my intercepts. I see a convoy moving at X speed at Y bearing. How can I calculate how long it will take to travel a certain distance so I can plot an intercept better? I need to be able to figure out how long it takes to travel a certain distance at certain speeds so I know if I will be fast enough or whatever to get at the target, ahead or behind. Whatever the case may be.
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Having a Nomograph on your nav map helps a lot with these calculations. It should be very easy to add on to yours even if you don't want to install a huge mod package.
Bearing and Speed is not enough information to plot an exact intercept. You're going to need his position, course, and speed to predict his motion. The first thing I do is mark his current position and a line representing his future motion. Then I make a mark at
where I want him to be when I arrive. This is the distance he's going to move; divide that by his speed (using nomograph or a pocket calculator). This shows you how much time you have to get in position.
Armed with how much time you have, mark
where you want to be when the target arrives at his mark. Measure the distance between you and that mark. This is the distance you have to cover in the time we already know. Now you calculate a required speed to do that. Speed = Distance / Time.
One trick to know if it's working is that the relative bearing of the target will remain constant for collision courses. If you want to arrive slightly ahead of the target, the bearing better be moving more toward the size. If you want to arrive slightly later to the target, the bearing should start to drift toward your bow.
Usually we draw an intercept at right angles to the target's course although attacks done 45 degrees into the target reduce your chances of detection and a few degrees away can stretch an intercept that you wouldn't have been able to reach otherwise.