Clear the Bridge! Dick O'kane method

45_South · 11-25-08, 05:44 PM

Greetings all,
I am trying to get my head around manual targeting and am currently reading Dick O'kanes' Clear the Bridge (very good read too by the way).

I started out using "the Dick O'kane' method as tutorialized (don't know if that's a real word but I'm going with it) by Rockin Robbins. I understand this method and have had some success with it - set up at 90 degrees to target track, offset aiming device 10, fire as desired points cross crosshairs etc etc.

However, every attack I read about in Dick O'kanes' book goes something like this (after the initial setup) "Constant bearing - mark!"
"Set!"
"Fire!" and the first torpedo went for her big stack aft. The next fish went for her middle, and the third forward.

What I don't understand is if he is firing as the target moves across his periscope crosshair, how does he shoot aft to fwd? This implies that he in fact does not hold his scope on a pre-determined bearing to fire but rather tracks with the target from aft to fwd?

I must be missing something basic here... calling Rockin Robbins to the bridge!
p.s. I tried to find the original Dick O'kane thread to post this to but failed miserably there also

11-25-08, 05:44 PM	#1
45_South Nub Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 3 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Clear the Bridge! Dick O'kane method Greetings all, I am trying to get my head around manual targeting and am currently reading Dick O'kanes' Clear the Bridge (very good read too by the way). I started out using "the Dick O'kane' method as tutorialized (don't know if that's a real word but I'm going with it) by Rockin Robbins. I understand this method and have had some success with it - set up at 90 degrees to target track, offset aiming device 10, fire as desired points cross crosshairs etc etc. However, every attack I read about in Dick O'kanes' book goes something like this (after the initial setup) "Constant bearing - mark!" "Set!" "Fire!" and the first torpedo went for her big stack aft. The next fish went for her middle, and the third forward. What I don't understand is if he is firing as the target moves across his periscope crosshair, how does he shoot aft to fwd? This implies that he in fact does not hold his scope on a pre-determined bearing to fire but rather tracks with the target from aft to fwd? I must be missing something basic here... calling Rockin Robbins to the bridge! p.s. I tried to find the original Dick O'kane thread to post this to but failed miserably there also