realistic torpedo payload

[Schwuppes]

Gentlemen,


I was wondering what the ratio of steam vs. electric torpedo armament was on your standard Type VIIC submarine. I'm assumng BdU would assign a number of torpedos to each boat... is this correct?

So the Type VIIC can carry 14 eels right? How many of them would have been electric and how many steamers? And what about acoustic torpedos, what amount f those did each boat usually get?

Its just that I want to keep my career withtin realistic circumstances....

thanks for any input!

[antikristuseke]

As far as I know the external reloads were allways steamers, but other than that Mostly electric torpedoes were used with steamers being the prefrence of some Kaleuns due to their increased reliability during the early war years.
As for acoustic and patern runing torpedoes, I dont really know the loadout for those, but I would assume that the number of acoustic torpedoes was very low, say no more than 2 or 3 on a boat, but this is just a guess from looking at the number of such torpedoes fired in total.

[P_Funk]

They had to keep electric torpedoes inside all the time because they required significantly more maintenance than their steam brethren.

As for ratios I'm not sure. But since night surface attacks were the preferred method in the early war then I'm sure that you'd want more steamers since if they can see your bubbles they can see you.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Schwuppes

I'm assumng BdU would assign a number of torpedos to each boat... is this correct?

I don't think high command would get involved in details like that. I'm pretty sure it came down to what was available for delivery to any individual base, and then to what an individual captain could convince the base commander to give him. Petty politics, and all that.

If it's available on the roster, you're probably being realistic to go ahead and take it. The gamer's trick of going back over and over (which resets the available supply), on the other hand...

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I don't think high command would get involved in details like that. I'm pretty sure it came down to what was available for delivery to any individual base, and then to what an individual captain could convince the base commander to give him. Petty politics, and all that.

If it's available on the roster, you're probably being realistic to go ahead and take it. The gamer's trick of going back over and over (which resets the available supply), on the other hand...

Agreed

[banryu79]

Sorry for the Necroposting,
but I was searching for a suitable thread before starting a new one and stumbled upon this, and it is perfect.

So let's raise the dead!

I read some interesting info about torpedo loadout (G7a and G7e) for the Typ VIIc in the Type VIIc Manual, here (page 50)

The relevant parts are those about the locations into which you COULD NOT place a G7e/G7a torpedo in a Type VII due to technical reasons.

From that document, the places suitable for storing torpedoes are labelled as:

1 - reserve stowage (in game are the 'normal' reloads)
2 - auxiliary stowage (in game are the 'extra' reloads in fwd. room only)
3 - deck containers (in game are the 'external' reloads)

According to the Type VII Manual you CAN'T place:

G7a - not in auxiliary (cause torp engine chamber would be positioned at the support point)
G7e - not in deck containers and not in aft reserve stowage (cause access for maintenance is insufficient)

So if you want to play historycally you could consider all that.
Moreover, in the Type VII Manual, there is also a table showing possible payload arrengments (the table consider mines too).
The unique torpedo-only payload show there is this one:

9 G7e and 5 G7a.
G7e = 4+1 in torp tubes [fow/aft]; 2 in reserve [fwd]; 2 in auxiliary [fwd]
G7a = 2+1 in reserve [fwd/aft]; 1+1 in deck containers [fwd/aft]

It's interesting to note that they started with a full complement of G7e in torpedo tubes. Maybe because that where the most convenient locations for servicing the torpedoes while at sea. This looks like it was the customary loadout to me...

And now my question:
Which is the file I need to edit to customize my initial torpedo loadout (I'd like to make it the default one) and where it is located inside the game path?

Many thanks!!!

[Zosimus]

The information you need is at http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...09&postcount=6

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by Zosimus

The information you need is at http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...09&postcount=6

Many thanks, Zosimus

[CaptBones]

The post you were directed to concerns the Type IXc boat, but the information is basically the same as for any of the other boats.

But, I mentioned this in another thread on the same topic in this forum (OP was on April 22nd); you can change your loadout in the "office" before starting a patrol by clicking on the "UBOAT" desk on the right side of the office screen. All torpedo Types available at that specific time in your career can be substituted for the default loadout. The basic Type I (G7a) and Type II (G7e) don't cost any renown; later improved Types do have a renown cost, but you can also change that in the "basic.cfg" file. The torpedo data is toward the bottom, about 3/4 of the "page" in Wordpad.

If you want to provide for a different default loadout, or even changes to the default loadout depending on the year, or even the season of the year, the SH3 Commander "Static settings" file can be used and different "Static settings/basic.cfg" files can be placed in the SH3 CDR "Date" folders. That has the additional advantage of undoing the changes and restoring your original "basic.cfg" file every time SH3 CDR rolls back changes when exiting the game.

[banryu79]

Hey CaptBones, thanks for the explanations, it came in due time as I already started to edit a copy of the basic.cfg file with the idea of creating a mini mod. But I didn't thought that it's really more appropriate to create this as a SH3 Commander mod, thanks for your advice.

For the moment I will focus on the G7a and G7e only cause they cost no renown and I have solid historical info about what it could be considered a typical payload.

I would edit the payload of the different Typ VII for the years 1940 and 1941.

I somewhat feel that's more appropriate to retain the other payloads as they are.

Maybe, if I could find some more historical data I could expand the whole thing.

[CaptBones]

There were two posts in that thread (by 'Marcello' and 'sublynx' ?) that quoted BdU documentation on "standard" torpedo loadouts for Type VIIC boats. Best of luck in creating your mini-Mod.

[sublynx]

www.uboatarchive.net has BdU's war diary and some KTB's of U-boats from different years. Some KTB's tell which type of torpedoes they shot during the patrol, others have torpedo shooting reports atttached where they state the torpedo types as well. BdU's war diary has some mentions about torpedo loadouts. Rudewarrior's JFO! mod has collected that info.

A mod like that would be very cool indeed. The info is sketchy though, and it seems the type VII's operating manual was not always followed.

[banryu79]

Nice advices sublynx.
I sometimes read the KTB of Uboat from that source but damn! Did it come to my mind that I could find there the info I am looking for? Nope! :-)
So, thank you for your advice!

[Niedowidek]

As for acoustic torpedoes, there's an example of type IX U-505, which - while being captured - carried three of them:

"The U-boat was tied up at the Navy Yard in Bermuda and the remaining contents of the boat inspected in detail. Fourteen torpedoes, together with their detonating pistols and any other related parts, were inventoried from the boat. Two were T-5 accoustic homing torpedoes (a third had been fired from the #5 tube in the stern) and five were air powered. The torpedoes were sent to Washington on several ships to ensure at least one of the shipments arrived safely. Tests were conducted on the T-5s to discover the frequency upon which they operated. This helped ASW technicians in their quest to make existing foxing gear more effective as a decoy against them."

Savas, Theodore (2004-06-19). HUNT AND KILL: U-505 and the Battle of the Atlantic (p. 164). Casemate Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Bear in mind that full loadout of torpedoes for type IXC when leaving port should be 22, but I'm pretty sure that U-505 didn't launch more homing torpedoes during its last patrol than mentioned above.

[Marcello]

There are load plans from BdU for 1944, earlier stuff might exist but it is not available online.