Pop Quiz for trainee

[Udi Hrant]

Still in training for my first campaign run. (I'm determned not to sail until I am able to do so under a fairly high degree of realism.) Toward that end if some patient old salt would check my following method and see if I'm on the right track I would appreciate it:

For manual torpedo targeting:
1- determine range by checking mast height of target
2 - determine angle on the bow by matching my course to target and then do 180-target bearing
3 - for now I want to 'guess' rather then track out the targets speed so...I switch to aiming calculator, switch off automatic targeting, enter guessed speed, switch auto target dial back on and then switch back to periscope
4 - aim periscope at target (to set current bearing)
5 - FIRE

Please let me know if that is a logical albeit rough and dirty technique to start with. Thanks.

[bert8for3]

Originally Posted by Udi Hrant

Still in training for my first campaign run. (I'm determned not to sail until I am able to do so under a fairly high degree of realism.) Toward that end if some patient old salt would check my following method and see if I'm on the right track I would appreciate it:

For manual torpedo targeting:
1- determine range by checking mast height of target
2 - determine angle on the bow by matching my course to target and then do 180-target bearing
3 - for now I want to 'guess' rather then track out the targets speed so...I switch to aiming calculator, switch off automatic targeting, enter guessed speed, switch auto target dial back on and then switch back to periscope
4 - aim periscope at target (to set current bearing)
5 - FIRE

Please let me know if that is a logical albeit rough and dirty technique to start with. Thanks.

There's good discussion/explanation of manual targeting in the Wiki and the Newbie FAQ, both in the sticky threads. Also, if you run a search using the words manual and targeting, you'll get a bunch of good threads where this has been discussed. See e.g. http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...nual+targeting and http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...nual+targeting and http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...nual+targeting .

If I understand your example, you're always lining up to match course with target, so that target's angle on the bow is always 180. But presumably from that you're lining up a stern shot, which is tough because target is narrow and going-away. You're best to line up a shot from ahead of 90 on target if you can. Don't forget that angle on the bow is target's relative bearing to uboat, in other words the bearing from target to uboat taking target's head (bow) as 0deg, regardless of actual (compass) heading.

[NeonSamurai]

Ok some stuff.

1. Yep
2. Nope ill explain below
3. Use the 3 minute 15 second rule. With alot of expirence you can guess, but even then the 3 minute 15 second rule is best.
4. Umm sort of, ill explain below also
5. Yep

Ok for angle off bow, your uboat's course and speed are utterly irrelivant, AoB is the angle from the ship's perspective to your uboat using the bow (or ship's course) as 0 degrees. Here ill give you some rough AoB examples.

         Target
           --X



                          o Uboat
                          |

Now in this example the ship is going due east, the uboat north. The Angle on bow would be 45 degrees Right

         Target
           --X



             o-- Uboat

Here the uboat is going west, the angle on bow is now 90 degrees right

         Target
              X
             |
 
 
               o-- Uboat

Now the ship is going North, the angle on bow is 180 degrees

            Target
                   X--
 
 
        |
        o Uboat

Last example the ship is going west, and the uboat south, AoB is 45 degrees left


As you can see all that matters is the angle of the ship's bow to your position. The only factors are the target's course and position, and your own boat's position


Determining AoB can be done in 2 ways, either by visual estimate (looking at it and figuring out what it is), or by going to the map, pulling out the protractor, mark the first point with the protractor ahead of the ship on its course, the second point in the middle of the ship, and the last point in the middle of your sub. Then read off the angle and determine if your on the right side or left side of the target ship.


Determining speed is easy with the 3 minute 15 second rule, all you do is mark the ship where it currently is on your map, switch to the periscope or tdc, turn on the stopwatch, at 3 minutes 15 seconds mark were the ship is again. then pull out the ruler and mesure between the 2 points, and multiply the value you get by 10 to determine knots (so say the ruler reads 0.8km, the ship is then going 8 knots). This can also be done with out map contacts, but you have to learn to manualy plot, and plot the target out (see my newbie guide stickied here for a website that covers manual plotting).


Now as for shooting ill give some basic advice, which is always try to shoot so that your torpedo doesnt have to turn. ie your shot bearing should be 0 for forward shots, 180 for rear shots. Having the torpedo turn throws off the calculations some, the more it turns the more the path calculations are messed up.

[Hueywolf123]

Angle on bow, when you click on this, that little black circle that comes up on the note pad? well the ship in the middle is not you. you need to pretend you are standing on your target - looking back at your boat. Now, where abouts would you be visible from if your target could see you? This is your angle on bow

[Udi Hrant]

Thanks VERY much guys! This must be stone boring for you but I can't wait to get home tonight, kiss the wife, kick the dog, and get starting choking off the British Empire!

I'm starting to get the same kind of nerd buzz I used to get when I could feel my way around my F16 cockpit.....

[Udi Hrant]

It has occured to me to ask -

why not make my 3.5 minute marks on the map FIRST in order to get speed of target and then do a quick distance and AOB reading before snapping off my shot? That way his distance and AOB will not have much time to change.

Also the reason I was thinking of 'matching my heading to his was so that these reading would change less as I was taking his temperature compared to, say, moving at right angles to him.

Anyway - thanks again.

[bigboywooly]

Originally Posted by Udi Hrant

Thanks VERY much guys! This must be stone boring for you but I can't wait to get home tonight, kiss the wife, kick the dog, and get starting choking off the British Empire!

I'm starting to get the same kind of nerd buzz I used to get when I could feel my way around my F16 cockpit.....

Strange man - must be a newly wed
I kick the wife and kiss the dog