Salvo Attack

desirableroasted · 07-03-10, 07:21 PM

Not to be Dr Nair, but I have evolved a doctrine about salvo shots:

1. NO Against single merchants. I'm convinced one good shot can cripple any merchant, so I concentrate on that shot only. I may need a 2nd shot to sink her, but if I have made a first good shot, I have oodles of time to wait and see. Remember: torpedoes were (are) enormously expensive.

2. NO against a convoy. If I had 100 cheap torpedoes, I might fire them all into the crowd and hope. But firing a spread of 4 into a convoy is relying on hope, not experience. Far better to mark your four targets, set your four tubes appropriately, and fire four tailored shots... it will take 30 seconds longer to fire (and 2-3 minutes to prepare), seem like forever, but it's better results.

3. MAYBE in a snapshot. If I had a fat tanker or ammo ship -- not some coastal freighter -- coming out of the fog at short distance, I might do a double shot, magnetic, under the keel. Just to get one shot in.

4. YES for a capital ship approaching. When you have Hood or a Rodney bearing down on you at 25 knots or more, along with their escorts, you have time for one firing solution. And you aren't going to be allowed a 2nd one. It's one ship, so the data is the same... just get the spread angle right and hope. And dive.

07-03-10, 07:21 PM	#18
desirableroasted Grey Wolf Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: In the mountains, now. On the edge of the sea before. Posts: 933 Downloads: 47 Uploads: 0	Not to be Dr Nair, but I have evolved a doctrine about salvo shots: 1. NO Against single merchants. I'm convinced one good shot can cripple any merchant, so I concentrate on that shot only. I may need a 2nd shot to sink her, but if I have made a first good shot, I have oodles of time to wait and see. Remember: torpedoes were (are) enormously expensive. 2. NO against a convoy. If I had 100 cheap torpedoes, I might fire them all into the crowd and hope. But firing a spread of 4 into a convoy is relying on hope, not experience. Far better to mark your four targets, set your four tubes appropriately, and fire four tailored shots... it will take 30 seconds longer to fire (and 2-3 minutes to prepare), seem like forever, but it's better results. 3. MAYBE in a snapshot. If I had a fat tanker or ammo ship -- not some coastal freighter -- coming out of the fog at short distance, I might do a double shot, magnetic, under the keel. Just to get one shot in. 4. YES for a capital ship approaching. When you have Hood or a Rodney bearing down on you at 25 knots or more, along with their escorts, you have time for one firing solution. And you aren't going to be allowed a 2nd one. It's one ship, so the data is the same... just get the spread angle right and hope. And dive. __________________ "Well, now, that's true... the IXC is a bit of a chick magnet..but you really can't beat the VIIB for off-road fun."