manual targeting - speed

[Frederf]

1. It is best to let the computer figure it out. Best way to hit not moving boats is to turn the submarine to face the target. If the torpedo does not have to make a turn then it cannot miss. If you must shoot a torpedo that turns, make sure range is correct in TDC. The TDC figures out how much to turn the torpedo.

2. You can't. Spread angle is angle between multiple torpedoes. With one torpedo it can only go one direction.

3. You always have to set bearing to target, this is how the torpedo knows where to go even for stationary target. With a moving target you must set "AoB" which is the direction the target is moving from your point of view as well as the speed.

[heartc]

Originally Posted by Frederf

Best way to hit not moving boats is to turn the submarine to face the target. If the torpedo does not have to make a turn then it cannot miss. If you must shoot a torpedo that turns, make sure range is correct in TDC.

Range is irrelevant when the target doesn't move. You must have meant bearing.
In fact, range is the least important data with the least effect on accuracy even for moving targets.

[Frederf]

Negative. Range matters a great deal even against a stationary target. If you have TDC data

Range: 1100yd
Bearing: 056°
Speed: 0 kt

and the target is actually

Range: 4300yd
Bearing: 056°
Speed: 0 kt

You will miss.

[Fincuan]

Originally Posted by Frederf

Range: 1100yd
Bearing: 056°
Speed: 0 kt

and the target is actually

Range: 4300yd
Bearing: 056°
Speed: 0 kt

You will miss.

Indeed, and it's not going to be even close. Below is the same situation drawn in Mobo. A straight run of 200 yds from the periscope to the turning point is assumed before the torpedo executes an immediate turn to the bearing. In practice the turn wouldn't be immediate and the straight run would probably longer, resulting in an even bigger error.

[Morpheus]

there is also another "trick" to get the targets estimated speed...

when reporting a convoy, you can read the estemated speed from the radio log ... this can be considered as "cheating", but so what.

torpedo fireing from a german uboat in sh4 is bugged anyways, when playing stock, so take any advantage you can get.

i play with the "map update" feature and fire directely from the attack map view. it's like shooting fish in a barrel. i never miss.

maby that changes with mods like operation moonsun. i will have a try on that soon.

cheers
morph

[kstanb]

I don't consider it cheating for the only reason that the estimate is not that good anyway, last time I check, radio log estimated 5 knots and the actual 2 bearing-range input gave me 7 knots

Originally Posted by Morpheus

there is also another "trick" to get the targets estimated speed...

when reporting a convoy, you can read the estemated speed from the radio log ... this can be considered as "cheating", but so what.

[Rockin Robbins]

Since the stadimeter is cursed and a one pixel error can result in a hundred or two hundred yard difference in measured range, I always time the run between two points three minutes apart. The number of hundred yards you run in that time is the target speed in knots. A cursed stadimeter also means the estimate course and speed button is also cursed.

If you are using radar, this is a dead accurate number you can rely on. With radar, you have the additional advantage of not having to expose your periscope with the target close aboard to obtain the information. With metric, the number of hundred meters traveled between two positions 3 minutes fifteen seconds apart does the trick.

According to the Submarine Torpedo Fire Control Manual, all shots under a 30º gyro angle are considered straight fire and can absorb a lot of range error without missing your target. That doesn't mean you can input 750 yards for a target 3,000 yards away! But it does mean that ballpark ranges work just fine for lesser gyro angles.

In a trailing situation, I don't like the 180º AoB shot all all. Just a tiny rudder movement of the target and your torpedo misses. I like to set up for a shot that runs parallel to the target, takes a 90º turn and impacts broadside. That means range is critical! But it also means almost no possibility for the target to maneuver out of the way. The action report that begins the RFB training manual is a recounting of exactly that situation.