How do I locate and kill a ship?

Andrewsdad · 10-12-12, 12:02 AM

Allow me to take a crack at it

1. When a contact appears on the map take your protractor and draw the angle from your boat to the contact and along the direction the contact is moving. (You may have to make a estimate of that course, but use your best judgement.)

2. Take your ruler. Start at the contact and run a measurement along the targets course. Make the length some multiple of the targets speed. Remember this multiple.... (In the diagram example you will see the value is 6. Since the estimate of the convoy speed is 6 knots and the multiple selected was 1 so line is 6k in length)

3. Now, decide at what speed you wish to sail your boat to intercept the convoy. Take the compass and draw a circle whose diameter is the speed you selected x the multiple you selected in step 2. ( In the diagram example the speed selection was 12 knots, and the multiple is 1 so the circle is 12k in diameter.)

4. Take your protractor again and draw the angle from the center of the circle to the point where the circle intercepts the line from the target to your boat and along that line toward the target. (That is the Yellow lines making angle #1 in the diagram example.) Take note of that angle...

5. Again with the protractor, start at the target and go to your boat and make the same angle as above and extend it to the convoy course line you made in step #1. This is your intercept course. (This is the Green lines in the diagram example.)

6. Now take your course setting tool and set it along that intercept line and you will sail right to the enemy. It will even tell you how long it will take to get there.

Remember, the scaling factor you select is only to make the drawing easy to build. Just be sure you use the same factor for both steps #2 and #3.

Once you have performed this navigation task and are on course to intercept the target you will find it a good idea to actually sail at a somewhat faster speed than you used for the plot. It is better to get there ahead and set up for the attack.

Hope this helps, Herr Kaleun.

Salute !!
AD

10-12-12, 12:02 AM	#8
Andrewsdad Machinist's Mate Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 130 Downloads: 81 Uploads: 0	Allow me to take a crack at it 1. When a contact appears on the map take your protractor and draw the angle from your boat to the contact and along the direction the contact is moving. (You may have to make a estimate of that course, but use your best judgement.) 2. Take your ruler. Start at the contact and run a measurement along the targets course. Make the length some multiple of the targets speed. Remember this multiple.... (In the diagram example you will see the value is 6. Since the estimate of the convoy speed is 6 knots and the multiple selected was 1 so line is 6k in length) 3. Now, decide at what speed you wish to sail your boat to intercept the convoy. Take the compass and draw a circle whose diameter is the speed you selected x the multiple you selected in step 2. ( In the diagram example the speed selection was 12 knots, and the multiple is 1 so the circle is 12k in diameter.) 4. Take your protractor again and draw the angle from the center of the circle to the point where the circle intercepts the line from the target to your boat and along that line toward the target. (That is the Yellow lines making angle #1 in the diagram example.) Take note of that angle... 5. Again with the protractor, start at the target and go to your boat and make the same angle as above and extend it to the convoy course line you made in step #1. This is your intercept course. (This is the Green lines in the diagram example.) 6. Now take your course setting tool and set it along that intercept line and you will sail right to the enemy. It will even tell you how long it will take to get there. Remember, the scaling factor you select is only to make the drawing easy to build. Just be sure you use the same factor for both steps #2 and #3. Once you have performed this navigation task and are on course to intercept the target you will find it a good idea to actually sail at a somewhat faster speed than you used for the plot. It is better to get there ahead and set up for the attack. Hope this helps, Herr Kaleun. Salute !! AD