The Hunt: An illustrated example of how to sink a ship

[Dantenoc]

Step 9:
You wake up feeling rested and refreshed and realize that your allmost at the intercept point. Of course you dont expect the ship to be there just waiting in your scope's sight, because:
a) the exacteness of your drawings determines the precision of the outcome
b) the ships heading that was provided to you was quite vage (no degrees, just a compass heading)
c) YOU CHOSE TO ARRIVE EARLY, remember?

So you decide to do a quick sonar search. Periscope depth! Engines Ahead Slow!

Let's listen... Aha! You got him now !!!


Step 10:
Let's take a look at what you've got... Surface the boat!! (relax, he's too far to see you) heading 241, eh? Nope can't see him... he's still too far away. Let's wait for him

Naah, let's not. press the = key and head straight for him... A silly move for sure but we just want to get a little bit closer... let's just sail for 5 kilometers and then do a sonar search again.

Step 11:

Aaahh, so there he is... you found him pretty quick . Now keep your cool and maintain current orders. Theres no need to rush an engagement or to dive like a frightened rabbit down a hole :|\

Step 12:
Now let's set up your torpedoe run. Start the stop watch and immediatly mark the contact's position on the nav map (for a fully manual mode, take a look at Wazoo's "plot while you move" method)

when the stop watch reaches 3 minutes 15 seconds, mark the contact's position again. Technically that is all that you'll need to determine the ships exact heading and speed, but will take another reading in another 3 minutes and 15 seconds just to make sure

Step 13:
By now the contact is starting to get a little bit too close, so you decide to dive and plot a course that paralels the contact's course, so that you keep ahead of him. You now wait for the stop watch to reach the 6 minute and 30 seconds mark (3:15 twice)

almost time for the third mark

Step 14:
TIME! mark the contact's position on the nav map. It should now look like this


Step 15:
Let's measure the marks on the nav map. In two 3:15 segments the contact traveled 1.4 kms. Which means that on average it travels .7 kms every 3 minutes and 15 seconds. The 3:15 rule says that the contact is traveling at a speed of 7 knots

7 knots ?!?! good thing you decided to show up early, since our original guess of 6 knots was a bit slow

Step 16:
Now the contact is officially a target so lets set him up for a trip to the deep. Take the ruler you just used and stretch it so that it projects the target course. This is also called it's "track". Using a navigation waypoint make a course for your ship that cuts across the target's track at a 90 degree angle. Aid yourself with a protractor for best results. This is of course very easy to do becuase you very wisely chose to arrive before he did . Your nav map should now look like this


Step 17:
You star feeling very confident about the situation and so decide to use the stern tube for the kill (you got to use them sometime, so why not now ) So that means that you'll have to cross to the other side of the target's track. Set the nav point 0.5 kms on the other side of the track. Asist yourself with a ruler if needed. When your almost in position, the navmap should look like this


Step 18:
Because you have set up your shot so beautifuly, there's no need to calculate the dreaded AoB (not hard to do, but why do it if it can be avoided?) Just raise your periscope, and point it at the 180 degree mark (that's where the aft torpedo will be coming out from :P ) and declare to the notepad with ferverent faith and utmost confidence: "when the target reaches this point, AoB whill be 90 degrees on the starboard side"


Step 19:
Now that the notepad has inputed that information into the targeting computer, swivle the periscope back to the target and AoB will be constantly and correctly updated on the targeting computer By the way, since whe're allready looking at the target, take this chance to ID him.


Step 20:
You allready know the target's speed (7 knots) but let's double check it. Lower the periscope. Head to the hydrophone and listen to the target.


CHUG-chug-chug-chug CHUG-chug-chug-chug CHUG-chug-chug-chug... his four bladed propelar turns 28 times per minute. For a C2 that kind of engine effort translates into 7 knots ... speed confirmed (if this was way over your head don't worry, there's an excellent academy mission download for training yourself in the use of the sonar, done by Grayrider and Captain Nautilus I beleive)

Step 21:
Input all the data into the targeting computer (F6) screen. First, press the "manual" button to the green position so that you can play with the dials. Let's start on the bottom from left to right. Leave the first one alone. Set range one to 500 meters (our "distance to track" on the nav map). Leave the Angle of Bow one alone, it is allready correct (remember the notepad?). Set the speed dial to 7 knots.

Now for the torpedoe itself: Choose tube 5. Set the torpedoe's pistol for impact detonation and the torpedoe's depth for 3.5 meters (I just like that depth for no particular reason) your targeting computer should look like this


Step 22:
To avoid exposing your periscope too much, follow the target with it will it's still lowered... whaaa ?!?! Yes. Have the sonar man call out to you the target's relative bearing continualy and turn the periscope acordingly (allthough to dark to see in the picture, you can actually read the numbers on top of the scope to know which way it points, if not, just raise it a bit so that some light washes in). Observe the gyro angle while you do this, it will update automaticaly. In the example picture, the targets bearing is 137, the scope points toward that direction, and the gyroangle reads 318.

You want the gyro angle to read somewhere between 350 and 10 degrees when you fire so get ready to raise the scope when it nears those values

Step 23:
Now that the scope is up, don't lock in on the target, instead point it ahead of the ship so that the gyro angle reads 000. Leave it there and wait for the ship to appear. Open the tube (VERY IMPORTANT!!!). Get your finger ready on the trigger button. Wait untill the juciest part of the ship reaches your crosshair to ensure a one shot kill I like the engine room exactly below the smoke stack, but there are other (better) places. Look!! it's almost in sight

FIRE 5 !!!

Step 24:
Go to flank speed and turn hard to the left so that you come around and present your forward tubes in case the ship doesn't die in one shot. Lock the scope on the target if you want so that you don't loose sight of it. Observe your shot while you turn... Torpedoe Impact

Whait!!! what's this ?!?!?! I wanted you to hit below the smoke stack, what happened ?!?!?.... Our one shot kill is ruined

Noooooo, the range was wrong it was set to 500 meters because that was the distance from the last nav point to the target's track, but the ship didn't stop there, even with it's engines stoped it managed to drift to 700 meters before coming to a complete stop (verified with the nav map on a later ocasion) and people say that range doesn't matter

Step 25:
Becuase the torp had to travel farther than expected, it arrived late to the target, missing our intended spot. No use in crying, we're turning the ship around precisely because of this posibility and will finish it off with a forward firing tube... whait ... what's this?!?! the target has stoped, it's engines aren't functioning anymore.... Yaaaay happy days indeed, that's why I allways suggest you go for the engine area (not the propelers, the engine boiler room)
Ok... SURFACE THE SHIP... This will be a one torp kill after all... MAN THE DECK GUN!!!


The end:
Well, your down to 53 HE shells but you got it done. Good bye Tommy... it's down to David Jone's locker with you