Message_Log

[shipkiller1]

Originally Posted by Mspot

How come I never hear/see the following commands (in the dictionary_message_log)?

Torpedo is active! Bearing <BRG>
Torpedo is at <RANGE> yards and closing
WeaponReattack=Conn, fire control, weapon reattack on

As stated by one other here, the sound energy is not in the aural range of a human. There are three ways to know if ownships weapon has gone active or is active.



1. The guidance wire is good and reporting telemetry.
2. The active energy is picked up by the Active Intercept Receiver.
3. If the wire has been severed, then the Fire Control System (FCS) will indicate when it has calculated when the torpedo has run far enough to get to the enable point.


The simulation does do this for ownship weapons. The ownship weapon color changes to white when active.


When the simulation reports a launch transient from S-X, the approach officer SHOULD know in his head what the bearing to all contacts or at least the contact of interest. The simulation also shows a brief (1 sec) green torpedo at the range and bearing of the contact at time of fire.


A "Torpedo in the Water" call is always given in the bearing to the incoming weapon.


The reason you do not hear anything from the XO is because his job in the Fire Control Tracking party is Solution and Contact Management, NOT driving the ship.


In all actuality, Own Ship (OS) and the FCS does not know just which contact the torpedo has re-acquired on. If to contacts are close together it could acquire on another contact.

Originally Posted by FPSchazly

I would say this is not an absolute. If a torpedo is launched from several miles away and is straight running, there's no reason you couldn't get its range.

I would say these voice call-outs aren't included included because of the visual nature of the game. I've noticed that the sonarman says "torpedo in the water" only when the torpedo has gone active. Otherwise, it'll just swim on by.

In the old days before digital contact plots, the plotter would lay down a bearing line to the incoming fire, and if he has the time will continue to do so. Yes, given enough time, you could determine the torpedo course and range. With the newer digital FCS, if sonar assigns a tracker to the incoming acoustic energy and if the tracker can follow it (based on ping interval), then the Fire Control party could attempt to generate a solution. Usually, they do not have the time.


Getting a range to a contact is the hardest and most time consuming area of TMA. There are no short cuts........except active, and water conditions are a HUGE factor in that. Some days you can get an active return at 50K. Some days, no return at all, even on a contact at >10K.



Torpedo in the water calls are only generated when the acoustic energy is directed at Own Ship and is of the expected strength.