Worried about torpedo impact sensitivity

[mookiemookie]

You're in for a very long war, then. American torpedoes were utter crap until 1943.

The Americans had tested their torpedoes off Rhode Island, where calm waters were nothing like the combat conditions America's boats would encounter. The heavy seas of the Pacific knocked out the guidance system, and the firing pin was inoperable much of the time, failing to detonate even if the Americans would get a hit. Complaints to the US Naval Command went unheeded. Some American commanders took to modifying their torpedoes themselves, despite orders prohibiting shipboard modifications.

[AirborneTD]

Welcome to the real world. That, along with deeper running torps as advertised and poor magnetic detonators caused many US skippers grief.

I hope it is modelled as accurately as possible--from the pathetic start to the gradual improvements.

Of course, it should be an option to turn off (for the less inclined-or warped as me)

[Barkhorn1x]

Don't know where you got the above quote from but the problem was not testing in calm waters as the quote suggests - it was a TOTAL lack of real world "war shot" testing!!

It sounds incredible today that such a "revolutionary" device as the magnetic pistol was just assumed to be engineered correctly. It was the 30's - money was tight - and the design bureau knew best. Then, early in the war, there was a major torpedo shortage coupled with a lack of effective tactics and some timid skippers. On top of that you had some of the commanders in the Pacific who were directly involved in the development of said magnetic pistol. All of this combined to create a situation where thorough testing was resisted.

[Sailor Steve]

There is a similar discussion going on on the 'SH4 Mods Workshop' board.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=104819

This might help some; I just didn't want to repeat a lot of the stuff that's already been posted there.

[Barkhorn1x]

To be clear here there were a number of issues with the Mark XIV torpedo - and they tended to mask each other. Here they are in the order they were addressed:

- The torps ran an average of 11 feet deeper than the depth setting indicated - this negated the whole purpose of magentic pistol - had it been working.

- The manufacture of the magnetic detonator was flawed in such a way as to ensure that they would rarely function as intended - they were finally deactivated - in the Central Pacific anyway in early '43

- The contact pistol firing pin stud guides were prone to disfiguration - often preventing the pins from setting off the warhead - the closer the shot was to the "perfect" 90 degree angle the worse the problem. Modified pins were designed and issued that would not deform the guides.

Here is a link:

http://www.historynet.com/magazines/...2/3037866.html

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Barkhorn1x

- The manufacture of the magnetic detonator was flawed in such a way as to ensure that they would rarely function as intended - they were finally deactivated - in the Central Pacific anyway in early '43

Agreed 100% with your assessment of multiple problems, however I wanted to add something. Magnetic pistols faced the same issues the Germans and Brits had....the magnetic field of a ship changes at different latitudes and conditions were different in the Pacific than they were at NTS Newport where the torps were tested. So it was a case of location. At least in part. I'm not completely off base

Good info on this topic here from Submarine Review magazine: http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/1592/ustorp2.htm#fn12

[Barkhorn1x]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

Agreed 100% with your assessment of multiple problems, however I wanted to add something. Magnetic pistols faced the same issues the Germans and Brits had....the magnetic field of a ship changes at different latitudes and conditions were different in the Pacific than they were at NTS Newport where the torps were tested. So it was a case of location. At least in part. I'm not completely off base

Good info on this topic here from Submarine Review magazine: http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/1592/ustorp2.htm#fn12

Yes, you do have a good point there. And - as another deserved slap at the US Admirals - they knew that the Germans and the Brits withdrew the magnetic pistols due to issues but failed to question whether the same thing could happen to the US design. Good going!

[NefariousKoel]

It'll be a nice change of pace near the beginning. We'll have to prefer impact detonations from more of an angle and in salvos.

[tycho102]

I'm curious how the SH4 team has implemented the torpedo issues. Can we specify impact detonators only, as we could in SH3?

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

You're in for a very long war, then. American torpedoes were utter crap until 1943.

Hi MM It kinda makes you wonder who was the real enemy? " USNC ? "

[PAW]

Dunno if you guys have seen that long interview with the dev team yet but i swear in one of the shots i saw a torpedo hit the side of a ship at an angle of approx 5 -10 degrees and the torpedo detonated. I wasn't sure if it was a magnetic or impact but from GWX mod (and yes i know they were german torpedoes) if i tried using impact pistols at any angle below 30 degrees i could be sure that they'd just bounce.

I worried that the torpedoes might have too high a sensitivity.

But hey! if it's a magnetic goin under the ship, then mayb there's no need for worry

[Subnuts]

Originally Posted by PAW

Dunno if you guys have seen that long interview with the dev team yet but i swear in one of the shots i saw a torpedo hit the side of a ship at an angle of approx 5 -10 degrees and the torpedo detonated. I wasn't sure if it was a magnetic or impact but from GWX mod (and yes i know they were german torpedoes) if i tried using impact pistols at any angle below 30 degrees i could be sure that they'd just bounce.

Didn't that video show the Battle of Samar? The Mk 14 should detonate 95% of the time at any angle by that time.

[Barkhorn1x]

Originally Posted by Subnuts

Didn't that video show the Battle of Samar? The Mk 14 should detonate 95% of the time at any angle by that time.

Very true - and that was in October of '44 - more than a year after all issues were identified and fixed.

[fire-fox]

plus the magnetic exploders where all hand crafted for each individuel torpedo and there for parts could not be swopet easaly if thay where found to be folty, also the magnettic exploders where also "configured" for the magnetic feald at the torpedo factorys and thay where not alowed to "ajust" them any where from the factory's to theme hitting the targets, which wood have corsed a huge ammount of the prematures that where incounted after fireing.