Circular Run Torpedoes

[Munchausen]

Originally Posted by Frederf

...long periods of time between tube flood and torpedo firing were causing corrosion that made them more likely to stick at full rudder when executing a gyro turn.

Yeah, I read that too ... somewhere. The skipper in question had (for reason I can't recall ... I think it was because the tube(s) had been previously flooded and left open for an extended period of time) one or two "suspect" torpedoes. He saved it/them for last, originally planning (I think) to ferry them back to port. But, in the heat of battle, when he had nothing left to throw at the enemy, his last shot was a suspect torpedo ... and it went circular. IIRC.

[CaptainMattJ.]

ha! i sunk a Dd once without doing anything. he just plowed into my periscope and he caught on fire and blew up hahaha

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by CaptainMattJ.

ha! i sunk a Dd once without doing anything. he just plowed into my periscope and he caught on fire and blew up hahaha

Yes mighty devistating super structure these subs have

[Seaman_Hornsby]

I've seen the circular runs in the game, and both Tang and Tullibee are known to have been lost to their own torpedoes during the war.

O'Kane talks about why submarine torpedoes did not have anti-circular run devices on page 461 of his excellent Clear The Bridge. He describes how surface ship torpedoes had devices to make them dive for the deep if they turned too far, thus preventing them from circling and hitting the surface ship that fired them.

He says that the Navy brass deactivated the anti-circular run mechanism for sub torpedoes in a misguided attempt to give the sub a weapon against attacking destroyers. In theory, the sub would fire a torpedo while submerged with the destroyer overhead, the torpedo would climb to near-surface depth while circling, strike the attacking destroyer and the sub could escape. It was never used in this way (as far as I know) but it did cause the loss of at least two American submarines and most of their crews.

Also, O'Kane described firing his last two Mk 18-1 electric fish at zero gyro angles on a stopped target. The last one fired was the circle-runner, so jammed torpedo rudders were possible regardless of firing angles. Manufacturing defects or poor maintenance were probably the most likely culprits.

[CaptainMattJ.]

huh. never ACTUALLY fired a circle running torpedo. how does that work cause that makes no sense at all to me. how does a torpedo take a course that makes it go in an endless loop

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by CaptainMattJ.

huh. never ACTUALLY fired a circle running torpedo. how does that work cause that makes no sense at all to me. how does a torpedo take a course that makes it go in an endless loop

Physically the rudder gets jammed left or right.

It usually occurs when a torpedo is shot with some offset. The greater the offset the tighter the circle. Normally an offset shot leaves the tube, makes a turn / course correction, then straightens out. Circle runners never straighten out they just keep on turning. They just keep running in a circle till they run out of steam or hit something.

Note that nearly all shots have some degree of offset in them.

Honestly as many hours that I have played I have only seen it twice and both of those times I had gone deep already and they just wizzed by. Nervous moments at the sonar though

[magic452]

The only circle runner I have had was more than a year ago.

I didn't see it in time and was hit in the stern, Thank god for dud torpedos. It didn't go off.

Magic

[Bubblehead1980]

Back when i played stock, had prob four of five, all but one were Mark 18's when they first entered service.One hit and caused me to lose the boat right then, other blew a nice hole in boat, put damage up to 95 percent, destroyed engines and lost all fuel, , caused heavy flooding.

I've ran TMO for a while now and had 1 impact, was a dud luckily.The others missed with some close calls.

[SteamWake]

Dog gone you guys jinxed me. After many many missions I got wacked by a circle runner.

I had launched 3 torps at a docked medium from quite a ways out. A good two or three minute run on the torps.

I watched the stopwatch peering through the periscope Kaboom... a premie goes off... Crappy damn torpedoes I forgot to set impact triggers Oh well still got two to go about 10 seconds apart... kaboom "Torpedoe impact".

Good I thought and watched and waited for the 3rd torpedoe. Time passes and I figure well crap another dud or it ran outa steam. So I set about setting up another shot. Plug in the data, double check the settings, open outer..... BOOOM "Were taking damage sir"

First thought "Damn shore guns ! Why dident they shoot till.... oh Im at periscope depth

Fortunatly It wasent catastrophic damage and my repair crew go right on things (already at battle stations).

I opened the door to number four and set her loose and started our exit.

Couple of minutes later scratch one medium freighter, flooding stopped, pumping out water

Time to go home

(Hull damage 72%)

Moral of the story, if one of your fish is un accounted for suspect the worse

[G2B]

Yep this thread has very bad juju. After reading it I thought "Hope that never happens to me." 4 days later on my second patrol out of Surabaya cruising the Makassar straights with nothing in sight decided to run the risk of the shallow waters outside Balikpapan.

Sneak in on the surface 2 hours after sunset at 3 knots, no moon, partial clouds relatively smooth seas. Warship spotted, The payoff, Get to the bridge what do we have, Coastal defense ship, closing at 5 knots 10,000 yards out.
He has not spotted us but is heading for the harbor as well. Hmmmm well can't be to picky. Battlestation,change course bring the forward tubes to bear. At 4,500 yards fire two torpedoes set for shallow run.....waiting.....2 minutes later an explosion and the boats rocking, what the......were taking damage sir, diesel engines DESTROYED stern batteries DESTROYED, we have flooding.

How is the crew? minor injuries, 47% damage, no diesel engines no stern batteries, battery power at 25%. A minute later another explosion, luckily there goes the target, cause we are now sitting ducks. No hope of getting back to base

[sergei]

Why is it the circle runners never seem to be duds?
Or am I just getting paranoid?

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by sergei

Why is it the circle runners never seem to be duds?
Or am I just getting paranoid?

Your just paranoid. If you read through the entire thread you will see at least one instance of "Thank god it was a dud".