Ships weak points and torpedo Detonation/damage

[Turncoat]

So I have had SH3 since 2014 and have made a big comeback to sub sims & subs since the release of the first version of Wolfpack.

I am doing the career in vanilla since I want to complete it before jumping into mods at 74%realism I think(am on patrol while writing this)
I intercepted my first Taskforce in mid-1942 and got curious about the way my fish behaved.

It was just a convoy with some military hardware and light escorts so easy peasy.

on first attack run, I fired 2 tubes each at a C3 and a T3, during which a small merchant got in the way and ate 1 and another missed, so one for each.
The small merchant stayed afloat for hours before sinking, but the 2 huge targets got swallowed by a huge fire and broke in 2.

on second run I remembered to have read that it was a good idea to just use impact detonator and aim for mid hull while in rough seas, so I did that with another tanker and fired a last torpedo at yet a C3.
The one torpedo that hit the tanker, just bounced off like a dud and the C3 got dismantled.



All torpedos were fired at 5m depth since it was rough seas. I do not understand what suddenly makes a single hit, not even under the keel, blow up large targets and let small ones float and I am also confused about the detonator's behavior.

I don't recall setting fires and Yeet things out of the water so often earlier in the campaign, so I am a bit confused.

[Hamppupalaa]

It could be that the torpedo hit the hull at a less than optimal angle. Even at 90° AOB the torpedo could have hit the lower part of the hull which is curved, happens to me quite often when the seas are rough. In storms I usually use magnetic pistol and set the running depth to about 1.5 meters below the keel to compensate for waves. Attacking in a storm is not optimal anyway, so that's the best you can do really.

Ship damage depends on the cargo it was carrying, at least in WAC hitting an ammo freighter or a tanker with one torpedo is usually devastating, compared to big cargo ships carrying non-volatile freight, which usually require 2 fish. It is often a good idea to aim under the smokestacks, that's where the engine room is. Even if the ship doesn't sink it will stop dead in the water, easy target for another eel or your deck gun.

Oh, and welcome to SubSim

[Turncoat]

Well, it was a military convoy, and the freighters did have large green containers loaded. If that is ammo, then yeah! Makes sense.

so does the thing about the eels bouncing off. My only speculation following this is, that I have problems seeing, why you would ever select impact pistol instead of magnetic.

Thanks for the advice!

[Aktungbby]

turncoat!

[Hamppupalaa]

Originally Posted by Turncoat

Well, it was a military convoy, and the freighters did have large green containers loaded. If that is ammo, then yeah! Makes sense.

so does the thing about the eels bouncing off. My only speculation following this is, that I have problems seeing, why you would ever select impact pistol instead of magnetic.

Thanks for the advice!

The impact pistol is more or less a backup if there are problems or malfunctions were found with the magnetic detonators. Especially in early war IRL there were lots of problems with magnetic pistols so impact pistols were used instead.

[David I]

I carry Type I torpedoes and Type II/III's in a 50/50 mix.

The type I's have a long range, if needed, and are dependable. Many Merc's don't notice them until it's too late, and don't see them at all at night or in stormy weather. In the late war the 5,000m range of the type IIs/IIIs can be dangerous to your health when escorts flank out to 4,000m.

The type II's or III's are particularly handy in dead calm seas or for angled shots at targets that the Type I's might bounce off from.

I avoid using the fancy course setting Torpedoes. They just don't seem to produce the desired second chance hit and I find setting them a distraction while setting up shots.

But that, of course, is just me.

David I

PS: I usually set my impact Torpedoes at 4m. On most ships it's above the "bulge" but deep enough to really hurt. Maybe that's why it's the default depth setting?

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by Hamppupalaa

It could be that the torpedo hit the hull at a less than optimal angle. Even at 90° AOB the torpedo could have hit the lower part of the hull which is curved, happens to me quite often when the seas are rough. In storms I usually use magnetic pistol and set the running depth to about 1.5 meters below the keel to compensate for waves. Attacking in a storm is not optimal anyway, so that's the best you can do really.

I do the exact opposite in storm weather - I set the torpedoes on Magnetic but 1-1,5 meters above the target's draft to compensate for waves. Setting it below is a sure way that your torpedo will miss underneath her as she rolls upward.

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Drakken

I do the exact opposite in storm weather - I set the torpedoes on Magnetic but 1-1,5 meters above the target's draft to compensate for waves. Setting it below is a sure way that your torpedo will miss underneath her as she rolls upward.

Even better, set a storm limit where you don't attack because realistically it wouldn't have been possible.
No wasted torpedoes, etc. that way

Convert the teen m/s wind speeds to their Beaufort scale equivalent and you have some serious waves, etc.

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Even better, set a storm limit where you don't attack because realistically it wouldn't have been possible.
No wasted torpedoes, etc. that way

Sometimes the target is just too good to pass by, i.e. a Large Merchant, a Troop Ship, or a Tanker.

In those case, a fan-spread salvo is the best solution.

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Drakken

Sometimes the target is just too good to pass by, i.e. a Large Merchant, a Troop Ship, or a Tanker.

In those case, a fan-spread salvo is the best solution.

True, but throwing realism aside, those torpedoes might come in handy later against a convoy in better weather.

Fwiw. To each their own. <g>