Manual TDC vs Destroyer...

I have used manual TDC against cargo ships from about 90deg. But how can I hit a Destoyer from the front???? Even if I get the torp to hit it doesn't explode, should I be using magnetic?

[Dissaray]

Your best bet with distroyers is to avoid detection with verious sneekey manuvers seeing as the distroyers are basicaly biult to kill you and frankly these uboats die fairly easy. Failing that a magnetic pistol is your best bet. Quickly identify the target and open up your recog. manual and find the depth of the keel of your target. Then set your torpido to magnetic and set the runing depth to .5-1m lower than the keel. As the torpido slips under the target ship the thing should detonate and if your lucky the distroyer will be killed out right as the powder mag goes up; eather that or you will strike the fule bunker or the engens. Eather situation is good for you as the ship will be out of the fight.

[Weiss Pinguin]

I'm not sure why you'd aim at the bow. One eel aimed at the middle of the ship is enough. They're considerably less armored than most merchants, and they carry far more ordnance.

[maillemaker]

Here is how you kill destroyers with head-on shots:

Run away from them at flank speed, placing your stern 180 bearing directly pointed at the incoming destroyer. Identify the destroyer to determine its keel depth. Set your stern torpedo at about one-half meter deeper than the keep depth of the target.

If you are lucky, the destroyer will not zig-zag. If so, wait until it comes within 500 meters, and fire. If you have auto-TDC, just keep your scope locked on the target. If you have manual TDC, set target speed to zero which makes the torpedo a point-and-shoot weapon, but you'll need to make sure you shoot as close to 180 bearing as possible.

If you are not lucky, the destroyer will zig-zag on its approach. However, at about 400 meters it will stop zig-zaggin and start a straight-in approach. You need to have your tube door open and be ready to fire as soon as he stops zig-zagging. You can't delay because much closer and your torpedo won't arm or come up to the proper depth to detonate.

If you have a noisemaker and a zig-zagging destroyer, as soon as the destroyer hits 200m drop the noisemaker and turn 90 degrees. The destroyer usually stops and hovers over the noisemaker for the duration it is active. You should be able to swing 90 degrees and pop the destroyer while it is broadside to you and stopped dead listening to the noisemaker.

In all cases you should be prepared to miss. If you miss, or your torp does not detonate, LOWER THE PERISCOPE, turn 90, dive to 25m, and pray. If you are lucky, you will escape the depth charges with minor damages and you can pop back up to periscope depth and re-engage the destroyer. You want to lower your scope during this procedure so it does not get snapped off by the destroyer running you over.

You should always man your damage control station to maximum whenever trying this.

If you only have bow torpedoes available, you can run straight at them or run back emergency with your bow pointed straight at them.

If the destroyer has hedgehogs you are screwed.

[sharkbit]

Originally Posted by Weiss Pinguin

I'm not sure why you'd aim at the bow. One eel aimed at the middle of the ship is enough. They're considerably less armored than most merchants, and they carry far more ordnance.

Hard to do when the destroyer is charging at you with a bone in her teeth.
I assume the OP is talking about shooting a destroyer after it has detected him and is attacking. The classic down the throat shot.

[Immelman]

Your best bet against a DD is to run and hide the highland way Love that movie... Besides I hate wasting a perfectly good eel on anything less then 3000 tons.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

Hard to do when the destroyer is charging at you with a bone in her teeth.
I assume the OP is talking about shooting a destroyer after it has detected him and is attacking. The classic down the throat shot.

Ah yeah, for some reason I was thinking of the 'stuck in the middle while they circle around' scenario.

Down the throat shots are easy to set up, but don't always count on them working.

[maillemaker]

Besides I hate wasting a perfectly good eel on anything less then 3000 tons.

Yeah, but if you can strip off all the escorts, then you can rape the convoy at your leisure!

Steve

[Immelman]

My VIIB holds 14 eels only 12 internally. I can't afford to waste 6-8 eels on escorts. That's half my ammo assuming I aim right and get no duds or premature ej... errr detonations

I rather sneak in nail 2-3 valuable targets and break off. Lather, rinse, repeat. This way I get my money's worth from my eels. Best bang for my buck
Pun intended

[derrinurban]

Originally Posted by Immelman

My VIIB holds 14 eels only 12 internally. I can't afford to waste 6-8 eels on escorts. That's half my ammo assuming I aim right and get no duds or premature ej... errr detonations

I have found that wasting a few torpedos is well worth the effort, especially later in the war. I try not to waste 6-8 either. You only need to remember that the destroyer positions are fixed.

I like to take out the lead destroyer and/or the two destroyers on one side of the convoy and then escape. I escape and move ahead of the convoy for another run. I make sure at least an hour or two has passed since my first attack. This is so the convoy quits zig-zagging and goes back to straight running. By this time all destroyers have resumed their original positions. With no destroyers on my attack side of the convoy, it is easy to get into an ideal firing position and trash the convoy, row by row on multiple attacks. Also with no destroyers on my side of the convoy, I am long gone by the time the remaining destroyers come to look for me.

[maillemaker]

Sounds like a great plan, derrinurban!

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

Yeah, but if you can strip off all the escorts, then you can rape the convoy at your leisure!

Steve

I did that once with a Type IX: Picked off the escorts, then over the next two or so days made multiple passes at the convoy. When I ran low on torpedoes I swapped over to the deck gun, and fell in behind them at the very edge of my cannon's range.

Unfortunately the game crashed during an attack, and the only save I had was from well before I found the convoy.

[Immelman]

Originally Posted by derrinurban

With no destroyers on my attack side of the convoy, it is easy to get into an ideal firing position and trash the convoy, row by row on multiple attacks. Also with no destroyers on my side of the convoy, I am long gone by the time the remaining destroyers come to look for me.

Hmmm, never occurred to me to do that, its a good idea. But its more of a game exploit then anything else. I mean in real life they would have rearranged their patrol sectors. they wouldn't leave gaping holes in the convoy's defenses.

[derrinurban]

Originally Posted by Immelman

Hmmm, never occurred to me to do that, its a good idea. But its more of a game exploit then anything else. I mean in real life they would have rearranged their patrol sectors. they wouldn't leave gaping holes in the convoy's defenses.

True, it is a bit of an exploit. However, even if they did rearrange, after one or two such attacks, the gaps would be large (only 2-4 destroyers left) and the convoy would be vulnerable. You could get close have a look at the formation and re-position ahead to maximize the vulnerabilities. They would need to be rotating positions to have any chance of minimizing.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

If so, wait until it comes within 500 meters, and fire.

Will that give the torpedo enough distance to arm (350 meters)?

Lets assume the DD is traveling at 20 Kts or 10.28 meters per second
Let's assume the G7A torpedo is traveling at 44 kts or 22.5 meters per second.


If my cypherin is right...

If you fire at a range of 500 meters, the torpedo and the DD will impact each other after aprox 15.2 seconds at the point where the torpedo will have traveled aprox 343 meters and the DD will have traveled approx 156 meters.

This not taking into account the acceleration delay in the G7A, which will make the torpedo travel less than 343 meters.

Will the torpedo arm itself in 343 meters?

I think 500 meters is a bit close for a down the throat shot.