Hi all,
I popped in about a week back and had a rather through search through all the information you guys could offer, so I thought it was only fair that after a week of experimenting with a ruler, a calculator and a Torpedo Boat, I'd offer something back.
Right, here's what I did - I took an assumed torpedo speed of 35 knots and wrote an excel spreadsheet out to calculate degrees of lead required for any shot at any target speed at any angle - for submarines. I figured it was probably close enough when I scored 5 torpedo hits out of 6 at 3km range on a tanker
I was fairly happy with it, so naturally I turned my attention to the *definitive* platform for firing torpedoes....the all-skipping, all-dancing, two-shots-and-you're-toast torpedo boat.
Now the torpedo boat has offset tube angles which makes aiming a real pig except at pointblank range, so what I did was - you're gonna like this - I went to spectator mode, panned the view so it was vertical straight down, and measured the hypotenuese, adjacent and opposite lines that form the triangle between the side of the torpedo tube and the cabin on the Brit/Jap boat, using a ruler and a flatscreen monitor *grin*. I then calculated the offset launch angle for it, which turned out to be approximately 18 degrees.
Now no doubt the long-time submariners amongst you can now simply add that to your normal firing calculations to get a hit. For the rest of us, I simplify the whole firing procedure by always coming in on the target approximately broadside (i.e. 90 degree angle), and assuming the torps still run at 35 knots, you simply take account of the target speed, place the normal binoculars left or right of your forward view by the required amount (for a stationary target, 18 degrees) and fire when the target is in the sights (or lack of sights, since you'll be using normal binoculars).
For moving targets, I use the following figures:
Speed - Sub firing angle - Torpedo boat firing angles
3 knots - 5 degrees - 13 degrees and -23 degrees
6 knots - 10 degrees - 8 degrees and -28 degrees
9 knots - 15 degrees - 3 degrees and -33 degrees
The torpedo boat angles are listed first for the tubes pointing ahead of the target (18 degrees for the tube minus speed of target) and then secondly for the tubes pointing behind the target (minus 18 degrees minus speed of target).
So in practice, say for a tanker going 6 knots, you steam in, turn your normal view or mouse view 8 degrees off your bow in the direction the target is going, and fire when the target crosses your view. For the second two tubes, you turn your binoculars 28 degrees off your bow in the opposite direction, and fire the same way.
Does it work? Well no doubt the figures are extremely rough, but in my last test on the easy Torpedo training mission, I scored kills at 2800 metres and 2200 metres, and the last one at 1200 because I had two torpedoes free and fancied going in full throttle
. In fact, I'd sunk everything by the time the flying boat came over for it's first strafing pass...er, then that got sunk too.
It is easier, needless to say, to hit when the sea is calm and the engine is idle. Rough seas and full throttle, remember to take sea sickness tablets before looking in the binoculars...
Hope you find it useful.
regards,
Fletch
