Dick O'Kane Targeting - I did something wrong!
 

Experienced player here, but my first time using the Dick O'Kane targeting method. I fired three torpedo's and missed!

Target was a freighter, course 280, speed 8.5 knots. My course was 10....stern tubes facing. I chose a lead angle of 15....AOB was set to starboard 75. I pulled the stadimeter triangle all the way down. Firing bearing was 165. Anyway I shot at 900 yards...all three...bow/middle/stern and missed. It was night with rough seas and I didn't see whether I missed ahead or astern.

I figure one of two issues....firing bearing should've been 175 not 165 (?) or AOB should be set to 180 - lead angle when shooting stern tubes (?). I've never seen that in any instruction, so, maybe I'm overanalyzing.

What did I do wrong?

If you were on course 010, then 180 degrees from that would put your torps on 190. Target was traveling 280 which with your course, would have put it on a 90-degree tack... so if you had the sound guy, calling out info on the target... am thinking you would have wanted to pop off your 1st fish, at... the call of target at bearing 168, the next at bearing 170 & the 3rd, at bearing 173 call from the sound guy. That, I believe I have them right, would be the proper torp fire points... :hmmm:

Now, as it goes, am not sure what the pin point fire call is, for the gyro settings... or imputing the targets speed... since I am more used to auto targeting with SH4... SH3, it was fairly easy to slips into a 1/2 & 1/2 pin point procedure for not using auto targeting but still having the weap's (sorry, for the uninitiated, that'd be weapon's officer or 2WO) to identify & set up the torp attack on the TDC... leaving Me free to pull the trigger for them to fire them... leaving Me free to keep situational awareness, especially if there were escorts with the convoy/s. Same procedure if the targets were warships, in a task force.

Any rate... I believe I have the fire points figured right... & that'd be with the speed on the fish, set on low... btw... on high speed, I'd figure... 170, 173 & 176 call on target from the sound man... :hmmm:

Am looking forward to someone more, used to doing man targeting, to confirm or refute My... estimation computations... :shucks:

:Kaleun_Salute:

M. M.

Relative firing bearing of 165 would be correct.

No, the AoB is always measured as if you were standing on the target's bow and you had to look either to port or starboard to see your own sub. An AoB of 180 would mean that you were dead astern of the target, as they had to look 180 degrees (port or starboard!) to see you. With Dick O' Kane you want to be on about a 90 degree track, which would mean an AoB of 90 minus your lead angle.

The TDC is a bit buggy and you have to send data to it twice in order to get it to update the TTa properly (if you are not using the Position Keeper). Did you send each piece of information to the TDC twice? This will be needed to update the lead angles for the torpedoes. Otherwise you might not be getting in close enough? What's your range when you open fire?

AOB was set at starboard 75. Firing range was 900 yards.

When you say clicking twice for the TDC update, do you mean two clicks total, or two clicks each update?

You have to send some of the data twice, you will see that the torpedo track indicators change when you click some things a second time. I think it's only AoB, but not sure.

I found the link to Rockin Robbins' video, which will probably help a lot more than text:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k5yJI6Z5AU

If that doesn't help, then post a screenshot of your periscope view at the moment you fire and we can see if we can spot what went wrong.

First Click: "Hey YOU!!!! Yeah, YOU!!!"
Game: "Whuh??"
Second Click: "Do THIS!!! Do you copy?"
Game: "Uh, yeah... I think"

That method applies to one variable at 90AOb and I am using the solution solver by Cory Heart making a chart of firing angles .. you have to double click your intital settings , and verify the torpedo track on the attack chart . No misses will occur if you set the position of the firing solution on your scope .. SH4 is fairly easy compared to SH5 TWos but i love the fine adjustments in In Sh5

Great to see a refresher on the Dick O,Kane method! I've been reading through the old threads about this. I tried to emulate O'Kane (this is more about constant bearing firing than the actual "Dick O'Kane"/Fast 90 method) with the Position keeper by setting on the right position (I tend to favor 60 or 120 dergees), use the TDC and PK to nail the data, then unlock the scope, move it forward of the target, send a bearing mark, turn off the PK, fire as the intended part of the target crosses the line, then turn the PK back on, move the scope in front of the targer and repeat. It sorta works but I don't seem to be as precise as I'd like to be. Maybe I misundersand how the ingame TDC works?

It's possible you didn't miss at all, your torps simply ran deep.

Hello there.

Here's my take on dick o'kane method:

1. Turn off your PK.

2. For lead angle, it should be arctan(target speed/torp speed).

3. Align your periscope bearing to lead angle for port shot or 360 - lead angle for starboard shot. If you shooting with aft tube, then it is 180 + lead angle for port shot and 180 - lead angle for starboard shot. Here, set the range as high as you can.

4. Set AOB to 90 - lead angle, always.

5. Set the target speed.

6. Double check on attack map. If your torpedo track isn't close to 0 or 180, then you're doing something wrong or forgot to set torpedo speed accordingly.

7. Lay and wait.

8. When the target pass the periscope crosshair, fire at will.

Hope that helps. :Kaleun_Cheers: