Quote:
Originally Posted by AviatorMan
I've not yet found anything to shoot at yet, but the constant reminders to only use the correct number of torpedoes has me wondering if early war commanders knew just how likely their torps were to be duds and as a result fired more than needed just to be safe, or did they not really know the extent of the issue and often find themselves running to hide after firing 1-2 duds?
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Oh man, where to begin on this one lol .
Well, the skippers of the early patrols had no idea about the duds, prematures , deep, and circle runners until after Dec 7 and boats went into action. Obviously Asiatic Fleet submarines experienced them first as saw combat first. Naturally they were out of touch with one another and even first few attacks were not sure but when it kept happening, they were aware. If I recall, the CO of the Sargo in Dec 1941 sent a message to command regarding the torpedo issue. Felt issue was serious enough to break radio silence.
Having said that, they were trained in torpedo discipline, to fire one or two torpedo for most targets because torpedoes were costly, a limited number could be carried, and the top secret magnetic detonator was designed so could in theory bring down pretty much any ship with one or two torpedoes. Reading early patrol reports, if I recall most were firing just one or two per target initially. Some boats it was necessary. Take a porpoise for example, fire four torpedoes in one attack, that is quarter of torpedoes on board.
Some of the old hands were removed for not producing in spite of obviously the torpedoes were to blame in many cases, some adjusted to firing a full spread, figuring well if fire say four torpedoes, one of them is bound to work properly.
Although the torpedo issues were eventually solved, the two years of toiling along with them was ingrained in the submarine force by then and many skippers developed a penchant for firing several at each target. I recall O Kane mentioning in "CLEAR THE BRIDGE" someone questioning his firing of four torpedoes at a target when two would do the job, and his reasoning was to make sure the ship was finished. Several others were known for firing a "nest full." Of course, it depended on circumstances but the pre war torpedo conservation attitude was pretty much out after late 1942.
Far as how this applies in SH 4.
Really depends on the situation. and variety of factors....What type of target is it? Would you fire four torpedoes at a 1500 ton freighter? No. Tanker? Yes. Tankers a priority vessels. Those that are loaded with fuel will blow up nice after one solid hit usually but never know so I always fire 2-3 at a tanker.
How confident are you in your firing solution? A target have tracked for a while, have a solid speed etc and range is not bad, ma not need the extra fish but something not as confident in, always a good idea to spread them out.
Another factor in the sim if the torpedoes. Are you using Mark 14, 23, or the 18? The 18 has smaller warhead than the 14 and 23. The Mark 16 has a large warhead...one torpedo impacted the side will take out most ships, but usually fire two to make sure. Of course, the MK 16 has very limited use since its a end of the war item.
Torpedoes are also kind of underpowered in the sim. I had to adjust them in TMO , took a lot of testing to get the realistic results, dont want them too powerful but not underpowered. Also, they improved during the war In late 1942 and early 1943 torpedo warheads were switched to torpex explosive, which was much more powerful. This was not modeled in the sim but I have done so in TMO, there is a noticeable different in the effectiveness of a MK14 in 1942 and 1943-onwards.
So I would say consider all factors and act accordingly, really depends on your situation etc. but is a good idea to use a few torpedoes per target as needed so can stay out a while and have chance to sink more vessels, see more things in the sim.