Torpedo redundancy or not? | Forums

[MouseNo47]

No human in real life would be able to pull that off.

[Frumpkis]

I only use the T1's, always magnetic set to one meter under the draft (except in heavy weather, as noted above).

For a large target like a C2, C3 or tanker, I fire two shots.... either one fast and one medium, or one medium and one slow (depending on distance), so they both arrive at about the same time, on the same part of the hull. I'd have to be very lucky to get a one-shot kill on something like a C2, and it often takes a third fish or deck gun action to finish it off, even after two successful hits. So I figure it makes sense to go ahead and fire two at once for the heavy targets.

For smaller stuff like coastal merchants or DD's, I only fire one torpedo. I'm out for maximum tonnage on every patrol, and I try to get the best torpedo-to-tonnage ratio I can.

[W.Irving]

Why does everyone speak so disapprovingly of the T II? I haven't noticed it failing more than the TI. Sure, the range is very limited in comparison, but sufficient for me. I usually don't engage any ship beyond 2.5km - but mostly around 1.5 kms.
Being wakeless, it is ideal as the first wave, or for engaging fast warships.

[LordBane2005B]

I prefer the T1s over the T2s. T2s seem ALOT more prone to error. Usualy I only fire one torp at anything smaller than a C3. Usualy abou t a meter under the keel unless it's a C2 in which case I set the torp for impact and try to plant it just forward of the command deck. Those things go up in a huge fireball and usualy break in half. I guess there's a fuel bunker there or something.

[W.Irving]

I just did the most amazing thing in the channel. My WO reported an enemy ship at roughly 160 degrees. I popped the attack periscope up and checked distance. 7800mts. After watching the Destroyer closely for awhile, it had lined itself up perfectly for a stern torpedo. I was well grateful I hadn't loaded a TII into the aft tube, so I launched the TI I had in there now. Magnetic pistol, medium speed. Six minutes later, the torpedo goes off right on the second projected and the WE kindly reports to me that the torpedo had missed.
But it hadn't. I had just sunk a Destroyer, over half a metrical mile away! It is moments like these you don't really care if you've missed the Simpsons or not.

[quillan]

Well, Irving, in my career I'm up to late November of 1942. I've used both T1 steam and T2 electrics the entire time. I haven't kept a written tally, so these numbers might be wildly off, but it sure seems to me that the T2 has a better than 50% premature detonation rate when used with the magnetic pistol. They're fine with impact fusing, but I have an enormous failure rate using them as magnetic. I get the occasional failure with the T1s, but nowhere near the rate of failure on the T2s.

[Maj_Death]

Depends on the target and the angle. If I have a good angle at close range, I'll probebly fire singly. Most ships can be taken down with a single well placed torpedo running on the surface using impact detonators so if I can get close enough to aim for the sweet spot, I fire just one. However if it is a less than perfect shot (which it normally is) I fire in pairs or even 3 or all 4 forward tubes. For any merchant, 3 is the maximum I fire at one time. The reason is because even 3 bad hits will sink them. The exception to this is ocean liners, those take 4 hits (worth it though, they are 25k tons each). Destroyers and corvettes require only one direct hit anywhere on them to sink. Cruisers vary from 1 torpedo to all 4. Have yet to come across a battleship that I could get in range of.

BTW, I never use electrics as they are too slow. Actually, there are two electrics I use, those are the homing T-IV and T-V torpedoes. I never complain when they give me those .