PT boat torpedo attack instructions (for dummies)...

[LtHans]

I don't know if anybody has ever taken the time to do a in-depth discussion on how to do a PT torpedo attack, so I figured I would list mine.  This is just an FYI post.


Ok, the name of the game is to get torpedos on target.  Sounds easy right?  Well, given that there is no such thing as a aiming device for the torpedos, how do you get them to strike your target?  Do you just get close and blindly let loose and hope?

Not me.  I never really thought about it too much untill recently, and my most successful attack tactic was to simply shove one in from dead ahead, where there is no chance it can miss (barring the fleet turning).

But, what happens when you approach from the sides?

I figured it out in a flash one time when I was doing a side attack and decided I would speed things up by running in to the enemy fleet in on an intercept course.  I know from my pilot training that an collision course is really easy to do.  If the other guy is neither moving left or right in your field of view, your going to ram him if you don't change your course.

Thats when it dawned on me.  I could slow my boat down a bit to aim the torpedos!  I screwed around offline for awhile using external view and paced a torpedo I dropped.  I found that if you throttle back to 2400 RPMs on the engine indicator (shown as 24 on the gauge), your traveling damn near perfectly the same speed as a torpedo does (40mph, instead of the PTs full speed of 45mph).


So, its easy.

1.  Spawn PT boat
2.  Get to full speed
3.  Jump to a gunner postion, and aim at your target ship
4.  Using rudder pedals I turn the boat left or right untill the apparent movement of the target is neither left or right.  I can leave the guns layed on that ship and it will still be pointing at the ship a minute latter

Now, this gets me heading in on a collision course at full speed, so I can close the distance in the shortest ammount of time

5.  When I feel I am getting close I jump back to the driver positon and throttle back to 2400 RPM.  My boat is now traveling the same speed as a torpedo would.  To paraphrase Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack, "Be the torpedo".

6.  Jump back to the guns and repeat the left/right turning so that the target ship is neither moving left or right in the crosshairs.

7.  Get as close as you dare, launch one torpedo on that heading, turn a bit to launch one to pass towards the rear of the target, then back to launch the last two towards the bow.  Do a spread.  With PT boats, it is unlikely your going to live long enough to aim at several ships, so just go for broke and let all the fish go for one target.

Well, thats how I do it.

Hans.

[StSanta]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing  

[Nash]

Yes! Great post... Thank you.

[Pepe]

Ditto    

Pepe

[Sandman]

Genius can be found in the simplest of answers.

<S>

[Purzel]

Cool, must be a dummie, this semms to help  

Seems to be the way guided missiles (at least older ones IIRC) do an interception. The heat-source just has to remain in the same grid.

Good idea, thx...

[Purzel]

Originally posted by LtHans:
To paraphrase Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack, "Be the torpedo".

Yeah, and when you're lucky and get near the target - just have a blast!!!    

[LtHans]

Yeah, and when you're lucky and get near the target - just have a blast!!!

Your not far off.  Unfortunetly for me, I usually "feel" that I am as close as I can get to the target ship when the ship's guns start lighting up.  I usually get a split second to do a fan shot of all four torpedos, and die trying to disengage.


One other thing.  I guess the info on how to do an intercept course is useful to pilots too, since its the same concept.  Maybe it will be useful when your chasing a bomber at 28,000 feet next time.

Hans.

[bloom25]

What's real fun is when you let loose with the torpedos and about 30 seconds later you get blown away by the ships guns.  After you end up back in the tower right when you are about to spawn again you get the "ship destroyed message."  

If you really wanted to ensure a hit (since there is no error factor built into Ah that I am aware of), you could calculate where and when you need to launch the torpedo to hit every time.  The only trick is you would need someway to know your exact range to the target.  You could fairly easily get yourself 90 degrees (perpendicular) from the path of the target.  If you knew exact range and speed it's fairly easy.  You'd just have to calculate it once and then try to set yourself up the same way everytime.  

[Otto]

"see the ball..., be the ball...."    

[B52Charlie]

Only problem is , ya get blown outta water at 5k

[Mathman]

and my most successful attack tactic was to simply shove one in from dead ahead,  

Sorry, but I just gotta say this:

HO DWEEB!!!

heheh, j/k    

Thanks for the post, some good info in it!

-math

[Citabria]

no one finds it annoying that the carrier moves at 45mph when actual carriers max speed was under 40mph?

cruising speed was much lower

[ 06-24-2001: Message edited by: Citabria ]

[Kirin]

Whooo - that's how you lay an intercept course!! Never had this in my pilot training (or I forgot it meanwhile   ) - guess you don't need to intercept anyone in a Cessna...  

[LtHans]

no one finds it annoying that the carrier moves at 45mph when actual carriers max speed was under 40mph?

Eh?  I beleave your mistaken.  The ship's move at 35 mph.  PT boats can outrun them....slowly.  The Essex class can do 33 knots (about 39 miles per hour), so they're only running at 90% speed.

Kirin, in my ground school training they mentioned it once so you knew what to look for...so you could avoid it.  Thats why we had it.

Hans.

[ 06-24-2001: Message edited by: LtHans ]