PT328-Questions

[Gadfly]

Here is the scheme that I like, no type of camouflage is going to work anyway so it may as well look cool.  This is PT328, an 80' late war Elco like you were looking at.

 

Now for Questions:

Are you going to use the "all guns point to one place" method, or does each mount have to be manned?

How will the torps and Rockets be fired?

Operating a 3 engine boat is a little different than an airplane; each engine must be able to ring through forward, neutral and reverse independently, and quickly.  How are you going to do this?


Waiting and wishing,

Lizking

[Wardog]

Ill assume all guns would fire at the same time, even then the damage from those gun on a Capitol Ship would be minimal and you would have to be very close for them to do any damage. Leaving you as a target as a CV wont be traveling alone. Best to take the Escorts out 1st.

One other thing the PTs leave open, the fact that they will need spotter planes to locate the enemy ships for them.

PBY Catilina, Storch, Westland Lysander and a good list of other planes to add to the set.

I got a feeling we are gona see a lot of PT v PT fights  


Dog out.........

[Gadfly]

That 37mm and those 20mm will sink a destroyer with ease, to say nothing of the rockets.  You will also notice the antenna array, yes, that is a radar dome up there, so we don't need no stinkin air scouts(air escort, perhaps).

All guns firing together will be  a problem because of the different ROF, I think.

[funked]

I'm guessing guns will work as they do currently - you can fire them all together or fire only the station you are currently manning.

[Westy]

 WoW!!  What a lethal looking beast she is! (gratuitous "I can see the FW lineage in her lines has been snipped)

 I kind of hope that the guns are not the same as we have in bombers now. Helmsan (capable of jumping to gun) and for up to two more gunners would be nice. That baby needs to zig-zag in combat and she could have anti-ship or anti-air roles. Or need anti-air manning while there is a run on a ship during an anti-ship attack.

 I'm slobbering like an infant while I day dream about taking this beauty through an enemy landing force or into a battlegroup at dusk or dawn.

 Which leads me to CAN WE HAVE NIGHT BACK?  

<cues up the McHales' Navy theme>

    -- Commander McWesty

[Wardog]

Glad..

Your assuming the destroyer is blind if you think the PT will get close enough to it to do damage!

The current range of the 37mm is 2.5k this puts the PT in range of some damn big guns  

Dog out..

[Ghosth]

Speed & manuverability are the PT boats stock in trade.

Sure you'll thow everything you've got at whatever your attacking. But plan on ducking, dodgeing, get in just close enough to drop your fish then get the heck OUT.

 

[Pyro]

That is the general paint scheme that we'll be using.

Torps and smoke will be controlled by the pilot.  Rockets are a bit trickier.  We'll probably make them deploy out using the bombbay function, but we're tight on this schedule so if that becomes problematic we'll just leave them in the outboard position for now.  To make the elevation adjustable, we'll probably tie them into an independent gunner position.

Guns will work in the normal method where you can either fire from the station you're manning or fire all guns that can be brought to bear on the target.

Dunno what we'll do with the engines yet.



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Doug "Pyro" Balmos
HiTech Creations

[Wardog]

Pyro..

I think it will be to complicated and use to many keys to control engines properly.

I think for now leave the engine the same as the multi engine AC.. not the quikest way to turn a boat but it would still work. Although you do need to figure a way to reverse an engine  

Dog out.........

[Hamish]

Woooooo Hooooo! man can't wait to take that baby out for a spin  


Hamish!

[brady]

    Yes,the reversible engine thing is very important on a multi prop boat, it greatly effects steerage.
    Another point is the night thing,these were predominantly  used in night interdiction of Jap supply lines,in the early to late war period...they were barge busters, that's why the 37mm gun on the forecastle was added,same one as in a P 39,also the rockets were used to  make hit and run raids on coastal positions,some had mortars to,an some even went so far as to remove the aft torpedos to save weight because their were no Jap ships to sink in the later part of the war at least in the are's they were being used. They made some atacks on Jap fleet units in the early solomans champagnes.
  Another point the bow 37mm i am pretty sure could not be used in a AA role.
  And as far as sinking a destroyer with the guns i think not.
  the torpedos are aircraft types ,adopted on late war boats to save weight,they role into the water.  As opposed to the early boats that had "tubes" that shot the old MK14 torps.
   these US PT boats also have a glass jaw, you better get some gunners man if u want to live, for if u stop your toast.(or at least u should be)
   By they way i can't weight

  Oh and why not a German S-boat(E-boat to u British types)they were way nastier,bigger faster made out of metal,had armor, protected gun mounts reloadable torpedo tubes,diesel engines,heck even one of Karl Donets sons rode on one.

     Brady

[Gadfly]

Sounds good Pyro.  It will take 2-3 persons to much good with a boat, as it should.

As for the engine controls, the easiest solution may be to "simulate" the Chief.  i.e.  there is no direct bridge to engine control, they used telegraphs and the Chief would manually set throttles and transmission.

Just tie it in to where a max left turn(for example)  will automatically adjust throttles/transmissions for best turn.  Be aware, however, that low speed operation of throttle/transmissions is a whole different story than high speed.


And yes, Bring on the Night!

[funked]

My only question is whether there will be a button that plays "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"...

[Gadfly]

Comon, Funked, the ICGNS button is only on the PBR boats in the Vietnam game.

[flakbait]

Pyro goofed on the PT-boat speed. Top speed for an 80' Elco boat is 48 knots, or 53 mph. 37mm or 40mm guns would do some serious damage to most any ship, but not sink a destroyer. Hence the torpedo racks. I've been looking around a few Navy sites for specs and found this: PT Specs

I also found the following info about the Baltimore class. Specs for the guns are on a different page, but you're looking at a 22,500 yard max range for those 8" guns. And there's nine of 'em. AP shell weight is 339 pounds, HE weight is 168 pounds: Baltimore Class Cruiser

Essex class carriers come in two flavors, short or long hull. I'm not sure which Pyro is putting together, but here's the specs on those too: Essex Class




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Flakbait
Delta 6's Flight School
"My art is the wings of an aircraft through the skies, my music the deep hum of a prop as it slices the air, my thrill the thunder of guns tearing asunder an enemy plane."
Flakbait
19 September 2000