PT Boats

[redcatcherb412]

What is the secret to getting torpedo hits in a PT ?  I can hit with rockets consistantly, but torpedos at any range do nothing.  I have been 5k-3k-1k away and sometimes I see a track, not often, but never a hit.  I've got to be doing something wrong.

[Blooz]

You could be getting hits. It's just not enough to sink a ship though. I don't remember what the torpedo does in damage weight but the capital ships need 8000 pounds worth of hits and the destroyers need 2000 pounds to be sunk.

Also, if you don't already know, don't respawn right away if you get killed with fish in the water. When you respawn the torpedoes that you fired off a few seconds ago disappear.

Best of luck!

[kvuo75]

Also, if you don't already know, don't respawn right away if you get killed with fish in the water. When you respawn the torpedoes that you fired off a few seconds ago disappear.

i STILL see people doing it too.. last time I was sitting on a boat in fact, torps were about 2 seconds from hitting, and dude respawned, torps gone.. ship safe.

[Nemisis]

The U.S. torpedos (the one on the TBM. I assume they are the same as the PT's) are 2000lbs. Damage from torpedos is doubled since the holes they create are below the water line. So it would take two U.S. torpedos to kill a CV.

[iwomba]

You do need to allow for a lot of lead on target.

Probably best is a slightly head on approach & get in as close as possible. If target turns you still have some chance of getting a hit.

[Brooke]

From torpedo bombing point of view, but perhaps still useful:

http://www.electraforge.com/brooke/flightsims/aces_high/torpedoBombing/torpedoDrop.htm

You have to either get pretty close or lead it by enough.  A torpedo does about 45 mph.  A CV not maneuvering does about 35 mph, and maneuvering it speeds up to about 40 mph.

[RTHolmes]

I did my first PT boat run for months last night, sailed about 4 miles, released 4 torps, killed a badly damaged CV and a destroyer.

to stand a chance of hitting anything you really need to be in front of the CVs 6-9 line, otherwise your going to be chasing it. coming in at 90deg works best for me, just aim for the cruiser and wait until the auto ack starts firing at you then release one. now start turning to lead the cv group and fire the others with a little delay between them so they fan out in front of the cvs path.

now the important bit: you will get killed by the auto ack, so when you get in the tower start a timer/ look at you watch and just wait there for 4mins (roughly how long the torps run for.) if you launched off a CV, go into F5 mode and watch the enemy fleet for hits, although you wont see the torps running. hopefully the buffer will fill up and you'll get a ship destroyed message, or if you're really luck two

[BaldEagl]

I've had the most success by getting directly in front of the CV, heading striaght toward it and releasing my torps just before I hit guns range but that could take a lot of time to set up.  Regardless you have to be somewhere in front of the CV or a mph torpedo closure rate will take forever.

[redcatcherb412]

Thanks everyone. The one thing I now realize is that I do respawn immediately after the auto ack gets me. And of course I fire the torps usually as a last ditch as the PT starts receiving auto ack knowing that the PTs life is very short.  I did not know that respawning killed the torps fired from the prior sortie.

[RTHolmes]

as soon as you start taking ack hits you want to get rid of the torps asap, that why I start turning to get the spread: