PT training?

[Muzzy]

For the upcoming "Dawn in the Surigao" snapshot we're driving PT's.  I've had a lot of fun killing them lately but driving them is another story.  Any advice or drills on how to get proficient with the torpedos?  And how do you fire those rockets?

[Tec]

To fire the rockets you have to hit O to get them to swing out into firing position then get in the gun position that correlates to them.

[Ghosth]

http://trainers.hitechcreations.com/torpedoes/torpedoes.htm

Now that is written from the air side of torpedo attacks, but read it through carefully.
Stern attacks are very chancy, you have to be very very close or the Torp will never catch the carrier.

Beam attacks, 45 degrees off either side of the Task Groups direction of travel are your best bet.
Because the fleet is closing with you, you can actually fire your torps from much further out.

"There IS a method to use PT boat torpedos accurately that does not use luck or Kentucky windage (guessing).

First, you have to understand the concept of the collision course.  If your moving, and something else is moving, and the other guy doesn't seem to be moving left or right in view, your on a collision course.  He isn't flying straight at you, but is growing larger and his bearing from you is constant.

Second, your torpedo is slightly slower than your boat.

So, if you slow down to match the torpedo's speed, and deliberatly run an intercept course, your torpedos will likewise run an intercept course.

I found 2400 RPM setting for the engines will duplicate the speed of the torpedos.  I paced them offline to get that number.  The speed indicator isn't sufficently acurate enough to get a good match, but the RPM indicator was.

I also aim using the gun turrets.  You can swing the guns around on the target, zoom in to max zoom level, and use the rudder controls to turn the boat left or right to get on the intercept course.

The only other advice is to drop all four torpeods, but none on the same course.  Fire off a spread.  The first one should be on that intercept course you ran, and the other three should be at slight angles to that so you get a spread.  There is no point in saving the torpedos for a second run.  You probably won't live that long.

Hans."



Key points being
PT being at the same speed as the Torpedo.
Constant bearing on target. (if the target is moving either way, you don't have a constant bearing yet)
Fire a spread, if the target is moving from my right to my left I'll fire the first one, then correct left slightly and fire. It doesn't take a lot, just a nudge, let it settle on course, and fire.

You don't want it to look like a fan, where the tracks diverge radically.
You want it to look like your fingers, with just a tiny gap at the tips, yet over distance the course for each will separate.

[Muzzy]

What's the maximum range for dropping the torpedoes?

[Ghosth]

Torpedo's should run for 4 minutes.

Down the throat shot your looking at total range of over 8k, with 7500 yards for forward beam attacks.
Straight beam attack will be around 4500 yards total. Rear quarter shots you need to be inside 1600 yards, and a straight up the stern shot you'd best be inside 500 yards.

[Muzzy]

Cool.  Now I just gotta figure out how to estimate ranges on those things.