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Misc Questions on torpedoes

Author: Dan (80.231.18.---)
Date: 09-22-06 07:51

These are a couple of questions that I have gathered in time and am looking for answers on them:

- what were the gyro angle limitations that could be set with US torpedoes? For example, german torpedoes of the period could be set turn up to 135 degrees after leaving the tube, either side.

- Could fleet boats such as P-boats or the Gato class cary the Mark 10 Torpedo?

- I saw that in the command room there are individual “selectors switches” for each tube, but only two firing keys – one for Fore tubes and one for Aft ones. I assume that when pressing the torpedo firing key that is located above the tubes status panel, the first ready tube in that section (bow/stern) is fired. Then the next and so on, one at each press. Is this true? How did it really work?

- Would it be feasible to fire both fore and aft torpedoes on the same TDC solution?

Hope someone out there knows this stuff...

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Re: Misc Questions on torpedoes

Author: Webmaster
Date: 09-22-06 19:07

I'm not sure about the maximum gyro angle, but there are a couple of TMs who read this forum, so that should be answered soon enough. Small gyro angles were, in any case, generally preferred. Less chance of missing.

GATOs could definitely use the Mark 10, but differences in the design made it fairly inconvenient to do so. The main problem was that the tube's spindles didn't line up with the torpedo, so it had to be manually set before it was loaded into the tube. The firing lever was also different, and a lanyard had to be attached to throw it. The consequences of this meant that you lost most of the benefits of the TDC and had to resort to angle matching for firing.

You could select any single tube in either nest, and fire them in any order you desired. Tubes 1 through 4 forward were somewhat preferred, as they were easier to reload than 5 and 6, which were located below the platform deck in the FTR. Tubes 1-3-5 were probably prefered for a starboard angle and 2-4-6 for a port angle. (Even numbered tubes, and other stuff, to port, odd numbers to starboard.) Only one tube in each nest could be fired at once, as much to keep them from interfering with each other as anything else. You normally wanted at least 6-10 seconds between shots in a salvo.

The TDC automatically transmitted the solution to both nests. In theory, I suppose you could fire at a target from both at the same time, but an actual situation where this was practical probably wouldn't arise very often.

J.T. McDaniel
Webmaster, FleetSubmarine.com
Author of: With Honour in Battle and Bacalao
General Editor: American Submarine War Patrol Reports series

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Re: Misc Questions on torpedoes

Author: Dan (80.231.18.---)
Date: 09-25-06 05:52

Hmmm....

As I look at the torpedo selection panel, it seems to me that nothing prevents selecting multiple tubes. In fact, "in the movies" they often say "ready tubes one to four" or something along those lines.

So the question that I still have is, if I have tubes 1-4 selected, which one fires when I press the firing key?

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Re: Misc Questions on torpedoes

Author: Robert Morgan (---.ny-newyorkc0.sa.earthlink.net)
Date: 09-25-06 23:51

The S class certainly could carry the Mark X. By S class, I mean the Salmon/Sargo groups. Seawolf carried them in her stern torpedo room when they penetrated Davao Gulf and sank (I think, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) Gifu Maru. I think its in Jasper Holmes' book where he talks about the "ancient fish did their duty."

Robert

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Re: Misc Questions on torpedoes

Author: Dan (80.231.18.---)
Date: 10-10-06 03:37

Ok, I found some of it in Friedman's Us submarines through 1945. The gyro angle limitation was 135 degrees indeed (page 196).

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