[Kpt. Franz-Josef Lemmle]

I am trying to learn how to completely manually target the ships. I know how to identify the ship, determine AOB (pretty much a guess), and range. How do I determine speed? I see the eyeball icon with two ships in the notepad. I click on the stopwatch, but have no idea what I am doing. Any tips?

[Rosencrantz]

1. You could just read the manual...
2. Aim the crosshair in the certain spot in the target, start the clock, be careful you keep the crosshair in the very very same place on the target (that's hard), wait some 15 seconds and stop the clock. Now you have targets speed +/- maybe 3 knots.
3. If you are not a hardcore type, you can just use the lock button on the scope...

Good luck to you, commander!

-RC-

[Rosencrantz]

BTW, you could forget the clock. Just estimate the speed. If you think target is making about 6 - 8 knots, use 7. Shoot a salvo if you are not sure at all. When using salvo, think what could be the best spread angle. Default 5 degrees is usually too much if you are not very close. I use most of the time 1 or two degrees. That's enough.

-RC-

[Heibges]

Before May 1943, you can use the matching speed method on the surface. After that, it is hard to stay on the surface.

Determine target course, and get on a parallel course. Note the bearing. Fiddle with your speed, until the bearing doesn't change anymore. Now your speed should equal the target speed.

Very easy to do during your overhaul manuever.

But once allied aircover and radar do not allow you to overhaul on the surface, you need to use the change in bearing method discussed above.

[Phylacista]

Have you read wazoos excellent manual on manual TDC?
Do so: http://www.paulwasserman.net/SHIII/

It will offer you undiscovered possibilities and you will see SH3 in a different view - at least this is what happend to me after reading.


And to answer your original question:

1. id ship and check the box in the rec manual - ship type displays in notepad
2. estimate distacne by clicking on the first step of notepad and leveling the horizontal line now appering in periscope on highest mast.
3. guess Angel on bow (AOB)- click on 2nd step of notepad. The ship in the center is your target not your uboat.
4. lock target if you have not done so and click the stopwatch. Click again after some time (min 10s). Above values are used to estimate target speed. Check in the manual if the displayed value is reasonable. If not repeat steps 2-4.
5. click on the checkbox in the lower right corner of notepad to transfer data to TDC
6. LOS! (dont forget to open tube doors before firing or even better beforte TDC)

However I prefer to get my data from plotting and enter them manually in TDC. Its more accurate.

[don1reed]

Well, Kaleun, how frisky do you feel? Here's another wrinkle...

If you'd like to build your own circular sliderule like the ones they had aboard vessels of the period...here's one you can easily make that is 8" in diameter:(goto the bottom of the page)
http://www.sphere.bc.ca/test/build.html

I made one and had Kinkos laminate it in plastic...

Here's how you use it...

adjust your speed and course to where the target ship maintains a constant bearing in scope or UZO...it's called a collision course...

place target's AOB (in degrees, sine scale) under your speed. then above the bearing to the target (in degrees, sine scale), read it's speed.

Confused? well, that lil description above mathematically satified the rules of the LAW OF SINES: a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C. You can do it easier with an electronic calc.

Here's another method: down 'n dirty

uboat at all stop.
target ship crossing your path on perpendicular course.

begin stopwatch when it's bow cross vertical reticule in optics.
stop stopwatch when fantail crosses the line.

math: length of target meters / time in seconds x 1.94 = speed.

[Rosencrantz]

Just remember Kretschmer. Once he just raised his hand used it as assistant while shooting... Got his target sink. Well, papa K was well known to be KMs "torpedo sniper", before the war actually.

-RC-

[greyrider]

rosencrantz wrote:

[Heibges]

I use the MILS method to determine range.

[Joe S]

One way they did it in WWII was to measure the distance the target travelled in a minute. Mark the target's position on your chart and start a stopwatch. You can use any stopwatch or wristwatch that has a second hand. Mark the target's position exactly one minute after you start timing. Measure the distance travelled in one minute and you know what the speed is. I use a table of speed calculated in advance. For instance, 216 meters in one minuted = seven knots. If you cannot mark the target's position on the game chart due to difficulty settings, make your own chart. Put a point in the middle of a piece of paper marking the position of your boat. Using a 360 degree protractor find the relative bearing of the target and using whatever scale is appropriate for the situation, such as one inch + 1,000 meters, mark the position of the target relative to your boat. After one, two or three minutes, mark the target's new position on the chart and measure the distance travelled and calculate the speed. If your boat is submerged and you are moving at a low speed, and doing the calculations based on one minute of travel, your boat probably does not travel far enough to worry about. If you are doing the calculation over a period of several minutes, you should mark the new position of your boat before you plot the new position of the target. It is helpful to have another player handle the "Manual plot," and actually maked it a two player game, which adds a lot to the fun. I hope this is helpful to you. Joe S

[GreyOctober]

[Heibges]

I have just used the 1.5X on the Attack Periscope. For range- finding purposes it is not neccessary to know the exact number of MILS fortunately. You can just as easily use "blocks" on the stadimeter as the unit of comparisson, as I have done below.

...........................1200m.............600m
C2 Merchant.........6.....................12
C3 Merchant.........7.....................14

[don1reed]

Here's some more fun items:

http://www.astro.umd.edu/~astr100/astr111/Angles.pdf

enjoy.

The point is, as they say, there are many ways to skin a cat, "your job, Mr. Phelps, if you choose to", is to find the method that best suits your style.

Cheers,