Decoys revisited !!

[OleGreyGhost]

@ Panic

In a previous post when I said I missed the decoys, you replied:

" I took out the Decoys in this one because those devices (the "Pillenwerfen") were exclusively used by the Germans; U.S. subs didn't have any equivalent. "

Here is some research for you.

Movie, quasi documentary, made with the assistance of the US Navy in 1959.

Up Periscope with Edmund O'Brien as sub commander on the Barracuda.

While on the surface bridge, the captain was informed by the sonarman about an approaching high-speed destroyer from 15,000 yards away. You get a screenshot of an approaching small destroyer spewing smoke.

The story plot stretches thickens, but I won't get into too many details. Other than to say the captain ordered the torpedoman to fire a false shot ( air bubbles ) from the torpedo tube after pumping oil out of the bilge.

This was accomplished by what appeared to be a 90mm recoilless rifle being used to lure the destroyer in. You can take it from here !!

Thought you might enjoy the challenge.......

P.S. Thanks for the fix.

[Panic Ensues]

I've read about the concept of firing an "Air Slug" from a torpedo tube, but I just can't see how the air could travel more than a few meters before just rising quickly to the surface, which doesn't seem like it would do any actual decoying.

I've also read multiple autobiographies of WWII sub captains/crew, and have never seen it mentioned as something that was actually used. If you have a non-fiction source that details how it works (or even documents it being used), let me know!

[OleGreyGhost]

No, I just happened to catch the show.

They usually kept these type of movies fairly close to the truth by using the Navy personnel & documentation to quantify the authenticity of the supposed facts presented.

The culmination of luring in the destroyer was shooting a spread of three torpedoes blind @ 800 yds & hitting the destroyer with one of them.

But literary license aside, how much theatrical license obfuscates the truth......

[OleGreyGhost]

Just had my bubble burst.

It seems having the navy & DoD assist with the making of the film does not lend credibility to the making of a movie if you do your homework.

This story was all BS. All names were changed to protect the guilty.

Just did some research of naval records. It seems the Barracuda was in the Pacific. Between '41 & '42. It did complete 6 war patrols, all without any enemy contact....