Mark 16 torpedo tactics?

[HansGruber]

So I'm curious to know, what tactics do people generally use when playing the 1968 campaign and stuck with the Mk-16 and Mk-37 torpedoes?

I have found that the Mk-37 is largely sufficient to kill even the latest nuclear powered SSNs by simply creeping up to a relatively short range before taking a shot. Yes, they can occasionally run away from them, but I can usually get the kill. I find that usually, if they don't sink the escorts, I can atleast get their depthcharge snipers to stop raining down incredibly accurate barrages of RBU bombs with perfectly set depths long enough for me to GTFO.

But what about the Mk-16? I am familiar with straight running torpedoes, but it seems that even WW2 era weapons may have been more advanced. I played Aces of the Deep, Silent Hunter 2, and Silent Hunter 3. All three had pattern running and acoustic homing torpedoes on the German U-Boats. I don't recall which ones were in Aces of the Deep or Silent Hunter 2, but Silent Hunter 3 modeled both the G7e/T4 "Falke" which was intended for use against merchants, and the later G7e/T5 "Zaunkönig" which was for shooting at escorts.

In those games, it was possible to sneak up to just a few thousand yards and fire your spread, without your torpedoes being detected immediately. That made it quite likely that a spread of four shots would score multiple hits, if you set it up properly. However in Cold Waters it seems like even if I'm in a perfect position, the very instant I fire, my targets begin evasive manuvers and the escorts and their depthcharge snipers start blasting away.

And on that last subject...I've noticed that even the oldest Soviet submarines will react instantly to a torpedo shot, even if you are exactly in his baffles...It's like they can hear launch transients in all directions, even their blind spots? Is this a known bug or is this behavior intentional?

[toinkertoy]

The Mk.16 I think the longest shot I managed was around 1900 yds. But usually when going after a landing force or ship resupply convoy you can get in behind the group and close in on them doing 12 knots then just wait until they’re 1000-1600 yds. out and fire a salvo! That usually works for me.

Under 1000 yds. and the AI subs will instantly detect a torpedo in their baffles. I don’t even think it’s a launch transient thing just any torpedo that close they’ll react. At 4000 to 4500 yds. my transients were never detected when in their baffles but the torps would be detected very soon after that.

[toinkertoy]

Originally posted by ALGOGULF:

As soon as the escorts detect a torpedo, the transports all immediately turn tail and run in different directions. Fortuantely you only have to kill a couple of them usually to get the desired outcome.

Yeah you only need to sink >50% of the “mission critical” ships. So for a landing force type mission:

1. The escorts (Kashins, Kotlins, Rigas or Potis) are never mission critical (for any mission) thus never need to be sunk for mission completion.

2. Sverdlov cruisers only need to be sunk if you’re given “sink the gun cruiser mission”. For landing force missions they’re not mission critical.

3. The mission critical units are the slow *** cargo ships like Aligators, Komsomols, Amguemas and Andizhans. And you only have to sink better than half of them to complete a mission. And truthfully all of them are slow enough a Mk.37 can hit them but it might take 2 for larger transports.

Originally posted by ALGOGULF:

I don't bother with the MK-16's. Either you need a TDC, to be really good at math, or to be really lucky. I managed to once hit a Kotlin while he was running from a MK-37. I unload all MK-16s now.

You already have a TDC! That’s what generates the blue aiming point circle. You just have to be very close and fire a spread. That way your chances of hitting the transports as they zig and zag is much higher! However your strategy of carrying all Mk.37’s sounds valid since you might have to fire three 16’s to ensure sinking a transport that two wire-guided 37’s can catch and sink. So from an efficiency stand point that might be the better option.

[oh6cayuse]

I actually love splitting a Kazbek in two from around 5k yards with a Mk16. Nice Shot :) !! They also work well on Sverdlovs, who's total lack of sonar leaves them very vulnerable. Can take 3 Mk37s to down a Sverdlov, only 1 Mk16 though . . BOOM Ha Ha.

[flyboymb]

My usual tactic used to be to run a skipjack at full speed towards an escort. Depth charges couldn't catch me as long as I was a few hundred feet deep. I would then make a quick 180 as soon as I was in their baffles and start to make my way to periscope depth. I'd then line up perfectly behind them, wait until they were traveling straight, then lob a 16 into their screws!

This worked well 90% of the time. The other 10% saw me catching a full salvo of depth charges when they somehow detected me (maybe choppy waters revealed a bit of my mast?).

[Mack]

Belgrano got sunk at 1400 yards IRL so I'd iamgine you'd want to get in at least as close as that.