Range Finding in Heavy Seas

[Holtz]

I have walked through Wazoo's "Manual Charting and Targeting Tutorial" located here:

www.paulwasserman.net/SHIII/

Question: How is it possible to get accurate range findings in heavy seas? I'm obviously using 'no stabilization' on my scope/UZO. With my boat bobbing up and down I can never seems to line up the waterline nor can I tag the highest mast on the target ship. Ideas?

[con20or]

yeh, i know what you mean, thats a nightmare. I have no stabilisation on as well, but i find that the UZO is an unbelievably superior platform for stability. I think it must be gyroscope mounted. The periscope is a joke.

But if you are forced by circumstances to use the scope, the best thing you can do is either, shoot from close range with a zero bearing on the torp and aim with the bow of your ship or just persevere with trying to get the range measurement. try and position the horizontal crosshair so that when the boat is reaching the bottom or top of its roll, it is coming into line with the waterline of the target. its hard, but keep trying.

plus i find that sometimes its easier to take the sighting, maybe it depends on what side the waves are coming from, but ive never tested that. thinking baout it now,its probably easier if they were coming behind you.

[Nabeshin]

It takes a little bit of work but remember you dont need to have to markings lined up, the only thing that matters is the position that you put the slider in.

Try and position the scope so that the bottom line will be bobing up and down from below the waterline to above the waterline.

While the scope is in this position begin to estimate the distance between the waterline and the highest mast. Check the distance every time the bottom marking intersects with the waterline. Once you feel you have the height as close as you need it (keep in mind that the closer you are to the ship the greater room for error you have). You dont need to get it perfectly exact nor does the ship need to be in the correct position when you enter the range.

Just estimate the height and check it when you can, once you are reasonably confident just enter the value.

[Holtz]

I spent a good deal of time working this issue yesterday. I wanted a way to test my accuracy so I had the "God's-Eye Mode" turned on while I manually ranged targets.

I'd plot the exact range and bearing on the map and compare it to the "God's-Eye" target on the map. Sometimes I was close. Sometimes I was off 400+m.

I also came to the same conclusion in terms of UZO versus the scope. The UZO is a better platform for stability, but since you can't use the UZO underwater......

I guess this is why a sim is a sim. In the real world those guys didn't have it easy, so why should we. That being said, it really is quite frustrating.

[Stryker]

Attack should be made with the wind if at all possible, first off the water spray is blowing into the eyes of any watch and secondly torpedos stand less chance of being deflected riding with the waves than crashing thru them (which can also cause premature detonation)

[con20or]

just try not to think about it, that should help with that.

[Holtz]

Practice will make perfect.

[Urlybird]

Ask the WO what range he has got the contact at , input that into the TDC , and use that as the firing solution ,
If you're at PD and using the periscope , the lower it is , the less exagerated roll you get

UB

[con20or]

true, but the lower it is,mthe more spray obstructing the cope,the blurrier the image,the less chance of being able to make out any detail of the ship,let alone the masts.

[Holtz]

Now I just take multiple (read: lots of) range findings. The closer the target, the more ranges I'll take. The WO is good for estimates, but when they're close I like to range-find myself. Eventually, I have enough plot points to get a fairly accurate range-to-target. Maybe one plot point was 400m too far and the next was 200m too short, but enought plot points and it really doesn't matter. I've been pretty satisfied with my accuracy and hit ratio (less the duds).