Technology and Operations
This forum is for discussing technological & operational matters pertaining to U-boats.
Re: Moving out of the way
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: January 03, 2002 07:47PM
Hi All,
Actually, steam torpedoes weren’t unusual on a U-boat, especially early in the war. Here is a description of the first two torpedoes fired at my dad’s ship the SS Cardonia by U-126 (Bauer) on March 7, 1942:
Finally at around 04:45 local time when the Cardonia was about five miles west-northwest of St. Nicholas Mole, Haiti (approximately 19° 53’ North / 73° 27’ W – German grid square DN 8452), Kapitanleutnant Bauer was ready to shoot. The torpedoes in tubes #1 and #3 (both G7a’s which used a gas/steam driven engine and left a bubble trail) were set to run at a speed of 40 knots at a depth of 3 meters. The estimated target speed was 12 knots, the angle on the bow 90 degrees, and the distance to the target at 500 meters. At 04:47 still on the surface, U-126 launched the first torpedo from tube #1.
At about the same time the lookouts on the Cardonia spotted the sub. The watch spotted the torpedo wake/bubble trail and Captain Darnell ordered hard right rudder and reversed his engines. The first torpedo missed the bow by at most 10 meters. U-126 saw that the engines had been reversed immediately after the shot, adjusted the calculations accordingly and launched the second torpedo from tube #3 at about 04:48. The second torpedo missed close by the stern. The forward momentum the Cardonia still had after reversing her engines hadn’t been taken into consideration.
The torpedo data above came from U-126’s KTB and torpedo reports. The torpedo reports are quite detailed and even contain the serial numbers of the torpedoes and the pistols (detonators).
After the first two misses she was eventually sunk after being disabled by hits from most of the 56 rounds of 105mm ammo fired at her during a wild chase which lasted about an hour. U-126 finished her off with one more torpedo.
The Cardonia was an old Hog Islander built in 1919.
The steam torpedoes were primarily used at night and in other poor lighting conditions where the bubble trail was very hard to spot or where the ship was being finished off and it made no difference if the trail was spotted.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
Actually, steam torpedoes weren’t unusual on a U-boat, especially early in the war. Here is a description of the first two torpedoes fired at my dad’s ship the SS Cardonia by U-126 (Bauer) on March 7, 1942:
Finally at around 04:45 local time when the Cardonia was about five miles west-northwest of St. Nicholas Mole, Haiti (approximately 19° 53’ North / 73° 27’ W – German grid square DN 8452), Kapitanleutnant Bauer was ready to shoot. The torpedoes in tubes #1 and #3 (both G7a’s which used a gas/steam driven engine and left a bubble trail) were set to run at a speed of 40 knots at a depth of 3 meters. The estimated target speed was 12 knots, the angle on the bow 90 degrees, and the distance to the target at 500 meters. At 04:47 still on the surface, U-126 launched the first torpedo from tube #1.
At about the same time the lookouts on the Cardonia spotted the sub. The watch spotted the torpedo wake/bubble trail and Captain Darnell ordered hard right rudder and reversed his engines. The first torpedo missed the bow by at most 10 meters. U-126 saw that the engines had been reversed immediately after the shot, adjusted the calculations accordingly and launched the second torpedo from tube #3 at about 04:48. The second torpedo missed close by the stern. The forward momentum the Cardonia still had after reversing her engines hadn’t been taken into consideration.
The torpedo data above came from U-126’s KTB and torpedo reports. The torpedo reports are quite detailed and even contain the serial numbers of the torpedoes and the pistols (detonators).
After the first two misses she was eventually sunk after being disabled by hits from most of the 56 rounds of 105mm ammo fired at her during a wild chase which lasted about an hour. U-126 finished her off with one more torpedo.
The Cardonia was an old Hog Islander built in 1919.
The steam torpedoes were primarily used at night and in other poor lighting conditions where the bubble trail was very hard to spot or where the ship was being finished off and it made no difference if the trail was spotted.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Torpedo-detection
|
Gabriel | 12/31/2001 05:23PM |
|
Re: Torpedo-detection
|
J.T. McDaniel | 12/31/2001 11:31PM |
|
Re: Torpedo-detection
|
Gabriel | 01/01/2002 12:25PM |
|
Moving out of the way
|
Nathan Greenfield | 01/01/2002 02:56PM |
|
Re: Moving out of the way
|
J.T. McDaniel | 01/01/2002 04:47PM |
|
Re: Moving out of the way
|
Ken Dunn | 01/03/2002 07:47PM |
|
Re: Torpedo-detection
|
kurt | 01/09/2002 01:09PM |
|
Re: Torpedo-detection
|
sniper | 01/16/2002 02:34PM |