Naval History Forums

Can anyone explain why the centerline rotating twin torpedo tube mounts of German WW1 era TBs and DDs had the individual launch tubes horizontally splayed out with an angle (about 10deg?) between them?


B

I'm not sure I understand this question, this ten degree angle, is it for torpedo spreads at short ranged targets?

Er...that IS the question. The Germans angled the tubes. Why?

Mike

Then angle was primarily to insure the torpedo would not get run over by the boat itself after launch when the boat was at speed--it does take a finite amount of time for the torpedo to accelerate to its set speed. US Elco and British Vosper PT boats also had angled launch tubes. The intended course for the torpedo was set into it by the depth, speed and gyro angle mechanism on the torpedo tube, same as on a submarine.

No, that's not it. He's asking about the centreline twin mounts.

Mike

Actually for the WW1 torpedo boats, the answer is still pretty much the same. The attack was normally conducted using either the port or starboard torpedo tubes, i.e., the forward ones with only limited traverse on each side of the hull and the right or left pair from the angled midships mounts. The torpedo boat would approach the target at an angle so as to show as little of its hull as possible, and once in range would fire the first salvo of torpedoes. The angled midship torpedo mounts facilitated this and required only a little traverse to train one of the torpedo tubes off the port or or starboard bow as the case may be. The torpedo boat would then either turn away rapidly under smoke screen or alter course enough to bring the unfired tubes from the other bow to bear and train the center tubes mount over onto the proper bearing so that its unfired torpedo tube was aimed along the same line of sight as the forward tube.

the right or left pair from the angled midships mounts

I meant to write, 'the right or left tube from the paired, angled midships mounts.'