Naval Academy
Greetings, fellow Captains!
Our previous episodes taught you to maneuver and fire primary armament;
now it's time to tell you about torpedoes-a formidable weapon in skillful hands.
For example,
a single torpedo hit from Tier VIII destroyer Kagero
will sink any destroyer in the game,
and three hits will easily destroy a Tier X cruiser or aircraft carrier.
And Kagero can launch eight torpedoes in one salvo!
Today we will discuss all the details of this dangerous armament.
A torpedo is a self-propelled underwater projectile
carrying from 440 lbs (200 kg) to 1650 lbs (750 kg) of explosives.
It hits the enemy ship below the waterline,
puncturing the hull and causing flooding.
A single well-aimed torpedo salvo may destroy several ships.
Press 3 to switch to torpedo tubes.
The torpedo armament's reticle looks unusual.
The dark green semicircles represent the firing arcs
on both sides of the ship.
The bright green cone shows the direction
and the width of torpedo spread.
The reticle is yellow when torpedo tubes are reloading.
Please note
that once you launch torpedoes
they will not move parallel to one another-
they will spread at a certain angle instead.
In World of Warships you are able to select two spread angles:
wide and narrow.
You can switch between them by pressing 3.
The narrow spread should be used at short distances,
when you are sure that the majority of your torpedoes will hit the target.
The large spread increases your chance of hitting the enemy
with at least one torpedo,
but the rest of them will probably miss.
Moreover, you risk damaging an allied ship.
Choosing the correct target lead for a torpedo salvo is not an easy task-
that's why we added the automatic calculation of lead of a selected enemy.
Aim the reticle at a ship and press X.
An additional grey reticle sector will appear.
To launch torpedoes at the selected target,
align the bright green sector with the grey one and click the left mouse button.
But will the torpedoes hit the enemy?
To learn the answer, we must first study some specifics of this armament.
First of all,
the torpedo armament of ships in World of Warships varies
not only by the number of torpedo tubes,
but by the performance capabilities of the torpedoes themselves.
Let's start with effective range,
because that's the parameter
that imposes the most essential restriction on the use of this type of armament.
In the low Tiers,
torpedoes have a range of just 2.4 miles (4.5 km)
and they have only a slim chance of hitting a distant target.
At the same time, as you are getting close to torpedo range of the target,
you might be destroyed by the fire from enemy ship's primary guns,
which will have a much longer effective range.
Try sneaking up on the enemy from behind an island
or under the cover of a smoke screen.
A reverse situation is also possible.
You approach an enemy ship
and launch a full broadside at point-blank range.
It seems impossible for you to miss, and yet the enemy sails away unharmed!
The problem is that the torpedo reticle does not start right at your ship's side.
Torpedo fuses need some time after launching to arm,
making it impossible to fire torpedoes at point-blank range.
The edge of the green firing arc closest to the side of your ship
marks the minimum distance that torpedoes must travel before arming.
Torpedo speed is the next limiting factor.
Low-tier torpedoes travel at 49 knots-tens of times slower than any shell.
An enemy could easily evade your salvo,
especially if it's a light cruiser or destroyer.
And the price of a miss is considerably higher than with artillery fire.
Torpedoes are huge;
they may have a length of 23 ft (7 m) and weigh up to 2 tons.
The large dimensions make the reloading process difficult and slow
it may take anywhere from 20 seconds to 3 minutes.
Therefore you should choose slow targets with poor maneuverability,
such as battleships and aircraft carriers,
as well as enemy ships caught in a firefight with your allies.
Despite the fact that high-tier torpedoes have ranges up to 11 miles (20 km)
and their speed can reach almost 70 knots,
the success of your salvo
depends largely on calculating the right moment of launch.
Destroyers and cruisers armed with torpedo tubes are very dangerous,
but a deadly attack may be also launched from the air by torpedo bombers.
Stay tuned for the following episode to learn more.
World of Warships Action Stations