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Post by arminpfano on May 31, 2019 7:39:52 GMT -6
Here is my favourite design of an early DD since RTW1 - thankfully the design is also working in RTW2. Maybe I have overlooked it, but I haven´t seen this design somewhere in the board, so I wanted to share it:
Four single centerline torpedo mounts are possible if you install pair of front guns instead of a single one. Actually you could omit these guns at all - they do no harm, but the bangs may support the morale of the crew...
In captain´s mode you easily kill every battle fleet with a swarm of these, up to around 1915. Even if you play with the given heritage fleet you can build those DDs extremely fast and dominate the first decade with them. Not only at night, but in bright daylight also - the AI is easily tempted to follow your capital ships, while the DD squadrons flank from left and right. Actually the "friendly ship in line of fire" message is the biggest problem during my wild torpedo attacks. In most cases the losses of DD are smaller than expected, normally one or two DDs for each destroyed B or BB. The AI is much more reluctant to stage such full scale DD attacks on the player fleet, so the advantage is quite one-sided.
I use this type with 500 and 600 ts up to 1920, just raising the speed with every generation. Then I switch to full scale 1500 ts DDs with a decent gun assortment, and use the old ones for trade protection / ASW purposes, maybe by removing some torpedo tubes and installing ASW gear. In peace time they get mothballed all together, costing only 2 per ship. Additionally in war they make a good headcount for blockading the enemy - even GB is easily blockaded when build in decent numbers.
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Post by dizzy on May 31, 2019 7:48:19 GMT -6
I think I've discovered Japan's new secret weapon! I'm glad I clicked on this thread, and thanks for sharing!
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Post by aeson on May 31, 2019 8:19:50 GMT -6
Personally, I prefer a six-tube 500t torpedo boat myself, though since it lays the tubes out in a hexagonal pattern it likewise has four tubes on the broadside.
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Post by JagdFlanker on May 31, 2019 10:04:59 GMT -6
how did you get the 1 and 2 forward gun positions on a 500t DD?
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Post by aeson on May 31, 2019 10:06:45 GMT -6
how did you get the 1 and 2 forward gun positions on a 500t DD? 2" guns. |
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Post by zardoz on Jun 3, 2019 10:25:27 GMT -6
Is this really good in the early game?
In RTW 1 DDs attacked in my games mainly already slowed down ships. So, from my view at least at the beginning those ships have many tubes which do not help much and have rather ineffective guns. My first DDs (in RTW1) had 28 kn, 3 3 inch guns forwad and one bachwards and 2 torpedo tubes.
The next generations were up-gunned with more tubes and more speed until I had space enough to up-gun.
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Post by arminpfano on Jun 3, 2019 12:45:44 GMT -6
DDs in early game only work in captains mode, where you can fire the torpedoes manually by yourself. I build some capital ships as the trap, about 30 to 40 DDs (in small scenario size), and wait for a fleet battle. Here I usually get 3 - 4 capitals and 15 - 20 DDs as my fleet. Retreat with the big ships, the battle line of the enemy will follow to close the range. The DDs go left and right, until they have cornered the enemy train. Then just rip through the middle (formation line ahead) and fire torps left and right. The first one or two DDs of a squadron may get shot to pieces before they can launch the torps, but the next one will get through. Fire at point blank range, 100 - 500 m. The first one or two torps are enough to slow down or stop the Bs or BBs, the rest of the squadron finish them. Usually I fire about 8 to 10 torps into each capital ship, more than enough to guarantee no miracle repair and creeping home. I find it quite easy to wipe out a complete battle fleet like this.
Things change around 1915 when the secondary guns get much more precise. In this case I slow the enemy down by BB gunfire, then I let the DDs do their work as above.
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Post by mycophobia on Jun 3, 2019 12:49:23 GMT -6
My early game torpedo boats had always been Bs that just sail at close range parallel to the enemy. Either they torp me or I eventually torp them  |
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Post by jorgencab on Jun 3, 2019 14:27:40 GMT -6
An all torpedo DD only work well in captains mode which is not very realistic, but here they are very effective... possibly too effective.
you need guns on the DD to combat enemy DD in the early game so two or possibly three torpedoes for a 500t DD is probably enough.
In the early game DD works best in night engagements when using torpedoes since their range and speed otherwise is too weak.
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