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Post a reply to: AUSTIN TRAINER
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[StartQuote] Here is the photo from the book [b]"AN ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF PT’S, IN WORLD WAR II, OFFICE OF NAVAL HISTORY, 15 February 1946"[/b] Be sure to down load this free PT boat document as well as others on the "Free PT Documents" page. Just click on the link in the above masthead of this page. As a note there are some new document materials just post courtesy of Bridge Carney, the material consists of miscellaneous Deck Logs and Action Reports Bridge purchased from the National Archive while doing research. [image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Webmaster/Mark4-Torpedo-Trainer.jpg[/image] In a Gunnery sub-department, Torpedo Fire Control, problems did arise. This was the problem of instructing officers in the proper methods and procedure of accurate torpedo firing. From August of 1943 to October of 1944, PT’s in the Pacific fired few torpedoes, although the boats were designed primarily for that purpose. Instead they became high speed gun boats. In the European theatre, on the other hand, torpedo firing was common, and the boats continued to carry out their prime function as notably exemplified by the performance of MTB Squadron FIFTEEN in the Mediterranean. As a majority of the boats were in the Pacific, re-education for most of the returning boat officers in torpedo fire control was essential. In addition, all student officers were educated in this part of the Gunnery Department’s program. A Mark 4 Mod 0 torpedo attack trainer was procured from the Austin Company under a BuOrd contract in May 1944, but the trainer never proved successful. Limited training was possible, but either because of faulty installation or construction, this device never lived up to expectations. Efforts were still being made in August of 1945 to correct the deficiencies existing in the equation solving units of the device, for it was felt that these units were the seat of all the trouble. The Training Center also possessed a British Torpedo Director Trainer which was used from the earlier days of the program. This Trainer is in no way similar to the Austin Trainer, and affords practice for torpedo shots made with seaman’s eye. There is no plotting element, and the training given is effective only for basic visual attacks. BuAer made available to MTBSTC one of its Special Device Section’s Mechanical Torpedo Attack Teachers. This is a self-propelled cart which launches a self–propelled torpedo at a self-propelled target. This trainer requires a large area of smooth decking, and its use at Melville was limited. Basic training in Torpedo Fire Control therefore devolved upon the maneuvering board, and this method of plotting and fire control was generally stressed throughout the program. It was probably the only generally satisfactory method of plotting radar data with the equipment that was on the boats. Early procurement of synthetic training devices would have been an improvement in this department, and no doubt would have resulted in a better brand of torpedo firing than was exhibited by the PT’s at Surigaio Straits. Another retarding factor in the teaching program was the size of the classes, seldom less than thirty and running as high as seventy. Because of the lack of individual instruction in such large classes, and because a majority of the class was left inactive while a handful were using some device as the British trainer, instruction suffered. In all fairness, this is not solely a criticism of the Torpedo Fire Control sub Department, but of many of the Departments at Melville. [EndQuote]
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