I am starting work on my 1/96 scale Sveirge class and wanted opinions on the down angle for the fixed secondaries. The ship will be minimum warship speed and will have a dual Indiana 7/32 rotate fore and aft, three fixed QEV BBs port and starboard, and two QEV bow torpedo tubes. My question is what down angle is best suited for the fixed secondaries? Should I try for three feet out to the waterline, closer, or farther? I have nine weeks to finish her, so I might not make it, but plan to give it the old college try. (I just have mains, scaled plans, and electronics at this point.) All input is welcome.
I would say use a known distance easily referenced by the dimensions of your ship. For example... exactly a hull width away is where the rounds impact the water. Just a thought.
Are torpedo-boats a serious concern at this time? Do they already have established tactics and favorite approaches? If so, aim your secondaries for point-blank range, hitting the water 6 inches or less from the side of your ship. Most torpedo-boats like getting as close as possible, sometimes even scraping paint, to get under a battleship's guns. The closer you aim your secondaries, the harder it is for them to do. In this role you'll probably want to aim the aft guns 45 degrees aft, the middle guns straight out, and the forward guns 45 degrees forward. While this reduces the damage of each hit, you cover a much wider area with each shot, reducing blind spots and making it harder for a torpedo-boat to sneak up on you. If torpedoes are NOT a serious concern at this time, aim your secondaries to hit the water 1 or 2 ship-widths away, and converging at that point. That's still close range, so you'll still have good odds of penetrating, and the converging rounds should inflict more damage when they do hit. And by aiming a distance that's easy to eyeball (one or two ship-widths), you improve your odds of landing your hit in the sweet spot.
