In my current patrol (#4, Dec '39, 1st in Type VIIB) I loaded up a few electric powered torps to see if they were any good.
Sad to say out of the 3 I used against defenseless merchies, all 3 missed. I think it's the speed - 30 kts vs 44 kts of the steam powered ones make a lot of difference!
What are you experiences with this torpedo?

In real, the first choice was electric torpedo, always. They used steam torp only against very easy targets, that could not manouver because these torps were very easily spotted. In game, do not know cause i did not played enough yet.

used them stealthy, against destroyers.. they will never see them and so never avoid them-

I also use them for destroyers set on impact only.
Perhaps the early electric torps arent that reliable?

Don't think it's a question of unreliability (although I have duds turned on as a realism option). It's that the torps simply miss - either pass infront of the bow or pass behind the stern.
With the normal steam torps, thus far while a few torps have missed (bow/stern) the bulk have hit. I think the speed makes the difference. By the time the watchouts spot the bubbles it's too late to avoid.

"Do you use Electric Torps?"

No, they're too slow!
I prefer having speed on the torpedos then not leaving any trail of bubbles because like Zero Niner when the watchouts spot the bubbles usually it's too late to avoid! And specially at night the most probable thing to happen is that the watchouts don't see the torpedos (steam ones) comming at all!

Note that I started in 1939 and I'm now in my 5th patrol (late Jan 1940) so probably electric ones (improved versions??) may be worth using latter on the war?

First thing I do before a patrol is dump the Electric torps - 30kts is not enough.

First thing I do when leaving port is set the torp speed to High and the depth to 10m, I fine tune it from there, but alway high.

I have no trouble with mag pistols against destroyers - I set them to 1m deeper than the draft as I reckon the lower magnetic field might not set them off at 2m below...

Somewhere in the game it states that the reliability issue with the electric torpedo was resolved after a certain campaign (I think Norway, not sure though). Can somebody verify with a date?

S!

I use these steamtubes at "hecktorpedo" to finish off crippled merchants. Otherwise all other torps are electric and they work like a charm! They really bring up the whole idea of HUNTING the enemy down..

What I usually do is to dive to 20m, locate first sound trace with hydrophone and mark it on map..wait a moment(~5min)

I prefer a mix of torp. types.

1. G7e's for suprise - just have to get inside 1200M or so.
2. G7a's for speed - these are good when a target knows you are there - or to gut those zig-zagging coastal merchies. Just get inside 800M or so - the merchie will not have time to manuever.
3. I make sure that I have same load in tubes I & IV - and in tubes II & III. I can salvo this way.
4. Finally, I turn off auto re-load as I want to determine which type goes where for #3 above.

Barkhorn.