Why didn’t the idea of an angled deck on aircraft carriers occur earlier than it did?
The main problem with axial-deck aircraft carriers– that is, ones using conventional arrested landings where aircraft having landed are parked well forward – was that there is no second chance to attempt another landing in the event of failing to catch an arrester wire. Crashing into a cross-deck flexible barrier was one alternative. Jumping that […]
British Escort Carriers v. US Equivalents
Predictably, when World War II commenced, Britain was caught out, desperately short of ocean-going convoy escorts such was the inattention paid to this form of warfare and aviation at sea by way of Escort Carriers was just one aspect. In desperation, HMS Courageous, a fleet carrier was used in a “hunter-killer” ASW patrol off the […]
A TALE OF TWO TUGS AT WAR
In September 1941, two years after the commencement of World War II, Britain was beleaguered relying on trans-Atlantic convoys to keep it supplied with foodstuffs and the matériel to survive. There were two types of convoys that left from North American ports: the HX series which were, technically, fast convoys (if you can call 8+ […]
Why didn’t the Royal Navy abandon the 2-pounder “pom-pom” earlier in favour of the 40mm Bofors?
Some sources say that the main reason was that there were some 2,000,000 rounds left over at the end of World War I from the earlier fabric-belt-fed 2-pdr QF Mk II. At the rate the octuple mounts used up ammunition I don’t think this is valid. Let’s look at a bit of the history. In […]
What are the facts about Australian radar in World War II?
Many historians look at photographs and immediately identify the masthead antenna on Australian River Class frigates (and their Bathurst Class corvette contemporaries) as an American SC air-search. Indeed, the Australian War Memorial and the Royal Australian Navy’s website’s photographic records’ captions tend to bear this out. In my opinion they are most probably wrong – […]
The Spitfire myth
I am going to go out on a long and fragile limb here and say that the Supermarine Spitfire was over-rated. In wartime. propaganda is a vital tool. Believing your own propaganda is downright dangerous. Promote an idea, a concept, a product well enough and well…some people would eat a $#@& sandwich! Then, and now, […]
The likely consequences of Britain not declaring war against Germany in 1914
In August 1914, Europe was smouldering. German unification in 1871 was boosted by the 1879 alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire joined by Italy in 1882 thus forming the Triple Alliance, a powerful bloc and altering the balance of power in Europe. The growing strength and influence of Germany resulted in France and Russia entering […]
What problem was HACS (High Angle Control System) the answer to?
In short, HACS was the answer – in theory if not in practice – to the problem of controlling a ship’s anti-aircraft fire successfully against attacking aircraft. That is, to predict when and where to fire anti-aircraft weaponry in such a way that projectile and aircraft arrive at the same place in the sky at […]
A better use for the R Class Battleships: Convoy Defence Ships
The five R Class – or Revenge Class – battleships came after the Queen Elizabeth Class and before the Nelson Class and were commissioned in 1916-1917: Revenge, Resolution, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign and Ramillies. Royal Oak was a very early war loss – torpedoed in Scapa Flow in October 1939 – and the others were […]
Which was better – the 3”/50 cal
or the QF 12-pounder
12 cwt?
It is interesting to note the frequent disparaging comments about the American 3”/50 cal, presumably the Mk 20 or 22, the difference being only minor relating to the type of barrel and its construction. fitted as standard equipment on the Captain and Colony Class frigates. There’s the “Everyone knows the 3-inch projectile will not put […]