Naval History Forums

Better yet would be the complete removal of the old main armoured deck and structure and replacing it with a single plate of new material comprizing both structural and ballistic functions from the same weight. Better, but of course more expensive in terms of labor and resources. Of course, when on...

I was wondering about that (The inefficiency of layered armor) as well Dave. I was wondering if there was perhaps a way when the additional armor was added that it could have made it more effective than 2 separate layers, such as perhaps welding the layers together.

Interesting info, thank you for the help gentlemen.

Of course feel free to post any additional info!

So from the info you have there, Aurora, it looks as though if armor was added, it was indeed of the newer type. Any info on armor being replaced as opposed to just added on? And I wonder what 3" of armor over 3" would do. If the older armor was per Okun's calculations a .90 quality, and t...

Wasp was also lost due to AVGAS explosions; no closed hangars there. Franklin was nearly lost due to her fires and it seems certain that if she replaced Yorktown at Coral Sea or Hornet at Santa Cruz, and suffered her historical 1945 damage, that she would have been lost. Franklin only survived beca...

One thing I've noticed when comparing combat ships of Axis vs. Allies, and in particular when comparing the "newer" designs of countries (meaning those commissioned within 5-10 years prior to the start of the war or during the war) - We often have very little data on how the Allied ships p...

Well, looking back at it, I was thinking when it was still making 20 knots, but that was after 11 torpedoes. She had lost about 12 feet of freeboard by this time.

When a ship is hit by 20 torpedoes and sinks, that does not mean it would take 20 torpedoes to sink the ship. \ That is indeed true - however, as these were hits over time, not all at once, the Musahi had ample opportunity to sink between hits. I think she had taken around 15 by the last attack - a...

When a battleship would be re-fitted, for instance as the Kongo class was numerous times, or when the US battleship damaged at Pearl were brought back into action, was the armor also replaced? For instance, if you have a ship from 1918 vintage that is refitted in 1942, does it have armor of the earl...

I'm curious what info we have out there about the de-capping layer of the New Jersey class for instance, but my understanding is the Littorrio class had one as well. From what I understand, this was not designed as a de-capping layer in either of the two vessels. For the New Jersey class, it was a d...

There is a huge difference between 4 hits on the same side of the ship at the same time and a lot of hits on both sides over several hours. I understand that. The Yamato though took torpedoes concentrated on the port side in rapid sucession. THe attacks were roughly over 2 hours in total duration -...

Can't compare the Yamato to the Shinano. Best comparison is to the Musahi, or even the Yamato herself when sunk. The Yamato took 3 sets of about 4 torpedoes over a few hours. First set did little other than causing a slight list and require flooding. Second set slowed her and required more counterfl...

I'd say an armored flight deck's importance varies by the needs of that nation. For Instance, it would have been great for Japan if the Ships of Kido Butai would have had armored flight decks from the beginning of the war for a few major reasons: 1) Survivability - Japan did not have a large industr...

Japan would have to be defeated in major battle somewhere. Wherever that battle happens it would be a major significant event. Or it could have been defeated in a battle of attrition not requiring a "major" battle such as the Solomon's campaign. Lose a ship here and there, some planes her...

4 Torpedoes, in quick succession on the same side of the ship, each carrying a 668 lb Torpex warhead. While it's true that she wasn't combat ready in any sense of the word, I doubt any ship of that era would have survived that. Well, the Navy should have been using the Mod 10 version of the Mark 13...