Search found 1528 matches

by tommy303
Fri Mar 20, 2015 7:34 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: German VHF E Boat Emissions
Replies: 18
Views: 8906

Re: German VHF E Boat Emissions

The passive emissions given off by a VHF superheterodyne receiver local oscillator (LO) through the antenna are known as spurious emissions. The range at which these are detectable depends on a wide number of factors, not the least of which would be time of day, air temperatures, weather, type of an...
by tommy303
Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:22 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: German VHF E Boat Emissions
Replies: 18
Views: 8906

Re: German VHF E Boat Emissions

VHF works on line of sight from antenna to antenna, for the most part, so even on an active transmission, range is relatively short. Picking up stray radiated emissions from a superheterodyne receiver through its antenna would be even lower due to the weakness of the source, although the Germans cla...
by tommy303
Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:23 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Newspaper article
Replies: 6
Views: 4792

Re: Newspaper article

There was an SS Gydnia, but she was sunk by Stukas on 2 September 1939. I should think any German ship named after the port would have had the name Gotenhafen instead.
by tommy303
Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:31 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: River Plate: conflicting track charts
Replies: 34
Views: 23641

Re: River Plate: conflicting track charts

Looking at Schmalenbach's schematics, once the target was designated both the appropriate director and the appropriate rangefinder were put on target and controlled by the computer/operators. It could be any rangefinder and any director, or any radar. Yes. The communication between director and cal...
by tommy303
Fri Feb 20, 2015 7:53 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: River Plate: conflicting track charts
Replies: 34
Views: 23641

Re: River Plate: conflicting track charts

The AGS had three day action, low angle gunnery control positions--upper level of the conning tower on the navigation bridge with two directors, foretop GCT on the tower mast with two directors, and the after FCT with one director. Each position had a rangefinder, although the forward one had a shor...
by tommy303
Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:39 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: 40.6 cm SK C/34's on the Bismarck class
Replies: 19
Views: 15434

Re: 40.6 cm SK C/34's on the Bismarck class

If it had been able to retro fit it to the PBS I would have supported it, but making it exclusively for the Twins was a luxury Germany could not afford. The 11C28 was excellent Panzerschiffe weapon. The older 28cm of the Panzerschiffe used a shorter L/3.7 APC shell. The 28cm L/54 of the Scharnhorst...
by tommy303
Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:40 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Yamato + Musahi - Damage taken
Replies: 74
Views: 54135

Re: Yamato + Musahi - Damage taken

I think the destroyer torpedoes used on the Scharnhorst were the Mark IX I'm thinking, 750 pounds of TNT equivalent. There was a later model with 805 lbs of Torpex, I'm not sure which model was used. If I recall correctly, aerial torpedoes had priority in the use of torpex until 1944 when torpex wa...
by tommy303
Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:54 am
Forum: World War II
Topic: SPITFIRE v HURRICANE IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
Replies: 10
Views: 18524

Re: SPITFIRE v HURRICANE IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Trial versions of the Spitfire and Hurricane with 20mm Hispano Mk1 cannons having drum magazines were tested prior to the BoB but a tendency to jam and insufficient production of the Mk I led to a decision to concentrate on 8-gun 303 calibre fighters for the time being. Lessons learned during the ba...
by tommy303
Wed Jan 28, 2015 1:00 am
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Comparisons of Axis vs Allied Combat Vessels
Replies: 68
Views: 48920

Re: Comparisons of Axis vs Allied Combat Vessels

The weight of the bursting charge remained 1.5% in both the 16-in Mk 5 and Mk 8, which gave the Mk 8 a slightly heavier bursting charge than the 2240-lbs shell (34-lbs in the Mk5 and 40.9-lbs in the Mk 8). The Mk 8 Mod 8 had a blunter nose and heavier piercing cap. The blunter nose might have made t...
by tommy303
Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:20 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: SMS Baden Fire Control
Replies: 15
Views: 21059

Re: SMS Baden Fire Control

I do not know the development and trial details of the RN Henderson gear. Homework is necessary, which is going to involve hunting through a lot of filed away documents. The Henderson gyro firing gear system was mounted at the director and stabilized an internal prism in the director sight, giving ...
by tommy303
Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:57 am
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: SMS Baden Fire Control
Replies: 15
Views: 21059

Re: SMS Baden Fire Control

Generally speaking, the dreadnoughts and battle cruisers of the HSF did mount a form of director; the director pointer was a simpler instrument that the complex British gun director, and was used mainly to point out the target and keep rangefinders, spotting glasses, and gunsights on the designated ...
by tommy303
Thu Jan 15, 2015 5:18 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Fire Control + Radar Questions
Replies: 7
Views: 10564

Re: Fire Control + Radar Questions

additionally inputs as water had no solid surface the firing solution must be continuously corrected for movements of the own ship around (pitch, heel, yaw) and along A, B and C axes (ie corrections for trunnion tilt) Exactly so. In more advanced systems the correction for pitch and yaw was done au...
by tommy303
Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:00 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Fire Control + Radar Questions
Replies: 7
Views: 10564

Re: Fire Control + Radar Questions

Firing solution is based on target bearing, course, speed and range, own ship course and speed, wind direction and velocity, barometric pressure, and ballistic properties of the guns in the battery and ammunition type being used. As to your points: 1. Radar was and is most valuable in range to targe...
by tommy303
Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:56 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Ark Royal class
Replies: 4
Views: 5466

Re: Ark Royal class

I would suggest that the primary FAA dive bomber in 1941 would probably have been the Blackburn Skua. As for fighters, Sea Hurricanes and Sea Spitfires were not available at the time of the hunt for the Bismarck, becoming operational only in July 1941 and October 1942 respectively. While both had be...
by tommy303
Mon Dec 22, 2014 8:00 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: SMS Nassau
Replies: 18
Views: 24740

Re: SMS Nassau

I also suspect that the term "straddled", as conversationally employed back then, could also include in its range of meaning what we nowadays define as "bracketed". In gunner's terminology back then, as now, bracketing a target is landing a shot over and a shot short in differen...