Naval History Forums

The Alaskas were built to counter a rumored Japanese super cruiser project that could hunt down their own heavy cruisers and carriers. They also built the Alaskas to hunt down any enemy cruiser while being able to speed away from anything powerful enough to sink it head on. The Scharn Twins (WW2 no...

Obviously we have to agree to disagree. I gave up measuring improved KM performance based on a singular battle, especially a surface battle. Any improvement has to start and end with the U-boat war. To that end two works particularly influenced my thinking. Norman Freedman Network Centric Warfare &a...

Well following up on TASKS FOR THE WEHRMACHT , Groner in 1928 was warning the entire German military/government that unless they were ready to fight a two year campaign of "continuous war" WITH ALL OF EUROPE- they had better be ready to back down from ANY ADVENTURE. Something Hitler clearl...

G'day, all More Deutschland class vessels translates to no A.G.N.A. and a more likely intervention into German rearmament plans. Was it not so that a key paragraph of the Anglo-German treaty was precisely the abandonment of the Deutschland class? 15" guns or not, like the Bismarck was the Scha...

Yes that should come from improved hull plus developing diesels instead of high temp/pressure turbines.

Johannesson's destroyers were able keep company with the Scharnhorst steaming at 25 knots through the night of the 25th in the same weather. However, if Scharnhorst goes directly into the wind and seas the German destroyers won't be able to keep up. Bey allowing the loss of cohesion with his force ...

If we replace all of Scharnhorst's historical 11in hits with 15in hits, then nothing changes. Additionally the proposed mods to fit 38cm guns to S&G would have increased their displacement, making them slower and probably worsening their already poor seakeeping qualities. There were heavy hits ...

...I have read they DID damage the steam system for galley services and shrapnel damage the oil purification system . Shrapnell damage was done to the exhaust system. All systems wich uses this exhaust has to be tempoarily shut off, because of danger of explosion by fumes. Thanks TW! Does that mean...

not seen any data on hitting a zigzag target. AGS armor good against 6" guns but 8" guns should get penetrations starting at 10-12,000 yards.An 8" shell did penetrate the outer 4" belt if the AGS, but not the MAD . I have read they DID damage the steam system for galley services ...

How about 2 8x8" cruisers like Norfolk and Suffolk working together, would they be enough to subdue one of them? In many situations, yes, but I wouldn't risk saying in the majority of happenings. The weather would play the key role, and AGS would have the upper hand in good weather and visibil...

How about 2 8x8" cruisers like Norfolk and Suffolk working together, would they be enough to subdue one of them? Essentially a Battle of the River Plate scenario. Are the two county class cruisers sufficiently able to attack their target on opposite flanks to either divide German fire or to le...

Gentlemen, At North Cape Scharnhorst was alone and surrounded by hostile forces and had her forward radar knocked out by a shell from Norfolk. If she had been armed with 3x15" turrets -as I believe was once proposed and had all her radars intact, would she have been able to put up an even bett...

As I understand the main reason allies went to single deck armor plate was to defeat bombs, not shells.

Multiple Armor plates only offer less resistance than single plate - if the gap between these plates is shorter than the length of the attacking projectile. Otherwise the projectile is free to yaw as a result of previous plate perforation. In examples were the gap between plates is less than the len...

The undoing of the lone warship raider concept was the rise of naval air power during the war. This occurred post 1940. However, in the 1930's naval air power (as well as submarines) remained unproven. True, but that required a large number of long-range aircraft or a significant number of aircraft...