Search found 3150 matches

by Dave Saxton
Sat Apr 04, 2020 3:09 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Updating the KGV class
Replies: 77
Views: 12289

Re: Updating the KGV class

Gentlemen, I'm going to try your patience once again! Going back to the original question of updating the KG's. In an earlier post which seems to have got lost in the debate about the seaworthiness of the KG class, I asked why that it was possible to build the 'Nelsons' with 3 x 16" turrets an...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Mar 27, 2020 3:59 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Updating the KGV class
Replies: 77
Views: 12289

Re: Updating the KGV class

One has to consider that the Japanese were unwise to invest such enormous resources into only two battleships. The five KGV class ships made significant contributions to the ultimate Allied victory. This is particularly true in northern waters were operations by aircraft carriers were hampered by en...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Mar 27, 2020 3:43 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Updating the KGV class
Replies: 77
Views: 12289

Re: Updating the KGV class

It's easy to see the attraction of quad turrets because one then has 8 guns firing forward and 50% more guns in full broadside than a Bismarck or a Vanguard. However, as Sean points out, bigger turrets and mountings really require larger ships. Once one is dealing with a larger platform then it's a ...
by Dave Saxton
Sun Mar 22, 2020 4:44 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Updating the KGV class
Replies: 77
Views: 12289

Re: Updating the KGV class

Churchill was also critical of the KGV class and thought they compared unfavorably to the North Carolina, and sent memos to the Admiralty about it. The Admiralty replied that the KGV compared favorably on several factors. The KGV had heavier armour protection, and the aircraft hanger amidships did n...
by Dave Saxton
Sat Mar 07, 2020 6:27 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Enigma enigmas during PQ17
Replies: 6
Views: 3360

Enigma enigmas during PQ17

One of the puzzling aspects to Ultra Intel during PQ 17 was that PQ 17 occurred during July 1942 but the German navy as a whole had gone to the M4 Enigma no later than Feb 2 1942. The literature generally agrees that this resulted in a naval Enigma black out of M4 messages until Dec 1942. Now compou...
by Dave Saxton
Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:32 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: GEMA Radar Development
Replies: 2
Views: 978

Re: GEMA Radar Development

The TS1 was a close clone of the American 316A/B. The early cavity magnetron they were using proved too unstable in frequency for the type of radar they were developing, so they dropped the magnetron and went to triodes. (see page 43 of von Kroge's book) The context given for needing GEMA or NVA tec...
by Dave Saxton
Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:47 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Who won?
Replies: 33
Views: 8686

Re: Who won?

but returning to the Yamoto class ships which were considerably heavier in armament and armour than anything else at the time, would they really have been invulnerable to any battleship shell except perhaps an 18" from a similar sized ship (if one had existed on the allied side)? I just got th...
by Dave Saxton
Mon Mar 02, 2020 10:40 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Who won?
Replies: 33
Views: 8686

Re: Who won?

Another method to shift the balance from favoring the shell winning, and battleships having virtually no IZ at likely combat battle ranges, was to manipulate the striking angle.* Simply increasing armour thickness was not practical in most cases, so manipulating the striking angle could improve the ...
by Dave Saxton
Mon Mar 02, 2020 10:06 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Who won?
Replies: 33
Views: 8686

Re: Who won?

There were two basic concepts in play about how armour could defeat shells. One was that armour could destroy the shell or render it inert. The other was based on preventing effective penetration of a shell. The advent of Krupps Cemented Armour or face hardened armour meant that a shell would shatte...
by Dave Saxton
Mon Mar 02, 2020 5:45 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Who won?
Replies: 33
Views: 8686

Re: Who won?

This is a vast and complex topic! Who won? Neither completely won and neither completely lost. In the case of WW2 designs, it came down to the concept of immunity zone. The concept recognized the reality that no armour could defeat any shell at any battle range. However, it could defeat a given shel...
by Dave Saxton
Wed Feb 26, 2020 3:58 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: French navy taken over by the kreigsmarine
Replies: 17
Views: 4373

Re: French navy taken over by the kreigsmarine

In my opinion, it would have allowed the Germans to take a more direct hand on the course of the naval situations in the Med. This by extension may have changed the dynamics of the N. African theater. If the Afrika Korps and the Italians succeeds in N. Africa, and the Germans neutralize Malta, then ...
by Dave Saxton
Mon Feb 17, 2020 1:55 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: British Type 284 gunnery radar
Replies: 18
Views: 24264

Re: British Type 284 gunnery radar

Radar engineer Brian Callick who was in the program: The transmitters ( 600 mhz ) used a variety of circuit configurations based upon a self-oscillator which defined the frequency of the radiated signal, sometimes with one or two stages of power amplification between it and the aerial system. Becaus...
by Dave Saxton
Thu Jan 16, 2020 4:34 pm
Forum: Naval History in General
Topic: Prinz Eugen's hull
Replies: 3
Views: 5734

Re: Prinz Eugen's hull

PG was torpedoed in Norwegian waters. Before returning to Germany the collapsed stern was removed and a transverse bulkhead installed, essentially converting the stern to a transom stern. The ship returned to Germany under its own power and steerage using the temporary transom stern. A new stern of ...
by Dave Saxton
Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:42 pm
Forum: Naval History in General
Topic: Was the H.M.S Hood the most powerful ship for 20 years?
Replies: 135
Views: 17680

Re: Was the H.M.S Hood the most powerful ship for 20 years?

Yes, that is correct. It is difficult to quantify the effective thickness of Hood's deck protection compared to Nelson's effective thickness. The Hood used multiple relatively thin protected decks combined with an earlier standard of protective plating. The Nelson, used a single main armoured deck c...
by Dave Saxton
Sat Jan 11, 2020 3:10 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Bombing of the Tirpitz
Replies: 5
Views: 2492

Re: Bombing of the Tirpitz

Yes, it may have been the primary contributor, or a secondary contributor, but I don't think we know with much certainty.