Re: [FT] Re: Small vessels and the Line of Battle

On Mon, 13 Sep 1999, Phillip Pournelle wrote:

>     As a Naval Officer and a weapons person, I must strongly disagree
with
> this statement.  Torpedoes are deadly weapons.  The Destroyer came
from
> "Torpedo Boat Destroyers"  Whose job it was to screen out small & fast
> torpedo boats that could sink a battleship.  In World War II the
Japanese
> inflicted incredible casualties to American ships in Night Torpedo
Attacks
> (Captain Hughes USN-R 1999).	The Mark 48 ADCAP torpedo is well known
as a
> ship killer today and during the FAlklands war the General Belgrano
was sunk
> by single kingfish torpedo....

The Japanese Long Lance Torpedo that was fitted to their cruisers out 
ranged the 8 inch guns they (and our cruisers) were armed with. The 
japanese were great at night engagements. Until we wised up with the use

of RADAR. Then they couldn't hold a Flare to us. 

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