Re: Tin Cans versus Dreadnoughts

Hello Everyone:
  An interesting conversation about airstrikes and other stuff.
  Lets set the record straight on a couple of things.
  
  The attack on the Musashi (Yamato sister ship) did take roughly 12
(some say 
up to 20) torpedo hits and roughly 20 bomb hits.  That the ship survived
only to 
be sunk due to a sharp turn by the captain came as a shock to the
American 
analyst.  Henceforth attacks on large Japanese ships with torpedoes were

directed to be against one side only so as to capsize the ship (ie  what

happened in the Yamato's case)
  The Japanese did not have the proximity fuses that the US had at hat
time.  
Thier AA was relatively ineffective compared to ours. Note there is an 
interesting article in Science and Technology magazine about the
development of 
these fuzes if you care to read about it. Had the Japanese ahd
proximiity fuzes 
the battle would have been much bloodier.
  As for the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal that occurred on the
night of 
13th of Nov 1942 Several things happened.  First the fight was a bar
room brawl 
with ships cutting infront of, behind and besides each other. There is
still 
some discussion on this subject of what causes the Japanes battleship
the mortal 
wound that slowed it down. There is a good write up about it and
analysis see 
the following
	http://www.combinedfleet.com/atully03.htm
  The ability of one modern CV (or CVN) to take out multiple Kirov or
Missouris 
is a matter of conjecture.  They may be able to mission kill (ie render 
inpotent) the ship due to topside distruction of radar, optics and comm.
 
However the ability to completely punch through 12 to 16 inchs of
specially 
designed armor is a matter of great concern.  If the warheads were
shaped 
charges then maybe but general explosives, I doubt it.	Unless the
torpedoes are 
designed to explode under the hull the BB are a real tough customer.
  One of the problems the US Navy found out about in the Gulf while
escorting 
tankers (before Desert Storm) was the inability of 5inch guns to really
due much 
structural damage to oil platforms and other tough structures.	Now a
couple 
salvos from 16 inch guns is another story.
  What does this mean for traveller, good question. For heavy armored
ships 
fighters have to blast through the armor (while taking PDF fire).
Torpedo 
fighters will punch thorugh but get only one shot.  

John W. Fox