Re: Helltank and Helltank Destroyer

Mikko Kurki-Suonio wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 21 Jan 1998, Jonathan Jarrard wrote:
> 
> > During several periods of history, that has not been true.	No gun a
WWI destoryer mounted could hurt a battleship seriously, and even the
light guns mounted by a battleship could damage the destroyer (while the
largest could sink or cripple one with 
a single shot).  Torpedoes were a threat, but that's why battleships
didn't travel alone.  The screening ships meant the destoryers couldn't
put their torpedoes on target, and the battleship meant that light units
couldn't defeat the screen.
> 
> While true of navies that had ample destroyers to throw around, and
> generally a sound tactic if you had the resources for it, one must
> remember that German ships of WWII went out almost always without a
> destroyer escort of any kind -- yet I can not recall one getting hurt 
> by a torpedo attack from a lighter vessel EVER (finishing Bismarck off
> doesn't count).
> 
> The Japanese managed to score a few cruisers but nothing bigger, and
they were the best when it came to surface launched torps.

Thanks, those statistics actually help a lot.  My point was that the
vulnerability of large units vs. small units is entirely dependent on
the technology of the period.  For a while there, battlewagons really
WERE pretty much invulnerable to anything except their peers.