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

I have to agree with Mr. Pournelle. The torpedo is HUGELY effective.
they
did very large amounts of damage and were surprisingly accurate. During
the
Solomons campaign, a spread of Japanes long lance 21" unguided torpedoes
hit
a US destroyer group at 12 miles, sinking one and damaging two others.
Most
ship kills in WWII were Torpedo kills either by Aircraft, ships or
Submarines.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phillip Pournelle [SMTP:emisle@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 5:32 PM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Re: [FT] Re: Small vessels and the Line of Battle
> 
> 
> >If you think about it, the "wet navy" torpedos don't do all that much
> >actual damage to a "wet navy" ship.
> >All it takes is a small hole to sink a "wet navy" ship.  In space, a
> >small hole may kill a few unprotected
> >crew, but otherwise will do nothing to the functioning of the ship.
> >Unless it hits some equipment or the bridge...
> >
> >Donald Hosford
> 
> 
>     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....