Search found 3150 matches

by Dave Saxton
Sun May 04, 2008 2:22 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: KGV vs Hood to the end!
Replies: 91
Views: 23106

Re: KGV vs Hood to the end!

Welcome to the Forum David. I appreciate your input, so I don't want want to come across as overly critical if I make a few comments to some of your points. Comparing armour thickness between those of German battleships and other battleships using a fundamentally different protection scheme is mainl...
by Dave Saxton
Sat May 03, 2008 3:04 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

French efforts

The French Navy began to be concerned about rumors of radio detection systems by 1939, and the French firm of SFR in Paris began experiments. SFR employed noted researcher H Gutton. Using a 12 segment magnetron, the first devices produced power outputs of 6 watts at 10 cm wave length, and 10 watts a...
by Dave Saxton
Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Who designed the Bismarck
Replies: 34
Views: 10423

Re: Who designed the Bismarck

The "pocket battleships" were generally refered to as the "P-Kreuzers" within the German Navy. I assume that "P" stood for panzer. Amoured Cruiser is in my opinion a fairly accurate description.
by Dave Saxton
Thu May 01, 2008 2:33 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: The fuel crisis
Replies: 8
Views: 1879

Re: The fuel crisis

I know that turbine ships consume more fuel than diesel powered ships. However, the diesel powered ships were not as fast as the turbined powered ships. A few years ago, I did a quick calculation of the actual fuel consumption of Tirpitz during Operation Sport Palace, and the results were very surpr...
by Dave Saxton
Thu May 01, 2008 3:30 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: The fuel crisis
Replies: 8
Views: 1879

The fuel crisis

I'm finding that the operations of the German warships throughout WWII was based a great deal on the supply of fuel, and the problems of how to provide it to warships during operations. The German Navy had finite fuel supplies for warships from the very beginning of the war. This was particularly tr...
by Dave Saxton
Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:14 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

Re: Allied search radars

SJ The SJ was an active radar for use of submarines designed by Bell Labs. It was a very important componant of the American submarine campaign in the Pacific. The SJ was first put to sea in late 1942. The SJ worked on a wave length of 10cm and used a PPI display. The antenna was designed by the NR...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:21 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

Re: Allied search radars

Being too proactive can also get you into trouble. In April 1940 the Lutzow's Seetakt got a contact at 15 km, but as they got closer the contact disappeared. They realized that it may have been a surfaced submarine that had since dived, so they quickly turned away. It was too late, as just then a to...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:22 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck construction flaws
Replies: 397
Views: 284498

Re: Bismarck construction flaws

The first Magnetrons were invented in Japan in 1927 by Kinjiro Okabe. Okabe's work was preceded by Albert Wallace Hull, an American, in 1921. Neither he nor his employer patented it. As I understand it, Hull proposed the idea of using a magnetic field as replacement of the control grid in a standar...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:59 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck construction flaws
Replies: 397
Views: 284498

Re: Bismarck construction flaws

Klystrons- The klystron was not used in German WWII radars contrary to some internet wisdom. The Telefunken centimetric radars used low noise magnetrons for local osscilators instead of Kylstrons. This has lead to some heated debates in radar circles as to why. Didn't the Germans understand Klystron...
by Dave Saxton
Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:23 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck construction flaws
Replies: 397
Views: 284498

Re: Bismarck construction flaws

I should add that a cavity magnetron was also invented independantly in Switzerland by Dr Ludi in the employ of Brown-Boveri during 1936. They called the device a Turbator. It produced 10kw of pulse power. It was not used for any military application.
by Dave Saxton
Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:36 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck construction flaws
Replies: 397
Views: 284498

Re: Bismarck construction flaws

The first Magnetrons were invented in Japan in 1927 by Kinjiro Okabe. Okabe had studied in Germany under Prof. Barkhausen. Barkhausen is a common denominator, as several of the early researchers world wide studied under Barkhausen. There is even a vacuum tube called a Barkhausen tube, but the Barkha...
by Dave Saxton
Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:15 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck construction flaws
Replies: 397
Views: 284498

Re: Bismarck construction flaws

I agree. The priority to give the Atlantic Wall the latest radar over warships came from the highest authority, or Hitler and Goering. The Navy was overruled. To kind of understand the decisions made in 1940 we must look to the attitudes of the high command at that time. Following the fall of France...
by Dave Saxton
Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:48 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

Re: Allied search radars

Well the early RCN radars were not that great, but the amazing thing is that Canada was deploying indigenously designed and built naval radars in fair numbers prior to Pearl Harbour, at a time when radar was rare, even in the USN. Here's a website with a fair bit of info on early RCN radar: http://...
by Dave Saxton
Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:43 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

Re: Allied search radars

Another crucial factor, and more specifically for the required power of centimetric radars, is the sensitivity of the reciever. According to Bryan Callick (Noted British radar scientist and a Tech Mission team leader) a reciever for 10cm wave lengths in 1941 required at least 10 times more reflected...
by Dave Saxton
Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:39 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Allied search radars
Replies: 51
Views: 26761

Re: Allied search radars

...I'd add that a long range radar needs high power. Even with optimum antenna and all the other factors, you still need high power to get the pulse out there a hundred miles or in some cases much more, and get it's reflection back at a detectable strength. Air search radars are always also high po...