Search found 71 matches

by mike1880
Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:07 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Was the Blücher really such a bad design?
Replies: 21
Views: 23823

Re: Was the Blücher really such a bad design?

There was nothing wrong with Blucher as an armoured cruiser, although if you look at the direction armoured cruiser evolution was taking he was always going to be a second class ship compared to foreign ships. The mistake wasn't in building her in the first place (it wasn't as if the choice at that ...
by mike1880
Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:38 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Projectile fire questions
Replies: 28
Views: 15028

Re: Projectile fire questions

Cuttlefish, if you do a bit of googling you can probably find the source code (in Basic) for the late Robert L McCoy's programs "mctraj" (trajectory calculation, as you'd expect) and "mcdrag" (estimate of drag coefficent for a specified mach number, given some projectile shape pa...
by mike1880
Sun Aug 29, 2010 10:23 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?
Replies: 7
Views: 3098

Re: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?

The 1917 edition of the Ordnance textbook might be worth a look.

Mike
by mike1880
Sat Aug 28, 2010 11:29 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?
Replies: 7
Views: 3098

Re: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?

It finally occurred to me to look in "Naval Ordnance" ("Naval Ordnance: A Textbook Prepared for the Use of the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy" - I have the 1939 edition). Sure enough, it has about 5 pages of descriptin of this and how it operated, together with col...
by mike1880
Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:59 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?
Replies: 7
Views: 3098

Re: Firing Key Mark XIV Mod 1 info?

Is this the thing (about halfway down)?

http://www.eugeneleeslover.com/USNAVY/CHAPTER-5-B.html

Mike
by mike1880
Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:42 pm
Forum: Military History and Technology
Topic: The guns of August: the reason for WWI
Replies: 41
Views: 29796

Re: The guns of August: the reason for WWI

The problem is not that they had a plan to fight their immediate neighbours, but that that's the ONLY plan they had - and that their response to just about any foreign policy crisis would inevitably be the invasion of France. In other words, in 1914 the German government found that they had only two...
by mike1880
Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:58 am
Forum: Military History and Technology
Topic: The guns of August: the reason for WWI
Replies: 41
Views: 29796

Re: The guns of August: the reason for WWI

IMO, the entire "German War Guilt" argument, portraying Germany as the sole villain in that lamentable war, was simply a cynical propaganda construct to justify the crushing and (at that time) diplomatically unprecedented reparations levied against Germany after the war. The kindest thing...
by mike1880
Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:40 pm
Forum: Military History and Technology
Topic: The guns of August: the reason for WWI
Replies: 41
Views: 29796

Re: The guns of August: the reason for WWI

To lay the blame for the commencement of the First World War upon Germany is disingenuous...As I recall... Your memory leads you astray. The chronology was: 28/07: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia and Russia. 01/08: Germany declares war on Russia. 02/08: Germany invades Luxemburg. 03/08: Germ...
by mike1880
Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:14 am
Forum: Military History and Technology
Topic: The worst machine gun ever
Replies: 33
Views: 26666

Re: The worst machine gun ever

Yes, but you don't want everyone turning up there do you? The border area from Shropshire down to Gloucestershire is about the only genuinely rural area in England.
by mike1880
Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:35 pm
Forum: Military History and Technology
Topic: The worst machine gun ever
Replies: 33
Views: 26666

Re: The worst machine gun ever

RF wrote: If you like our countryside then you should see Shropshire and the Welsh Marches.....
B****y h*ll, don't tell everyone!
by mike1880
Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:15 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: U=boats vs US subs: an alternative perspective
Replies: 48
Views: 13528

Re: U=boats vs US subs: an alternative perspective

The larger the convoy the more inefficient it is particularly when you have a lot of places you need to send ships and the Japanese were short on shipping as it was. I expect there's a degree of truth in that, but the shortage was exacerbated by the actions of both army and navy. With more efficien...
by mike1880
Mon Dec 14, 2009 11:39 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: "New" HMS Prince of Wales sinking analyzes
Replies: 76
Views: 16202

Re: "New" HMS Prince of Wales sinking analyzes

The failure of British yards to adopt welding had nothing to do with technical or quality issues. This gives an indication of the factors that prevailed: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bw46M1qI9gMC&pg=PA90&lpg=PA90&dq=welded+construction+in+british+shipyards&source=bl&ots=WxD...
by mike1880
Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:15 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: U=boats vs US subs: an alternative perspective
Replies: 48
Views: 13528

Re: U=boats vs US subs: an alternative perspective

The loss numbers suggest the Japanese were fairly competent at sinking submarines, where they failed was in preventing the submarines from sinking merchant ships. Their biggest failing was the use of very small convoys.

Mike
by mike1880
Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:01 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: H M S Caledon - main armament arrangement
Replies: 8
Views: 2428

Re: H M S Caledon - main armament arrangement

Two on the forecastle deck (one ahead of the bridge, one aft of the bridge); one aft of the funnels; one each in X and Y. Not the best picture in the world but you can make them out: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmscaledonmpl1152.jpg You can see the torpedo tubes below the third gun....
by mike1880
Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:40 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Cones in the rigging - obviously not for ice-creams
Replies: 17
Views: 14945

Re: Cones in the rigging - obviously not for ice-creams

Cones were certainly used to indicate speed in the US navy - but from the foremast yardarms (you can see them on most photos of US pre-dreadnoughts under way - there are one or two photos of Japanese ships with them as well, but most don't seem to have them). However, these cones on the mainmast on ...