anti-ship weapons question

In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?

Rob

Rob van Riel wrote:
In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?

Rob


I'm not a attack puke by training but torpedoes are still in the
inventory to kill boats and subs, along with rockets, missiles, guns,
smart and dumb bombs. WWII saw a lot of ships sunk by bombs, not torpedoes.

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:11:44 +0200, Rob van Riel wrote:

In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?

The delivery profile required to launch an anti shipping torpedo
successfully just wasnt feasible when the other side was throwing large
quantities of proximity fuzed shells at you in everything from 40mm
upwards.


--
Delenda est Carthago

"Rob van Riel" wrote in message
news
In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI.

The simple fact is that flying up close to a ship
equipped with radar directed AA guns firing proximity
fused shells was no longer a viable proposition


What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?


Torpedoes are still used by submarines of course but stand off
techniques like toss bombing along with rockets were first used
during late WW2. Coastal command aircraft used Rocket Projectiles
quite succesfully against German shipping for example.

In the early 60's the use of guided bombs like Walleye and
early guided missiles like Bullpup began in earnest.

Keith





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On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:52:20 +0100, "Keith W"
wrote:

Torpedoes are still used by submarines of course but stand off
techniques like toss bombing along with rockets were first used
during late WW2. Coastal command aircraft used Rocket Projectiles
quite succesfully against German shipping for example.

In the early 60's the use of guided bombs like Walleye and
early guided missiles like Bullpup began in earnest.

Dunno where you were in the early '60s, but Walleye didn't come into
the inventory into quite late in the '60s and even then wasn't used in
any great numbers. Attempts in SEA were minimal and the results from
first generation LGBs were offering much better results.

Bullpup B was deployed in large numbers but the small warhead made it
a poor choice for ships (along with the highly vulnerable delivery
profile). The AGM-12C version had a bigger warhead, but still demanded
a long, straight, post-release flight by the delivery aircraft to
successfully guide the weapon. Still minimal size for a warship.

I was doing TASMO tactical development during the mid '70s with the
F-4 out of Torrejon Spain. (TASMO=Tactical Air Support of Maritime
Operations, i.e. attack by land-based air of naval vessels--a NATO
term). We would have liked third-generation LGB, but only the F-111Fs
out of England had that, so we primarily planned with the available
bombs which were the Mk-8x series of GP low drags.

Concept was strictly roll-back with packages on average of 12
aircraft, usually with chaff support, doing low altitude ingress to
pop-ups on the first combatant encountered. Pk ranged in the
neighborhood of .8 for these with a seaworthiness kill (stop the
vessel manuvering potential).

Defensive packages from the CVBG included Terrior, Talos, Tartan and
close in Phalanx and Sea Sparrow. It wouldn't have been a fun mission
for real.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com

"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:52:20 +0100, "Keith W"
wrote:

Torpedoes are still used by submarines of course but stand off
techniques like toss bombing along with rockets were first used
during late WW2. Coastal command aircraft used Rocket Projectiles
quite succesfully against German shipping for example.

In the early 60's the use of guided bombs like Walleye and
early guided missiles like Bullpup began in earnest.

Dunno where you were in the early '60s, but Walleye didn't come into
the inventory into quite late in the '60s and even then wasn't used in
any great numbers. Attempts in SEA were minimal and the results from
first generation LGBs were offering much better results.


First drop by the USN was from an A-4 at Naval Ordnance Test Station,
China Lake in January 1963 but of course your right it was 1968
before they came into the inventory in any numbers.

Keith

Rob van Riel wrote:

In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?

Rob
Certainly was for submarines from aircraft...I finished flying
ASW aircraft in 1977 and they were still equipped for and trained
to use torps past that time.
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Greg Hennessy wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:11:44 +0200, Rob van Riel wrote:


In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?


The delivery profile required to launch an anti shipping torpedo
successfully just wasnt feasible when the other side was throwing large
quantities of proximity fuzed shells at you in everything from 40mm
upwards.


Surely the delivery profile of a dumb bomb (antiship) couldn't be that
much fun either (but it was done)?

rb

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 12:05:17 +1000, rb wrote:

Greg Hennessy wrote:
On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 15:11:44 +0200, Rob van Riel wrote:


In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s, various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI. What did aircraft use to
attack enemy ships in the meantime? Bombs, rockets and guns? Or was the
torpedo still in use?


The delivery profile required to launch an anti shipping torpedo
successfully just wasnt feasible when the other side was throwing large
quantities of proximity fuzed shells at you in everything from 40mm
upwards.


Surely the delivery profile of a dumb bomb (antiship) couldn't be that
much fun either (but it was done)?

True enough. But, for example, at Midway the torpedo aircraft were
shot down in droves while the dive bombers were not. Further, a
diving aircraft is a MUCH more difficult target for ship's gunners
than one flying straight and level.

Both, however, could be classified as "a tough way to make a living."

Bill Kambic

"Keith W" wrote in message
...

"Rob van Riel" wrote in message
news
In WWII, aircraft used torpedoes to attack ships. Since the 1980s,
various
anti-ship missiles are in use. However, unless I'm seriously mistaken,
torpedoes went out of fashion soon after WWI.

The simple fact is that flying up close to a ship
equipped with radar directed AA guns firing proximity
fused shells was no longer a viable proposition


[snip]

I recently read in one of the Aerospace trade journals that the Navy is
considering equipping torpedoes with wing kits and precision guidance kits
for stand-off use. Wasn't clear if this is intended for ASW or against
surface ships as well.

Mark