Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
Mad Modeller wrote: : 1. It struck me today that the old subs which had deck guns must have : had some way to keep the seawater out of the barrel bores. Were they : plugged before diving? : Tampions are the time honored way of sealing gun muzzles at sea. Today, they are mostly used for the basis of the ships badge. : : 2. So what sort of position did/do submarines maintain in fleet : maneuvres? : Did? No. Submerged, they were too slow to accompany the fleet, so they did their own thing. : : Are they way out as scouts or do they accompany the big : ships too? : Today? It is my understanding that a killer accompanies each and every US surface battle group. : : 3. What sorts of formations do fleets at sea sail in? Are they made up : as they go along or is there a group of situations that are practised? : The formation probably hasn't changed much in the last 60+ years - the carrier is at the center of the surface battle group, and her escorts are arranged around her.
Specific formations are probably practiced, but it will be limited, I expect, to provide the maximum firepower possible with a limited response time to a threat, primarily in the form of anti-ship missles.
Offensively, it probably doesn't matter, given the use of vertical launch missles.
Bruce
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.