Cool pix!

The USS Laws (DD-558)

 

Royal Oak



Map showing the route of U-47 infiltrating the defenses of Scapa Flow, and the destruction of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak, 14th October 1939.

HMS Royal Oak (08) - Wikipedia

 

Aerial Torpedo Exercise, circa early 1920s.
Caption: Six views of exercise Torpedo Attacks on USS ARKANSAS by Navy torpedo planes, showing the ship maneuvering to avoid attacks, simultaneous attacks by two planes, and recovery of spent torpedoes. Observation planes are F5L Flying Boats. "A Hit on the USS ARKANSAS," "A Miss but a close one," "Avoiding a hit," "A Turn in Time," "Another Hit," "Boat's Crew Recovering Spent Torpedo."

 

Should have thrown the cloaking device switch

 

VFA-103 Jolly Rogers, off the USS Harry S Truman………

 

Ahhh, the Philadelphia Experiment.

 

If you are to believe the inter webs, our "space forces" use a device that doesn't cloak but puts the wearer out of phase...effectively making the user invisible...less effective if you move. A device said to be the matured tech that started with the Philadelphia experiment...The US Navy of course...

 

Makeable...

 

Ironically, Royal Oak was the most "modern" of her class, having had a modest reconstruction in the mid-1930s which included the most critical item for WWI-era ships, deck armor over magazines, removal of underwater torpedo tubes, installation of a catapult, and other improvements.

 

Why get rid of the under water torpedo tubes?

 

It was a common feature of capital ship modernizations between the world wars. Large compartments below the waterline were a flooding hazard, particularly since torpedo rooms were located forward or aft of the torpedo defense system. For example the sinking of the German battle cruiser Lutzow at Jutland was largely attributed to the flooding of her torpedo room by shell hits from HMS Invincible (which ironically was probably blown up by Lutzow). The torpedo compartments were subdivided to reduce the hazard.

Also, capital ship torpedos were not very effective, even though they were fitted in practically every battleship from the late 1800s to the 1920s. I'm only aware of two possible hits. HMS Rodney, the very last battleship built with torpedo tubes, claimed one hit (out of twelve torpedos fired) on Bismarck in their final battle. A torpedo from HMS Marlborough at Jutland may have been the one which hit the German light cruiser Wiesbaden, although Marlborough did not claim it. Marlborough was also hit by a torpedo which may have been from Wiesbaden, a rare case of ships torpedoing each other.

The increasing range of gunnery in the dreadnought era made employment of torpedos less likely, but the Royal Navy installed above-water tubes in the three battle cruisers which served in WWII and at least considered them for some of the battleship modernizations I'll check Raven & Roberts when I have a chance.

 

PICTURE: Well-camouflaged 152/35 Mk coastal gun. Photo taken by 2nd Lieutenant V. Hollming in July of 1944.


PICTURE: Gun crew is removing tarpaulin of 120/50 V2 coastal gun and getting it ready for action. Photo taken by Military Official C.G. Rosenqvist in Rautaveräjä coastal artillery battery on Island of Valamo / Valaam in Lake Laatokka / Ladoga May of 1942.

 

New Friday batch of Aussie pics...

Rainbow Lorikeets sharing a secret


Some of our ancient forests...


A busy Mum...


A Rainbow Bee Eater takes off...


Freshwater beach glowing at night...


One of the many Dragon species in Australia...


One of my favourite places in Australia, Tasmania...Hobart. This is the Tasman bridge connecting the two sides of Hobart (this was smashed when a drunk captain rammed his ship into it killing people as they went over the edge...
The extinct volcano Mount Wellington sits above Hobart majestically.



A Lace Monitor...another great Aussie reptile...


Thunder and Lightning, very very frightening...


And i'l wrap it up with a couple of Galahs (Gal-ahhs) - Very commonly in Australian English galah is used to refer to a fool or idiot - having a smooch.

 

Finnish civil war 1917-18 and German participation.



1918 Finnish Civil War: German Baltic Sea Division in the Battle of Helsinki. Troops are marching in the street Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu. Tower of Helsinki Main Railway Station and Helsinki Cathedral are on the background.



In Helsinki the " Smolna" building which the Reds defended but the Germans conquered it in 15 minutes. In front of the attack troops is the Reds´ flag on the ground.





German invasion to destroy the communist battle in Finland starting April 3 1918.

 

Broke out the book; Royal Oak was fitted with four above-water torpedo tubes as part of her modernization, located in the forecastle. The covered openings for the starboard tubes are visible in the photo below, just under A turret (that is due to the angle at which the photo was taken; the tubes were actually just forward of the muzzles of A turret).



None of the other Revenge or Queen Elizabeth class received torpedo tubes, although it was proposed to fit eight each in Malaya and Warspite as they were modernized. All underwater tubes were removed from these classes in the 1930s.

Hood had four above-water tubes as built and retained them throughout her career. Two submerged tubes were removed in the 1930s.

Renown and Repulse were fitted with eight above-water tubes in their modernizations; submerged tubes removed.

These tubes were all on the broadside, but Nelson and Rodney had their two tubes in the bow, firing forward. Nelson received a damaging aerial torpedo hit while escorting a convoy to Malta. She made the conventional maneuver, turning into the attack, but was hit right on the nose. Her torpedo room flooded, admitting some 3000 tons of water into the ship and reducing speed to 12 knots. Repairs included removing the torpedo tubes and subdividing the compartment,