having torpedo problems?

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Torpedo boats were a massive threat. They were small, fast,cheap, hard to hit and totally expendable. Considering how primative the fire control systems were , imagine 2 dozen little boats carrying these making a high speed run at your ACR or BB! And the Maxim machine gun is not in general use. You might have a Colt "potato digger", or maybe a gatling gun or two. Try laying a big gun over open sights on one. Not good. [:(]

That's the origin of destroyers. Torpedo Boat Destroyers.

And much beloved of Wilhelmine Germany before the Navy League and Admiral Tirpitz won the intellectual argument to build a High Seas Fleet.

Alfred

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: AW1Steve

Torpedo boats were a massive threat. They were small, fast,cheap, hard to hit and totally expendable. Considering how primative the fire control systems were , imagine 2 dozen little boats carrying these making a high speed run at your ACR or BB! And the Maxim machine gun is not in general use. You might have a Colt "potato digger", or maybe a gatling gun or two. Try laying a big gun over open sights on one. Not good. [:(]

That's the origin of destroyers. Torpedo Boat Destroyers.

Indeed. If you can't "gun em" , ram them . Just ask PT-109. [:D] Eventually they replaced Torpedo boats, till MTB's (smaller and even cheaper than torpedo boats) came out. And of course the "quick-firing gun" and proliferation of machine guns changed things. [:)]

In the late 19th C. the RN multi-stripers HATED torpedoes. They allowed the peasant nations to neutralize (read: sink) the Queen's finest dreadnought for a couple of bucks and some sailors with big brass ones. And so the world's navies got DDs, perhaps the most useful class ever invented.

[HexHead]

Yeah, coming up with unforeseen methods to neutralize your opponent's centuries-long advantages is a real kick in the anchor chain.

"The Germans are cheating! No fair!"

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: HexHead

Yeah, coming up with unforeseen methods to neutralize your opponent's centuries-long advantages is a real kick in the anchor chain.

"The Germans are cheating! No fair!"

"Just not cricket!"

(Inside joke.) [8D]

[wdolson]

The consternation caused within big ship navies by the advent of the torpedo is similar to the consternation felt about anti-ship missiles today. Only a few countries make anti-shipping missiles, but they are not tough to get through the international arms trade.

Bill

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

The consternation caused within big ship navies by the advent of the torpedo is similar to the consternation felt about anti-ship missiles today. Only a few countries make anti-shipping missiles, but they are not tough to get through the international arms trade.

Bill

Which makes them easy to buy and study, no?