5in Rockets on Jap CVs etc

[Captain Cruft]

[Moved from main forum]

I was looking at the ship database/editor and noticed that these weapons get installed on any Japanese CVs (and some other ships) lucky enough to survive to late 1944. The thing is, in the database they appear as "ASW Weapons", type "GA Rocket" (Ground-Air ?) and in the editor they are of type "SS Rocket" (Surface-Surface ?). I am therefore confused.

Should they not be AA weapons? Does the confusion noted above mean that they actually are AA weapons? I notice that there is no "ceiling" value defined for them.

Clarification would be greatly appreciated ...

[Arkady]

they are probably really Surface-Surface rockets...check ship class 368 - LSM(R) and following, they are equiped with them and they are support vessels with SS rockets

I don't know why are those devices on Japanese CVs, though.
They should be AAW rocket launchers...Shinano was equiped with them.

[Captain Cruft]

OK I have done a little testing of this. The results are strange.

I took CV Shinano (and her rockets) plus CV Taiho (no rockets) into a battle against an Essex class CV. All pilots were set to 90 exp, no flak escorts were added for either side. After running the battle 5 times I can state two things:

1) 1000lb GP bombs bounce off the Taiho's deck!
2) The 5in rockets fired in only one of the 5 battles (as shown by ammo usage) yet the Shinano was attacked every time by the same dive bombers and torpedo bombers.

So, there you go, puzzlement reigns!

P.S. I added the Taiho so the Shinano wouldn't just get sunk every time. You can't check the ammo if it's on the bottom of the sea ...