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ORIGINAL: Terminus

Still on leave, what-what?

Too right. Got another two weeks to go as well [8D]

Oh dear, oh dear... the Thread left undefended yet again...[:-]

Queue music "Where have all the flowers gone":
When will they ever learn,  when will they ever learn?

Just learned some more interesting facts about naval mines...

According to today's Stategy Page:
"Naval mines achieved several striking successes during World War II. In the Pacific, naval mines proved more destructive to the Japanese war effort than the atom bombs. During a 10 week period between April and August 1945, 12,000 mines were delivered by American bombers. These destroyed 1,250,000 tons of Japanese shipping (670 ships hit, 431 destroyed). That's 18 mines for each ship hit. "

They go onto say:
"The Americans had air superiority, so losses during these 1,500 missions amounted to only 15 planes, most of them to accidents. Had these missions been flown against opposition, losses would have been between 30 and 60 aircraft, plus similar losses to their fighter escorts. But even those losses were, in wartime, a victory if you destroyed or damaged 670 enemy ships."

"A conventional submarine campaign was also waged against Japanese shipping. Comparisons to the mine campaign are interesting. A hundred submarines were involved in a campaign that ran for 45 months from December, 1941 to August, 1945. Some 4.8 million tons of enemy shipping was sunk. For every US submarine sailor lost using submarine launched torpedoes, 560 tons of enemy ships were sunk."

"During the mine campaign, 3,500 tons were sunk for each US fatality. On a cost basis, the difference was equally stark. Counting the cost of lost mine laying aircraft (B- 29's at $500,000 each) or torpedo armed submarine ($5 million each), we find that each ton of sunk shipping cost six dollars when using mines and fifty-five dollars when using submarines. These data was classified as secret until the 1970s. It indicates that mines might have been more effective than torpedoes even if the mines were delivered by submarine.""

"The U.S. has also been on the receiving end of all this. The Germans waged a minelaying campaign off the east coast of the United States between 1942 and 1944. Only 317 mines were used, which sank or damaged 11 ships. This was a ratio of 29 mines used for each ship hit. In addition, eight ports were closed for a total of 40 days. One port, Charleston, South Carolina, was closed for 16 days, tying up not only merchant shipping but the thousands of men, warships and aircraft dealing with the situation."

" American submarines also waged a limited mine campaign in the Pacific. For 658 mines used, 54 ships were sunk or damaged (12 mines per ship). No subs were lost. Considerable Japanese resources were tied up dealing with the mines. On the Palau atoll, the port was closed by the mines and not reopened until the war ended. Even surface ships were used to lay mines. Three thousand mines were laid by destroyers. Only 12 ships were hit, but these were barrier fields, not the ambush type mine fields that a submarine can create by sneaking into an enemy held area."

Ooh, a fresh new page! [8D]

See, wasn't that stuff about mines educational?

Of course, maybe all that is old news for all you old pros...

i've read stuff like this a bunch of times before, but it always impresses me when i read it again.

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

Oh dear, oh dear... the Thread left undefended yet again...[:-]

Leo "Apollo11"

So, anyway, i have endeavored to protect the Thread from being fabered (well, at least by anyone else), and yet to edify Threadfolk.

Interesting...

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: rtrapasso

Oh dear, oh dear... the Thread left undefended yet again...[:-]

Leo "Apollo11"

ooops...[:o]

Ah well, time for another cup of coffee...