[Llarry]

An often-used destroyer weapon of the World War II era disappeared soon after the war. Surface launched heavy torpedoes (21-inch or 533mm diameter) -- usually mounted in quaduple tubes (or quintuple tubes) like those on the USS Dunlap (DD 384) in the photo --were a feature of all U.S. destroyers but were no longer fitted from the 1950s. There was some thought of fitting heavy Mark 48 torpedoes to U.S. surface combatants in the 1960s, but the effort never bore fruit.

In the modern era, U.S. Navy surface combatants are fitted with smaller 12.75-inch (324mm) torpedo tubes used for antisubmarine torpedoes; these are strictly a close-in ASW weapon.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Navy is planning to buy a number of somewhat smaller underway replenishment ships to support the fleet. Replenishment ships carry ship and aviation fuel, general supplies and weapons to allow combatants to stay at sea rather than pull into port. The new ship may be designated T-AOL.

Current replenishment ships include two large multiproduct ships (T-AOE), fleet oilers (T-AO) and ammunition/cargo ships (T-AKE).

The problem (as always) is funding. Each T-AOL is likely to cost over $500 million and would be smaller than the T-AOs (see photo) currently being built. Some capacity to carry weapons would be desirable; the T-AOs cannot carry weapons.

[Llarry]

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is expected to be commissioned and ultimately be assigned to the Pacific Fleet in 2025 after several years of delays. The Kennedy is the second carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class to be built.

The photo shows the ship just after launching in 2019.

[Llarry]

Cross-section of an aircraft carrier

[Lady Jane]

Part of a gearbox from a WWII battleship.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

Part of a gearbox from a WWII battleship.


Attachment 3687432

I suspect that the main reduction gears are far larger than the one in the picture.

[M-technik-3]

No mention of the replenishment ship Stena Immaculate being rammed in what appears to be intentional.

Covert War backlash from Russia?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62z9ee68y6o

[Llarry]

During the final days of the last presidency, names for the next two aircraft carriers have been announced:

CVN 82 will be the USS William J. Clinton
CVN 83 will be the USS George W. Bush

The tradition is that U.S. Navy ship names, if named for persons, are named for deceased persons. Like many other Navy traditions, this seems to have been discarded. This old Navy man will increase the speed at which he rocks in the rocking chair and bite a bit harder on the stem of the pipe!

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Llarry

An often-used destroyer weapon of the World War II era disappeared soon after the war. Surface launched heavy torpedoes (21-inch or 533mm diameter) -- usually mounted in quaduple tubes (or quintuple tubes) like those on the USS Dunlap (DD 384) in the photo --were a feature of all U.S. destroyers but were no longer fitted from the 1950s. There was some thought of fitting heavy Mark 48 torpedoes to U.S. surface combatants in the 1960s, but the effort never bore fruit.

The ship type chosen for stern-launched 21" Mk 48 heavy torpedoes was the destroyer escort (DE and DEG; redesignated frigates in the 1970s) and there were a number of these ships built with stern tubes.

Here is a photo of a test launch of a Mk 48 torpedo from a stern tube of the USS Talbot (DEG 4).

[Llarry]

It appears to me that the days of the time-tested Harpoon antiship cruise missile may be numbered. Several years ago, the U.S. Navy adopted the Norwegian-developed Naval Strike Missile (NSM) for use on Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs), giving the LCS significant strike capability.

In a related development, the U.S. Marine Corps is now using the same missile to equip land-based mobile launcher units of Marine Littoral Regiments.

By comparison with the Harpoon, the NSM is slightly faster and has longer range. The Marine use is an interesting potential game changer; the concept is for the Marines to occupy islands in the Pacific and use the planned medium landing ships (LSMs) to reposition Marine units between various islands, making for a difficult targeting problem for a potential Chinese adversary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Strike_Missile