Quote:
Originally Posted by HistoricalDavid
Lesson is - better to gamble on no hits via a thick, effective defensive screen rather...
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I just finished _Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat_ by Capt. Wayne Hughes Jr.
He states that "NSWC Carderock, at the the David Taylor Model Basin, has done excellent vulnerability analysis for many years. Its quantitative work is classified, but its general conclusion is that US warships of 10,000 tons and up could be made much less vulnerable to firepower kills from cruise missiles than they are now" (page 161).
"...moreover, the toughening will come at only a modest increase in cost" (page 162).
All the models in the book show that gambling on no hits is very poor tactics, only staying power can protect against the unexpected.
Also, as good as a defensive shield is the number of hulls. He suggests that the navy develop many good, small, stealthy ships for coastal surface combat, as well as blue-water scouting.
Some Fridtjof Nansen class frigates and a bunch of AFCON corvettes would fit the bill.