BB trivia

[Gun Grape]

Just wondering how many answers I will get from you guys.

When was the first time a US BB used a RPV for target spotting?

[TopHatter]

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

Just wondering how many answers I will get from you guys.

When was the first time a US BB used a RPV for target spotting?

Hmmm....that wouldnt be with a DASH would it?

[Gun Grape]

Originally Posted by TopHatter

Hmmm....that wouldnt be with a DASH would it?

Yes it would.Project Snoopy This question came up somewhere else and a few people couldn't believe that we were doing it back then. They kept saying Desert Storm

Damn, TopHat alot of Navy guys have never heard of DASH. Bravo Zulu

[TopHatter]

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

Damn, TopHat alot of Navy guys have never heard of DASH. Bravo Zulu

Thanks Gunny, that means a lot to me.

As I'm sure you know, DASH was a bit of a lemon, and people usually don't want to talk about that lemon they bought so I'm not entirely suprised those Navy guys didn't know about it.

A civvie bookworm freak like me on the other hand....

When I get home (dogsitting tonight) I'll have to take a look in my overpriced library for some exact info on Snoopy DASH and the battleships.

[Dreadnought]

RPV wise I would have said Iowa first officially fielded it in 1986. But this may be wrong just my guess. I've also read where the Israel's used it early on as well although im not sure if it was ship launched like Iowa's.

lol Bravo Zulu (well done) TH

[Gun Grape]

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

RPV wise I would have said Iowa first officially fielded it in 1986. But this may be wrong just my guess. I've also read where the Israel's used it early on as well although im not sure if it was ship launched like Iowa's.

lol Bravo Zulu (well done) TH

Very often it is stated (even by people who should know better) that the IAF were the first to use RPVs in a war. Its become sort of an "Urban Legend" because it isn't true.

The'The Kettering Torpedo in WW1,nicknamed the Bug was the first. In WW2 there were german guided bombs and some attempts to use old bombers by the US. We lost a Kennedy playing that game.

If you only want to count reusable, recoverable RPVs then USAF was playing the game in Vietnam starting in 1964. They were doing things that we are just now relearning. So much for all those "Lessons Learned" that get shoved in the back of the library.

A few first for the USAF 100SRW and the AQM-34/ Ryan 147

Inflight Data link with an aircraft in flight (RB-57)

Intercept of the SA-2 arming and proximity fusing signals. That was one of the most significant ELINT feats ever, and was the intent of the drone rebirth under projects "FireFly" and "Lightning Bug".

The first photos of SA-2 missiles in NVN.

Photographed an SA-2 detonation only 20 feet away and lived to bring back the photos.

Photographed MIG-21D and E aircraft in NVN.

Photographic proof of Soviet helicopters in NVN.

Deployed first operational remote-controlled real-time COMINT collection system (before any other manned or unmanned systems).

Provided continuous low altitude detailed photography of areas denied politically to manned aircraft.

Launched Maverick and Hobo smart bombs from the drone with deadly accuracy.

Proved its ability to detect and out-maneuver both the SA-2 missiles and fighter aircraft.

Provided daily low altitude, detailed bomb damage assessment photography of the Linebacker II raids. It was the only source to do so.

Established a response record by flying 5 missions in 6 days with a single drone. Launched 27 missions in a 7 day period in support of Linebacker II and flew 91 drone sorties in a 30 day period in December 1972.

Flew a high altitude AQM-34R drone for 7.8 hours on an operational mission.

[Dreadnought]

Ok heres a question for you.

What was the longest recorded distance that a battleship engaged its enemy and scored a direct salvo hit among others to sink its enemy. Give the distance and the ships involved.

[Dreadnought]

The'The Kettering Torpedo in WW1,nicknamed the Bug was the first. In WW2 there were german guided bombs and some attempts to use old bombers by the US. We lost a Kennedy playing that game.

I do remember reading abouth the Italian BB''s being racked by the glider bombs as they were steaming for an allied port after they agreed to cooperate with the allies.

[Gun Grape]

Originally Posted by Dreadnought

Ok heres a question for you.

What was the longest recorded distance that a battleship engaged its enemy and scored a direct salvo hit among others to sink its enemy. Give the distance and the ships involved.

Depends on who you ask, which book you read. two choices
Scharnhorst hitting the HMS Glorious or HMS Warspite hitting Guilio Cesare

Both were around 26 thous yds there is a thought that Scharnhorst may have been further away for a salvo. (close to 30?)

toss a coin in my opinion.

Am I close?

[sparten]

I go with HMS Warspite.

[sparten]

Okay, heres one, which Battleships have actually been sunk in ways USNFSA says are impossible for BB's to sustain any significant damage, i.e like USS Cole, or USS Princeton in the Persian Gulf.

[Dreadnought]

Originally Posted by Gun Grape

Depends on who you ask, which book you read. two choices
Scharnhorst hitting the HMS Glorious or HMS Warspite hitting Guilio Cesare

Both were around 26 thous yds there is a thought that Scharnhorst may have been further away for a salvo. (close to 30?)

toss a coin in my opinion.

Am I close?

Yes you are Gunny very much so.

From all that I have read on this they claim Sharnhorst had opened fire at 28,600 hitting Glorious with her third salvo. They do not give the range for the salvo that destroyed her bridge although the do state that both Sharnhorst and Gneisenau held these positions until near the end of the engaugement. With Gneisenau being some 4 cable lengths ahead of Sharnhorst. Thats one hell of a shot for a German pocket battleship.

Warspite from what Ive read recorded a 26,000 yard hit on Giulio Cesare while moving. This may be an even greater feat then Sharnhorst and Glorious because they do not mention what speed they were at only that they held their positions.

IMO any salvo hit while at battlespeed (usually 18-25 knots) and at 26,000 yards far is certainly excellent gunnery showmanship. So in a way your correct on both answers.

One thing it does prove is that optical sighting was at its highlite in these two battles for both the British and the Germans to score such hits.

[TopHatter]

Hey, this is a great thread idea! Let's keep it going.

Here is an easy one... What Japanese class of superbattleships carried sonar?

[Dreadnought]

Originally Posted by sparten

Okay, heres one, which Battleships have actually been sunk in ways USNFSA says are impossible for BB's to sustain any significant damage, i.e like USS Cole, or USS Princeton in the Persian Gulf.

Ok I need a clue here are we talking post WWII or during?

[TopHatter]

Originally Posted by sparten

Okay, heres one, which Battleships have actually been sunk in ways USNFSA says are impossible for BB's to sustain any significant damage, i.e like USS Cole, or USS Princeton in the Persian Gulf.

Hmmm....let's see. I know that HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant were sunk at their moorings by Italian frogmen in December 1941.

You could probably include Tirpitz to some extent, though she was not sunk.

I guess that's what you are referring to: Naval mines or "human-placed" explosives.