The crown of the evolution of battleships
What do we have in the end? Only that, exceeding on average by a quarter the displacement of their European counterparts, the American battleships "Iowa" did not have any significant advantages. This is how the author of the previous article devoted to the four legendary battleships finished his thought. And we will continue this thought.
"King George V" (UK) - 5400 miles cruising range on 18 ties.
"Richelieu" (France) - 9850 miles on 16 bonds.
Bismarck (Third Reich) - 9280 miles on 16 knots.
Littorio (Italy) - 4580 miles on 18 knots.
Iowa (USA) - 15000 miles on 15 knots.
The American battleship was not created for action in the Mediterranean "puddle". Unlike the Italians, whose ships could at any time return to the base to replenish their fuel reserves, the Yankees waged war in the vast expanses of the ocean. Hence - high autonomy, increased ammunition and special requirements for the seaworthiness of ships. That's it.
However, first things first.
Direct comparison of the battleships of the Second World War period (number of guns / armor thickness) is a bad thing. First, each steel monster was created under the conditions of a particular theater.
Secondly, the battleships strongly differed in size. Who is stronger - 45-th. ton Littorio or 70-th. Ton Yamato?
Third, speaking of such things as the construction of capital ships, it is necessary to make allowances for the state of the economy, science and the military-industrial complex of the countries in which these magnificent Bismarcks, Iowa and Yamato were built.
The last important circumstance is time. The world was changing at an unrecognizable pace. Between Bismarck (commissioning - 1940) and American Iowa (1943-44) there was a whole technological abyss. And if the technology of manufacturing cemented armor Krupp remained unchanged, then such delicate matter as radar and fire control systems (FCS), made a tremendous breakthrough in the future.
In the picture - 127-mm anti-aircraft missile Mk.53 with built-in mini-radar. Now, in the era of anti-aircraft missiles, you won’t surprise anyone, but then, in the 1942 year, the creation of radio tubes capable of withstanding the 20000 g overload was a real scientific sensation. During the war years, the Yankees shot a million such "blanks", determining that the destruction of one Japanese aircraft requires five times less Mk.53 than using conventional ammunition (~ 200 vs. 1000). The portable radio-fuse allowed the projectile to determine the distance to the target and to undermine the warhead at the most advantageous moment, filling the target with a barrage of red-hot fragments.
Taking the effectiveness of shooting each anti-aircraft gun with the usual 1 projectiles, the German Bismarck scored sixteen points (X. NUMX SK.C / 16 guns, 33 mm caliber). "Iowa" - a hundred! (105 pyatidyuymovok, shooting b / n Mk.20.) Funny and at the same time frightening conclusion: the effectiveness of long-range air defense of American battleships was at least six times higher than any of their European and Japanese peers.
This is without taking into account the capabilities of the MK.37 MSA, which centrally induced anti-aircraft guns according to radar data. Calculation of the relative position of the ship and the target continuously produced analog computer Mark-I. The MZA was controlled in a similar way: the Bofors X-speed 40, which had remote drives, received data from the Mk.51 sighting gyroscopic speakers, one for each of the quadruple units. Batteries 20-mm machines "Oerlikon" induced according to PUAZO Mk.14.
Quality has consistently been reinforced by quantity. By the winter of 1944, the battleships carried on the 20 of the quadruple Bofors units and up to the 50 of twinned and single Elikons with tape power.
Now it is not surprising why the South Dakota l / c (predecessor of Iowa, which had a similar air defense system and participated in the battles with 1942), shot down enemy aircraft during the war years. Even with the inevitable additions, even if the 64 downed "birds" - a tremendous military-technical record for the ship of those years.
Minemine Caliber Myth
One of the controversial points in the design of American battleships was the refusal of anti-mine caliber. Most of the battleships of other countries were necessarily equipped with dozens of 152-mm guns and a battery of large-caliber anti-aircraft 12-16 (90 ... 105 mm). The Yankees in this question showed boldness: instead of the medium caliber, the Iowa bristled with the 20 '5' / 38 universal guns in ten paired installations. As noted above, pyatidyuymovki proved to be a worthy means of air defense, but would have enough power in 127-mm shells to repel the attack of enemy destroyers?
As practice has shown, the decision was justified. The smaller mass and half the warhead were successfully compensated by the high rate of fire of universal cars (12-15 rds / min.) And the phenomenal accuracy of their fire (that is the Mk.37 MSA for firing at air and surface targets).
The destroyers "Samuel B. Roberts" and "Heerman" brought down a surgically precise fire on the cruiser "Tikuma". For half an hour of the battle, "Samuel B. Roberts" shot his entire ammunition at the enemy - 600 five-inch ammunition. As a result, three of the four main-caliber towers on the "Tikume" failed, the navigating bridge collapsed and the communication and fire control systems failed.
Episodes of the Battle of Fr. Samar, 25.10.44, confrontation of the Imperial squadron fleet and US Navy destroyers.
It’s easy to imagine what a Japanese destroyer who risked attacking the Iowa would have fallen into a whock!
Speed Undertaking Myth
While designing the Iowa, the Yankees were suddenly carried away by such an unusual value for them, like the pursuit of speed. According to the plans of the sailors, the new high-speed battleship (fast battleship), intended to accompany the carrier groups, should have a speed of at least 33 nodes (~ 60 km / h). To disperse the hulk to the indicated values, it was necessary to install the second echelon of the GEM (power 200 ... 250 thou. Hp - almost twice as much as in Bismarck or Richelieu!). Excessive fascination with speed affected the appearance of “Iowa” - the baby acquired the characteristic “bottle” silhouette, at the same time becoming the longest battleship in the world.
Despite all the efforts, "Iowa" became the object of merciless criticism: none of the four battleships had never picked up the speed indicated. “New Jersey” gave all 31,9 ties to the measured mile. And that's it!
However, not all. The speed value is 31,9 knots. was recorded at power 221 th. hp with a ship displacement significantly exceeding the design (installation of additional systems and anti-aircraft artillery and the appearance of associated loads is a typical situation for ships of those years). With a reduced supply of fuel and forcing of turbines to thousand hp stipulated by the 254 project. Iowa's design speed could reach 35 nodes. In reality, no one dared to arrange a race on battleships, "killing" without the need for the precious resource of their cars. As a result, the resource was enough for 50 years.
We have to admit that the impetuous pursuit of speed turned out to be an expensive and meaningless event. Another military-technical record, not found application in practice. The only positive point was the long echeloned power plant, which radically increased the survivability of the ship.
Speed, radar, anti-aircraft guns ... But how would the battleship look like in a real naval battle? Where there is no place for subtle matters. Where all decide the big guns and a massive array of armor.
Not holy and not a scoundrel. It knows the price. He is well-versed in the secrets of the sea battle and can offer the enemy a number of unexpected surprises. Among them - the world's heaviest ammunition caliber 406 mm (armor-piercing "suitcases" Mk.8 weight 1225 kg). Due to its abnormal mass and competent design, such projectiles were almost as powerful as the 457-mm projectiles of the legendary Yamato.
During the short exchange of fire, Casablanca, the battleship Massachusetts (type South Dakota) had only four Mk.8 enough to disable the battleship Jean Bar (like Richelieu). At that time, the French were very lucky: the limited-combat "Jean Bar" had no part of the ammunition, otherwise, his death was almost inevitable - one of the American shells exploded in the cellar of medium-caliber towers.
Reservations. It is from this direction that the Iowa is loved to spin, tactfully closing their eyes to the other advantages of the American superlinkor. Surpassing any capital ship in all other respects, the Iowa had no noticeable advantages in the field of armor protection. Such a strong "middling" with its advantages and disadvantages.
Not the thickest (307 mm), but VERY high armor belt (in fact there were two - the main and the lower one, differentiated by thickness). A controversial decision with the placement of the armored belt inside the case. Weak traverse on the first two battleships. Extremely powerful protection of the conning tower, steering gear, towers of the Civil Code and their barbets (as shown by the results of real naval battles, these parameters were much more important than the thickness of the armor belt).
Adequate for the size of the battleship system of anti-torpedo protection: without overly complex and controversial decisions, such as the Italian system Pulese ("Littorio"). Due to the cylindrical inserts and the absence of sharp lines in the underwater part of the hull (as on the Richelieu), the American American PTZ system had maximum efficiency over most of the length of their hull.
High speed, powerful armament complex and high-quality MSAs, reliable GEM, good stability of the battleship as an artillery platform, excellent maneuverability (circulation diameter is in full swing - less than the destroyer!), Adequate security (without any frills, but without critical flaws) , high standards of habitability, well-thought-out construction (wide corridors, transparent Broadway, connecting the GK cellars) and, finally, autonomy and cruising range unattainable for European battleships.
It's a shame to admit that "Iowa" all battleships battleships. To alleviate the bitterness of the fact that the Yankees again have the best, it is imperative to find a couple of flaws in Iowa.
- Lack of transshipment offices, part of the ammunition was stored inside the barbets of the towers of the Civil Code. Is it too bold decision?
Of course, the ammunition storage areas were protected by a system of flame-proof sluices and doors, and the barbettes themselves served as additional protection. And yet ... However, the Yankees did not attach much importance to this: the detonation of the BC - even in the cellar, even inside the barbat - definitely gave the ship a pass to immortality.
By the way, the great Yamato also had no reloading compartments.
- The absence of an aviation hangar: reconnaissance seaplanes "Iowa" were stored directly on the catapults.
- “Puny” emergency diesel generators (two for 250 kW). Obviously, the Yankees relied on the main GEM and 8 of the main turbogenerators of the battleship.
- Lack of hydroacoustic station. The standard solution for all American battleships and cruisers of those years, dictated by the concept of their use: the ships operated as part of battle groups, where PLO provided numerous destroyers (over 800 by the end of the war).
Finale
One of the largest, most powerful and expensive ships in stories. 100 million dollars in 40's prices: each of the “Iows” was worth as 15 destroyers! With a total displacement of 52 thousand tons (at the end of the war), they roughly corresponded in size to the German Bismarck and were inferior only to one Yamato. The only limitation in their construction was the width of the Panama Canal, everything else knew no restrictions. “Iowa” were built in the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world, which did not know the horrors of war and the lack of any resources. It would be naive to believe that in such conditions the Yankees would have built a worthless ship.
The number of built battleships (4) should also not be misleading - America is the only country that built capital ships at the height of the war. Strictly speaking, Iowa simply has nothing to compare. Smaller European pre-war battleships. a priori do not compare with the American monster. Even the best of their representatives ("Richelieu" and somehow completed the British "Vanguard" by 1946) for a long time could not be compared with "Iowa" in the quality of radar tools and fire control systems. “Yamato” takes brute force, but also absolutely loses to “American women” in the balance of its design and the quality of high-tech stuffing.
For the revival of interest in the subject of the capital ships of the period of WWII I express my gratitude to E. Reshetnikov
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