I was browsing Navweps.com the other day and ran across an interesting tidbit.
Under the data page on the 5"/25, it states that seven US fleet submarines (SS-229, 340, 399, 401, 406, 407, 408) were outfitted as "gunboats" in 1945.
Other fleet subs were allocated one 5"/25 in either forward or aft position, with local control capability only.
These "gunboats" carried 2x5"/25s, a Mk6 stable vertical, a Mk6 computer and a gun plot in the forward crew quarters.
Several questions entered my mind:
--What kind of hitting range could reasonably be expected of this relatively austere (no RPC) system?
--Against what targets would a sub commander feel comfortable using this outfit against, vs. a torpedo?
--Would the system have had night/bad visibility capability?
--Did this system displace torpedo capacity to increase ammunition storage? If so, how much?
--Had the war continued (a-historically) would such a system be a reasonable answer to the target environment of 1945-on? (i.e. few if any targets worth a torpedo) I guess the question really is, how freely could such a submarine operate on the surface? What was the air threat likely to be from 1945-on?
--How would the Japanese respond? By up-gunning their small escorts, which were often lightly-armed and shot up by standard fleet boats anyway?
Browsing wikipedia the only pertinent information I came up with that points to the use of the system is that SS-229 sank "10 small craft" with gunfire.
Brian M
Under the data page on the 5"/25, it states that seven US fleet submarines (SS-229, 340, 399, 401, 406, 407, 408) were outfitted as "gunboats" in 1945.
Other fleet subs were allocated one 5"/25 in either forward or aft position, with local control capability only.
These "gunboats" carried 2x5"/25s, a Mk6 stable vertical, a Mk6 computer and a gun plot in the forward crew quarters.
Several questions entered my mind:
--What kind of hitting range could reasonably be expected of this relatively austere (no RPC) system?
--Against what targets would a sub commander feel comfortable using this outfit against, vs. a torpedo?
--Would the system have had night/bad visibility capability?
--Did this system displace torpedo capacity to increase ammunition storage? If so, how much?
--Had the war continued (a-historically) would such a system be a reasonable answer to the target environment of 1945-on? (i.e. few if any targets worth a torpedo) I guess the question really is, how freely could such a submarine operate on the surface? What was the air threat likely to be from 1945-on?
--How would the Japanese respond? By up-gunning their small escorts, which were often lightly-armed and shot up by standard fleet boats anyway?
Browsing wikipedia the only pertinent information I came up with that points to the use of the system is that SS-229 sank "10 small craft" with gunfire.
Brian M
