Range comes with a shallow-water tradeoff
Large patrol submarines could cross oceans, but their size made concealing them in shallow water more difficult.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
Complete directory
Browse all time notes.
Explore every watch point in reverse video-date order, then in timestamp order within each video.
S-class boats in the Mediterranean danger zone
The smaller S-class was suited to the Mediterranean, but its crews faced aircraft, escorts, minefields, and severe attrition.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
S-class boats as blockade submarines
Shorter Mediterranean distances made re-engagement more plausible, shaping an S-class designed to help enforce a blockade.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
Recognition rules and submarine friendly fire
Crowded seas and coalition deployments forced commanders to balance aggressive anti-submarine action against the danger of attacking friendly boats.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
HMS Trident from the Mediterranean to the Far East
Trident's varied career shows how a T-class submarine could shift theatres and engage submarines, warships, and landing craft.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
HMS Thrasher and bomb removal under attack
The Thrasher episode shows the human risk of keeping a damaged submarine alive after an attack near Crete.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
T-class tubes: forward concentration and escape fire
Thrasher's T-class layout combined a powerful forward attack with rear-facing tubes intended to deter pursuit after the strike.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
U-class boats: compact ambush submarines
The U-class traded oceanic range for a compact submarine optimized for North Sea and Mediterranean ambush work.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
Polish crews and U-class submarine service
ORP Dzik and ORP Sokół brought U-class boats into Polish service, where their crews had an aggressive reputation even by the standard of Polish destroyer crews.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
Why the U-class became a Mediterranean workhorse
The compact U-class became one of the Royal Navy's most effective submarine types in the Mediterranean.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
The U-class legacy in confined-sea force design
Modern conventional submarines for the Baltic repeat the U-class logic of matching a compact boat to confined waters.
From BAD SOUND - An Introduction to Making Mare Nostrum a Hollow Jest part 1 of 2 ·
Reading the Bismarck chase from inside a destroyer
A Bismarck-chase question leads to a reminder that different stations aboard one ship experience a battle differently.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A commander's-eye history of the China Station
A book recommendation traces the Royal Navy's China Station through the careers and records of its commanders.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Robert Leckie's Pacific War memoir
Robert Leckie's memoir gives a first-hand account of fighting through the Pacific War.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why Operation Epsom deserves attention
A clear, illustrated study explains why Operation Epsom mattered to the Normandy campaign.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why militaries choose particular small arms
Weapon of Choice examines the institutional reasons Western militaries buy particular rifles and pistols.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Communications in global maritime partnerships
An Australian sea-power study explains the communications problems behind multinational maritime cooperation.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
The Blackburn Buccaneer in technical detail
A Buccaneer workshop manual connects the aircraft's unusual design features with its Royal Navy and South African service.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why airborne early warning mattered in the Falklands
Ark Royal's Gannets would have provided airborne early warning, with additional fast jets as a secondary benefit.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Buccaneers hiding beneath a Vulcan
A remembered exercise story has Buccaneers using a low-flying Vulcan to mask their approach.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Separating Falklands ELINT claims from airborne early warning
A long Falklands exchange separates plausible electronic surveillance from the much different job of airborne early warning.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Would the Royal Navy have deployed AEW to the Falklands?
The Falklands air-defence gap arose because the Royal Navy had no suitable AEW aircraft left to deploy.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Operational barriers to borrowing a U.S. carrier for the Falklands
Crewing, training, and integration would have delayed a borrowed American carrier and limited its immediate value.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A history of predicting the future of war
Lawrence Freedman's history shows how often forecasts of future war prove mistaken, and why.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
How the Falklands task force tried to create fighter ambushes
Forward Type 42-Type 22 pickets tried to give Sea Harriers the warning needed to ambush Argentine aircraft operating near their range limits.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why warship numbers need depth beyond one ship
Falklands availability illustrates why an escort force needs enough hulls to absorb refits and allied absences.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Helicopter control in the Falklands task force
The task force divided helicopter roles, but uncoordinated flights could create serious airspace-control problems.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
What HMS Vanguard might change in the Falklands
A surviving Vanguard could offer formidable gunfire, but manpower and practical availability would still limit her use.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Following the Anglo-German naval race
A collection on the Anglo-German naval race compares British and German policy from 1895 to 1914.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Naval presence and the shipping side of amphibious warfare
Navies underinvest in presence and in the shipping needed to land and sustain forces.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Crowsnest AEW within a wider flight-deck plan
Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales were to use Merlin Crowsnest; fixed-wing AEW is preferable, but the helicopter system fits a wider flight-deck plan.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A Falklands nuclear-threat claim corrected in real time
A reported British tactical-nuclear threat is narrowed when the live discussion challenges the weapons-retirement date behind the initial answer.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why Merlin can cover roles an Osprey fleet would complicate
Keeping Merlin for transport, AEW, and ASW avoids adding another aircraft type and a separate logistics chain.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why the F-35B remained the available choice
A navalised Gripen would require funding a new development; for STOVL operations, the F-35B was the available programme.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
British submarine design across two world wars
Norman Friedman's illustrated survey follows British submarines from early submersible torpedo boats to wartime designs.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why a Chinook would not fit in a Centaur-class hangar
A viewer's dimensions settle whether a CH-47 could fit inside a Centaur-class carrier hangar.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A prewar submarine reconnaissance of a Japanese anchorage
A remembered Royal Navy reconnaissance of a Japanese anchorage is accepted while the boat and operation remain unidentified.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
John Holland as submarine entrepreneur
John Holland's submarine career is framed less as a single nationalist motive than as energetic international salesmanship.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Stealth, radar bands, and SEAD priorities
Different radar types can erode a stealth advantage, which shapes the order in which air defences must be suppressed.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A close reference for Allied coastal forces
Two Allied Coastal Forces volumes provide design, propulsion, camouflage, and operational detail on small combat craft.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Merchant ships ramming surfaced U-boats
Merchant ships occasionally used their hulls as weapons when they caught submarines exposed on the surface.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Where to study the Pollen-Dreyer fire-control debate
A reading recommendation points viewers toward the competing systems behind dreadnought-era fire control.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Could an upgraded Harrier replace the F-35B?
Upgrading a legacy Harrier to fifth-generation standards would still require a largely new aircraft.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why modern warships serve longer
Ships can stay in service when their hulls remain sound and their machinery and electronics can be renewed.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Why stealth platforms may look less stealthy in peacetime
Radar reflectors and noise-makers can keep routine observations from revealing an aircraft's, warship's, or submarine's true operational signature.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
The supersonic P.1154 and Britain's carrier choice
A proposed supersonic VTOL aircraft made more sense with Hermes-sized carriers than with the later Invincible class.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
Where tumblehome hulls might be worthwhile
Fast warships from frigate size upward may gain from tumblehome, while cheaper conventional forms can suit patrol vessels.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·
A visual guide to the wartime Fleet Air Arm
A Fleet Air Arm handbook pairs aircraft-carrier history with plans, ratings, badges, and detailed visual reference.
From Bru Ships Episode 12: New to Me Themed Books to Review & a general Q/A ·