Q&A · 1:47:21-1:48:03

Late-1940s carrier anti-ship attack doctrine

Early jets deliver rockets and bombs before turboprop aircraft finish armored targets with torpedoes.

Question

What was late-1940s carrier doctrine for attacking ships with first-generation jets?

Short answer

Jets would attack with rockets and bombs, followed when necessary by turboprop torpedo aircraft against targets that survived.

Notes

Jets would begin with rockets and bombs while slower turboprop aircraft retained the torpedo role. The attack sequence depends on the target: those first weapons may suffice against an unarmored destroyer, while a larger ship may still require torpedoes. Aircraft also face increasingly intense dual-purpose anti-aircraft fire from postwar escorts such as the Daring class. The passage captures a transitional doctrine in which jet speed had arrived before every anti-ship mission could move to jets.