Questions & Answers on Naval History till the Bru Runs Out 2

Roughly 6,000-8,000 yards at the outside and often nearer 4,000 yards in practice, where armor would be hard pressed.

The Warspite weapon may have been a little larger, but the displayed scale was broadly comparable.

The nominal range cannot be exploited reliably, so sensor improvement and first detection become decisive.

They were too far along to redesign cheaply; completion, abandonment, or a carrier conversion were the realistic choices.

They are not oceanic ASW ships, but their minehunting sensors could be useful against submarines in shallow littoral waters.

No. It was planned with improved 16-inch guns and new turrets derived from, but not identical to, Nelson practice.

Ballistics, displacement, cost, and a design decision all contributed to the mixed-length main battery.

More ships, centered on a fast long-range battleship with triple 16-inch guns and efficient use of Japanese infrastructure.

Probably none immediately, because Royal Navy practice normally waits until a monarch's reign has ended.

Limited formal governing power but significant informal influence through public attention, confidential audiences, and the head-of-state role.

The conversions were heavy and maintenance-intensive; early ironclads were only slightly better because both were immature transitional designs.

The ships are not the core problem; a guaranteed group would require four carriers and proportionate destroyer, frigate, support-ship, and submarine forces.

It would be a welcome reinforcement, and a larger Canadian destroyer force is plausible in the related counterfactual.

Yes; he would prioritize Japanese submarines generally and especially long-range boats such as the I-400s.

Henry Harwood, because his cruiser expertise offered the best chance of producing an operational surprise.

Fast battleships represented by Vanguard and related designs were the likely replacement path.

No. It rebuilt, supported regional operations, and continued serving despite ships being shifted among global priorities.

Low: it would have diplomatic value, but making ships available and coordinating them is harder than organizing the state ceremony.

It was one important constraint, but not the only factor limiting Soviet ship size.

Royal estates and the Sovereign Grant form a negotiated arrangement, but replacing it also requires deciding how a new head of state relates to the parliamentary executive.

Only with difficulty: Pacific trade routes were distant and diffuse, and Japan lacked Germany's proximity to a concentrated enemy supply line.

Possibly off Australia, but only after creating bases and logistical support for their long-range operations.

Yes, though their late return meant American submarines had already taken many of the best opportunities.

Andrew Cunningham, followed closely by James Somerville, with Bertram Ramsay also high in the ranking.

It would be valuable, but planned Mk 41 cells may initially be used more heavily for land-attack missiles.

Conditions varied, but Royal Navy ships were often notably clean because long-serving crews associated cleanliness with health.

Hitler, because restricting German capital ships simplified Allied convoy defense and weakened the multi-axis Atlantic threat.

Cramped but survivable: roughly 89 people lived aboard a ship of about 1,000 tons.

They were celebrated at the time but later overshadowed by German, American, and Cold War Soviet submarine narratives.

Very little beyond the nominal gun count, commonly tied to gun-port piercings rather than every weapon carried.

The Mediterranean and Indian Ocean were often favorable, though getting to the Indian Ocean could be extremely difficult.

It could bridge the Atlantic air gap as a floating carrier and later serve as a huge mobile base for aircraft and missiles.

Picard resembles Cunningham or Collingwood; Sisko represents a commander capable of markedly harsher action, while Janeway is linked more loosely to a contemporary training command.

It would trigger counterbuilding, including a faster Japanese Shinano and oversized British Ark Royal-style carriers.

Probably an Iowa-class ship, with King George V a contender and Vanguard too late for wartime service.

A better mix is three fleet carriers, three light carriers, and three dedicated LPDs, preserving both aviation and dock capacity.

Yes. Yorktown offered better practical spaces for machinery work and aircraft maintenance, aiding sustained operations.

Not without modification; Britain declined while stocks sufficed, though Lion service might have driven later ammunition commonality.

Ordinary depth charges certainly did; he is not aware of Hedgehog or Squid projectiles being used that way.

Its material and refrigeration should keep it intact, but it would need a difficult route around Africa or South America.

No convincing complete plan; abolition would require a major settlement on executive powers, constitutional codification, devolution, and English government.

Some could have lasted much longer, but hull fatigue and life-cycle limits make present-day active service unlikely.

The Tribal's cruiser-like independent role shapes its hull, while Fletcher reads as a large fleet destroyer.

Yes; Dutch use of Swedish guns is cited as an example of cross-national weapon and ammunition commonality.

Its unusual scale would require a distinctive command structure with greater authority delegated to chiefs for management and discipline.

Yes. American inter-ocean movement made Panama central, while Britain planned a different route through Suez and imperial bases.

Only through a massed submarine or air attack aimed at cracking, melting, or disabling the vast escorted sea base.

The powers are structured differently: the prime minister combines executive leadership with control of the largest Commons party.

It would probably begin with 8-inch railguns and grow through an arms race toward 12-, 14-, and 16-inch weapons.

It would reverse-engineer and improve the ideas, possibly producing an 18-inch battleship by 1914 and transforming the naval race.

Battle class if accelerated into service; otherwise Tribal among the classes realistically available by 1942.

The First Secretary role is the constitutional number two described here, but a separately appointed deputy prime minister may complicate the hierarchy.

It would create a severe bottleneck because without the specialist production base the armor and shells simply cannot be made.

The demonstrators fire, but the complete weapon has not yet been scaled and integrated into a practical warship system.

Potentially, but the decisive limits are power generation and capacitor storage rather than caliber alone.

Nelson and Rodney, because appearing alongside Dreadnought would create an extraordinary naval-design shock.

A French design may lead by stated depth, while deep American wartime dives and differing national measures prevent a simple ranking.

Develop jets, order nuclear submarines, and use the enlarged fleet to sustain ambitious government policy.

Hood would drop out and be towed home while Prince of Wales and nearby forces kept the Germans from closing for the kill.

It would likely supplement steel in splinter and local protection first, with broader design effects if it proved light and durable.

The idea is sensible, but forces are expected to choose drones instead.

They would effectively be cruisers, even if Japanese classification continues to call them destroyers.

Probably because Britain had little desire to strengthen Franco's Spain with a carrier transfer.

An earlier loss would provoke wider strategic and procurement reactions because more of the war remained to be reshaped.

Because apparent deck space does not account for the turret's weight, magazines, armor, machinery, fuel, and competing systems.

Active service, at least initially: its speed, huge VLS capacity, and prestige would make it a valuable flagship.

Yes, given sufficient dry-dock capacity; a Queen Elizabeth-sized hull could become an exceptionally large missile ship.

A submarine inner ring and surface outer ring could do major economic damage, but regional trade disruption made the plan politically untenable.

Mostly their shape, launch interfaces, starting systems, and placement of platform-specific fittings.

Probably not wholesale, though key specialists may have transferred between ships.

It would choose another name, potentially one selected to remind the former owner of an earlier British prize or rivalry.

Only what fit after required uniforms and gear in their assigned bags and locker space.

It has strategic value beyond its use as a convenient local facility.

Not very different; minor dimensional claims do not change that the ships are essentially the same design.

Yes. Richelieu could use all her forward guns while closing, adding severe pressure to Bismarck.

Britain is the most plausible technical candidate, though a near-term program is unlikely.

Britain would field much larger 18-inch-gunned ships, Germany would recede, and the United States would face a new construction challenge.

Preferably no more than 16 of 96, with 24 the upper limit if the alternate launcher adds enough capacity and reload flexibility.

It is feasible in a purpose-designed SSN, but conversion is difficult and the larger weapon reduces magazine capacity unless the submarine grows.

Construction delays can weather seals long before launch, so their actual remaining life is shorter than the design assumption.

Probably, though its name, appearance, and final form remain highly uncertain.

A mature twin 4.5-inch dual-purpose gun, because it could improve and standardize a wide range of Royal Navy ships.

Potentially; a larger modular-reactor industry could lower barriers, and Rolls-Royce designs are a relevant development.

Yes. The airframe could retire, but its carrier-based ASW and support roles needed a successor by the 2010s.

Because it was a powerful, capable gun that worked well; performance outweighed a tidier caliber label.

Yes - at least eight and preferably ten before moving to the Virginia class.

Possibly on wear, but railguns may be more accurate at range; the competition remains unresolved until deployable systems exist.

Money and politics; the Navy reconditioned E-2s and C-2s and retired the S-3 instead.

The will exists, but sustained commitment will only be clear over five to ten years; Poland is already rearming.