jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov (04/05/91)
From: jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov
>>>the styrofoam would keep the ship afloat despite mine detonations,
Might work against flooding only; if the mine did major structural
damage the ship could effectively be taken out of action anyway, even
if not sunk. Disadvantage of filling a ship with styrofoam peanuts,
of course, is that you can't fill her with anything else. :)
Something tickles the back of my mind about a "Q-ship," a merchantman
filled with flotation materials and armed with ASW weapons and/or teamed
with other combatants, supposedly used in WW II to sucker and then strike
back at submarines. What flotation material was used, and did it work?
Keep in mind that everything I know about naval history came from John
Keegan and "Run Silent, Run Deep," so take this with a grain of salt.
--Joegary@gatech.edu (Gary Coffman) (04/09/91)
From: ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu (Gary Coffman) In article <1991Apr6.020824.13995@amd.com> jtchew@csa2.lbl.gov writes: >Something tickles the back of my mind about a "Q-ship," a merchantman >filled with flotation materials and armed with ASW weapons and/or teamed >with other combatants, supposedly used in WW II to sucker and then strike >back at submarines. What flotation material was used, and did it work? As I recall, this tactic was used in WWI by the British and the floatation material was balsa wood. In addition to being very light, balsa is stronger per pound than steel. The ship would take a hit, simulate an abandon ship drill, and wait for the sub to surface to finish off the ship. Then panels would drop away and gun crews would sink the sub. This worked moderately well until the German sub commanders got wise. Then they quit using surface gunnery to finish ships and just put another torp in or sailed away. Note that to a balsa loaded ship, even a hit that "broke her back" wouldn't sink the ship. I also seem to recall that the only Q ship lost in WWI encountered a German crusier that simply wouldn't give up until it sank the ship. This is all from vague memories of a book I read some twenty five years ago called appropriately enough _Q Ship_. Gary