Post by whyme943 on Jun 10, 2019 17:21:52 GMT -6
2 suggestions:
1: Early naval aviation equipment/experiments, such as :
Turret Flying-off Ramps
Small flight Decks on the fore and/or aft Deck
Small aviation facilities added to cruisers
I'm thinking about early flight deck experiments such as those undertaken by USS Pennsylvania, USS Birmingham, HMS Hibernia, and HMS Furious. And, of course, the widespread use of flying-off ramps in the last two years of WW1 by the Royal Navy.
2: Aircraft gunnery spotting for improved accuracy/Range. I can think of 2 forms:
Towed Balloons, which could be used before the invention of voice radio and were also used in ASW warfare (see kite balloons)
Spotting aircraft, which could observe the fall of naval artillery and correct it onto the enemy vessels, potentially allowing blind fire before radar is widely available- and certainly for stationary targets.
Both of these innovations could increase accuracy of a certain ship. Will try to find sources for use of aircraft-directed fire in naval battles/ aircraft-corrected.
Okay, all I've found for the use of scout planes as spotting aircraft is their highly important role in naval gunfire support, and 2 potential naval uses:
A catapult scoutplane was launched during the Battle of the River Plate, but I don't know how much of a role it played. One was also used during the 2nd battle of Narvik.
Yamato had 4 'scout' planes and 3 'spotter' planes, as its guns had a range that went beyond the horizon.
Finally, I found a reference to the British using a spotting aircraft to correct ship-to-ship fire, but it apparently was watching the wrong ship's shells. I could find no other reference to this or the name of the battle.
It seems like spotting planes actually aiding ship-to-ship fire, while part of doctrine, never really improved accuracy historically.
In the meantime, I came up with another suggestion: A 'Carrier Spotter' plane type. Both the Japanese and the British developed these- basically fighter-sized planes with a priority on range rather than combat performance. In RTW2, a separate category would be important so that we could instruct our carriers to carry, say, 20 fighters and 6 scouts- if you just try to make a fighter- or bomber- scout, you might need to compromise on combat capability, where you wouldn't need to with a dedicated carrier-borne reconnaissance plane. The important thing here is to have a carrier-based plane optimized for range alongside your fighter/torpedo-bomber/dive-bomber.
Finally, maybe the option to base new planes on old ones, e.g. Fairey swordfish float plane.
1: Early naval aviation equipment/experiments, such as :
Turret Flying-off Ramps
Small flight Decks on the fore and/or aft Deck
Small aviation facilities added to cruisers
I'm thinking about early flight deck experiments such as those undertaken by USS Pennsylvania, USS Birmingham, HMS Hibernia, and HMS Furious. And, of course, the widespread use of flying-off ramps in the last two years of WW1 by the Royal Navy.
2: Aircraft gunnery spotting for improved accuracy/Range. I can think of 2 forms:
Towed Balloons, which could be used before the invention of voice radio and were also used in ASW warfare (see kite balloons)
Spotting aircraft, which could observe the fall of naval artillery and correct it onto the enemy vessels, potentially allowing blind fire before radar is widely available- and certainly for stationary targets.
Both of these innovations could increase accuracy of a certain ship. Will try to find sources for use of aircraft-directed fire in naval battles/ aircraft-corrected.
Okay, all I've found for the use of scout planes as spotting aircraft is their highly important role in naval gunfire support, and 2 potential naval uses:
A catapult scoutplane was launched during the Battle of the River Plate, but I don't know how much of a role it played. One was also used during the 2nd battle of Narvik.
Yamato had 4 'scout' planes and 3 'spotter' planes, as its guns had a range that went beyond the horizon.
Finally, I found a reference to the British using a spotting aircraft to correct ship-to-ship fire, but it apparently was watching the wrong ship's shells. I could find no other reference to this or the name of the battle.
It seems like spotting planes actually aiding ship-to-ship fire, while part of doctrine, never really improved accuracy historically.
In the meantime, I came up with another suggestion: A 'Carrier Spotter' plane type. Both the Japanese and the British developed these- basically fighter-sized planes with a priority on range rather than combat performance. In RTW2, a separate category would be important so that we could instruct our carriers to carry, say, 20 fighters and 6 scouts- if you just try to make a fighter- or bomber- scout, you might need to compromise on combat capability, where you wouldn't need to with a dedicated carrier-borne reconnaissance plane. The important thing here is to have a carrier-based plane optimized for range alongside your fighter/torpedo-bomber/dive-bomber.
Finally, maybe the option to base new planes on old ones, e.g. Fairey swordfish float plane.
