I can obviously tell why you’d want a dedicated aircraft from a not, but trying to wrap my head around why you’d for example in the royal navy (UK) frigates are slightly specialised for anti submarine warfare whilst destroyers are slightly specialised for anti air warfare, why not have a single dedicated escort?.
And to mention historically, why would you have smaller ships alongside battleships (for example destroyers and torpedo boats in the battle of Jutland) when the battleships have a dedicated armament to combat destroyers?
Sorry if this seems stupid, I’m just doing my best to understand 🙂
In: 9
You can only fit a certain amount of stuff on a ship guns, missiles torpedoes, radar, sonar, other electronics, helicopters etc. So if the ship specialises in a role like anti aircraft they can have a special antiaircraft radar and anti aircraft guns and missiles all on a relatively small ship. Alternatively they can have a powerful sonar and an anti submarine helicopter and antisubmarine weapons fitted.
You can only fit a certain amount of stuff on a ship guns, missiles torpedoes, radar, sonar, other electronics, helicopters etc. So if the ship specialises in a role like anti aircraft they can have a special antiaircraft radar and anti aircraft guns and missiles all on a relatively small ship. Alternatively they can have a powerful sonar and an anti submarine helicopter and antisubmarine weapons fitted.
The answer is that you don’t want your tactics to be to just sit there and be able to respond to whatever the enemy brings, with a multipurpose ship. The whole idea of “I’m going to build a ship that’s prepared for every scenario” is a LOSING tactic in war.
The winning tactic in war is to “win the fight” before your ships even depart. You plan, you figure out what the enemy has in position, and you bring the exact ships or capabilities that COUNTER what the enemy has. The battle is won through planning, and you don’t actually send the ships until you’re SURE that your plan will be successful. An enemy who sits there in an “invincible” ship is a dead enemy in a dead ship.
What would you rather have, a fleet of all these heavy ships that can each defend (weakly) against everything, or a much larger fleet of missile destroyers? Are you trying to project power, put a threat on an enemy, or are you trying to parade your ships and brag about how much they cost?
The answer is that you don’t want your tactics to be to just sit there and be able to respond to whatever the enemy brings, with a multipurpose ship. The whole idea of “I’m going to build a ship that’s prepared for every scenario” is a LOSING tactic in war.
The winning tactic in war is to “win the fight” before your ships even depart. You plan, you figure out what the enemy has in position, and you bring the exact ships or capabilities that COUNTER what the enemy has. The battle is won through planning, and you don’t actually send the ships until you’re SURE that your plan will be successful. An enemy who sits there in an “invincible” ship is a dead enemy in a dead ship.
What would you rather have, a fleet of all these heavy ships that can each defend (weakly) against everything, or a much larger fleet of missile destroyers? Are you trying to project power, put a threat on an enemy, or are you trying to parade your ships and brag about how much they cost?
The answer is that you don’t want your tactics to be to just sit there and be able to respond to whatever the enemy brings, with a multipurpose ship. The whole idea of “I’m going to build a ship that’s prepared for every scenario” is a LOSING tactic in war.
The winning tactic in war is to “win the fight” before your ships even depart. You plan, you figure out what the enemy has in position, and you bring the exact ships or capabilities that COUNTER what the enemy has. The battle is won through planning, and you don’t actually send the ships until you’re SURE that your plan will be successful. An enemy who sits there in an “invincible” ship is a dead enemy in a dead ship.
What would you rather have, a fleet of all these heavy ships that can each defend (weakly) against everything, or a much larger fleet of missile destroyers? Are you trying to project power, put a threat on an enemy, or are you trying to parade your ships and brag about how much they cost?
Smaller ships need less stuff. Can work closer to the shore. But are worse in storms and probably dont have the supplies to stay out to sea as long.
In modern fleets smaller ships are meant to protect the larger ones. The carrier is the cornerstone of American naval fleets and each carrier is supposed to be escorted by multiple smaller ships to protect it. More ships means more anti aircraft radar and missiles missile interception abilities and more sonar to try and detect submarines.
For the most part that was how world war 2 navy was as well. You had destroyers far away from the carriers to act as spotters and early warning to the enemy being close.
As you got closer to the carrier more ships were there to defend it.
Shit’s expensive.
You could just have aircraft carriers do everything but would you send a giant ship with 75 of the most advanced aircraft available to man just to chase down some drug smugglers?
Destroyers and smaller ships are needed for those little tasks that need to be taken care of but don’t require enough firepower to level a small country.
It’s the benefit of specification.
Let’s go with an extreme. If you do everything fairly well let’s say you destroy 50% of the targets you see. Regardless of type (let’s go with air vs sea)
So the first ship gets 50% then the next so gets 50% of the remaining targets. We have 75% elimination of enemy targets.
If you specialize let’s say you get 100% of your type (air). But 0,% of the other (sea) The event sends sea vessels after you. You can’t handle them, but your partner skip is right next to you .. So it cleans up 100%…
The challenge thigh is having these two units work together, very placed in support, by supplied, and two entirely different training programs….
Shit’s expensive.
You could just have aircraft carriers do everything but would you send a giant ship with 75 of the most advanced aircraft available to man just to chase down some drug smugglers?
Destroyers and smaller ships are needed for those little tasks that need to be taken care of but don’t require enough firepower to level a small country.
Shit’s expensive.
You could just have aircraft carriers do everything but would you send a giant ship with 75 of the most advanced aircraft available to man just to chase down some drug smugglers?
Destroyers and smaller ships are needed for those little tasks that need to be taken care of but don’t require enough firepower to level a small country.
Latest Answers