Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey
Yes but unlike a destroyer a hit or two on a sub equals deader then a lone merchant on a moonlit night.
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Yes; in general a submarine should have no chance in a gun duel against a destroyer while surfaced:
-British destroyers in WWI were usually equipped with 3-5 guns ranging from 3" to 4.7". The British 4" and 4.7" would probably outrange most submarine guns
-Destroyers were steadier gun platforms than subs
-Destroyers usually had larger crews, many of whom would have small arms
-Admiralty studies showed that Destroyer sized ships were very hard to sink with 3" or 4" gunfire (roughly equivalent to German 88mm or 105mm). Note how the Grand Fleet gradually stopped using the 4" as secondary battleship armament, and started using the 6" instead.
If you attack a DD on the surface, you are to score lethal hits on a well-constructed target shooting back with multiple main guns, when you're on a small craft with a fragile pressure hull close to the water, moving around in a seaway, with only one or 2 guns and a crew of less than 40 men.
As far as I know, all U-Boat destroyer sinkings were done by taking the destroyer by surprise, with a torpedo/mine. Only exception I know if is "HMS Fairy", which was a small destroyer that sank itself ramming a U-Boat.
In other news I worked on the "Suffren" and was not impressed with the results...Some ships go smoothly; others break your heart.
Over all the French ships have not gone as well as I want; I will take a break from the French Navy and will try other modeling work until I feel satisfied with my skills...
