Gentlemen, I need your help

jadervason · 04-23-10, 05:01 PM

Not very impressive, eh? Thanks for your help. I guess there never was, and will never be a fast boat with a deck gun.

Edit: Apparently the Surcouf could make 10 knots?!

TLAM Strike · 04-23-10, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jadervason

Not very impressive, eh? Thanks for your help. I guess there never was, and will never be a fast boat with a deck gun.

Edit: Apparently the Surcouf could make 10 knots?!

Didn't think to check the French subs. Or WWI boats, which share many similarities to post war subs.

The UK R class submarine of WWI could make 14 knots dived but its 4in deck gun was never fitted because of the drag. The R class was designed to hunt U-Boats making her the first class of Hunter-Killer submarines ever. They had sensitive hydrophones on the bow, a single screw aft and very streamlined hulls/sails, one of them would not have looked out of place in the 1950s.

UK E class subs of WWI could make 10.25 knots dived.

US N and O classes could make 11 knots dived. K, L, M-1 and AA-1 classes could make 10.5 knots. Interestingly the US L boats had in an attempt to reduce the drag of the gun built it so it retracted into the hull. Apparently this was inspired by the Germans.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08040.htm

The WWI German U 66 class could make 11 knots dive, I think it had a retractable gun.

But no, you are never going to find a sub with a deck gun that has a high submerged speed.

jadervason · 04-24-10, 04:28 PM

Good stuff my friend. I was aware of the hunter-killer R class. Neat little boats they were.

I hate to be a pest, but among the 'fast' boats, what was the largest gun fitted? I suppose the prerequisite is Type XXI performance or comparable or better.

TLAM Strike · 04-24-10, 05:38 PM

I'm guessing you mean of the subs designed for high speed like the Type XXI and not the subs listed above? Of the subs listed above the obvious answer is the Surcouf with its 203mm guns.

The winner I think is the Soviet Zulu I and Whiskey IIs which had twin 57mm and twin 25mm AA guns.

The Type XXI had 20mm cannons.

The Japanese I-201 class had 2 25mm cannons. The Ha-201 had a single 7.7mm machine gun.

jadervason · 04-24-10, 05:50 PM

A good hypothetical historical battle might be Surcouf vs one of the British M Class boats. Talk about a glass cannon...

So I guess the boat of my dreams is the Zulu I? It had a snorkel right? I guess you can take down a merchant with a 57mm gun, if you're determined...

TLAM Strike · 04-24-10, 06:09 PM

Interesting thing about the M Class was it had to be submerged to reload its cannon.

Some Zulu's were fitted with a snorkel. But it wasn't standard issue on all boats at first, it took a while before sufficient snorts were manufactured.

jadervason · 04-24-10, 09:02 PM

Is that so? I would have thought they would have left the shipyard with a snorkel, being a slightly larger brother of the Type XXI. The Whiskey I know was retrofitted but I though the Zulu was designed from the keel up as 'true' submarine.

04-23-10, 05:01 PM	#1
jadervason Bosun Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 69 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	Not very impressive, eh? Thanks for your help. I guess there never was, and will never be a fast boat with a deck gun. Edit: Apparently the Surcouf could make 10 knots?! Last edited by jadervason; 04-23-10 at 05:24 PM.

04-24-10, 05:38 PM	#4
TLAM Strike Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 8,633 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 6	I'm guessing you mean of the subs designed for high speed like the Type XXI and not the subs listed above? Of the subs listed above the obvious answer is the Surcouf with its 203mm guns. The winner I think is the Soviet Zulu I and Whiskey IIs which had twin 57mm and twin 25mm AA guns. The Type XXI had 20mm cannons. The Japanese I-201 class had 2 25mm cannons. The Ha-201 had a single 7.7mm machine gun. __________________

04-24-10, 06:09 PM	#6
TLAM Strike Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 8,633 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 6	Interesting thing about the M Class was it had to be submerged to reload its cannon. Some Zulu's were fitted with a snorkel. But it wasn't standard issue on all boats at first, it took a while before sufficient snorts were manufactured. __________________

04-24-10, 04:28 PM	#3
jadervason Bosun Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 69 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	Good stuff my friend. I was aware of the hunter-killer R class. Neat little boats they were. I hate to be a pest, but among the 'fast' boats, what was the largest gun fitted? I suppose the prerequisite is Type XXI performance or comparable or better.

04-24-10, 05:50 PM	#5
jadervason Bosun Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 69 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	A good hypothetical historical battle might be Surcouf vs one of the British M Class boats. Talk about a glass cannon... So I guess the boat of my dreams is the Zulu I? It had a snorkel right? I guess you can take down a merchant with a 57mm gun, if you're determined...

04-24-10, 09:02 PM	#7
jadervason Bosun Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 69 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	Is that so? I would have thought they would have left the shipyard with a snorkel, being a slightly larger brother of the Type XXI. The Whiskey I know was retrofitted but I though the Zulu was designed from the keel up as 'true' submarine.