Re:Veteran submariner on how sonar crews tirelessly hunt ene...
by Goronmon on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @05:08PM
(#24137003)
To really dig into it, Samuel Eliot Morison's magisterial History of Naval Operations in World War II does a good job talking through the development of both the technology and organization of naval operations.
Man, that looks like a hard series of books to actually get a hold of. Either spending multiple hundreds of dollars for a used set, or struggle to find individual copies for $15+ each (a quick google search seems to show Vol 2 unavailable anywhere I looked).
Re:Veteran submariner on how sonar crews tirelessly hunt ene...
by wcarey on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @05:11PM
(#24137041)
I think there's a new paperback printing under way. Happily, it's not the end of the world acquiring them piecemeal, as each volume tells a coherent story and takes some time to read through!
Re:Veteran submariner on how sonar crews tirelessly hunt ene...
by nostrademons on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @09:47PM
(#24139169)
Many libraries have it. I remember spending many hours in the 940.54 section of my local public library thumbing through volumes when I was a kid.
Re:Veteran submariner on how sonar crews tirelessly hunt ene...
by khazhoux on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @04:07PM
(#24136262)
> Samuel Eliot Morison's magisterial History of Naval Operations in World War II
Wow, you weren't kidding. Can you recommend any shorter tomes on history of naval technology?
https://www.amazon.com/History-United-States-Naval-Operation...
Re:Veteran submariner on how sonar crews tirelessly hunt ene...
by wcarey on Wednesday August 12, 2020 @04:44PM
(#24136733)
It's surprisingly readable. Good history is storytelling, and Morison was there for much of the history he relates. You could get a great picture of the variety of modern naval warfare by picking up the volumes on Midway and the Struggle for Guadalcanal.
C.S. Forester's novels, while historical fiction, are also excellent.
I'd also recommend Japanese Destroyer Captain by Tameichi Hara, another powerful first hand account. Reading Hara and Morison's accounts of a battle in which both participated is really interesting.
To really dig into it, Samuel Eliot Morison's magisterial History of Naval Operations in World War II does a good job talking through the development of both the technology and organization of naval operations.
Not all communication was by morse code. We did use ship to ship voice radio, but it was a tradeoff. RDF allowed the enemy to triangular the position of the broadcasting ship, and (often) the enemy could overhear messages and infer some tactical details.
Sensor systems changed wildly throughout the war. Sonar improved markedly, and radar went from non-existent to able to identify altitude and distance to individual planes. The weight of the additional sensor systems and controls systems made some ships unstable, so we removed weapon systems from them.
Being a captain (or, heaven forbid) and admiral, was very demanding. Sleep was hard to come by, and the fog of war was intense. We had meaningful problems with friendly fire in night engagements even with radar and radio communications.