Navy thread

[Llarry]

An often-used destroyer weapon of the World War II era disappeared soon after the war. Surface launched heavy torpedoes (21-inch or 533mm diameter) -- usually mounted in quaduple tubes (or quintuple tubes) like those on the USS Dunlap (DD 384) in the photo --were a feature of all U.S. destroyers but were no longer fitted from the 1950s. There was some thought of fitting heavy Mark 48 torpedoes to U.S. surface combatants in the 1960s, but the effort never bore fruit.

In the modern era, U.S. Navy surface combatants are fitted with smaller 12.75-inch (324mm) torpedo tubes used for antisubmarine torpedoes; these are strictly a close-in ASW weapon.

[Llarry]

The U.S. Navy is planning to buy a number of somewhat smaller underway replenishment ships to support the fleet. Replenishment ships carry ship and aviation fuel, general supplies and weapons to allow combatants to stay at sea rather than pull into port. The new ship may be designated T-AOL.

Current replenishment ships include two large multiproduct ships (T-AOE), fleet oilers (T-AO) and ammunition/cargo ships (T-AKE).

The problem (as always) is funding. Each T-AOL is likely to cost over $500 million and would be smaller than the T-AOs (see photo) currently being built. Some capacity to carry weapons would be desirable; the T-AOs cannot carry weapons.

[Llarry]

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is expected to be commissioned and ultimately be assigned to the Pacific Fleet in 2025 after several years of delays. The Kennedy is the second carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class to be built.

The photo shows the ship just after launching in 2019.

[Llarry]

Cross-section of an aircraft carrier