Six years of the Second world war has clearly shown how dangerous the enemy fleet became the aircraft. Even such innovations as radar control anti-aircraft fire and radar fuzes, are unable to fully protect allied ships from the Japanese kamikaze and the German glide bombs. Required tool, capable of hitting aerial target with the first volley at max range. Artillery to cope with this problem could not, therefore, immediately after the war, the U.S. Navy adopted the program of development of antiaircraft guided missiles. The work was carried out on a broad front. At the same time developed systems of three types: long (up to 120 km) steps — “Teylos”, medium (20— 35 km) — the “Terrier”, and is relatively small (approximately 17 km) — the “Tartar”.
THE MISSILE REPLACES THE TORPEDO
Released by Argentine aircraft missile destroyer “Sheffield” notice when nothing could be done. After a few seconds the ship shook from a strong blow. Getting had to the area of the engine room, and although the missile “Exocet” exploded, from the working engine broke spilled from a broken pipeline fuel. The fire quickly spread to the adjacent premises; widely used in the construction of destroyer, the aluminum began to melt and burn. Five hours later the crew had to leave flame-wreathed ship. Rescue work continued for another five days, but due to the bad weather and heavy swells they were not successful. In the end, “Sheffield” sank. So on may 10, 1982, an account was opened losses Royal Navy during the Anglo-Argentine conflict over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
Early 80-ies of XX century coincided with major changes in the geopolitical situation in the world, especially in the far East. Such “invisible” in the past, countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, experienced rapid economic growth, which in the West they were generally known as “young dragons”. That’s an affectionate nickname clearly testified that the traditional “dragon” region — Japan and China — there are worthy competitors.
The United States waited almost three years before entered the First world war. And during this time the leadership of the naval Ministry was attentively get accustomed to all the innovations in the navies of the warring countries. Naturally, the greatest interest was aroused by the shipbuilding “mistress of the seas”. United States delegate to the London group of admirals and naval analysts led by Admiral Simms — they had to carefully study the successes and failures of their colleagues from the British Admiralty.
The first world war, two revolutions, civil war and destruction… the Trials that befell Russia in the first quarter of the twentieth century, it seemed, forever had to delete it from among the great Maritime powers. By the mid 20-ies of even the most capable Naval forces in the Baltic sea consisted in the ranks of only eight destroyers-“Novikov”. With the most acute shortage of vehicles for daily service — minesweepers, chokes, patrol. Combat experience witnessed in the coastal waters and restricted Maritime theatres of the inconspicuous role of these warships can not be overestimated.
The tragic outcome of the Russian-японскоq war aroused in naval circles many contradictory opinions about how to be newly created Russian fleet. Considerable attention in these debates and discussions was placed on submarines.
Not to say that after the First world war, the British did not think about the problems of a future war, but their reasonable ideas are embodied in a metal surprisingly slowly. For example, the Admiralty issued an order for a new patrol and guards of the court only after their predecessors came almost to a complete standstill, having exhausted their resources. As a result, by the time of Hitler’s attack on Poland “mistress of the seas” had only six small patrol ships of the “Kingfisher”, and three were in the same building.
The first time I saw “Polonaise” in the picture. He was standing on one of the Central squares of Warsaw, surrounded by a dense ring of spectators. Interest in the yacht and its captain, engineer and journalist Krzysztof Baranovsky was extremely well-deserved. The first among the poles and the thirteenth in the world, he skirted “an old cannibal” — Cape horn — solo.
By the end of the First world war the British Navy had a fair amount of patrol type “flower”, but at the end of the 1920-ies it became clear that these hastily built ships will be developed very quickly. Therefore, the renewal of the composition of forces escort and protection, the British started ahead of time.
The hardest for Russia the First world war, followed by even more destructive for the country’s civil war, rejected the Navy powers for many years. The winning “red” had to use the pieces of the former “Imperial” power. This was the case with the submarines. In the 1920-ies in the system was gradually introduced surviving pre-war units, and not always the best. Rather, the best preserved, which can be put into service without a Herculean effort and cost. As for the future, the legacy remained a motley bunch of projects for the development of domestic “leopards” overseas “Holland” and “products” of the Italian Laurent, who were in very different stages of development. An important problem was that the cut for several years by the global military-technical thought Soviet Russia could not make good use of the experience gained in the development and operation of submarines in other countries during world war II.