This textbook is intended to serve as an introduction to the underlying science and engineering of weapons used in the naval service. The philosophy used in the material selected for this text is that individual weapons come and go, but the principles of their operation largely remain the same. Some subjects are covered in greater detail than needed for an introductory course to allow this text to serve as a basic reference to take into professional life. The text was written to be inclusive of all college majors; as such a conscious effort was made when possible to apply algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and avoid calculus. Therefore, many of the equations derived are 1st order, and provide approximations that are sufficient to illustrate the relative performance parameters of variables used in weapon system design. These same theories and principles can then be applied to actual sensors and weapons using operational parameters and specifications determined from technical manuals and warfare publications. Material has been drawn from pervious texts of the same title that have explained the principles for the last 40 years. Much of the work can be traced to the work completed by the Bureau of Naval Weapons in the 1960's. It was updated and expanded in the 1980's version and incorporated in this text. In some cases, principles of systems that the U.S. Navy no longer uses are described in a belief that sometimes it is good to know where you have been to know where you are going. In addition, many countries and organizations still employ some of these lower technology systems. Therefore, it is necessary to understand their basic capabilities. With advent of new technologies and methods, this text will require periodic updating.
This book does for naval anti-aircraft defence what the author's Naval Firepower did for surface gunnery ÛÒ it makes a highly complex but historically crucial subject accessible to the layman. It chronicles the growing aerial threat from its inception in the First World War and the response of each of the major navies down to the end of the Second, highlighting in particular the widely underestimated danger from dive-bombing. Central to this discussion is an analysis of what effective AA fire-control required, and how well each navy's systems actually worked. It also takes in the weapons themselves, how they were placed on ships, and how this reflected the tactical concepts of naval AA defence. As would be expected from any Friedman book, it offers striking insights ÛÒ he argues, for example, that the Royal Navy, so often criticised for lack of 'air-mindedness', was actually the most alert to the threat, but that its systems were inadequate not because they were too primitive but because they tried to achieve too much.??The book summarises the experience of WW2, particularly in theatres where the aerial danger was greatest, and a concluding chapter looks at post-1945 developments that drew on wartime lessons. All important guns, directors and electronics are represented in close-up photos and drawings, and lengthy appendices detail their technical data. It is, simply, another superb contribution to naval technical history by its leading exponent.
Introduction to the Theory and Design of Engineering Machinery and Equipment Aboard Ship Digitally Reproduced from First Edition 1958 ALSO AVAILABLE: Order Principles of Naval Engineering Addendum - Color Diagrams ISBN: 978-0-9825854-4-3
Against the Tide is a leadership book that illustrates how Adm. Hyman Rickover made a unique impact on American and Navy culture. Dave Oliver is the first former nuclear submarine commander who sailed for the venerable admiral to write about Rickover’s management techniques. Oliver draws upon a wealth of untold stories to show how one man changed American and Navy culture while altering the course of history. The driving force behind America’s nuclear submarine navy, Rickover revolutionized naval warfare while concurrently proving to be a wellspring of innovation that drove American technology in the latter half of the twentieth-century. As a testament to his success, Rickover’s single-minded focus on safety protected both American citizens and sailors from nuclear contamination, a record that is in stark contrast to the dozens of nuclear reactor accidents suffered by the Russians. While Rickover has been the subject of a number of biographies, little has been written about his unique management practices that changed the culture of a two-hundred-year-old institution and affected the outcome of the Cold War. Rickover’s achievements have been obscured because they were largely conducted in secret and because he possessed a demanding and abrasive personality that alienated many potential supporters. Nevertheless he was an extraordinary manager with significant lessons for all those in decision-making positions. The author had the good fortune to know and to serve under Rickover during much of his thirty-year career in the Navy and is singularly qualified to demonstrate the management and leadership principles behind Rickover’s success.
The 40mm Bofors Gun, first produced in the 1930s, has become one of the most famous artillery pieces of all time. It shows no sign of fading from the defence scene even though, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, it performs in many roles that were not contemplated by its original designers. It has also proved to be so versatile that it is now allied to electronic and other technological marvels that were mere pipe dreams only a few years ago. When the Bofors entered the international defence market, its primary quarry, the military aircraft, was still a slow and fragile machine that could be terminally damaged by a single hit from a 40mm projectile. Terry Gander describes this early period in the gun's development and he shows how, despite recent?increases in target speed and other performance parameters, it can still inflict a one-hit kill on almost any aircraft, helicopter?or guided missile. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the story is that the fundamentals of today's Bofors guns remain virtually unchanged from the very first examples to come off the Karlskoga production line in Sweden. In all its forms, the Bofors continues to be a sound, reliable and lethal piece of military hardware that has given good service to gunners all over the world.?Terry Gander's comprehensive account of the history of this remarkable weapon over the course of almost eighty years is fascinating?reading and an invaluable work of reference for military historians and artillery specialists alike. It is the definitive work in the field.??As featured on BBC Radio Guernsey.
The Department of the Navy strives to maintain, through its Office of Naval Research (ONR), a vigorous science and technology (S&T) program in those areas considered critically important to U.S. naval superiority in the maritime environment, including littoral waters and shore regions. In pursuing its S&T investments in such areas, ONR must ensure that (1) a robust U.S. research capability to work on long-term S&T problems in areas of interest to the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense is sustained, (2) an adequate supply of new scientists and engineers in these areas is maintained, and (3) S&T products and processes necessary to ensure future superiority in naval warfare are provided. One of the critical areas for the Department of the Navy is undersea weapons. An Assessment of Undersea Weapons Science and Technology assesses the health of the existing Navy program in undersea weapons, evaluates the Navy's research effort to develop the capabilities needed for future undersea weapons, identifies non-Navy-sponsored research and development efforts that might facilitate the development of such advanced weapons capabilities, and makes recommendations to focus the Navy's research program so that it can meet future needs.