Yeah, in this timeline, the Mk-24 FIDO was introduced plus or minus a few weeks from OTL introduction.
Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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Doenitz realised the game was up with present technology in May 1943 OTL, so nothing has changed here. He tried to reopen the battle using homing torpedoes against escorts in the autumn, but the offensive was a complete failure. The drivers for fancy new U-boats are the same - as will be the build quality.
SsgtC
Banned
Actually, the build quality may be a bit better than OTL. With fewer shattered divisions needing complete replacement of armor, there's more steel available and more skilled craftsman.
The Mk 24's design and development was brilliantly successful, a model of how to do things well (a sort of opposite to the Mks 14 and 18 projects).
Frederick J Milford article
I think there were tactical restrictions placed on their use - for instance, if there was another enemy submarine in the area which could hear and assess the attack.
The Mark 24 Fido would be easy to spoof if the Germans knew it was a passive homing torpedo. Go to silent running and there is no sound for Fido to home in on. If it's limitations where known to the U-boat crews I think it would no longer be useful for air dropped attacks as the Sub Captain would order a crash dive as the plane approached. Then go silent after fully submerging. Likely by the time the plane drops a Fido in the area the U-boat has submerged and is no longer detectable as its gone silent.
If that situation had arisen in OTL then Fido could still be useful for surface ASW operations. If the sub doesn't move it's a sitting duck for Hedgehog/Squid or depth charges. If it moves Fido gets it.
Giving the Mark 24 Fido an active homing system would make it almost un-spoofable. By the end of the OTL war the Americans had developed the Mark 28 which I think used active homing.
If that situation had arisen in OTL then Fido could still be useful for surface ASW operations. If the sub doesn't move it's a sitting duck for Hedgehog/Squid or depth charges. If it moves Fido gets it.
Giving the Mark 24 Fido an active homing system would make it almost un-spoofable. By the end of the OTL war the Americans had developed the Mark 28 which I think used active homing.
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and what UB captain could take that risk when the aircraft approaching might be dropping depth charges (or worse charges then a Homer as in the RL example I gave)
or was fitted with MAD and retro bombs and therefore had him located nicely
IMHO the only practical solution for a UB that knows it is located will remain RUN and only later HIDE
I largely agree. What we are discussing is the matter of timing. Does the U-boat lookout spot the patrol plane 10 miles away giving lots of time to go deep and hide? Or did the plane emerge from cloud a mile away after tracking the U-boat on radar prompting a noisy high speed crash dive?
Anyway these questions only apply if the Germans had a detailed knowledge of the Mark 24s' characteristics. In OTL the Germans or Japanese never learned enough about Fido to spoof it consistently.
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Story 2085
Panama Canal June 10, 1943
The locks were empty again.
Three brand new fleet carriers, USS Bon Homme Richard, Cabot and Bunker Hill had shimmied their way through. Two heavy cruisers fresh from their birth yards and two light cruisers along with eleven Fletcher class destroyers had also made their way through the locks. Their destination was first San Diego or San Francisco for any final repairs and then they would be taking aboard replacement Hellcats, Avengers and Dauntlesses from replacement and training squadrons that had been tasked to keep the Pacific Fleet air groups strong.
Bon Homme Richard would be a replacement for the lost Saratoga, while Cabot would substitute for Lexington. Bunker Hill was the only new addition to the fleet strength. And even then, her presence would merely allow for Enterprise or Yorktown to come back to the West Coast for a long delayed and even more needed yard availability period. But the fleet had weathered the storm even as true reinforcements were slowly making their way across the Indian Ocean.
Story 2086
Portsmouth, England, June 10, 1943
HMS Ramilles anchored near Courbet. Her engines were secured and soon her crew began the task of putting the mighty ship into ordinary. There was promise of leave, there was promise of rest, and then re-assignment for eight out of nine men aboard. They were needed elsewhere, so the old lady would rest.
SsgtC
Banned
CVs -10 -16 and -17 finally make their way to the Pacific to earn their stripes. Love seeing the original names as well for OTL Yorktown and Lexington.
All those US Navy and Royal Navy fleet carriers are no longer needed in the Med because of the ongoing establishment of Allied airbases on Sicily and the existing airbases on Crete, Tunisia and the Levant. Those ships are heading East.
Yes, Mk 32 was an active homer, but never saw service until post-war. Surface ship launched.
Active homing is tougher than passive.
The first active homing missile ASM-N-2 BAT was used off Borneo to sink (some of the few remaining) Japanese ships in 1945. A modified version was used to attack bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-N-2_Bat
The first active homing missile ASM-N-2 BAT was used off Borneo to sink (some of the few remaining) Japanese ships in 1945. A modified version was used to attack bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-N-2_Bat
Independence & Princeton are heading east to reinforce the US 3rd Fleet.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...uisers-volume-2.451883/page-181#post-19115363
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