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Not surprising as the Beaufort was a development of the Blenheim. The key visual difference being the Beaufort's raised fuselage forward of the turret.
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I know but it's hard to tell sometimes depending upon the angle of the photo. I was on an aviation website that claimed it as a Blenheim but the more I looked at it the more uncertain I became. Could not see the turret but the nose could have been a Mk IV or a Beaufort. It did show a torpedo being loaded which is what I was looking for but I decided it was probably best not to post something I was uncertain about.
AFAICT, no U-Boats operated anywhere near North America until June 1941, and those operations were east of Newfoundland, over 1,000 km NE of the specified position. Such long-range operations were difficult, and there were plenty of good targets east of Greenland, besides the issue of potentially provoking the US. There were contacts between US ships and U-boats, but in the waters between Newfoundland and Iceland.
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British personnel who fell into Vichy North Africa were interned permanently. They were released only after Operation TORCH. Charles Lamb, author of To War in a Stringbag, was so interned - under rather nasty conditions. (He had to be treated for malnutrition when released; and he was quite pleased to hear that the French prison commander had been killed under mysterious circumstances.)
Four torpedoes on a 16 degree spread means 5.3 degrees between torpedoes. At 2,200 yards, that would be a separation of about 205 yards or 615 feet. Malaya was only 646 feet long. Two torpedoes could hit her on such a spread, but it would have to be in the extreme bow and stern. The "engineering space" would be roughly amidships.
Edited to think through the math better.. 12 degree spread so 4 degrees between each torpedo from the index torpedo.
Why I should not write during a conference call.
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Remember operation catapult in this timeline led to no casualties
Story 0495 -- Convoy adventures
February 25, 1941 2145 Tripoli
Four ships stayed in the outer roads of Tripoli harbor guarding against any Royal Navy onslaught. Six ships were unloading. One more might arrive later that night . A small tanker had struck a mine that morning. The sole light cruiser of the escort and two destroyers were guarding her and a tug boat was slowly bringing the lamed ship to the partial safety of a defended port.
Stevedores were busy unloading supplies. The fuel depots were filling up again as the Afrika Korps had drained local reserves before they moved east. The shell stockpiles were still not enough to support a major offensive, but new production was beginning to keep up with the consumption from training and skirmishing with British patrols in the Cyrene desert.
Another convoy was due to leave Naples tomorrow morning. Air raids were planned to hammer Malta so that the bombers on that flyspeck nuisance of a base could not attack. That was the plan, but the sailors on board the merchant ships and escorts knew that Malta would exact Chiron’s toll on enough of them every crossing.
Several hundred miles away, HMS Adventure was leaving Gibraltar with a full load of mines. Force H would cover her movement until she could enter the Sicilian Narrows and lay a pair of fields near Cape Bon and then a third field west of Pantelerria. Each mine was unlikely to ever cause damage but enough of them would do something. It was a cold and impersonal war of statistics where men risked their lives for probabilistic damage and inefficiencies they could impose upon their enemy.
Four ships stayed in the outer roads of Tripoli harbor guarding against any Royal Navy onslaught. Six ships were unloading. One more might arrive later that night . A small tanker had struck a mine that morning. The sole light cruiser of the escort and two destroyers were guarding her and a tug boat was slowly bringing the lamed ship to the partial safety of a defended port.
Stevedores were busy unloading supplies. The fuel depots were filling up again as the Afrika Korps had drained local reserves before they moved east. The shell stockpiles were still not enough to support a major offensive, but new production was beginning to keep up with the consumption from training and skirmishing with British patrols in the Cyrene desert.
Another convoy was due to leave Naples tomorrow morning. Air raids were planned to hammer Malta so that the bombers on that flyspeck nuisance of a base could not attack. That was the plan, but the sailors on board the merchant ships and escorts knew that Malta would exact Chiron’s toll on enough of them every crossing.
Several hundred miles away, HMS Adventure was leaving Gibraltar with a full load of mines. Force H would cover her movement until she could enter the Sicilian Narrows and lay a pair of fields near Cape Bon and then a third field west of Pantelerria. Each mine was unlikely to ever cause damage but enough of them would do something. It was a cold and impersonal war of statistics where men risked their lives for probabilistic damage and inefficiencies they could impose upon their enemy.
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No, they'll get most of their fuel and ammo. Malta usually can't stop a determined flow of supplies between Italy and Libya. It can impose a transit tax. The question is how much is that tax and how willing are the Italians to pay it for any given cargo. It is the same calculation made in convoying merchant ships to the UK. U-boats are unlikely to kill an entire convoy but they can impose a cost every time a ship goes to sea... at some point going to sea is not worthwhile.
Story 0496
February 27, 1941 On the Romanian Danube
“Goddamn it”
The tug boat captain cursed as he looked at his bundle of oil barges he was pushing up the Danube. He did not have far to go as the river was not open all the way to Vienna. Instead, he was moving some of the day’s production from Ploiesti to storage tanks for later transhipment. Or at least that was the plan.
A grain barge was heading down the river in the wrong lane. The tug’s horn blared as the slow motion crash could barely be averted if both clusters of barges moved immediately. The oil barges slowly started to change course. There was no hope that the grain barges would move fast enough.
Moments later the deep draft oil barges ran aground outside of the shipping channel. A minute later, the steel sides crumpled as the grain barges scraped the entire tow.
After the tow captain made sure that every family and crew member was safe, he cursed some more. He had the name of the grain tug boat and knew the man. He would owe him for damages again. The drunk should not be on the river. The offer to take his tug boat and his barges for a bare boat charter in a Turkish port was looking more attractive every day. He had no idea what British would do with his boat and barges in a neutral country but the money looked good.
“Goddamn it”
The tug boat captain cursed as he looked at his bundle of oil barges he was pushing up the Danube. He did not have far to go as the river was not open all the way to Vienna. Instead, he was moving some of the day’s production from Ploiesti to storage tanks for later transhipment. Or at least that was the plan.
A grain barge was heading down the river in the wrong lane. The tug’s horn blared as the slow motion crash could barely be averted if both clusters of barges moved immediately. The oil barges slowly started to change course. There was no hope that the grain barges would move fast enough.
Moments later the deep draft oil barges ran aground outside of the shipping channel. A minute later, the steel sides crumpled as the grain barges scraped the entire tow.
After the tow captain made sure that every family and crew member was safe, he cursed some more. He had the name of the grain tug boat and knew the man. He would owe him for damages again. The drunk should not be on the river. The offer to take his tug boat and his barges for a bare boat charter in a Turkish port was looking more attractive every day. He had no idea what British would do with his boat and barges in a neutral country but the money looked good.
Story 0497
February 28, 1941 Cavite Naval Yard
She was older enough for young men to whistle at her. Now she was getting cleaned up and fixed for more active duty. USS Marblehead could not undergo a complete overhaul and refit in Cavite. The facilities were insufficient for that. But she could get a make-over. Over the next four months, her engines would be repaired, boilers, retubed, her anti-aircraft fit replaced with modern 1.1 inch quad mounts and a half dozen brand new Swiss 20 millimeter machine guns. The torpedo tubes would be repaired and lightened. Her lowest main guns were useless in a heavy sea and ate up crew that was needed elsewhere. The lower casemate was to be covered with steel.
Four months worth of work on an old cruiser was one of the larger projects in the shipyard. The American supervisors and shipwrights had been growing their teams to support the slwoly growing Asiatic Fleet. Houston was still the pride of the fleet and its flag. USS Raleigh was due shortly from Pearl Harbor to supplement the fleet while Marblehead was unavailable. Thirteen fleet destroyers provided a patrol and escort force while the eight destroyer minelayers led by Walker thickened the defenses of the islands. Finally, the offensive thrust of the fleet was still the thirteen submarines.
Activity was picking up as the Philippines Coastal Patrol had taken delivery of four British built torpedo boats recently and dozens of more lighter coastal combatants were on order and in the pipeline from American shipyards. The yacht Isabel had left harbor the day before to sail to Hong Kong and then Shanghai through the Formosa Straits. She was charged with taking her time and counting all the Japanese ships that she could encounter. It was not a hostile reconnaissance but the information would be appreciated especially if she had engine problems that forced her to seek refuge in a Formosan port for a day or two.
She was older enough for young men to whistle at her. Now she was getting cleaned up and fixed for more active duty. USS Marblehead could not undergo a complete overhaul and refit in Cavite. The facilities were insufficient for that. But she could get a make-over. Over the next four months, her engines would be repaired, boilers, retubed, her anti-aircraft fit replaced with modern 1.1 inch quad mounts and a half dozen brand new Swiss 20 millimeter machine guns. The torpedo tubes would be repaired and lightened. Her lowest main guns were useless in a heavy sea and ate up crew that was needed elsewhere. The lower casemate was to be covered with steel.
Four months worth of work on an old cruiser was one of the larger projects in the shipyard. The American supervisors and shipwrights had been growing their teams to support the slwoly growing Asiatic Fleet. Houston was still the pride of the fleet and its flag. USS Raleigh was due shortly from Pearl Harbor to supplement the fleet while Marblehead was unavailable. Thirteen fleet destroyers provided a patrol and escort force while the eight destroyer minelayers led by Walker thickened the defenses of the islands. Finally, the offensive thrust of the fleet was still the thirteen submarines.
Activity was picking up as the Philippines Coastal Patrol had taken delivery of four British built torpedo boats recently and dozens of more lighter coastal combatants were on order and in the pipeline from American shipyards. The yacht Isabel had left harbor the day before to sail to Hong Kong and then Shanghai through the Formosa Straits. She was charged with taking her time and counting all the Japanese ships that she could encounter. It was not a hostile reconnaissance but the information would be appreciated especially if she had engine problems that forced her to seek refuge in a Formosan port for a day or two.
Story 0498
February 28, 1941 Port Said
The cargo ship MV Athena arrived at Port Said from Philadelphia. Onboard were eighteen Wildcats purchased from US Navy stocks in September 1940, and a battalion of 75 mm guns and six dozen heavy machine guns. Ammunition and spare parts were also being carried.
Technicians were on hand to prepare the Wildcats for deployment to Cretan airfields where the pilots could become familiar with their new machines. The artillery and machine guns would proceed to Athens once a convoy was organized.
Story 0499
March 1, 1941 Lakehurst Naval Air Station
The four engine bomber lumbered down the runway. She was the first dedicated Navy patrol bomber that could not take off in the water. The Consolidated Privateer was a departure from normal Navy doctrine where seaplanes and amphibians provided localized anti-submarine and scouting services while lighter than air ships offered persistent coverage. The modified Army strategic bomber had the range to fly from New Jersey to Iceland with only a few strands of hair turning grey on any flight. The single bomb bay could carry half a dozen depth charges or four thousand pounds of bombs. The crew of eight had spent enough time together to know everything about everyone as they slowly flew over the sea looking for something that merely did not look right.
Now they were operational. This first flight was a scouting flight for two cruisers and six destroyers that needed to conduct a gunnery exercise before they headed out to patrol the Neutrality zone. Tomorrow, two of her compatriots would cover Constellation while B-17s exercised against the carrier. The last three exercises of Fortresses against carriers had resulted in the bomber crews buying sailors more beer than they wished to admit.
By May, the new Patrol Squadron would be fully equipped and staffed. By August, they would be ready for oversea deployment if that was where they were needed.
But until then, the pilot concentrated on getting his new plane off the runway and into the air.
The four engine bomber lumbered down the runway. She was the first dedicated Navy patrol bomber that could not take off in the water. The Consolidated Privateer was a departure from normal Navy doctrine where seaplanes and amphibians provided localized anti-submarine and scouting services while lighter than air ships offered persistent coverage. The modified Army strategic bomber had the range to fly from New Jersey to Iceland with only a few strands of hair turning grey on any flight. The single bomb bay could carry half a dozen depth charges or four thousand pounds of bombs. The crew of eight had spent enough time together to know everything about everyone as they slowly flew over the sea looking for something that merely did not look right.
Now they were operational. This first flight was a scouting flight for two cruisers and six destroyers that needed to conduct a gunnery exercise before they headed out to patrol the Neutrality zone. Tomorrow, two of her compatriots would cover Constellation while B-17s exercised against the carrier. The last three exercises of Fortresses against carriers had resulted in the bomber crews buying sailors more beer than they wished to admit.
By May, the new Patrol Squadron would be fully equipped and staffed. By August, they would be ready for oversea deployment if that was where they were needed.
But until then, the pilot concentrated on getting his new plane off the runway and into the air.
I don't know of any US ship that mounted both 1.1" and 20mm AA guns. They were both classed as light AA, and the 20mm basically replaced the 1.1". There may have been ships with both 1.1" and Bofors 40mm.
Actually, the Bofors 40mm was intended as a replacement for the Chicago Piano (1.1" gun); the Oerlikon 20mm was intended to replace the water-cooled .50 cal M2 heavy machine guns.
Usually, they swapped out the 1.1"s and replaced them with the Bofors, but I am pretty sure there were a couple of ships, heavy cruisers, in the Solomons campaign that had both for a while, due to delays in Bofors delivery.
Usually, they swapped out the 1.1"s and replaced them with the Bofors, but I am pretty sure there were a couple of ships, heavy cruisers, in the Solomons campaign that had both for a while, due to delays in Bofors delivery.
Only the aft lower 6 Inch had the problem in a Seaway. Is she keeping the 3 inch 50'S? Without them there will be a serious gap in AA with the 1.1's and 20 mm having similar range. A better idea would be to replace the 3"/50's with 5"/25's.along with the 1.1'same and 20mm.
Marblehead will come out of the refit with 10x6 inch guns, 4 3" 50 caliber AA guns, 2x4 1.1 inch Chicago Pianos, 6 single 20mm guns.
Otl she had 10 6 inch guns, 7 3 inch guns, 8 .50 caliber machine guns
@fester I think that the Asiatic Fleet should get at least two heavy cruisers with radar and at least four modern destroyers. But its mine opinión only and you are doing a great job. Enjoying this to the fullest.
Picture here of Cincinatti, off New York, 8/7/42, with both 20mms and quad 1.1s
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