Файл: Бондарчук К.Я. Классы кораблей и их вооружение (учебное пособие для слушателей 030).pdf

T e x t No. 1

US NAVY ORGANIZATION

Control of the seas is important in wartime to profect the shores from enemy bombardment and invasion, and to provide surface transport for delivering friendly fighting forces over­ seas. Control of the sea is also needed to protect own commerce and to destroy the enemy’s sea commerce. In addition, ships of different kinds are used to launch amphibious assaults and so­ metimes to support land operations. So a navy has defensive and offensive uses.

The ships of the US Navy can be divided into two main groups: combatant and auxiliary. The combatant ships are the fighting ships: battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, minelayers and minesweepers, patrol vessels and amphibious ships.

The auxiliary ships make up the supply line from rear bases to the front. They are tankers, cargo ships, transports that move men, fuel, tanks, ammunition, vehicles, provisions; hospi tal ships; tenders and repair ships that service combatant ships and keep them in operation.

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It is a floating airfield, possessing all the advantages in mobi­ lity and sea-keeping capacity of a large warship and the advan­ tages of the aircraft as a weapon. Aircraft are extremely mobile within the range of their base. They are used for protecting their own ships, attacking and destroying enemy combatant ships and transports at sea and for scouting missions. But they have disadvantages: their endurance in the flight is limited; bad weather affects them.

It is difficult for aircraft to take off and land on a pitching deck. There are days when planes cannot fly at all because of bad weather. Darkness also limits their effectiveness.

Aircraft “carriers are good targets for submarines when they keep a steady course in order to board the landing planes.

Several carriers were lost during World War II under such circumstances.

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T e x t No. 3

USS LONG BEACH

USS Long Beach is the most powerful cruiser. She is armed with long-and medium-range guided missiles and is equipped with new complex instruments. This enables her to protect herself and the ships with which she sails. Her primary mission is to give antiaircraft protection to the ships of the Carrier Striking Force.

The world’s first nuclear guided missile cruiser is also ca­ pable of fulfilling some secondary missions. She can destroy surface ships and shore installations. With her sonar and ASW capabilities Long Beach can detect and destroy enemy subma­ rines at close and extended ranges.

USS Long Beach is the first nuclear-powered surface ship of the US' Navy. Commissioned on September 9, 1961, she was the first combatant ship designed to rely on guided missiles for offensive and defensive targets. She has two Terrier missile launchers forward, one Talos missile launcher aft and an anti­ submarine launcher (ASROC) amidships. She also has two 5in/38 cal. gun mounts amidships and two triple torpedo laun­ chers on the port and starboard quarterdecks.

Carrier Striking Force — ударное авианосное соединение.

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T e x t No. 4

USS WORDON

USS Wordon is a new frigate which weighs 5 670 tons. It

and the Asroc antisubmarine weapon system, plus. 3-inch guns and antisubmarine torpedoes. She is also equipped with a heli­ copter landing platform and the latest equipment for detecting enemy submarines and for other missions.

The new frigate is the fourth ship of the Fleet named Wor­ don. The first, a torpedo boat destroyer, was built 60 years ago and served the Navy for 17 years. The second was commissio­ ned in 1920 and served for 11 years. The third Wordon joined the Fleet in 1935.

She took action in the Pacific during World War 11, but in January 1943 she ran aground during a storm off the coast of Alaska.

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Te x t No. 5

10 YEARS OF NUCLEAR SUBS

Nuclear-powered submarines represent a drastic improve­ ment over the submarines used in World War 11.

USS Nautilus was the first to use nuclear power. In the opi­ nion of American specialists, no navy had possessed a true submarine before that.

To be a true submarine a vessel must be capable of opera­ ting under water for prolonged periods without surfacing and refueling.

Conventional subs are powered by diesel engines on .the surface or by large electric storage batteries while submerged. They are limited to the endurance of their batteries when under­ water. It is possible to use diesel engines underwater, using a snorkel to pipe down air from the surface. But this restricts the sub to snorkel depth, increases the possibility of being sigh­ ted and creates a noise' which can be picked up by listening devices. Her dependence on the earth’s atmosphere limits its capabilities.

Then the use of atomic power for submarines was conside­ red. Congress appropriated funds for construction of the first atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, in 1951.

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T e x t No. 6

10 YEARS OF NUCLEAR SUBS; NAUTILUS (continued)

On the 21 of January, 1954 Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower sma­ shed the traditional bottle of champagne against the bow of Nautilus. The commissioning ceremonies were held eight months later, on September 30.

On the 17 of January 1955 the ship left the piers for sea trials. After the extended series of tests and trials, the 324-foot Nautilus was accepted by the Navy for service on April 22, 1955.

In May 1955 Nautilus steamed from New London to San Juan, completely submerged, travelling 1381 miles in 89.8 hours

a trip to the West coast the U. S., via the Panama Canal. Du­ ring the. two-month cruise from New London and back Nautilus

on three trips lasting a total of five and one half days. On her way to the Arctic she completed a dive of 287 hours, covering 4039 miles.

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one day in August 1962: Alexander Hamilton, Haddo and Dace.

At Groton, Connecticut, Alexander Hamilton is equipped to handle the 2500-mile Polaris A-3 missile. She is also equipped with special computers. Alexander Hamilton is the second Po­

commission. Nine other are under construction.

GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER

Royal Australian Navy leaders see future destroyer escorts as versatile, all-purpose ships designed to deal with enemy submarines, aircraft or surface ships. Such is the United States Charles Adams class guided missile destroyer.

The U. S. is building two of these ships for the Royal Australian Navy. Their weapon is the Tartar surface-to-air missiles.

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Text No. 8

USS SHARK

USS Shark is a nuclear-powered submarine of the Skipjack class, an antisubmarine submarine.

This is the ship equipped to destroy potential enemy ball!1 stic missile firing submarines. USS Shark is the sixth ship in the US Navy to bear that name. She was built in Newport News, Virginia, and was commissioned in February 1961.

At present Shark is undergoing an extensive overhaul at Charlston Naval Shipyard, Charlston, South Carolina. After being completed, the ship will return to its homeport, Norfolk, Virginia.

In wartime the primary mission assigned to Shark is to seek out and destroy enemy submarines. This is a job for which she is well suited.

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given by the admiral of the Fleet, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy, S. G. Gorshkov. Serious constructive defects, said

In the USA the Tresher was called «the fastest, the deepest, the most maneuverable»! «the world’s best attack nuclear-powe­ red hunter-killer submarine», «underwater satellite of the Earth», «the Nautilus of the XX century» etc. But in spite of all these brilliant definitions she perished through her design technical defects and the poor training of her personnel who failed to cope with the emergency situation.

American leaders more than once boasted of their superior army, air .force and innumerable submarines. In the publica­ tions of western strategists and intelligence services the num­ ber of US submarines exceeded all astronomical figures.

The catastrophy of the Thresher is undoubtedly the result of Ihe adventurist technical policy of the Pentagon, its unrestrai­ ned desire to increase the number of the submarines as soon as possible. This is an ample proof of the fact that the present state of things with the US nuclear-powered forces does not quite correspond to the boastful statements of the US military leaders.

leave much to be desired — оставлять желать много лучшего.

a capacity for hard work. Their crews may range from 5 to over 200 men.

One of the smaller ships is the inshore minesweeper. This ship is 110 feet long. It is designed to keep inshore waters free

320 tons.

The MSOs are 665-ton, 171-foot ships manned by 75 offi­ cers and men. Performing minesweeping operations on the high seas, they act independently, whereas the MSCs are confined to coastal waters.

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