Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: esmythe@ANDREW.dnet.ge.com (Erich J Smythe) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Ship survivability (USS Midway) Message-ID: <1990Jun30.053912.4518@cbnews.att.com> Date: 30 Jun 90 05:39:12 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 37 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Erich J Smythe >From: willner@cfa.harvard.edu (Steve Willner, OIR) > [ ... ] > >In brief, all four carriers succumbed to uncontrollable fires after >being hit by typically three or four bombs from dive bombers. >Admittedly three of the four carriers were caught while refueling and >rearming aircraft, but carriers ought to be designed to conduct those >operations in combat without gross hazards. [ ... ] [ ... ] >By contrast, the USS Yorktown was hit by three (or four? Rats! I left >the book at home.) bombs, including one down the funnel, and was ready >to launch planes again within two hours! The Japanese and American carriers were not exactly under the same conditions. The Japanese were not as well prepared for the attacks as the Americans, although they had been subject to numerous unsuccessful attacks prior to the divebombing. The Americans (including Capt. Buckmaster of the Yorktown) had warning of the Japanese attack and took precautions. There were virtually no aircraft on the Yorktown, while the Japanese carriers had at least the strike force from midway, and were re-arming at the time. Buckmaster ordered all fuel lines on the carrier cleared and filled with CO2, to reduce the fire hazard. The Japanese, as you pointed out, were refueling, and had fuel carts and bombs on the flight deck at the time of the attack. This is not to detract from the damage control done on Yorktown, it was spectacular. -erich smythe GE Advanced Technology Labs Moorestown, NJ 08057 esmythe@atl.dnet.ge.com