Category Archives: Naval History

Battleship Rangefinders and Geometry

Posted on 23-August-2013 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. — Winston Churchill. Introduction While reading a web page on WW2 naval warfare, I found some interesting material on how naval gunfire was spotted -- … Continue reading →

Posted in Naval History, optics | 19 Comments

Torpedo on an Aruba Beach

Posted on 12-July-2013 by mathscinotes

I have read in a number of places about torpedoes being found on beaches during wartime, but I have never seen pictures of one on a beach. While researching possible diving locations, I ran across this excellent excellent web article … Continue reading →

Posted in Naval History | Comments Off on Torpedo on an Aruba Beach

Aiming Torpedoes from a PT Boat

Posted on 24-June-2013 by mathscinotes

I read quite a bit of World War 1 (WW1) and World War 2 (WW2) naval history. Recently, I have tried to specialize my readings on torpedo launch platforms. One area where I have never seen much information is on how torpedoes were used from PT boats during WW2. I am particularly interested in how torpedoes were aimed and launched. While doing some history-related searches on Youtube, I discovered this video that does an excellent job of showing how torpedoes were launched from PT boats. Continue reading →

Posted in Ballistics, History of Science and Technology, Military History, Naval History | 25 Comments

Photo Showing Ship On the Horizon

Posted on 22-April-2013 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education. — Bertrand Russell (1872-1970). I see lots of problems with this quote, but there is an element of truth in it. I do think … Continue reading →

Posted in General Science, Naval History, Navigation | 2 Comments

Timing Differences Between Battleship Guns During a Salvo

Posted on 20-April-2013 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day The better person you become, the better person you attract. — Pinterest. This is also true for management. I was looking at this picture (Figure 1) of the USS Missouri firing a six-gun salvo and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Naval History | Comments Off on Timing Differences Between Battleship Guns During a Salvo

Battleship Guns and Danger Space

Posted on 19-April-2013 by mathscinotes

I have been reading a couple of excellent books about battleships ("Naval Firepower" and "Guns at Sea"). During my reading, I have encountered the term "Danger Space" that appears with nearly every table describing the large naval guns. Of course, I had no idea what danger space was when I began investigating it. It turns out that danger space describes an important metric for battleship guns and it is worthwhile documenting what I have learned about it here. Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science and Technology, Military History, Naval History | 7 Comments