Depth charge bb 1. Ship depth charges and bomb launchers. How does a depth charge work?

Submarine killer

As already mentioned in Chapter 1, the destroyer appeared as a carrier of torpedo weapons, but soon it began to be used as a patrol and patrol vessel, as a reconnaissance vessel, as a “naval envoy.” And the destroyer ended the First World War with the rank of the worst enemy of submarines.

Destroyers were at the forefront of the fight against submarines during the First World War and showed their offensive qualities as submarine hunters and defensive qualities as convoy defenders. By the end of the war, the destroyer's reputation as an anti-submarine ship was firmly established.

At the same time, the statement that the submarine met a worthy opponent in a modern destroyer, like all banal truths, needs clarification. Naval engineers worked hard to improve the performance of submarines. For at least 10 years, the great powers, constrained by restrictions on the construction of surface ships, were forced to concentrate all their efforts on the development and construction of submarine ships. As a result, German submarines, as well as Allied submarines, were significantly improved by the Second World War and differed from the boats of the First World War even more than the modern Ford from the famous Model T.

The German submarine, built in 1939, was rugged, deep-sea and fast. She could deliver a knockout blow. Its torpedoes were much more dangerous than the “tin fish” of the First World War. The cruising range has been significantly increased. This was the boat at the very beginning of the war. But gradually it became even more fast, durable and deep-sea. The boat, built in 1943, was very difficult to damage and even more difficult to sink. This summer, one of these boats was caught by American anti-submarine forces near Trinidad. 6 Navy planes, 1 Navy airship and 1 Army bomber chased the boat for 17 hours before destroying it. Modern submarines had a very large reserve of endurance.

On the other hand, destroyers also entered the Battle of the Atlantic equipped with remarkable new detection systems. It was in this area that the destroyer immediately gained a decisive advantage over her partner in the deadly game of cat and mouse. But it is not enough to just detect the enemy. It needs to be destroyed.

A new anti-submarine weapon was needed. Explosives with increased detonation force were required to destroy the reinforced pressure hull of the boat. Depth charges with increased sink rates were required to improve bombing accuracy. Bomb releasers and bomb throwers were required, dropping series of bombs in a shorter period of time and increasing the coverage density. Improved fire control systems were required.

British destroyers entered the Battle of the Atlantic with World War I-era anti-submarine weapons. American destroyers of the period of “armed neutrality” had the same ammunition. But the old reliable “barrel” in the conditions of the Battle of the Atlantic was not effective enough. American scientists and engineers were urgently required to increase the destructive radius of the depth charge and improve its design. The US Navy's Weapons Directorate didn't have to wait long and developed a streamlined teardrop-shaped depth charge.

Then in 1942 a new anti-submarine weapon appeared - the multi-barrel hedgehog bomb launcher. A hedgehog salvo fired forward along the destroyer's path had the advantage of covering a larger area. Later, a smaller model of a bomb launcher was created, called a “mousetrap,” and it was installed on small ships. Already at the end of the war, British scientists created a new Squid bomber. These inventions were born out of necessity and went a long way before they began to hit German boats.

But even the old “barrel” was not retired.

Although she was clumsy, she also had positive qualities, first of all, her large size. And quite often a series of “barrels” turned out to be fatal for the boat.

Depth charges

The depth charges used by American destroyers during World War II were similar in shape and size to 25- and 50-gallon fuel drums. They contained charges of 300 and 600 pounds of TNT. On the deck of a ship, these bombs were safe enough, but when the fuse was activated by water pressure, they turned into a deadly projectile. The bomb fuse was located in a tube along the axis of the cylinder and was simply a hydrostat, triggered by increased pressure. Using external regulators, the bomb could be set to explode at different depths.

At the beginning of the war, a ship in a dangerous area would usually keep its bombs set to explode at medium depths to save time in case of a surprise attack. But then they abandoned this in order to improve security. The danger of people being injured in the water by the explosion of bombs that went into the depths along with the sinking ship was revealed. After this, the depth charges began to be kept on safety until the very moment of release into the water.

To damage the boat, the bomb did not necessarily have to hit it. Since liquids are virtually incompressible, a relatively small force applied to a confined volume can create high pressure.

Of course, the ocean cannot be considered a “limited volume.” But the force of an underwater explosion is easily transmitted and creates large pressures at a short distance from its center. If the boat is close to the explosion site, the pressure it creates is almost entirely transferred to the hull, and almost evenly over its entire surface. Of course, a direct hit would be preferable, but it is not necessary. A bomb explosion near a boat can destroy its hull, cause many leaks, and disable the mechanisms located inside the boat.

Of course, the submarine will not pose as a stationary target for depth charges. She hears what the hunter on the surface is doing, and before the bombs fly down, the boat will do everything possible to evade these "gifts".

Such actions are called "evasive maneuvers." The submarine can start them as soon as it suspects that it has been detected. She can use them at the last second to dodge an already aimed volley. To avoid depth charges, the submarine changes course, speed, depth, freezes without moving and drifts. She can find a “fox hole” at the bottom and lie motionless, turning off all mechanisms, in order to pretend to be destroyed. She can zigzag ahead of the hunters. Operating in three dimensions, a submarine has the same maneuverability as an airplane in the air.

A submarine chaser typically drops bombs on a moving target blindly, tracking the target using acoustics only. But acoustic contact is unreliable, and at short distances it is lost. Moreover, the submarine can move both horizontally and vertically. And sonar cannot indicate the exact depth of a target. During the First World War, it was never possible to create a device to accurately determine the depth of a boat, so many attacks ended unsuccessfully due to the fact that the bomb fuses were set too deep or too shallow. At the beginning of World War II, anti-submarine ships found themselves in a similar position.

Of course, the most important factor is the speed with which the attack can be carried out once the target is located. It primarily depends on bomb droppers and bomb launchers. But a lot also depends on the speed at which the bomb sinks.

It is also clear that the success of the attack is determined by the accuracy of the direction in which the dropped bomb plunges. The old “barrels” had a low sink rate. Dropped from the stern of the destroyer, they began to somersault in the wake. Such “underwater acrobatics” reduced the speed of the bomb’s descent and could lead it to the side.

To eliminate these and other shortcomings, engineers created a streamlined teardrop-shaped depth charge.

This bomb was designed because a weapon with an increased dive rate and a more stable underwater trajectory was required. This made it possible to increase the accuracy of bombing compared to older bombs.

Throw a can of stew into the pool and watch it tumble. You will also make sure that it will fall to the bottom some distance from the point where it was dropped. Now throw a pear-shaped object of the same weight into the pool. You will see that it sinks much faster, always with the heavy end down, and will fall exactly at the point at which it was thrown.

It is absolutely clear that the drop-shaped, or pear-shaped, shape of the depth charge had clear advantages over the vulgar barrel. That's why the destroyers received drop-shaped bombs.

Not a single boat could withstand long when the destroyer began to throw these “droplets”. And if one of them exploded at the side of the boat, everything ended immediately.

Bomb release devices

Destroyers during World War II used three types of devices to release depth charges.

Old depth charges were first dropped using the simplest principle: “roll a barrel.” A pair of rails were installed at an angle at the stern of the ship. Lift the barrel onto the rails and let it roll.

By 1918, bomb releasers were designed, which American destroyers also used in World War II. This device consisted of a rack with depth charges and inclined guides from which they could roll. The hydraulic locking mechanism could be controlled directly from the site, or could be remotely controlled from the ship's bridge. In addition, the locks could be controlled manually, without any hydraulics.

Typically, such bomb releasers were installed in pairs at the stern of the ship, each with separate controls. The crew of the bomb releaser included an artillery non-commissioned officer who supervised the loading of bombs and set the depth on the fuses with a special key. Usually these settings were given by the officer in charge of anti-submarine weapons when the ship went on the attack.

The bomb-dumping station was called an “auxiliary bomb-dropping post.” As a rule, they were dropped remotely from the bridge using a special remote control. Typically the procedure looked like this. The command is given: “Reset the average series.” This meant: “Drop 6 depth charges, 5 second interval, set to 150 feet, get ready... Get ready!” Then came the commands: “The first one went!” The second one went!..” The man at the control panel obediently responded: “Yes!”

There were several standard series options. Sometimes you could hear the order: “Prepare a shallow-water series.” Later, each ship developed its own standard techniques.

The term "bomb launcher" was applied to a device that ejected a depth charge over the side. The term was also used to refer to the battle station from which the bomb launcher was loaded and fired. Such posts were usually called "starboard bomb launchers" and "port bomb launchers", or even more specifically: "bomb launcher No. 3".

Since the bombs from the stern bomb releasers were dropped only along the ship's heading, in order to expand the coverage area, some kind of thrower was required. This is how the “Y-gun” appeared. It was created in 1918 and could throw 2 depth charges into the water. The shape of this bomb launcher resembled the letter “Y” or a huge slingshot. However, it worked like a cannon, not a slingshot. Depth charges were placed in a tray on the barrel of the bomb launcher and thrown overboard by the explosion of a special cartridge.

The "Y-gun" made it possible to place bombs to the right and left of the course line at a safe distance from the ship. However, it became obsolete after the appearance of the K-gun.

Installed on most American destroyers by 1942, the K-gun bomber was used more often than others during the battle against Nazi submarines. It weighed one-fourth as much as the Y-gun and had one short, thick barrel with a quick-release lock and a fairly simple firing mechanism. The bomb was placed on a special cradle, which sat at the end of the K-gun barrel. When the shot occurred, the “barrel” went flying.

The firing mechanism, mounted in the bomb launcher lock, made it possible to fire a shot either mechanically with a striker or electrically. In the striker mechanism, the release was carried out with a special cord. The electric fuse was activated by a key from the ship's bridge.

“K-guns” were installed in pairs on both sides of the ship. They were usually placed as many as could fit. Additional bomb launchers made it possible to cover a larger area and increased the chances of success.

Although bomb launchers were generally considered a complement to the bomb releasers at the stern of the ship, their use required some time. A series of depth charges could be lifted onto a rack and rolled down in a matter of seconds. The bomb launcher had to be reloaded after each shot, and the depth charge had to be placed in the cradle after each shot. Therefore, in the first half of 1942, a “charging rack” appeared. This device significantly speeded up the reloading of bomb launchers and facilitated the work of the crews.

Strong waves prevented any operations with “barrels” and “droplets”. The 720-lb Mark 7 bomb and the 340-lb Mark 9 bomb are difficult to lift even in calm weather, and several times more difficult on a swinging deck. If the bomb slips out of the hands of the crew, the consequences could be very unpleasant. The bomb won't explode. But the heavy cylinder will roll across the deck, destroying everything in its path and threatening to injure people. If a bomb accidentally falls overboard and the fuse is not set to safety, an explosion may occur right under the side, which will damage the ship.

To avoid accidental explosions, most destroyer commanders preferred to keep the bombs on safety until the ship launched an attack. The depth of the explosion was set in a matter of seconds by the crew of the bomb thrower or bomb releaser. But in any case, there was still a possibility that the ship would be sunk during the battle. If the bombs are not on safety lock, they will explode when the ship disappears under water. During the war years, this happened several times, and such explosions killed many sailors swimming in the water near the site of the destruction of the destroyer. These bombs either had malfunctions or were not put on safety. Classic examples: the destroyer Hamman at Midway and the destroyer Strong in the Solomon Islands.

Both “barrels” and “droplets” had several unpleasant features. They were heavy and clumsy. They had to be adjusted before firing. They could not be “aimed at the enemy” with sufficient accuracy. It was necessary to create a bomb that was more convenient to use, and the designers coped with this task.

British engineers and Captain 1st Rank of the American Navy Paul Hammond found the answer in the form of a “hedgehog”.

Hedgehog rocket launcher

At the beginning of 1942, Captain 1st Rank Hammond, who served in the naval attaché's office in London, had the opportunity to familiarize himself with a new type of anti-submarine weapon. This installation used a fundamentally new method of throwing depth charges. It consisted of a steel tray in which 4 rows of needle-like rods were installed. Hence its name: “hedgehog” - “hedgehog”. It was actually a missile launcher, but it fired unusual missiles.

The installation fired 24 shells at a considerable distance. These shells were put on the pins of the bomb launcher, and loading the installation was very simple. The bomb exploded upon contact with the target, like a conventional artillery shell. Once thrown into the water, the bombs sank very quickly, resembling a school of steel barracudas, steel barracudas with a deadly bite.

The Hedgehog bomb required a direct hit on a submarine to explode. It did not have a huge explosive charge, like a regular “barrel”. However, its destructive effect upon impact was no less than that of an artillery shell. The fact that the bomb exploded only when hit directly was in one respect an advantage rather than a disadvantage. A conventional depth charge would explode as it descended to a predetermined depth, and the hunters above would have no way of knowing whether it hit the bull's-eye or exploded a mile from its target. But the explosion of a hedgehog bomb meant a hit, except that in shallow water the bomb exploded upon hitting the bottom. In this case, uncertainty remained, but in the open ocean the explosion told the destroyer that the target had been hit. And this meant that the boat was seriously damaged.

Captain 1st Rank Hammond immediately became an enthusiast of the new weapon. From England, a sample of the hedgehog was sent to the United States. The unusual bomb launcher with its firing pins and rocket bombs was created in the strictest secrecy. It was installed secretly on board escort ships, as if placing contraband. After the first tests on American destroyers, the new weapon was highly praised. Eventually it began to be widely installed on frigates and destroyer escorts.

The explosion of a bomb upon a direct hit was not the only advantage of the hedgehog. He also had a more valuable quality. Because the hedgehog's projectiles were thrown forward along the ship's path, the weapon could be used before acoustic contact with the submarine was lost. In other words, the anti-submarine ship followed the boat, firing from a hedgehog, that is, not blindly, as when using conventional depth charges. When aiming the bomber, it was possible to take into account to some extent the errors introduced by the ship's maneuvering, pitching and other factors.

The heavy multi-barrel bomb launcher gave too much recoil and was therefore not suitable for installation on small ships. Therefore, a small sample was created that fired 6 bombs. This weapon was called a "mousetrap".

For testing, mousetraps were installed on several destroyers. After receiving positive results, these bomb launchers began to be installed on various anti-submarine ships, including small-tonnage ones. The Mousetrap could pack a punch because its 65-pound Torpex bomb contained the same amount of explosives as a Hedgehog bomb. But although the British used the mousetrap with great success, American ships used it much less frequently. As far as is known, not a single submarine fell into the American “mousetrap.”

But the “hedgehog” was often used by search and strike groups. In the Pacific Ocean, it was even more popular among destroyer crews, which was probably due to sea and weather conditions.

Installations firing forward along the ship's course did not lead to the death of conventional depth charges. Throughout the war, “barrels” and “droplets” regularly flew into the water from the decks of destroyers. American destroyers did not have hedgehogs; rocket launchers were installed on escort destroyers and frigates that appeared in the middle of the war. Their projectiles could deliver a fatal blow, but they needed to hit the target. At the same time, the explosion of a conventional depth charge, even at some distance from the hull of the boat, also led to the desired result. Conventional depth charges were often used to supplement the hedgehog salvo. They had to finish off a damaged boat or retrieve a boat that had sunk too deep. A heavy depth charge was necessary for an explosion at great depths if the situation did not allow the use of a hedgehog.

When using depth charges and hedgehog shells, the same problem arose as with conventional artillery fire - aiming. It was necessary to locate the boat and establish its location. After the unexpected and devastating successes of submarines in 1914, the British made every effort to create a device capable of detecting a submerged submarine. The result was the hydrophone, a sensitive acoustic receiver that could detect the noise created by a moving submarine. Mounted in the bottom of the ship, the hydrophone transmitted to the operator the noise of the boat's propellers and gave the general direction towards it. Apparently, the first case of a submarine being detected by a hydrophone occurred on April 23, 1916, when a UC-3, caught in an anti-submarine net, was tracked down and destroyed by a surface ship.

In 1916, the US Navy developed and began installing an SC "listening device" similar to the British hydrophone on its ships. By the end of the First World War, such a device was widely used by Allied anti-submarine ships, and improvements made it very sensitive. Fearing detection, the submarine could turn off its engines for a short time or lie motionless on the seabed. But the hydrophone could detect the faintest sound - even the quiet whir of the gyrocompass motor.

However, the hydrophone also had significant disadvantages. First of all, he perceived the noise of the propellers of all ships nearby, and not just the submarine. The higher its acoustic qualities, the more noise it received. The operator of the SC device could not tune out the extraneous noise. The headphones constantly heard rustling and crackling sounds, so it was necessary to have acute hearing and be able to distinguish between noises.

Although the hydrophone gave a general direction to the submarine, it did not determine the distance. At the end of the First World War, submarine hunters continued to face the problem of determining the distance, which determined the accuracy of the ship's approach to the target. Therefore, the hydrophone did not solve all problems. An experienced operator was able to locate a submerged boat and indicate its approximate direction. However, he could not determine the distance to the boat.

Between the wars, advances in electronics made it possible to overcome some of the disadvantages of the hydrophone. The British and American navies have created a device that can measure the distance to a submerged boat. This high-frequency electronic device operated using the principle of echolocation. The British called it asdic, and the Americans called it sonar.

Describing the electronics part of a sonar would be too complex, so we won't go into detail about "how" this happens, just a quick summary of "what" happens. The sonar is located in a streamlined container under the bottom of the ship. The operator can use it in two ways: either simply listen to noises to detect the sound of the boat's propellers or internal mechanisms, or use echolocation to locate the boat and measure its distance to it. Both methods are based on the laws of hydroacoustics. Listening means just that: listening. The sonar operator listens to all the underwater noises and tries to distinguish among them those made by the submarine. Determining distance and direction is somewhat more complicated.

Echolocation is the process of determining the bearing and distance to an underwater object by sending a directional sound signal and receiving the reflected echo by a directional sound-collecting device. In this case, the sonar operator sends a sharp beam of sound pulses into the water - a high-pitched “ding”. Like a radio wave, an acoustic signal can travel through water for many miles before encountering some kind of obstacle. Possessing special properties, the acoustic signal is reflected from the encountered object. As a result, this “ding” turns into a rubber ball, which, having bounced off the target, returns to the person who threw it. The time interval until the signal (echo) returns gives the distance to the target, and the trajectory gives the bearing to the target.

In addition, an acoustic signal, reflected from a moving object, changes its frequency (Doppler effect). This can tell the operator the nature of the target's movements. Based on the magnitude of the frequency change, an experienced sonar operator will always determine what it is: a moving ship, stationary debris, a submarine or a whale.

With the advent of sonar, many optimists decided that the submarine had lost its invisibility cloak. Any anti-submarine ship equipped with sonar could sit on the boat's tail. After that, all that was left was to fill it with depth charges.

Once again, optimism turned out to be excessive. Dönitz's submarines tried to deceive the sonar using imitation "Pillenwerfer" cartridges - special chemical cartridges that create a cloud of air bubbles that reflect the acoustic signal. But this simulator did not create the Doppler effect, and experienced operators soon learned to distinguish between real and decoy underwater targets. Therefore, air bubbles did not help. Moreover, they helped the acousticians determine the distance rather than hinder them.

But working with sonar required the operator to quickly navigate the cacophony of sounds captured by acoustic receivers and the ability to identify echoes. Only a very well trained person could cope with this. And only well-trained officers could make the best use of the information received.

As already mentioned, it was impossible to constantly maintain acoustic contact. For example, a destroyer could make contact at 1015, lose contact at 1016, regain contact at 1030, hold until 1045, and lose it again, attacking when the range was reduced to 100 yards. Moreover, the roar of depth charge explosions temporarily deafened the receivers, and the water vortices they created helped the submarine escape. In such conditions, contact could be lost completely.

Sea water consists of layers of varying densities. These jumps in density are mainly caused by changes in temperature (water at the surface is generally warmer than in the depths) or different levels of salinity. A submarine can avoid sonar detection by hiding under a layer of denser water. At the boundary of the layers, refraction and reflection of the acoustic signal occurs, and the beam moves to the side. In addition, the boat can use its own sonar to detect a ship on the surface that is hunting it.

Therefore, the game of cat and mouse does not always end in favor of the hunter. And the submarine is not at all outdated after the advent of sonar.

Experiments with sonars began on American destroyers back in 1934. This device was installed on the DEM-20 ships of Captain 2nd Rank J. K. Jones. The destroyers Raburn, Waters, Talbot and Dent, as well as 2 submarines, became the first American ships to receive sonar. When the situation in Europe began to become dangerous, the Navy decided to commission the old four-tubes and equip them with sonars for use as anti-submarine ships. By September 1939, about 60 US Navy destroyers had received sonar. During the same period, the Navy opened the first hydroacoustics school.

Hydroacoustics schools

In 1939, the West Coast School of Hydroacoustics was established in San Diego. The beginning was very modest. The school was given a pair of DEM-20 destroyers based in San Diego. They had to demonstrate the operation of the sonar and teach how to use it. But gradually the school in San Diego expanded, and in the end it already had 1,200 cadets.

At the same time, the East Coast School was created. It opened at the New London Submarine Base on November 15, 1939. Captain 1st Rank Richard S. Edwards was appointed head of the school. The instructor was senior radio operator U.E. Braswell. The first class of hydroacoustics consisted of only 16 people who worked on 4 four-pipe ships of the Atlantic Fleet. These destroyers were the Bernadou, the Cole, the DuPont, and the Ellis.

In the fall of 1940, the school was relocated to Key West, Florida, where the weather and seas were more suitable for hydroacoustics training. Captain 1st Rank Edwards, who became commander of the submarine forces of the Atlantic Fleet, returned to duty. The school in Key West opened in December 1940, and Captain 2nd Rank E.G. became its head. Jones, commander of DEM-54. This division - the destroyers "Rooper", "Jacob Jones", "Herbert" and "Dickerson" - provided the training process.

The Key West school and the San Diego school were working at full capacity when the United States entered the war. By this time, 170 American destroyers were already equipped with sonars.

Separate training centers were created in Quonset (Rhode Island), Bermuda, Guantanamo, Trinidad, and Recife (Brazil). The training was conducted on American destroyers and other anti-submarine ships, and the role of targets was played by American submarines. Similar centers were opened in Pearl Harbor and other Pacific Fleet bases.

Anti-submarine warfare school in Miami

At first they were mockingly called “Donald Duck's Navy” - a motley collection of large and small hunters, armed yachts and, in general, anything that could swim and chase enemy submarines. At first they used 180-foot RFE hunters, but in 1943 destroyer escorts appeared. "Donald Duck" was building up his muscles.

Meanwhile, an anti-submarine warfare school was established in Miami, officially called the Submarine Hunter Training Center. Its task was to train officers and sailors to serve on the ships of Donald Duck's Fleet. Since the RS and SC hunting teams were staffed by reservists, many of whom had never seen the sea before, a lot of work was required.

The school officially opened in Miami on March 26, 1942. April 8 Captain 2nd Rank E.F. McDaniel, a veteran destroyer who had just commanded the destroyer USS Livermore in the North Atlantic, became her boss. He was a mediocre teacher, but he knew very well all the features of “barrels” and “droplets”.

By the end of 1943, more than 10,000 officers and 37,000 sailors had graduated from the school. They equipped about 400 small SC hunters, 213 large RS hunters, 200 anti-submarine ships of other classes and 285 escort destroyers. Small hunters and escort destroyers were already chasing the submarines. When 1944 began, no one dared to grunt about “Donald Duck's Navy.”

Small, lightly armed SCs were lightweights in the anti-submarine warfare ring and were unlikely to fight a submarine openly. However, they took upon themselves the protection of ports, patrolling coastal areas, and escorting convoys. Although the PC Hunters were only slightly larger, they still managed to sink several ocean-going submarines, something that any destroyer would be proud of. And what can we say about escort destroyers! Straight from Miami they rushed into the thick of the fighting. Escort destroyers were the steering wheel of a “search-and-strike vehicle” that eliminated the underwater threat in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean.

Anti-submarine warfare crews, looking back, can look back on the Miami Anti-Submarine Warfare School with a sense of pride in their alma mater. Tens and hundreds of sailors have passed through the training center on Biscayne Bay, McDaniel Academy. This name fully reflects the merits of the man who turned the Donald Duck kindergarten into an anti-submarine warfare academy. More than once, escort destroyers returning to Miami carried badges on their deckhouses denoting victories. One of the graduates of the school in Miami was the commander of the escort destroyer England. Even this ship alone, as we will see, would fully justify the existence of McDaniel Academy.

Sound Recorder

At the beginning of the war, the British created a new hydroacoustic device - a sound recorder. The recorder was not designed to detect targets. It served more to record the discovery. The device was housed in a metal box with a glass lid and had a roll of graphite paper and a small recorder pen that moved along an unwinding roll, leaving a mark. This trail is a record of echoes received by the sonar.

Based on the angle of inclination of the peaks, the operator can calculate the speed of approach to the target. This allows you to determine when the ship should open fire on the boat. Thus, the main significance of the recorder is that it greatly facilitates fire control.

The American Navy received this very valuable device from the British in the fall of 1941. Several recorders were immediately installed on destroyers escorting convoys from Argenshia. Sonar operators and anti-submarine ship officers immediately appreciated the device, and the recorder was immediately adopted. Contracts for the production of recorders were issued to American firms on February 1, 1942. After this, the recorders were installed on the ship along with the sonar.

Anti-submarine radar

As noted in previous chapters, American radars were developed by the Naval Research Laboratory before 1939. By 1940, 6 American ships received radar. But at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, radar was still a rare curiosity. Installing it on ships was a problem. The antennas were bulky, and the equipment required a lot of space. Operators were in short supply and electronic equipment was in short supply. When the war began, few anti-submarine ships had radar. At that time, it was considered normal to include one ship with a radar in the escort of a convoy.

The obvious value of the radar for detecting submarines immediately put it in first place in terms of urgent measures to organize anti-submarine defense. Every destroyer, every patrol ship, every anti-submarine ship was required to be equipped with an “all-seeing eye” that could detect a surfaced boat through rain, fog and darkness. Even if the submarine was in a positional position, with one wheelhouse above the water, the radar beam detected it, and a characteristic glare appeared on the screen.

As you know, for the first time an American ship established radar contact with a submarine on November 19, 1941. The destroyer Leary distinguished itself and thus went down in history. At this time he was accompanying convoy HX-160.

By August 1942, most warships in the Atlantic Fleet were equipped with radar. This device also appeared on ships of the Pacific Fleet. The Model SG short-wave radar, an improved model for detecting surface targets, began arriving on ships in the fall of 1942. It provided a clear and easily identifiable impulse on the screen. In 1943, an aircraft shortwave radar was created. But since the planes operated together with the destroyers, everything that helped the pilot also helped the destroyer. Shortwave radar became the bane of German boats. The Germans used any means to try to deceive the search radar. They released balloons that trailed strips of foil representing a target. They were trying to create an "invisible" submarine that would absorb radar beams. They tried to jam the emitters. Nothing worked. German receivers could not detect the operation of a radar with a wavelength of 10 cm. Even such an inconspicuous object as a snorkel was detected by the radar. After the war, the commander of the German submarine fleet, Admiral Doenitz, stated that his boats were defeated for two reasons. The first is the shortsightedness shown by Hitler, who failed to provide the German fleet with a sufficient number of submarines. The second is the “foresightedness” of the search radar.

If radar was the “eyes” of an anti-submarine ship, then sonar was its “ears.” One for detecting surface targets, the other for detecting underwater targets. Both gave the hunter range and bearing to the target for fire control devices.

High frequency direction finder

Early in the war, the Royal Navy created a method for determining the approximate position of German submarines over long distances. The principle was extremely simple. Intercept the submarine's transmission, and then determine its location by comparing bearings received by two coastal stations.

Any radio amateur is familiar with the operation of the direction finder loop, with the help of which small ships and yachts take bearings to coastal stations. The British simply turned this inside out by placing direction finders on the shore and began to pick up radio transmissions from submarines at sea. The boats usually transmitted various information to each other, so high-frequency direction finders could intercept these transmissions.

High-frequency direction finders (HF/DF, or "Huff-Duff") did not receive intercepted messages. They simply located the operating station. The sender of the message could be in the middle of the Atlantic or in the Caribbean. 10 minutes after the radiogram was transmitted, the boat could dive and head to another area. However, while the boat moved from one place to another, surfacing to transmit radio messages, the direction finder system could determine its course and track it day after day.

A boat in the open ocean, as a rule, does not float aimlessly. Careful tracking with a direction finder may reveal that she is heading west out of the Denmark Strait, heading towards Halifax, or has turned south towards Bermuda. Intense radio communications of German boats in a certain area allowed the operators of direction-finding stations to assume that a “wolf pack” was gathering there, perhaps for the purpose of replenishing fuel supplies. This information was transmitted from peripheral stations to the central one, where specially trained personnel monitored boats in a given area or heading in a certain direction. In turn, this information was transmitted to anti-submarine forces at sea. The ships were sent to intercept “wolf packs” or individual boats.

But if direction finders can give a signal at a long distance, then why not improve this system and start direction finding at short distances? Why not install high-frequency direction finders on ships at sea to intercept radio transmissions from boats and locate those nearby? This would avoid wasting time when transmitting information from the shore.

Seeing the work of direction finders on Canadian ships, Captain 1st Rank P.R. Heineman, who had just begun commanding the escort group, immediately recommended installing direction finders on American ships.

In early autumn, high-frequency direction finders were installed on the Coast Guard patrol ships Spencer and Campbell. Shortly thereafter, a direction finder was installed on the destroyer Endicott. Later, as a rule, 2 or 3 destroyers of each squadron received high-frequency direction finders.

Direction finders have become another means of detecting boats by anti-submarine forces. The direction finder allowed the convoy to change course in advance to avoid the submarine concentration area. Data from coastal direction-finding stations helped search and strike groups hunt for enemy boats.

When the direction finding system began to bear fruit, the German boats began to observe radio silence. However, to organize the actions of the “wolf pack” they were forced to go on air quite often. The boats also had to transmit information to the shore: reports to headquarters, confirmations of received orders, messages about their coordinates. The submarine could not remain silent all the time, otherwise Doenitz would have decided that it was lost.

Very often this was the case when American destroyers acted on information received from direction finders.

Anti-submarine warfare department

In early February 1942, a group of destroyer officers and other persons related to anti-submarine warfare gathered at the Boston shipyard. As a result of this meeting, an anti-submarine warfare department was created at the headquarters of the Atlantic Fleet, which studied methods and means of combating German submarines and trained instructors for the Atlantic Fleet hydroacoustics school.

The anti-submarine warfare department created in Boston began operating on March 2, 1942 under the leadership of Captain 1st Rank W.D. Baker. Working with Baker's department was the Anti-Submarine Warfare Research Group (ASWORG). It consisted of the best civilian scientists and teachers who were supposed to collect and analyze all information related to anti-submarine warfare, create new equipment, develop new methods of tracking, attacking and destroying submarines.

Until this time, anti-submarine warfare was carried out, as they say, by touch. Anti-submarine ships at sea did not know standard techniques. No doctrine of anti-submarine operations was formulated. The experience of fighting submarines gained during the Battle of the Atlantic has not been studied in detail or generalized.

Captain 1st Rank Baker's department and ASWORG tried to correct this situation. The collection and analysis of statistics began. For example, tables of hits and misses were compiled. The effects of depth charges were studied. How many Mark 6 bombs does it take to destroy a boat? Which series of bombs is most effective? The use of radar and sonar has been revised. Destroyer tactics were examined “under a microscope.” What actions are most effective? What are the chances of a destroyer destroying a submarine under certain conditions?

In anti-submarine warfare there is always an unknown factor that results from loss of contact between 200 and 600 yards. The immersion depth of the boat also cannot be determined with complete accuracy. Baker's officers and scientists worked day and night to minimize the impact of these unknowns, or at least to replace guesswork with reasonably accurate estimates.

Therefore, scientists working together with the anti-submarine warfare department did not only analyze the facts. They improved methods of fighting submarines. ASWORG analysts and mathematicians have developed methods for restoring contact with the submarine. They proposed the most effective options for series of depth charges: where, how many pieces and to what depth. They drew up mathematically sound options for guard and convoy orders: how many destroyers should be placed in the vanguard and at what distance from the transports, how many destroyers should go on the flanks, how many should cover the rear.

ASWORG scientists have created new tools to detect and destroy boats. But above all, they improved the ways of using existing weapons.

Destroyer Tactics (Attack)

American destroyers equipped with anti-submarine weapons entered the battles at sea. As already mentioned, destroyers and escort destroyers performed a dual task as anti-submarine ships during the Second World War.

Defensively, destroyers and other anti-submarine ships were used as patrols to guard port entrances, coastal waters, and other areas where there was an underwater threat. They protected large warships and other vessels from attack by submarines. This activity is collectively called “escort” and “guard.”

In the offensive, destroyers and other ships were used to search for, attack and destroy underwater enemies. Destroyers, escort destroyers, and escort aircraft carriers operating as part of search and strike groups fell into this category.

Such general definitions are vague, but they do give a rough idea of ​​the use of destroyers in anti-submarine warfare, and the terms "defensive" and "offensive" are applicable only for the general definition of large operations. A destroyer sailing as escort often receives orders to attack and destroy a detected enemy, that is, to act “offensively.” A destroyer or destroyer escort from a search and strike group may be ordered to guard an aircraft carrier while its comrades hunt for a submarine. But destroyers and escort destroyers, no matter what tasks they performed, were always ready to attack an underwater enemy.

It is absolutely clear that the anti-submarine tactics of destroyers were largely determined by the tactical tasks of the ship itself. Having established contact with a submarine, a destroyer from a search and strike group could act completely differently than a single destroyer escorting a damaged cruiser to the base.

The command of the fleet's destroyer forces has developed a number of provisions for the most typical situations. Standard schemes were developed and certain maneuvers were recommended, which were more or less standardized, something like an opening handbook in chess. Here are some examples.

An anti-submarine ship (we will call it a destroyer) is part of the convoy security and is located in front of the transports. Suddenly he makes sonar contact or sees a periscope breaker right in front of him. It is clear that this enemy poses a serious threat to the convoy vessels, which are several thousand yards behind the destroyer. Urgent measures must be taken to prevent the boat from firing an accurate torpedo salvo. Therefore, the destroyer transmits a warning via VHF and goes on the attack to prevent the boat from reaching the salvo position and force it to dive.

A submerged submarine will not be able to use the periscope to observe the convoy and make calculations for torpedo firing. She will not be able to repeat the maneuvers of a warned convoy, which will abruptly change course and leave the line of fire. If the submarine fired a torpedo before diving, such an urgent turn of the convoy will save the transports from being hit, since the calculations were made taking into account the previous course and speed of the convoy.

All this time, the destroyer occupies a position between the boat and the convoy until it moves a considerable distance away. To force the enemy to remain underwater, the destroyer can occasionally drop depth charges. While the boat is at depth, it does not see the convoy and may completely lose track of it. In addition, the speed of the boat underwater is low. If a boat is driven underwater and kept there long enough, it will not be able to catch up with surface ships.

When the convoy is out of danger, the destroyer alone or with the help of other ships, if it is possible to separate them from the guards, can try to take offensive actions: attack and destroy the boat. If the situation requires otherwise, he returns to the convoy at full speed and takes his place in the security order.

A submarine discovered behind a convoy is not so dangerous, if only because the transports move away from the torpedo salvo, and do not go towards it. An attempt to catch up with the convoy from the stern may take a long time. Therefore, if you keep the boat underwater long enough, it will lose all chance of attacking the convoy. In both cases, an attack on a submarine by a destroyer has one goal: to drive away the enemy, prevent him from using the periscope and carry out a torpedo attack.

The advent of radar made it possible to detect boats at great distances. Sonar has made it possible to track a boat underwater. As the war progressed, the number of Allied anti-submarine forces increased and the protection of convoys and warships improved. Only a few boats managed to penetrate inside the security ring and conduct a surprise torpedo attack. Anti-submarine ships acted according to a pre-developed plan, trying to destroy the enemy. Many German and Japanese submarines were destroyed in the attacks that ended a long and persistent pursuit.

Knowing full well how this deadly game could end, the submarines performed the most difficult maneuvers, trying to break away from their pursuers. But ending a submarine driven into the depths when it is trying to escape pursuit is a very, very difficult task.

Destroyer Tactics (Pursuit)

Oxygen supplies on a submarine are known to be limited, and submariners must breathe. Figuratively speaking, the submarine itself must “breathe.” When on the surface it runs on diesel engines, and when submerged it runs on electric motors. The batteries run out of power and the boat must surface to recharge them using diesel generators. If the oxygen runs out or the batteries run out, the boat will simply be helpless. Moreover, a prolonged pursuit can lead to a nervous breakdown of the crew. Therefore, the boat must periodically rise to the surface. But this rise may be the last if the enemy is waiting on the surface with guns ready to fire.

Very often, destroyers and destroyer escorts used pursuit tactics so that the crew of the submerged boat began to suffocate and exhausted their strength. Pushed to extremes, submariners would be forced to surface and fight on the surface, but this usually ended in disaster for the submarine.

Pursuit tactics can be used by a single ship or a large group of hunters acting together. Naturally, the more anti-submarine ships there are, the greater their chances of success. However, in World War II there were cases when even a single ship successfully pursued a submarine until it was forced to surface, and destroyed it.

A typical use of such tactics might begin with radar detection of a boat on the flank of the convoy. Contact! Several escort destroyers break down and rush there. The boat sinks and freezes. The destroyers make contact using sonar and the hunt begins.

The game may begin with a contest of endurance between the submarine and the ships above. The submariners know about the persecution that has begun and therefore use all the tricks to escape. Using sonar, hunters relentlessly follow the boat. They must only watch and wait until she is forced to surface. Time is on their side in this game of cat and mouse. Time and the fact that people and machines need air.

Of course, maintaining contact is the key to success with such tactics. Hunters must hang on the tail of the boat. In addition, they must not allow the boat to float up unnoticed. In this case, she has a chance to escape using high speed. Therefore, all hunting ships must carefully monitor the horizon. The radar operates continuously.

If the submarine remained underwater during the day, increased vigilance should occur after dusk. Naturally, the boat will try to elude its pursuers, using the darkness as cover. At the end of World War II, the snorkel and new air regeneration devices appeared, which weakened the influence of the time factor. But for most of the war, the boat could not remain underwater for more than 50 hours. Therefore, the pursuit tactics had to be calculated based on this.

A typical example: a trapped submarine surfaces to engage an anti-submarine ship. As soon as the boat appears on the surface, the pursuer sees a mark on the radar screen and approaches. Exhausted from spending many hours in the poisoned air, with nervous nerves, the submariners rush outside to the deck gun. In this case, all the advantages are on the side of the anti-submarine ship, especially if it is a well-armed destroyer, escort destroyer or patrol ship, which surpasses the boat in speed and artillery power.

It was extremely rare that submarines managed to fight off their pursuers. There was a case when, after a long stay under water, the boat surfaced and, heavily damaged, still managed to break free, although 4 ships were chasing it. But it was the American boat “Semon” (Captain 2nd Rank G.K. Nauman), and it was pursued by Japanese ships.

Convoy escort

A typical ocean convoy consisted of 40–70 ships, which followed in a formation of 9–14 wake columns. The distance between the columns was about 1000 yards, and the intervals in the column were about 600 yards. Therefore, a convoy of 11 columns is a rectangle 5 miles in front and up to 1.5 miles in depth, depending on the number of ships in the column. Each transport received a number depending on its place in the ranks.

Responsibility for maintaining discipline in the convoy rested with the commodore, who was usually on the lead ship of the central column. The Vice Comodore led the other column. The escort was usually commanded by the commander of the destroyer squadron or an officer of the corresponding rank. He raised a pennant on one of the lead destroyers to have direct visual contact with the commodore.

The escort ships formed a curtain around the convoy. The places of ships in the order were carefully calculated in order to provide the best protection for transports.

To attack a convoy, a submarine had to penetrate the security ring unnoticed and get to a close enough range to guarantee a torpedo hit. If the boat was outside the curtain, they had to shoot at random. If the guard ships were pulled up to the transports to thicken the curtain, the boat's chances increased, since it was able to get closer. On the other hand, if the escort ships were located too far from the transports, the boat had a chance to slip between them. To reduce the boat's chances to a minimum, the security order was calculated using scientific methods. The probability for a boat to slip between ships should be comparable to the probability of being hit by a torpedo shot from a long distance.

Security ships constantly conducted a sonar search. The radar monitored the surface of the sea to detect an enemy boat or raider. It was also used in poor visibility conditions to maintain position in the ranks.

Navigating a huge convoy of ships in fog, heavy seas or at night with all lights off requires excellent seamanship from all crews. Each merchant ship has its own characteristics and quirks. A high-speed one can get ahead, and a slow-moving one can lag behind. Machinery breakdown can force a ship to leave its place in the ranks. A collision can occur completely unexpectedly, especially if the convoy urgently changes course or uses an anti-submarine zigzag.

Large slow-moving convoys received the designation "S" from "slow" - "low-speed". They usually followed a constant course. The use of a zigzag was often beneficial, but in slow-moving convoys it broke the formation, and some of the ships fell behind. Moreover, its tactical usefulness was questionable. “How many ships were saved by a successful turn, just as many were destroyed by an unsuccessful one.” Therefore, slow-moving convoys used a zigzag or turned “all of a sudden” only in the event of an attack or a direct threat. And yet, in order to evade the “wolf pack” lurking in ambush, a slow-moving convoy could turn 20–40 degrees away from the general course and follow that way for several hours.

Before going to sea, each convoy was given a route, which could then be changed by orders via radio. The escort commander could also use his authority to change the course of the convoy if he believed that the situation required it.

The escort commander had primary responsibility for the passage of the convoy. His group was supposed to provide defense for the transports. He was personally responsible for the actions of the escort ships. The escort commander had the right to change the formation and course of the convoy within certain limits. Let's face it, there was a heavy weight on his shoulders.

Troop convoys were in a different category than the slow-moving convoys just described. As a rule, they consisted of transports and auxiliary ships of the Navy. High-speed convoys were designated "F" from "fast" - "high-speed". They followed at a higher speed and were heavily guarded.

Military convoys were protected by battleships and cruisers from attacks by surface raiders. The escort was usually commanded by a rear admiral, the commander of a division of cruisers or even battleships. The number of escort destroyers increased significantly.

The senior destroyer officer was appointed security commander. He reported to the escort commander and was responsible for the actions of the destroyers.

Sometimes escort aircraft carriers were attached to convoys. But more often, “tiny aircraft carriers” and escort destroyers were brought together into search and strike groups to hunt for “wolf packs.” However, these task forces often served as convoy cover as they passed through their areas of operation.

At the beginning of the war, there were no escort aircraft carriers, and mother aircraft could not cover a convoy on the open ocean. When they arrived, the constant air cover of the convoys changed the course of the Battle of the Atlantic. But for most of the war, destroyers bore the brunt of guarding the convoys. Hundreds of ships and thousands of tons of cargo crossed the ocean safely, thanks to the effective anti-submarine tactics of destroyers, tactlessly called "tin cans."

A depth charge is a projectile with a strong explosive or atomic charge enclosed in a metal casing of cylindrical, spherocylindrical, drop-shaped or other shape. A depth charge explosion destroys the hull of a submarine and leads to its destruction or damage. The explosion is caused by a fuse, which can be triggered: when a bomb hits the hull of a submarine; at a given depth; when a bomb passes at a distance from a submarine not exceeding the radius of action of a proximity fuse. A stable position of a spherocylindrical and drop-shaped depth charge when moving along a trajectory is given by the tail unit - the stabilizer. They are divided into aviation and ship; the latter are used by launching jet depth charges from launchers, firing from single-barrel or multi-barrel bomb launchers, and dropping them from stern bomb releasers.

The first sample of a depth charge was created in 1914 and, after testing, entered service with the British Navy. Depth charges found widespread use in World War I and remained the most important type of anti-submarine weapon in World War II from 1939-1945. Nuclear depth charges were withdrawn from service in the 90s. Nowadays, depth charges are being intensively replaced by more accurate weapons (for example, the Torpedo Missile).

The PLAB-250-120 anti-submarine bomb is currently in service with the Russian Navy aviation. The weight of the bomb is 123 kg, of which the explosive weight is about 60 kg. Bomb length - 1500 mm, diameter - 240 mm.

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Cocktail Depth Bomb | Submarine | Home Bartender

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Operating principle

Based on the practical incompressibility of water. A bomb explosion destroys or damages the hull of a submarine at depth. In this case, the energy of the explosion, instantly increasing to a maximum in the center, is transferred to the target by the surrounding water masses, through them destructively affecting the attacked military object. Due to the high density of the medium, the blast wave along its path does not significantly lose its initial power, but with increasing distance to the target, the energy is distributed over a larger area, and accordingly, the damage radius is limited.

The fuse is triggered when it hits the hull of the boat, at a certain depth, or when passing next to the hull.

Typically, depth charges are rolled from the stern of the ship or fired from a bomb launcher. Depth charges can also be dropped from aircraft (airplanes, helicopters) and delivered to the location where the submarine is detected using missiles.

Depth charges are characterized by their low accuracy - sometimes about a hundred bombs are required to destroy a submarine.

Experienced bartenders claim that the Depth Bomb cocktail explodes three times: first in the glass during preparation, then in the mouth during tasting, and finally, after some delay, in the skull. We will look at the classic recipe and two of the most popular variations of the drink.

Historical reference. It is unknown who first thought of putting a glass of strong alcohol into a glass of beer. In North America, these cocktails (in addition to the “Depth Bomb”, the names “Bomb shot” and “Boilermarker” are found) have been mentioned in printed publications since the 30s of the 20th century. According to one version, the name appeared due to the rapid intoxicating effect that causes an explosion in the depths of consciousness.

In one variation or another, the cocktail has appeared on screen more than once, for example, in the films “Dumb and Dumber,” “Hooked,” “Thor,” and in the TV series “Breaking Bad” and “Person of Interest.”

Classic Depth Charge

Bar version with liqueurs laid in layers on top of the glass. It looks beautiful, but on the first sips it turns out to be a sweet beer, which is quite unusual.

Composition and proportions:

• light beer – 300 ml;
• golden tequila – 50 ml;
• Blue Curacao – 10 ml;
• Cointreau – 10 ml;
• strawberry liqueur – 10 ml.

1. Pour beer into a glass.

2. Carefully lower the glass of tequila into the beer.

3. Using a bar spoon, place layers of Blue Curacao, Cointreau and strawberry liqueurs along the walls of the glass.

4. Drink in one gulp.

Russian "depth charge"

Of course, the most explosive and dangerous. An adapted version of the cocktail to domestic alcoholic traditions is considered a variety of “Ruff”. Easy to prepare at home. Those who like to mix vodka with beer will like it, but do it beautifully. After a few servings, even advanced users experience a “brain explosion.”

Ingredients:

• vodka – 50 ml;
• beer – 150-200 ml;
• salt – 1 pinch.

1. Pour vodka into a shot glass and place in the microwave for 10 seconds.

2. Pour cold beer into a glass.

3. Remove the shot glass from the microwave and light the vodka. Wait 5-10 seconds.

4. Salt the beer, then throw in a glass of hot vodka (you can do it sharply so that splashes appear). Drink in one gulp.

If you use Corona beer and replace the vodka with tequila (any kind), you get a “Mexican Bomb” or “Mexican Ruff”.

Irish "depth charge"

It contains only Irish spirits, hence the name. The main difference is that it is prepared on the basis of dark Guinness beer and is memorable for its light chocolate aftertaste.

The appearance of submarines was a turning point in the history of the development of the navy. The first submarines brought real terror to sailors, because how could one resist an enemy hidden by the depths of the sea, whose blow could not be responded to? Soon, the fight against enemy submarines became one of the most important combat missions for any navy. The admirals had to think hard about changing combat tactics and finding new tools with which to counter the new threat.

And already in 1914, such a tool was created: the first depth charge was tested in Great Britain - the most important type of anti-submarine weapon, which is in service with most of the world's fleets today. The first anti-submarine defense systems, including depth charges, were not perfect, so during the First and Second World Wars, German submariners were able to cause real terror on enemy communications. But by the end of World War II, the Allies were able to find effective means of combating the German submarine fleet.

The post-war period was marked by a real revolution in the development of the submarine fleet. The submarines received a nuclear propulsion system and intercontinental ballistic missiles as their main weapons. The issue of combating the underwater threat has become a strategic one. Now anti-submarine defense has become part of a much more important task - protecting one’s own territory from an enemy nuclear attack. Therefore, no expense was spared to solve it. It was during the Cold War that nuclear depth charges and torpedoes with a nuclear warhead appeared in the arsenal of fleets. The last ammunition of this type was withdrawn from service back in the 90s of the last century.

In the USSR, for a long time, practically no attention was paid to this type of weapon. Only in the early 30s were two depth charges adopted by the Russian fleet: BB-1 and BM-1. These were ordinary metal barrels filled with TNT. They had a fuse with a clock mechanism, which made it possible to hit targets at depths of up to 100 meters. During bombing, BB-1 and BM-1 were simply thrown overboard using stern or onboard bomb releasers. The insufficient sinking speed of these munitions made it difficult to defeat enemy submarines.

During the war, Soviet sailors mainly used depth charges supplied to the country under Lend-Lease. American and British ammunition was significantly superior to Soviet bombs in their basic characteristics. And the significant increase in submarine diving depths (200-220 meters), which became a common tactic towards the end of the war, made Soviet ammunition practically useless. Although, it should be noted that the most advanced examples of these weapons were not supplied to the USSR.

Nowadays, depth charges are gradually becoming a thing of the past, they are replaced by more accurate types of anti-submarine weapons (guided torpedoes, rocket-torpedoes), but at the same time they are still in service with the largest navies in the world. However, before we talk about modern types of these weapons, we should give a description of the design of the depth charge, and also say a few words about the features of their use.

Depth charges: general description and main features

A depth charge is a type of ammunition designed to destroy submarines in their combat (underwater) position. It consists of a body, an explosive charge and a fuse. Instead of conventional explosives, a nuclear charge can be used. The depth charge fuse can also be different: contact, non-contact, or designed to be activated at a given depth. Depth charges often have multiple fuses.

A contact fuse is triggered after hitting the submarine’s hull, a non-contact fuse is triggered when the ammunition passes at a certain distance from the submarine. The proximity fuse can react to the submarine's magnetic field or the noise it makes. The fuse, designed to operate at a certain depth, has a hydrostat, which is triggered by an increase in pressure and activates the detonator. This type of fuse allows you to pre-set the depth at which the detonation will occur.

In its simplest form, a depth charge is a cylinder filled with explosives. Initially they were made in the shape of a barrel. However, this form of ammunition is rather imperfect; it causes a low dive speed of the bomb, and, as a rule, causes the ammunition to “tumble” in the wake of an anti-submarine ship. Throw a tin can into a pool and see what kind of somersaults it will perform during the dive. Such “acrobatics” not only slows down the sinking of the ammunition, but also significantly moves it away from the release point. Which, in turn, reduces the accuracy of bombing.

It is precisely because of hydrodynamic imperfections that the use of cylindrical depth charges has long been abandoned. Modern ammunition of this type is pear-shaped or teardrop-shaped; they are usually equipped with tail stabilizers, which further increases the accuracy of their use.

How does a depth charge work?

The operating principle of a depth charge is based on the fact that water, like any other liquid, is practically incompressible. The force of a ground explosion decreases quite quickly because the shock wave is absorbed by the air and gradually fades away. In water the situation is different; the blast wave creates high pressure, which is very effective even at a considerable distance from the epicenter. So a direct hit is not necessary to destroy a submarine's hull (although, of course, it is preferable). An explosion of a depth charge near a submarine could well destroy its hull or significantly damage the internal mechanisms of the submarine. The force of the explosion gradually decreases with increasing radius of shock wave propagation. Nuclear depth charges have the greatest killing power; their damage radius can reach several thousand meters.

Naturally, the submarine does not pretend to be a stationary target, but tries in every possible way to escape the volley of depth charges aimed at it. Modern hydroacoustics allow the submarine to “hear” what is happening on the surface and determine the moment of bombing. After which she begins evasive maneuvers, the goal of which is to avoid meeting with the deadly "gifts". It should be noted that a submarine, operating in three dimensions, can quite successfully avoid being hit by depth charges. To do this, the boat can change depth, course, speed, drift or freeze without moving. Lay low or zigzag to make it harder for anti-submarine ships to do their job. The maneuvering of a submarine during bombing is in many ways similar to the action of an aircraft during a missile attack.

An anti-submarine ship drops depth charges blindly, relying only on acoustic data. But acoustic contact is not very reliable; it is often interrupted. Therefore, a depth charge is a very inaccurate weapon; as a rule, hundreds of bombs are needed to ensure the destruction of a submarine ship.

One of the main characteristics of a depth charge is its sinking speed; the higher it is, the greater the effectiveness of the ammunition.

Depth charges can be used in different ways. Initially, they were simply dropped from the stern of anti-submarine ships, but this method was not very effective. Often, after hitting the water, the ammunition was picked up by the wake of the ship and significantly changed the direction of its dive. Later, bomb throwers of various designs began to be used to use depth charges. Usually they were mortars, from which bombs were fired at a certain elevation angle. Bomb launchers significantly increased the efficiency of using depth charges, as they made it possible to quickly cover a large area of ​​​​the water surface in one gulp.

After World War II, rocket launchers were adopted, using rocket-propelled depth charges (RDCs) as ammunition.

The jet depth charge has a stabilizer and a solid propellant jet engine. Such ammunition not only allows for more accurate and rapid bombing, but also has a greater sinking speed, due to the acceleration with which the bomb enters the water.

Currently, depth charges are used not only from ships, but also from airplanes and helicopters. Today the Russian Navy is armed with the PLAB-250-120 anti-submarine bomb. The weight of this ammunition is more than 120 kg, of which 60 kg is explosive. Also, modern depth charges can be delivered to the point of use using rockets.

Among modern Russian rocket launchers, we can note the RBU-6000 “Smerch-2” and RBU-1000 “Smerch-3”, as well as the “Udav-1M” complex, which is capable of not only fighting enemy submarines, but also destroying enemy torpedoes and underwater saboteurs.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them

Depth charge

From the very beginning of the First World War, inventors were looking for a means with which they could strike an invisible enemy underwater. Such a means was found and immediately became a formidable weapon against submarines.

During the entire war, he destroyed 36 submarines, or almost 1/5 of the number that was sunk.

This weapon is a depth charge. And during the Second World War, this bomb turned out to be a powerful weapon for those surface and air ships that hunted submarines. It is a cylindrical projectile. The weight of the bomb charge varies and reaches up to 270 kilograms.

A bomb is called a depth bomb because it does not explode upon contact with water or upon any impact, but at a certain, predetermined depth. The bomb firing pin is connected to the same hydrostat that is used in various mine devices and in torpedoes. The hydrostat is adjusted in such a way that it releases the firing pin at a certain depth under water. But it is impossible to know in advance at what depth the submarine is hiding. This is why depth charges on a ship are set in advance to operate at different depths. A certain number of such bombs with different explosion depths constitute a whole series. Bombs are dropped in such series; their impacts can therefore reach a submerged submarine at different depths.

But after diving, the submarine can leave the place where its periscope was noticed. True, she had not yet managed to go far, but still the impacts of depth charges dropped in just one place may not cause her harm. Therefore, the ship drops its bombs in a certain area in such a way that a slight movement of the submarine will not help it avoid being hit.

It is not at all necessary that the depth charge hits the submarine or explodes right there, near it. The force of the impact is so great that the charge destroys a submarine at a distance of up to 10 meters, and at a distance of up to 20 meters the explosion causes serious damage to it, which often takes it out of the swarm. The most important mechanisms - the submarine has to float.

How do they “shoot” depth charges?

At the stern of the ship, a kind of guide dumping trays are installed. The bombs are placed in these trays and, when dropped, fall into the “wake” of the ship. There are also bomb launchers - “guns” for firing depth charges. They are installed along the sides at the stern of the ship.

Now imagine that a surface ship, armed with both a stern jetter and on-board bomb throwers, spotted a submerging submarine. He rushes to the dive site, now he has reached it; then bombs begin to be dropped along the ship's path and on both sides. The ship rushes by, leaving behind a large area strewn with bombs. The blast waves spread throughout the entire thickness of the water and form a deadly void, from which it is very difficult for a submarine to escape unharmed.

The successes of the depth charge have led to the fact that in the projects of new “hunter” ships this weapon is beginning to play an increasingly significant role.

Information appears in the foreign press about the latest designed hunter ships, armed with long-range bomb launchers in turret mounts. These are a kind of guns with rangefinders and sighting devices; their firing is controlled from a central fire control station.

Such bomb launchers will be able to hit a submarine from afar that has been spotted and managed to submerge with depth charges.

In addition, with their help, it is allegedly possible to create an explosive curtain in the path of torpedoes fired by any ship, and force them to explode prematurely or turn away.

How depth charges are scattered over an area.

Depth charges were released from the bomb launcher.

Inventors continue to search for even more advanced weapons to destroy submerged submarines. For example, information about the Torpedo Depth Charge Project appeared in the press. This is an ordinary torpedo, but its charging compartment can also serve as a depth charge. Having noticed a submarine on the surface or its periscope, the hunter ship fires such a torpedo. The distance device in it is installed at a certain distance - to the location of the submarine. If she remains on the surface or under the periscope, the torpedo will strike her hull, explode and sink her. If the submarine manages to dive, then at the end of the torpedo’s travel distance, just above the diving enemy, a mechanism separating the charging compartment will automatically operate. It will turn into an ordinary depth charge and explode at a given depth.

One of the projects of the newest submarine hunter, armed with targeted long-range bomb launchers in turret installations: 1 – Stern bomb releaser. 2 – Targeted long-range bombs in towers 3 – Fire control. 4 – Powerful spotlights. 5- 76 mm caliber guns 6- Anchor. 7 -Range finder in the tower. 8-bomb launcher. 9 – Tower rotation and maintenance mechanisms. 10 – Mechanisms of the stern bomb releaser. 11 – Bomb launcher towers, 12 – Ship guns.