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Early LA-class question

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
Nothing sensitive, I promise. Look, when the LA-class boats had just been started to design, was something ASuW in the designer's and naval planners' mind? We here in Russian have been told that LA-class, at least four-shooters of Flight I, have been designed to hunt on our 675's Echoes "camp-cots" and NOT for defence of CBGs. Since then appeared more boats all around the world, no matter nuclear or diesel ones, and they seemto be much more concerned with TLAM launches or special ops support, and if that is the trend, they'll forget soon enough what the torpedo is. But back then to 1970s, were the 688 boat squadrons' staffs concerned with the task to hunt the Soviet surface ships? Since USN naval aviation from 1945 to 1975 paid almost no attention to ASuW, was there someone in USN then who was tasked with this job? Oral History of VADM Mustin shows that "shoe" world had not been the choice for ASuW then too. What rests? Submarine forces. So was that the case?
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
Nothing sensitive, I promise. Look, when the LA-class boats had just been started to design, was something ASuW in the designer's and naval planners' mind? We here in Russian have been told that LA-class, at least four-shooters of Flight I, have been designed to hunt on our 675's Echoes "camp-cots" and NOT for defence of CBGs. Since then appeared more boats all around the world, no matter nuclear or diesel ones, and they seemto be much more concerned with TLAM launches or special ops support, and if that is the trend, they'll forget soon enough what the torpedo is. But back then to 1970s, were the 688 boat squadrons' staffs concerned with the task to hunt the Soviet surface ships? Since USN naval aviation from 1945 to 1975 paid almost no attention to ASuW, was there someone in USN then who was tasked with this job? Oral History of VADM Mustin shows that "shoe" world had not been the choice for ASuW then too. What rests? Submarine forces. So was that the case?

Pretty sure the plan from ‘45-‘75 was to the Air Force to nuke the Soviet surface ships in port ;).
 

HAL Pilot

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
There were no long range surface to surface missiles in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Anything in the early 70s was at best short range and crap.

Surface ships had plenty of guns and aircraft carriers had plenty of aircraft for ASUW. There were lots of submarines other than the LA class with plenty of torpedos. ASUW and capabilities were basically the same as in WW2 but with greater accuracy. The U.S. was plenty capable.

Plus the MK48 torpedo was introduced with the LA class in 1972 as it’s primary weapon. That torpedo was designed as a ship killer.
 

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
Plus the MK48 torpedo was introduced with the LA class in 1972 as it’s primary weapon. That torpedo was designed as a ship killer.

Well, almost a decade before Sub-Harpoon's OIC. This is the answer I think, thanks a lot. Soviet surface navy had no options in 1970s to counter that if there were two to three USN subs defending CBG or convoy. Japanese state that at the same time they had to have at least five ASW surface ships and five ASW helos aloft to counter the sole Soviet SSN attacking a TrasPac 15-knots convoy. In 1970s Soviet Navy had probably enough surface frigates to compare but definitely lacked so many helos.

aircraft carriers had plenty of aircraft for ASUW


Yet definitely this statement seems to be highly questionable. Numerically maybe, but what about effective antiship weapon? In comparison, the LAs with Mk48s look much more suitable ASuW choice.
 
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