General Modeling > General Model Discussion
USS Barb rocket attack queston
simoni:
In the pacific near the end of the war EB Fluckey experimented with launching rockets from his submarine while on the surface.
He had a US Army multi barrel 5 inch (127mm) rocket launcher welded to the deck of the Barb (SS 220) and took on a store of unguided projectiles.
Early on the morning of June 22 1945 the Barb surfaced off the Island of Hokkaido and bombarded the town of Shari.
The rockets were fired when the vessel was surfaced at a range of 5,250 yards -4800 meters.
During the next month Barb remained in Japanese waters anc carried out 5 additional shore bombardments, some supplemented by the use of the vessels 5 inch gun and 40mm cannon.
It is worth noting that the rocket attacks are not a formal Navy program but a result of one aggressive commanders action.
Source: Cold War Submarines by Norman Polmar, Kenneth J. Moore
Does anyone have any further information or photographs about this tour?
Even a description of the mounting of the launcher would be of help.
Also, any information about the US armys 5' launcher would be of help.
I can find only one type - a Stalins Organ type thing
Rokket:
I might be able to help - I have read Fluckey's book, Thunder Below! he describes requesting, begging, coercing to get rockets, and then when finally it is real, he gets less than he wanted but uses all he can. I will see what I can scan and what pix there are. It is small section of the book. I definitely recommend the book, whether you are a fan of USN or Gatos or just any subs or whatever - he has a bit of en ego, but it is innocent...Fluckey was simply super-confident and brilliant and the extra-ordinary was nothing more than a slight challenge for him. I'm certain those around him saw him as an "energy vampire" and maybe felt inadequate, but I think he was one of those "super people" who innocently and kindly went about being amazing.
I just read something somewhere about the Kriegsmarine doing some rocket work 2-4 years earlier. But then again, it is freaky to see rockets fired in banks of 10+ from tanks in WWII.
simoni:
It would be great to get info on the USN rocket bombardment.
I have seen a 1/72 tank with a rocket launcher, I hope this is the type as opposed to the ones used on the landing craft before Iwo Jima.
There is also the option to build the Cusk during the Loon trials.
The German submarine rocket program is fairly well documented.
I will do a separate posting on the research I have done on this
I intend to build a Type II as used in the Black sea.
Down the road I would like to build a 'What if' type IX or XXI with a V-1
Rokket:
What if...so many cool possibilities!
simoni:
Only real worry is that the Type IX and Type XXI in 1/72 are only available as vacuform, in which I have no experience.
Doing a Gato class first, either Barb or Cusk.
Then a type II and a type VII
Then
[img]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k279/shipbucket/Alternate%20Universe/DSSKTypeXXA-C11AU.gif?t=1236520862[img/]
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