Quote:
Originally Posted by Silent Hunter UK
Agreed. A ship doesn't travel much faster than a tank in combat and is a larger target.
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While you can technically use any system on the water, dedicated systems have a few traits that "improvised" systems won't have. Most dedicated Naval systems are "hardened" against both water and shock. A heavy sea state can cause MAJOR damage to a system not prepared for the "jostling" that the seas can cause to equipment. Optics will fail, electronics cease to function and just aiming the weapon can become problematic if the sights cannot be focused on in a rolling sea. Another trait is a sealed delivery system designed to keep just plain sea water from killing both electronics and propellants in a weapons system. A third trait would be the proper positioning of the weapon to prevent damage to the ship. A recoilless rifle does you no good if its backblast blows out all of the superstructure's windows when fired.
Ships systems should (and most do) have a "Stabilization System" like tanks do. The following chart will help you understand what Sea States would add a level of difficulty and what Stabilization would help in those Sea States.
SEA STATE AND STABILIZATION RATES:
Stabilization Type: ......................... Sea State And Description: ..................Difficulty Shift for Non-Stabilized Weapons:
No Stabilization: ............................ (0-2) Calm to Wavelets (up to 0.5m) ................. No Difficulty Shift
Poor Stabilization: .......................... (3-4) Slight to Moderate (0.5m to 2.5m) ............ One Level More Difficult
Fair Stabilization: ........................... (5-6) Moderate to Rough (2.5m to 6m) .............. Two Levels More Difficult
Good Stabilization: ......................... (7) Very Rough/High waves (6m to 9m) ............. Three Levels More Difficult
Excellent Stabilization: .................... (8) Very High Waves (9m to 14m) ..................... Four Levels More Difficult
No Effective Stabilization Available: .. (9) Phenomenal Waves (14m+) ......................... Five Levels More Difficult
Thus a Moderate Sea State could put a crimp in that call for fire support from your deck mounted mortar or recoilless rifle.
Naval Weapons:
Most naval weapons are stabilized but the extent of that stabilization depends on the era the weapon is from and the cost/quality of the installation.
- Most WW2 weapons (like the US battleship's guns) have Poor Stabilization.
- Most 1960's and 1970's era weapons have Fair Stabilization (like the US 5" Gun Mount or the 25mm Mk38 mount).
- Most 1980's and 1990's weapons (Like the OTO-Melara 76.2mm Mk2) have Good Stabilization.
- Most 21st Century weapons (like the newer 30mm, 40mm, and 57mm autocannon) have Excellent Stabilization.
Retrofitted weapons may have a lower level of Stabilization. When the Perry Class Frigates had their Mk13 Launchers decommissioned, the Navy experimented with a modified 5" Gun mount. The mount could only carry the 20 rounds in it and a small magazine of only 200 rounds was all that could be fitted (a standard magazine is 600 rounds). The real "deal-breaker" was that the mount ended up with the equivalent of Poor Stabilization.
This overlooked aspect of naval weapons will help you "customize" the various weapons on any ships you choose to use in Twilight2000.