General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: Role of Englands Carriers during WW 2
Posted by:
Ken Dunn
()
Date: July 05, 2009 04:41PM
Hi Mike,
First let me say I have no idea how England used all of their carriers during the war and I doubt anyone can provide anything but speculation as to why they were deployed as they were.
That said, there was a desperate need for carrier aircraft in the U-boat War. They were instrumental in winning that war. Any U-boat attacked by an aircraft eventually had to dive and once submerged their slow underwater speed rendered them harmless to near by convoys as even the slowest convoys could outrun a submerged U-boat.
In addition to forcing U-boats to submerge, aircraft were very effective at sinking U-boats. The carriers allowed aircraft to protect convoys and to hunt U-boats in areas that could not be reached by land-based aircraft. Ultimately as the numbers of allied carriers and land-based aircraft grew the U-boats were taking their life in their own hands anytime they surfaced. When carriers were deployed with convoys their aircraft were able to keep the U-boats from even getting close enough to a convoy to attack it.
Additionally, Japan didn’t use her submarines the same way Germany did so the most anti-submarine "bang for the buck" was obtained by using British carriers in the U-boat War.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
First let me say I have no idea how England used all of their carriers during the war and I doubt anyone can provide anything but speculation as to why they were deployed as they were.
That said, there was a desperate need for carrier aircraft in the U-boat War. They were instrumental in winning that war. Any U-boat attacked by an aircraft eventually had to dive and once submerged their slow underwater speed rendered them harmless to near by convoys as even the slowest convoys could outrun a submerged U-boat.
In addition to forcing U-boats to submerge, aircraft were very effective at sinking U-boats. The carriers allowed aircraft to protect convoys and to hunt U-boats in areas that could not be reached by land-based aircraft. Ultimately as the numbers of allied carriers and land-based aircraft grew the U-boats were taking their life in their own hands anytime they surfaced. When carriers were deployed with convoys their aircraft were able to keep the U-boats from even getting close enough to a convoy to attack it.
Additionally, Japan didn’t use her submarines the same way Germany did so the most anti-submarine "bang for the buck" was obtained by using British carriers in the U-boat War.
Regards,
Ken Dunn
