> Right, but why do we only have aircraft carriers, > and not small boat > carriers for fleet vs. fleet operations? IMHO, its > because aircraft has a > different set of tradeoffs from boats/ships. I > cannot imagine a carrier > of, say PT boats being effective in fleet to fleet > operations. If they > were effective, wouldn't we have had at least one PT > carrier in a fleet?
But look at it this way: what if aircraft were never developed? The advantage aircraft have over a PT boat is both speed and altitude. But in other regards a PT boat is superior: it has greater endurance and payload. But speed and altitude trump the abilities of the PT boat. But in a place where there is no competition from aircraft, it would be reasonable that PT boats, with greater technology, would prosper. In between the period between the development of the self-propelled torpedo and the development of effective fighter aircraft (essentially WWII), one of the biggest threats naval planners saw in the future was that from torpedo boats. These were usually light vessels with small cannon and a number of torpedos, and although they were not the direct predecessor to MTBs like the American PT, they fulfilled the same role. They were so concerned that an entirely new class of warship was developed specifically to counter them: the Destroyer (or, more accurately, Torpedo Boat Destroyers) and to fulfil a similar role in high seas fleet actions. With better technology (primarily in materials and engines during WWII) these craft could be made smaller and more effective. But they were completely overshadowed by airpower. Combat in space, however, there is no "equivalent" (at least known) to aircraft; so essentially everything is a "ship." So, rather than looking at space fighters as aircraft, rather look at them as small "ships." Looking back I think I made my analysis needlessly long and wordy. To sum up: the reason there are no PT carriers is that airpower completely overshadows that. In space, though, there is no equivalent. Damon. ===== ------------------------------------------------------------ Damon Agretto [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." http://www.geocities.com/garrand.geo/index.html Now Building: ------------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover
_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
