AW1Steve -> RE: PG Charleston (7/4/2007 10:15:48 PM)
|
My readings lead me to beleave that they were built for two reasons 1)because treaties allowed them ,and 2) to be used as seagoing big gunboats / or really low cost small cruisers. They tended to be deployed before the war for "showing the flag" in south and central America, and as training ships. As the USN really never developed a strong doctrine for their use or need , they were really more "prototypes" then any thing else. Both Charleston and Erie had two six inch cruiser guns and carried scout planes , but were not partically fast, though realatively fuel effcient. During the war they were mainly used as convoy escorts , being too slow to travel with main fleet units. Norman Friedman writes and describes this type in his Naval Instititue book on Small Combatants.[:)] quote:
ORIGINAL: niceguy2005 I'm looking for a little input from the Navy experts...not knowing that much about ships myself. I have done a little reading on the net about the Charleston and similar larger gunboats. It seems that the primary purpose of this type of ship is convoy escort. Is that correct? She is actaully decently well armed and armored. What sort of use did these ships generally get put to?
|
|
|
|