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To: JasonC
True, true.

But they could keep fighting at least. Lower effectiveness of course, but the "classic" WWII destroyers could keep fighting when they had to.

Today? The ship can't fight after a hit: To survive, every hit must be prevented absolutely.

No power = no hydraulics + no control + no CIC + radar + no reload nor aim nor shooting from the main battery (guns) or missile launcher.

No propulsion? Can't move, leave, or control the ship's heading to bring a CIWS or guns into play to defend (or attack.)

No CIC (or electronics room or radar cooling water supply or waveguide vacuum/gas system or 400 Hz system or main power or ....)? Doesn't matter how brave or well-trained you are, you can't fight the next missile.

Mine or torpedo break the back of the ship in half? Only a few may be injured, but the ship is breaking apart, and it HAS to be treated (as you pointed out) with tender-loving care and a well-placed nearby drydock.

Silicon weapons in glass ships are more vulnerable than iron men in steel ships.
215 posted on 07/16/2006 9:38:34 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
They had power.

I don't doubt that modern electrified ships are more vulnerable to major damage, still below the truly ship threatening level. But this is mostly a consequence of poor design and inattention to the issue.

We know how to make networks redundant and therefore survivable. The internet was designed to withstand a nuclear war. If similar principles were applied to shipboard integrated systems, keeping critical functions up despite loss of subcomponents is perfectly feasible. We do the same thing with error correcting codes in practical computing - a portion of capacity dedicated to checks is enough to damp occasional failures instead of amplifying them, as the number of interrelated components rises.

What complexity researchers call "the science of networks" is all that would be needed, along with a willingness to bring in such considerations at the design phase. There will still be levels of damage at which key functions are lost. But there is no generic necessity for lots of complicated systems intertwinned with each other, to be "touchier" rather than more robust.

People haven't seriously done this yet for shipboard integrated systems. But it is perfectly doable, if the priority given to damage control at the design stage is upped somewhat.

221 posted on 07/16/2006 10:08:07 AM PDT by JasonC
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