4.5-Inch Beach Barrage Rocket
| "Old Faithful" | |
|---|---|
 4.5-Inch BBR with Mk 9 motor | |
| Type | Surface-to-surface rocket |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Caltech |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Produced | 1942–1945 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 29 lb (13 kg) |
| Length | 30 in (760 mm) |
| Diameter | 4.5 in (110 mm) |
| Warhead | High explosive |
| Warhead weight | 6.5 lb (2.9 kg) |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range | 1,100 yd (1.0 km) |
| Maximum speed | 242 mph (389 km/h) |
Guidance system | None |
The 4.5-Inch Beach Barrage Rocket, also known as "Old Faithful",[1] was a 4.5-inch (110 mm) rocket developed and used by the United States Navy during World War II. Originally developed from the "Mousetrap" anti-submarine rocket, it saw widespread use during the war, being replaced by more powerful rockets toward the end of the conflict.
Development
[edit]Developed during 1942 by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), under the direction of Charles Christian Lauritsen,[2] in response to a requirement by the United States Navy for a rocket capable of being launched from landing craft to provide fire support during amphibious landings, the 4.5-Inch BBR was an improved version of the Mousetrap anti-submarine rocket system, using the Mousetrap's Mk 3 rocket motor mated to a 20-pound (9.1 kg) general purpose aerial bomb.[3] An impact fuse was mounted in the nose of the rocket, with an annular fin assembly providing stability.[4] A modified, larger version of the Beach Barrage Rocket, using the Mk 9 rocket motor, was also produced, being introduced into service in late 1944.[3][4]
Operational history
[edit]First test fired on June 24, 1942, further tests in August proved sufficiently successful for the Navy Bureau of Ordnance to place an initial order for 3,000 Beach Barrage Rockets;[5] the weapon was introduced into combat service that November, during the invasion of northern Africa.[3] Fired from 12-round launchers[6] and capable of being fitted with either the standard high explosive or a white phosphorus warhead,[3] approximately 1,600,000 examples of the BBR were built;[7] although the rocket proved inaccurate in service, it was widely used, and was highly regarded by members of the amphibious forces.[8] The effect on the target of the Beach Barrage Rocket was described as being equivalent to that of a barrage from heavy mortars.[9]
The 4.5-Inch BBR also saw use as an improvised ship-to-ship weapon, as well as being launched from ground-based launchers; it is credited with the first ship to be sunk by another purely by rocket attack, occurring near Ormoc in December 1944.[10] Toward the end of the war, the Beach Barrage Rocket was replaced in service by the 5 in (130 mm) High Velocity Spinner Rocket.[3]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.77.
- ^ Fowler 1975, p.229.
- ^ a b c d e Rottman 2009, p.19.
- ^ a b Parsch 2006
- ^ Friedman 1983, p.232.
- ^ Rottman 2009, p.20.
- ^ Gruntman 2004, p.181.
- ^ Burchard 1948, p.129.
- ^ "Zoom Boats Sock Like Battleships". Popular Science. 146 (3). New York: Popular Science Publishing Co.: 82–84, 232 March 1945.
- ^ Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.78.
Bibliography
[edit]- Burchard, John Ely (1948). Rockets, Guns and Targets: Rockets, Target Information, Erosion Information, and Hypervelocity Guns Developed during World War II by the Office of Scientific Research and Development. Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press. ASIN B007Q9FZ2G.
- Fowler, William A. (1975). "Charles Christian Lauritsen", in Biographical Memoirs. National Academy of Sciences. ISBN 0-309-02240-1.
- Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Naval Weapons: Every gun, missile, mine, and torpedo used by the U.S. Navy from 1883 to the present day. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-735-7.
- Mike Gruntman (2004). Blazing The Trail: The Early History Of Spacecraft And Rocketry. Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 978-1-56347-705-8.
- Ordway, Frederick Ira; Ronald C. Wakeford (1960). International Missile and Spacecraft Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill. ASIN B000MAEGVC.
- Parsch, Andreas (2006). "4.5-Inch BBR". Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles. Designation-Systems.net. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
- Rottman, Gordon L. (2009). Landing Craft, Infantry and Fire Support. New Vanguard. Vol. 157. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-435-0.