Difference between revisions of "Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar"

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[[File:Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar.jpg|thumb|x250px|Starboard '''Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar''' on [[JDS Harukaze (DD-101)|Harukaze]] launching a nearly 30 kg depth charge with over 25 kg explosive filler]]
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
−
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''
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<!-- ''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.'' -->
 +
The Hedgehog mortar is an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War 2. The weapon consists of 24 spigot projectiles that are fired from a mortar launcher, ahead of the ship. It is mounted on destroyer escorts or corvettes alongside conventional depth charges.
  
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
 
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->
  
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* {{Specs-Link|uk_destroyer_clemson_churchill}}
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{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}
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* {{Specs-Link|uk_frigate_river}}
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* {{Specs-Link|jp_escort_akebono_class}}
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{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Motor gun boats'''}}{{Specs-Link|us_admirable_class}}
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* {{Specs-Link|jp_escort_ikazuchi_class}}
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{{Navigation-Line|'''Gunboats'''}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Britain}}{{Specs-Link|uk_frigate_river}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Italy}}{{Specs-Link|it_albatros_class_f543}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|it_albatros_class_f544}}
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{{Navigation-Line|France}}{{Specs-Link|fr_frigate_croix_de_lorraine_class_la_surprise}}
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{{Navigation-Line|'''Frigates'''}}
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{{Navigation-Line|USA}}{{Specs-Link|us_frigate_tacoma}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|us_frigate_buckley_class_coolbaugh}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Japan}}{{Specs-Link|jp_escort_akebono_class}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|jp_escort_ikazuchi_class}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|jp_destroyer_ayanami}}
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{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Destroyers'''}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Britain}}{{Specs-Link|uk_destroyer_clemson_churchill}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|uk_destroyer_clemson_montgomery_g95}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Japan}}{{Specs-Link|jp_destroyer_harukaze}}
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{{Navigation-Line|Italy}}{{Specs-Link|it_destroyer_fletcher_geniere}}
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{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Heavy tanks'''}}{{Specs-Link|uk_matilda_hedgehog}}
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{{Navigation-End}}
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
Line 18: Line 36:
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
=== Comparison with analogues ===
 
''Give a comparative description of depth charges that have firepower equal to this weapon.''
 
''Give a comparative description of depth charges that have firepower equal to this weapon.''
 +
 +
{{Naval special armament table|depth charges}}
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
Line 23: Line 43:
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* The mortar fires on an high angle, which means it can reach hidden targets behind obstacles that block your guns
 +
* Increased range compared to conventional depth charges.
 +
* Can also obliterate enemy ships if it lands on the decks, dealing heavy damage.
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Due to the high angle of fire, it has a curved trajectory and thus it takes a short while to hit the water.
 +
* The mortar is fixed in position, which means it cannot traverse horizontally or vertically.
 +
* The mortar is inaccurate: spigot projectiles spread out on a large area. Several projectiles are needed to secure a hit.
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''
+
<!--''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''-->
 +
=== Background ===
 +
The Royal Navy developed the first depth charges during World War I. Entering service in 1916, they tested a variety of methods of launching them off the ships and against German U-boats. These methods from rolling them off the boat to using trench mortars. Even with all the methods tested, the biggest limitation was that they required the U-boat to be underneath the ship to be used against them. During the inter-war period, the Royal Navy attempted to rectify this handicap by developing forward-firing anti-submarine warfare weapons with the Hedgehog Mortar being the first such weapon to enter service during World War II.
 +
 
 +
Named for the quill-like arrangement of the projectiles the Hedgehog was developed to fix the existing flaws interwar naval engineers noticed in anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Sonar was developed to find and destroy enemy submarines, but there was a blind spot immediately ahead and below the ship. The solution was to fire an overwhelming volume of explosive charges with contact detonators in this blind spot to destroy the sub. Development began during the war after the failure of the similar Fairline Mortar which like the earlier side launching Thronycroft projectors were too heavy for accurate targeting. The depth charges designed for it also 20 pounds of explosive filler instead of the desired 60 pounds.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlie_Mortar</ref> The Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapon Development (DMWD) built the Hedgehog as a spigot mortar to address the issues of weight and complexity. The British Army had already designed a spigot mortar called the Blacker Bombard primarily for use by the Home Guard as a cheap anti-tank weapon, so the Bombard design was quickly adapted for ASW to create the Hedgehog, a process done by Ministry Intelligence Research (MIR(c)) under Major Millis Jefferies.<ref name=":0">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_(weapon)</ref>
 +
 
 +
=== Service ===
 +
The Hedgehog was made in a variety of different variants with the Mark 10 serving as the base model in service. The Mark 10 fired 24 salvos that landed in an elliptical pattern about 140 by 120 feet and had a range of up to 200 yards. Originally used on a fixed mounting for the prototype mounted on the ''W''-class destroy HMS ''Westcott'' in 1941, the production versions of the mortar had a gimbal mount to compensate for the ship’s roll. The Hedgehog system’s benefits over depth charges included the fact the ship could attack while still maintaining sonar contact and not disrupting the contact, the contact detonators removed the need to set the explosives to explode at a specific depth, and the contact detonators meant that a direct hit was more likely to sink a submarine. The mortar projectiles were 7.1 inches and weight 65 pounds each with a 35-pound Torpex (42% RDX, 40% TNT, 18% Powdered Aluminum) explosive warhead.<ref name=":0" />
 +
 
 +
The Royal Navy first recorded sinking U-boats with the Hedgehog in November 1942 less than a year after it was introduced. Despite having a slightly higher kill rate than the depth charges in service, the Hedgehog was hampered by the violent nature of the North Atlantic causing the weapon to fail when exposed to sprays on the deck of the ships it was used. The kill rate soon improved to 1 in 5 Hedgehog attacks (by contrast to 1-in-80 with depth charges) after ship-wide talks and briefings of proper Hedgehog attacks at HMS ''Ferret'', Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Hedgehog Mortar was so successful that in response, the ''Kreigsmarine'' (German Navy) developed the G7e/TIV ''Falke'' (Falcon) homing acoustic torpedo to attack Allied convoys undetected. In the Royal Navy, the Hedgehog was replaced after the war with the [[Limbo mortar]] which fired 400-pound explosive charges.<ref name=":0" />
 +
 
 +
=== Foreign Use ===
 +
Along with service in the Royal Navy, the Hedgehog Mortar saw action in other Allied Navies through Lend-Lease and in other roles. In the Pacific Theater, the ''Buckley''-class destroyer escort USS ''England'' had an unparalleled record of sinking six Imperial Japanese Navy submarines in 12 days using the Hedgehog Mortar. During the Normandy Landings in June 1944, the US had modified "Hedgerow" LCAs (Landing Craft, Assault) that cut 100-yard swathes through the German defenses.<ref name=":0" />  In addition, the Commonwealth forces used the Hedgehog with the [[Matilda Hedgehog]] being a notable Australian prototype variant of the mortar system mounted on a [[Matilda (Family)|Matilda]] infantry tank as a bunker-buster weapon. While successful, the design never saw active service due to the end of the war.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_II#Other_variants,_field_modifications_and_prototypes</ref> The United States and Soviet Navies both received the Hedgehog and developed their own similar weapons. The US Navy would develop the [[7.2 in T37|7.2 in Mousetrap]] rockets and the [[Mark 108 Weapon alfa|Mark 108 "Weapon alfa"]] which saw service both during the war and in the post-war period. The Soviet Navy and the later Russian Navy keeps [[RBU-6000]] and similar ASW mortars based on the Hedgehog design in service well after these designs were phased out by ASW rockets during the Cold War in other navies.<ref name=":0" />
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
Line 39: Line 77:
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 +
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
 
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;''
 
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''
 
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on the weapon;''
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* ''other literature.''-->
−
* ''other literature.''
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* [[wikipedia:Hedgehog_(weapon)|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Hedgehog (weapon)]]
 +
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMBR_ASW.php [NavWeaps<nowiki>]</nowiki> United Kingdom / Britain: ASW Weapons]
 +
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMUS_ASW.php [NavWeaps<nowiki>]</nowiki> United States of America: ASW Weapons]
 +
* [https://ussslater.org/hedgehog [USS Slater<nowiki>]</nowiki> HEDGEHOG]
 +
 
 +
;References:
 +
<references />
 +
 
 +
;Bibliography:
  
 
{{Naval depth charges}}
 
{{Naval depth charges}}
  
 
[[Category:Naval special armaments]]
 
[[Category:Naval special armaments]]

Latest revision as of 17:55, 16 September 2024

Starboard Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar on Harukaze launching a nearly 30 kg depth charge with over 25 kg explosive filler

Description

The Hedgehog mortar is an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War 2. The weapon consists of 24 spigot projectiles that are fired from a mortar launcher, ahead of the ship. It is mounted on destroyer escorts or corvettes alongside conventional depth charges.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

Vehicles equipped with this weapon
Motor gun boats  USS Candid
Gunboats 
Britain  HMS Spey
Italy  Albatros · Alcione
France  La Suprise
Frigates 
USA  USS Hoquiam · USS Coolbaugh
Japan  Akebono · Ikazuchi · JDS Ayanami (DD-103)
Destroyers 
Britain  HMS Churchill · HMS Montgomery
Japan  JDS Harukaze (DD-101)
Italy  Geniere
Heavy tanks  Matilda Hedgehog

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the depth charge.

Effective damage

Describe the type of damage produced by this type of depth charge (high explosive, splash damage, etc)

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of depth charges that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Name Country
of origin 		Mass (kg) Explosive
type 		Explosive mass
(kg) 		TNT equivalent
(kg)
7.2 in T37 USA flag.png 29 Torpex 15.9 25.44
B TG Italy flag.png 63 TNT 50 50
B TG 100 Italy flag.png 126 TNT 100 100
BAS Italy flag.png 160 Torpex 70 112
BB-1 USSR flag.png 165 TNT 130 130
BM-1 USSR flag.png 45 TNT 25 25
Guiraud France flag.png 176 TNT 130 130
K-gun Mk.9 USA flag.png 190 TNT 136 136
Limbo mortar Britain flag.png 177 Minol 94 108.1
Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar Britain flag.png 29 Torpex 15.9 25.44
Mk.4 USA flag.png 160 Minol 94 108.1
Mk.6 USA flag.png 190 TNT 136 136
Mk.6 mortar USA flag.png 190 TNT 136 136
Mk.9 USA flag.png 190 TNT 136 136
Mk.VII Britain flag.png 196 TNT 130 130
RBM mortar USSR flag.png 160 Amatol 70.8 70.8
Type 3 Japan flag.png 50 Type 88 20 26
Type 95 Japan flag.png 160 Amatol 100 100
WBD Germany flag.png 196 Amatol 130 130
WBF Germany flag.png 139 Amatol 60 60
WBG Germany flag.png 160 Amatol 100 100
Y-gun Mk.VII Britain flag.png 196 TNT 130 130

Usage in battles

Describe situations when you would utilise this depth charge in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • The mortar fires on an high angle, which means it can reach hidden targets behind obstacles that block your guns
  • Increased range compared to conventional depth charges.
  • Can also obliterate enemy ships if it lands on the decks, dealing heavy damage.

Cons:

  • Due to the high angle of fire, it has a curved trajectory and thus it takes a short while to hit the water.
  • The mortar is fixed in position, which means it cannot traverse horizontally or vertically.
  • The mortar is inaccurate: spigot projectiles spread out on a large area. Several projectiles are needed to secure a hit.

History

Background

The Royal Navy developed the first depth charges during World War I. Entering service in 1916, they tested a variety of methods of launching them off the ships and against German U-boats. These methods from rolling them off the boat to using trench mortars. Even with all the methods tested, the biggest limitation was that they required the U-boat to be underneath the ship to be used against them. During the inter-war period, the Royal Navy attempted to rectify this handicap by developing forward-firing anti-submarine warfare weapons with the Hedgehog Mortar being the first such weapon to enter service during World War II.

Named for the quill-like arrangement of the projectiles the Hedgehog was developed to fix the existing flaws interwar naval engineers noticed in anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Sonar was developed to find and destroy enemy submarines, but there was a blind spot immediately ahead and below the ship. The solution was to fire an overwhelming volume of explosive charges with contact detonators in this blind spot to destroy the sub. Development began during the war after the failure of the similar Fairline Mortar which like the earlier side launching Thronycroft projectors were too heavy for accurate targeting. The depth charges designed for it also 20 pounds of explosive filler instead of the desired 60 pounds.[1] The Directorate of Miscellaneous Weapon Development (DMWD) built the Hedgehog as a spigot mortar to address the issues of weight and complexity. The British Army had already designed a spigot mortar called the Blacker Bombard primarily for use by the Home Guard as a cheap anti-tank weapon, so the Bombard design was quickly adapted for ASW to create the Hedgehog, a process done by Ministry Intelligence Research (MIR(c)) under Major Millis Jefferies.[2]

Service

The Hedgehog was made in a variety of different variants with the Mark 10 serving as the base model in service. The Mark 10 fired 24 salvos that landed in an elliptical pattern about 140 by 120 feet and had a range of up to 200 yards. Originally used on a fixed mounting for the prototype mounted on the W-class destroy HMS Westcott in 1941, the production versions of the mortar had a gimbal mount to compensate for the ship’s roll. The Hedgehog system’s benefits over depth charges included the fact the ship could attack while still maintaining sonar contact and not disrupting the contact, the contact detonators removed the need to set the explosives to explode at a specific depth, and the contact detonators meant that a direct hit was more likely to sink a submarine. The mortar projectiles were 7.1 inches and weight 65 pounds each with a 35-pound Torpex (42% RDX, 40% TNT, 18% Powdered Aluminum) explosive warhead.[2]

The Royal Navy first recorded sinking U-boats with the Hedgehog in November 1942 less than a year after it was introduced. Despite having a slightly higher kill rate than the depth charges in service, the Hedgehog was hampered by the violent nature of the North Atlantic causing the weapon to fail when exposed to sprays on the deck of the ships it was used. The kill rate soon improved to 1 in 5 Hedgehog attacks (by contrast to 1-in-80 with depth charges) after ship-wide talks and briefings of proper Hedgehog attacks at HMS Ferret, Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The Hedgehog Mortar was so successful that in response, the Kreigsmarine (German Navy) developed the G7e/TIV Falke (Falcon) homing acoustic torpedo to attack Allied convoys undetected. In the Royal Navy, the Hedgehog was replaced after the war with the Limbo mortar which fired 400-pound explosive charges.[2]

Foreign Use

Along with service in the Royal Navy, the Hedgehog Mortar saw action in other Allied Navies through Lend-Lease and in other roles. In the Pacific Theater, the Buckley-class destroyer escort USS England had an unparalleled record of sinking six Imperial Japanese Navy submarines in 12 days using the Hedgehog Mortar. During the Normandy Landings in June 1944, the US had modified "Hedgerow" LCAs (Landing Craft, Assault) that cut 100-yard swathes through the German defenses.[2] In addition, the Commonwealth forces used the Hedgehog with the Matilda Hedgehog being a notable Australian prototype variant of the mortar system mounted on a Matilda infantry tank as a bunker-buster weapon. While successful, the design never saw active service due to the end of the war.[3] The United States and Soviet Navies both received the Hedgehog and developed their own similar weapons. The US Navy would develop the 7.2 in Mousetrap rockets and the Mark 108 "Weapon alfa" which saw service both during the war and in the post-war period. The Soviet Navy and the later Russian Navy keeps RBU-6000 and similar ASW mortars based on the Hedgehog design in service well after these designs were phased out by ASW rockets during the Cold War in other navies.[2]

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
  • references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

References
  1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairlie_Mortar
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog_(weapon)
  3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_II#Other_variants,_field_modifications_and_prototypes
Bibliography


Naval depth charges
USA  Mk.6 · Mk.6 mortar · K-gun Mk.9
Germany  WBD · WBF · WBG
Foreign:  BB-1 (USSR) · Mk.6 (USA) · Type 95 (Japan)
USSR  BB-1 · BM-1 · MBU-600 mortar · RBM mortar
Britain  Limbo mortar · Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar · Mk.VII · Y-gun Mk.VII
Foreign:  Mk.6 mortar (USA)
Japan  Type 3 · Type 95
Foreign:  Mk.6 mortar (USA) · Mk.9 (USA) · Mk.10 Hedgehog (Britain)
Italy  B TG · B TG 100 · BAS · Mk.4
Foreign:  WBG (Germany) · Mk.10 Hedgehog (Britain)
France  Guiraud
Foreign:  Mk.VII (Britain) · Y-gun Mk.VII (Britain)

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