7.2 in T37

7.2 in T37 launched from two bow launchers on SC-497

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.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• PC-451
• SC-497
• PT-802
• PT-808

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the bomb.

Effective damage

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Comparison with analogues

Compared to its peers, 7.2 in T37 has one of the smallest explosive fillers. Also, quite unusually, it's launched forward off a fixed-mount launcher.

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

Usage in battles

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Detail of the spread from two 7.2 in T37 captured in-flight

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.

Pros:

Cons:

History

The field of anti-submarine warfare was first truly developed during World War I when German U-boats turned the submarine into a truly practical piece of naval operations. The United States made its first depth charges from a design originating in the UK and during World War II, the two nations would continue cooperation in making new ASW weapons. The United States Navy adopted the British Mk.10 Hedgehog mortar designed in late 1942 as their first forward-firing ASW weapon. The Hedgehog was more effective than conventional depth charges as it only detonated when it hit the enemy submarine which allowed for more damage and reduced disruption to the sonar tracking.

While the Hedgehog was an effective design, it was too large for mounting on smaller ships in the US Navy such as corvettes or frigates. In response, the Mark 20 Mousetrap was created to be a similar weapon that could launch anti-submarine explosives off the deck of a US Navy ship. A problem with the spigot mortar system used by the Hedgehog was it places considerable stress on the deck when fired so they used launch rails instead that launched the projectiles. Unlike the Hedgehog, the Mousetrap uses rockets that burned for .2 to .7 seconds to launch the explosive into the water. The launchers originally used 85-pound projectiles before the decision was made to use the lighter 65-pound projectiles shared in the Hedgehog. The 7.2-inch rockets carried 31 pounds of TNT or Torpex (42% RDX 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminum) warheads which added 1.5 pounds to the weight. It was not as effective as the Hedgehog due to the fact it fired at a fixed 48-degree elevation and couldn't compensate for rolling. However, it filled the vital niche of arming smaller ASW ships such as SC-497 and PC-451.

The 7.2-inch T37 Demolition Rocket is an explosive rocket developed from the projectiles used by the Mousetrap. It used a standard 2.25-inch rocket motor and a 32-pound C2 explosive warhead. Intended for use against concrete bunkers, the T37 was first designed by Caltech before the design was given to the US Navy in July 1944. The rockets first saw combat in August during Operation Dragoon, the landings in Provence, Southern France. The rockets were used for coastal barrages from Landing Craft Rocket craft in 120-round "Woofus" mounts. The rockets were later on tanks in the T40 "Whiz Bang" 20-round that fired a full barrage of rockets in 10 seconds. The other mount was a 24-round "Grand Slam" mount also for tanks. Despite the extra destructive power, the tank mounts were not popular because they blocked the turret hatches.

Media

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

See also

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

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Naval special armaments
USA
Mortars	7.2-inch T37 · Mk 2
Rockets	5-inch GPSR Mk.7 · Mark 108 Weapon alfa
Missiles	RIM-24A
Germany
Rockets	M/50 Bofors
Missiles	Strela-2M
USSR
Mortars	BM-37 · RBM · RBU-1200 · RBU-2500 · RBU-6000 · RKU-36U
Rockets	BM-14-17 · BM-21 · M13 · M-8
Missiles	Volna-M
Britain
Mortars	Ordnance ML 4.2-inch mortar
Japan
Rockets	4.5-inch BBR Mk.7 (USA) · Mark 108 Weapon alfa (USA)
Italy
Missiles	Nettuno
France
Missiles	SS.11