The first ASROC system using the MK-112 " Matchbox " launcher, was developed in the 1950s and installed in the 1960s.

ASROC ' Matchbox ' reload doors are visible in this photograph of the Japanese Asagiri class destroyer Asagiri, formerly DD 151, renumbered TV 3516 after reclassification as a training vessel, seen here on 28 July 2008 departing from Portsmouth Naval Base, UK.

Destroyer USS Agerholm | USS Agerholm fires an ASROC with a nuclear depth bomb in the " Operation Dominic I and II | Swordfish " test in 1962

ASROC launch from USS Joseph Strauss ( DDG-16 ) | USS Joseph Strauss ( DDG-16 ), in 1978.

Agerholm launched an ASROC anti-submarine rocket armed with a nuclear depth bomb during the Operation Dominic I and II | Swordfish test of 1962

The ASROC has been deployed on scores of warships of many other navies, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of China, Greece, Pakistan and others.

In order to provide the ships with a credible anti-submarine weapon, the FRAM upgrade centered on the addition of AN / SQS-23 SONAR and two new weapon systems, the ASROC rocket-assisted torpedo launcher with a range of 1 – 5 miles, and the DASH antisubmarine helicopter with a range of up to.

The development of the VLS ASROC underwent many delays, and it was not deployed on any ships until 1993.

However, the torpedo's inherent limitations in speed of attack and detection by the target have led to the development of missile-borne anti-submarine weapons that can be delivered practically on top of the enemy submarine, such as ASROC.

The resulting XFC-130H aircraft were modified by the installation of 30 rockets in multiple sets: eight forward-pointed ASROC rocket motors mounted around the forward fuselage to stop the aircraft, eight downward-pointed Shrike rockets fuselage-mounted above the wheel wells to brake its descent, eight rearward-pointed MK-56 rockets ( from the RIM-66 Standard Missile ) mounted on the lower rear fuselage for takeoff assist, two Shrikes mounted in pairs on wing pylons to correct yaw during takeoff transition, and two ASROCs mounted at the rear of the tail to prevent it from striking the ground from over-rotation.

The reverse-mounted ( forward-facing ) eight ASROC rockets for decelerating the aircraft's forward speed were situated in pairs on the upper curvature of the fuselage behind the cockpit, and at the midpoint of each side of the fuselage beneath the uppers.

Ships with the Mk 26 GMLS, and late marks of the Mk 10 GMLS aboard the " Belknap "- class, could accommodate ASROC in these power-loaded launchers ( the Mk 13 GMLS was not able to fire the weapon, as the launcher rail was too short ).

Thus, each Spruance-class destroyer originally carried a maximum total of 24 ASROC.

Most other US Navy and allied navy destroyers, destroyer escorts, frigates, and several different classes of cruisers only carried the one ASROC ' matchbox ' MK 112 launcher with eight ASROC missiles ( although later in service, some of those missiles could be replaced by the Harpoon anti-ship missile ).

ASROC started development as the Rocket Assisted Torpedo ( RAT ) program by the Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake in the early 1950 to develop as surface warship ASW weapon counter to the new post-WWII submarines which ran quieter, at much higher speed and could attack from much longer range with high speed homing torpedoes.

An ASROC missile could hypothetically carry a 10 kiloton W44 nuclear warhead, although the W44-armed nuclear weapons were retired by 1989, and all types of nuclear depth bombs were removed from deployment.

The main developments were the new Mark 25 trainable launcher developed from the ASROC launcher, and the Mark 115 manually aimed radar illuminator that looked like two large searchlights.

* Length: 8 ft 6 in ( 2. 59 m ) tube launch configuration ( from ship ), 14 ft 9 in ( 4. 5 m ) with ASROC rocket booster

The Mk 54 can be fired from surface ships via the Mark 32 surface vessel torpedo tubes or the vertical launch anti-submarine rocket ( ASROC ) systems, and also from most ASW aircraft.

:" ASROC " redirects to this page.

ASROC ( for Anti-Submarine ROCket ) is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system.

However, before RAT-C reached initial operational status in 1960 aboard the large US Navy destroyer-leader Norfolk, its name was changed to the present ASROC.

The attacking ship would then fire an ASROC missile carrying an acoustic homing torpedo or a Nuclear Depth Bomb ( NDB ) onto an unguided ballistic trajectory toward the target.

In cases where the ASROC missile carried an NDB, the unguided bomb would sink quickly to a predetermined depth where it would detonate.

The nuclear-armed ASROC was never used beyond one or two tests in 1961-62.

The 31 U. S. Navy Spruance-class destroyers were all built with the Mark 16 Mod 7 ASROC Launching Group and MK 4 ASROC Weapons Handling System ( AWHS ) reload system.

They are also used in conjunction with other weapons ; for example the Mark 46 torpedo used by the United States becomes the warhead section of the ASROC ( Anti-Submarine ROCket ) and the CAPTOR mine ( CAPsulated TORpedo ) is a submerged sensor platform which releases a torpedo when a hostile contact is detected.

His role in The Bedford Incident was that of a young ensign who becomes so rattled by the needling of his Captain ( Richard Widmark ) that he accidentally fires an ASROC at a Soviet submarine, thus ( we are given to understand ) starting World War III.

Larger-scale devices which serve to launch rockets include the multiple rocket launcher, a type of unguided rocket artillery system ; the transporter erector launcher, a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles and various launchers for guided missiles, including ones for surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and antisubmarine warfare guided missiles ( see ASROC, Sea Lance, etc.

The Lesney die cast model factory was built in the 1940s on the Homerton side of the Lee Navigation, just north of Homerton Road, producing for many years their Matchbox brand.

In 1927, Mayo Williams moved to competitor Okeh Records, taking Blind Lemon Jefferson with him for just one recording, " Matchbox Blues ".

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster ( often referred to as Eighties Matchbox, 80s Matchbox, TEMBD, TEMBLD or shortened to just Eighties or 80s ) are an English rock band from Brighton, England, formed in 1999.

They have produced music videos for Prince, Barenaked Ladies, Matchbox Twenty, Liz Phair, Low, Incubus, Foo Fighters, to name just a few.

Also in the late ' 70s, Matchbox produced a small range of 1: 32 and 1: 76 Second World War toy soldiers in direct competition to Airfix.

L to R with 12 inch ruler at bottom: 1: 64 Matchbox ( brand ) | Matchbox Chevrolet Tahoe, 1: 43 Ford F-100, 1: 25 Revell Monogram 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra, 1: 18 Bburago 1987 Ferrari F40

A Micro Machines Dodge Viper ( bottom ) compared to a Matchbox ( toy company ) | Matchbox version of the same car.

Another of his tunes, " Matchbox Blues ", was recorded more than 30 years later by The Beatles, albeit in a rockabilly version credited to Carl Perkins, who himself did not credit Jefferson on his 1955 recording.

On February 2, 1957, Perkins again appeared on Ozark Jubilee, singing " Matchbox " and " Blue Suede Shoes ".

Other brands, including Husky / Corgi Junior, Budgie, and Cigar Box, attempted to compete with Matchbox, but none were particularly successful until American toy giant Mattel introduced the revolutionary low-friction " racing " wheels on its Hot Wheels line of cars.

By the mid -' 70s, Matchbox was again a force on the world market, having completed the transition and having even updated its line to include some fantasy vehicles.

1985 saw the first batch of Matchbox toys, which have China casting on base.

There were great fears that Mattel would either impose a Hot Wheels-style philosophy on the Matchbox line, or actually fold the Matchbox line into the Hot Wheels series.

The next year, Matchbox, with a new team in charge based in El Segundo, California, started the return to the company's roots of selling realistic looking, well-detailed models, most of which were based on real prototypes ( now however mostly of American cars or brands well-known on the American market ).

However, since Matchbox Collectibles Inc. was shut down, Mattel's interests have always been concentrated on very few series of the Matchbox legacy: 1-75, Sky Busters, Convoys, and to some extent the Two Packs concept ( although now sold under a different name, Hitch ' n Haul ).

The Dinky name has effectively been reduced to a few " re-branded " Matchbox 1-75 cars on the international market ( normal models with " Dinky " tampo-printed onto the baseplate ); no further investment in dies or tooling has been made.

( Other Matchbox ranges also had identifying numbers cast on their bases, many of which were reallocated as older models were retired and new ones introduced.

" Matchbox Collectibles ", below ) — i. e. models made in intentionally limited quantities to allow a high initial sales price and / or force the value to remain high on the collectors market — rarity was based on the simple criterion that the production numbers of a model were low.

Whereas the best of these were formerly available mainly through the clubs themselves, it is now possible to buy books on Matchbox from various publishing houses.

But early on, Germany established itself as a major market for Matchbox models, not however one large enough to warrant numerous castings of German cars in the line.

Beginning in the Matchbox International era, it was decided that the line should be regionalized more generally, which led to multiple versions of the 1-75 series being available ; depending on where in the world the customer was, almost the entire range might be different than in the rest of the world.

The Matchbox kits were well made, with modern tooling and techniques, but critics felt that the kits were too coarsely detailed in comparison with other models on the market, and too " toy-like ".

further information on the history of Matchbox slot car racing, including extensive product details, see the separate article " Powertrack ".

New collectors would be wise to purchase a number of the excellent books, or join the many web forums on Matchbox collecting before paying out large sums of money for models.

With their third consecutive single (" Let Love In ") from the album, the Goo Goo Dolls hit a record 12 Top 10 hits in Adult Top 40 history, beating Matchbox Twenty and Sheryl Crow until Matchbox Twenty's release of Exile on Mainstream and the Goo Goo Dolls ' release of " Before It's Too Late " from the Transformers Soundtrack, which left both groups with 13 Top 10 hits in the Adult Top 40.