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

ASROC ' Matchbox ' mounting installed just aft of the Otobreda 76 mm | 76 mm gun turret on the Japanese Self Defense Force Asagiri class destroyer DD 158 Umigiri, photographed 28 July 2008 departing from Portsmouth Naval Base, UK.

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.

These had one standard Mark 112 octuple ASROC launcher, located immediately above a reload system holding an additional 16 assembled rounds ( two complete reloads of eight missiles apiece ).

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.

Only the rocket-thrown weapons ( ASROC and Ikara ) are available for use in all-weather conditions and at instant readiness.

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 ).

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.

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.

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.

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

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

:" 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.

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.

For the typical Matchbox collector, Hot Wheels are inferior in scaling and model choice, making Hot Wheels less desirable.

Matchbox cars are primarily made in two sizes:

Original Matchbox model kits are highly collectible.

above, " Matchbox Collectibles "), brand tie-ins are welcomed by collectors and companies alike, as they increase both the collectibility of the models and the brand awareness by the consumers.

These clubs were the central force of Matchbox collecting in the ' 70s and ' 80s ( though both have since ceased to exist ), and from them, further spin-offs were formed, including UK Matchbox ( run by Ray Bush ), MICA ( Matchbox International Collectors Association ), and Matchbox USA ( run by Charlie Mack ), the latter of which are still in operation today.

Like many high value collectible items Matchbox models are now sadly prone to faking.

Two of the most notable of these are Rock / Alternative / Post-Grunge band Matchbox Twenty, who originate from Orlando, and rock band Creed, who hail from Tallahassee.

There are no Matchbox versions, but Johnny Lightning makes a 1964 model, Hot Wheels an adult collectible ' 57 and 2011 HW Premiere 65 Ford Ranchero Racing Champions made a 1 / 64 scale 1957 Ranchero and AMT / Ertl currently produces a diecast ' 57 which doubles as a bank.

Sometimes Zonks are legitimate prizes but of a low value ( e. g., Matchbox cars, wheelbarrows, T-shirts, small food or non-food grocery prizes, etc.

Matchbox cars are more city or " real life " cars, while Hot Wheels are more " tricked out " cars.

Since Lava's inception, among the artists the label has brought to prominence are Authority Zero, Antigone Rising, Kid Rock, Matchbox Twenty, Porcupine Tree, Skillet, Smile Empty Soul, Sugar Ray, The Corrs, Uncle Kracker, Vanessa Williams, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Simple Plan.

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.

Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Jonny Lightning and model Nascar racers are nominally this size.

1 / 64 scale Maisto die-cast models are comparable in quality and details to Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Johnny Lightning, but new models in this scale are not released very often.