Collision course

From OODA WIKI

A collision course, also known as a kamikaze run, is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages or destroys both.

Uses in history

  • Ancient Greek Triremes were reinforced and equipped with bronze rammers, so they could collide with enemy ships to sink them
  • Admiral Nelson used a similar tactic to attack the French fleet at Trafalgar, to the horror of Captain Hardy, when he ordered the British ships to 'run aboard' (crash into, or just ahead of the ships).
  • PT-109, a torpedo boat commanded by the future U.S. President, then Lieutenant junior grade John F. Kennedy, was believed to have been rammed intentionally by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri (1930). The destroyer cut the PT boat in half, killing two men and badly injuring another two.
  • Kamikaze pilots from Japan used collision course tactics to take out naval vessels or large Bombers in the latter days of World War II. Such tactics even extended to the construction of dedicated kamikaze aircraft, such as the Ohka.

Fictional uses

Use in media

See also