A lot of ships - surprisingly - had just the launcher. Case in point being the Knox and Spruance Class. No reloads were carried for the MK-29 or the earlier BPDMS. Why? Not really sure. Also, if you notice the way the launcher is reloaded...

http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WMUS_Sea_Sparrow_Load_pic.jpg

(MK-1 arm power) it's not really very ergonomic, ha ha! After test launches an ammo ship or replenishment ship would normally drop off "reloads" with each ship. So if a ship shot off six, then UNREP would drop six shipment canisters on the ship's helo deck. With a max range (at the time) of little better than 8nm and being a beam-riding weapon, the mantra of the day was that it was a last-ditch weapon only.

ASROC as well, was (in most cases) a reload-less weapon system. The Knox Class and some of the King/Coontz Class had a "garage" that sat under the bridge, holding around 12 (random number!) reloads or so but it leaked badly and most ships made due with just the MK-8 box and the eight rounds it came with. A handful of the Adams Class had a small "garden shed" type structure near the forward stack that held a whopping four reloads but the leaking and the effort to get the several thousand pound rounds out of the locker and reloaded was more trouble than it was worth.

As to melting due to gunfire, I always thought about that too. And that must be why I have never seen any Sea Sparrows launched "straight." They are always off to the side:

http://www.seaforces.org/wpnsys/SURFACE/Mk-29-missile-launcher-Dateien/image043.jpg

I thought maybe my models didn't come with blast deflectors like those on the LHA bridges but then when I looked at photos of the real ships I noted no shields. So perhaps standard operating proc. was to shoot them off to the side? Now it is funny that you mentioned CIWS interferance due to missile blast. Check this out:

http://destroyerhistory.org/assets/coldwar/cg27josephusdaniels_01.jpg

All of the Belknap and Leahy CG's had the 'Poon tubes and CIWS near/on the old twin 3inch mount tubs. During the Gulf War, two of the Belknap CG's were ripple firing 'Poons to complete the illusion that the USN was getting ready to do an amphibious landing. Both Mo and Iowa were firing randomly and Marines were embarking/disembarking from the LHA's. The ruse worked. Saddam thought he was going to be getting a landing and moved troops accordingly. Early CIWS had a distressing habit of shooting down a ship's own missiles. During a launch from USS Arkansas (I believe), the ship shot an SM-2ER from it's aft launcher and the CIWS promptly brought it down! So SOP had always been to "turn off" CIWS prior to a shoot.

The CG's turned their guns back on following the 'Poon shoot and they wouldn't come on. The missile exhaust blast had fried the radar! As a result, the canisters were removed. Tico's and Burke's were okay as the canisters were aft. Other ships had to make sure the birds were moved! What a hoot! Just think, Rear Admiral Matt "Matty" Stein at BuShips would have gotten a medal for spotting that potential hazard!!

Cheers,


Don



ship's radar has to be pointed at the target.