U.S.M.C. Aircraft Carrier

[Leigh]

Just recieved a job lot of stuff off Ebay including an E-2 Hawkeye and an S-3 Viking and it got me to thinking
What if the U.S.M.C. had their own carrier group? Now I know bugger all about ships, sometimes don't even know which end is the front, but I also started having this wacky idea of a carrier that could launch landing craft/hovercraft like those big catamaran type things where you see the landing craft coming out of the back of the mother ship. So a big self contained unit, got it's own complete air wing and capable of taking beachheads. Or maybe just a carrier group with more than one ship whose mission is to be first into the fight on land sea and air?
Feasable?

[dragon]

Look up USS NASSAU, USS IWO JIMA, not quite a battle group but I bet you could get some more ideas from the information you find.  USS Gregory Boyington perhaps? B)    

[jcf]

The Marines already have their own taxi-drivers...the US Navy, so why would they bother with having to crew and maintain ships when the squids already do it for them?

The LHAs and Ds already do most of what you suggest.
Tarawa Class LHA


The LHD Wasp class went into service starting in 1989 and they are larger than the LHAs:
Wasp Class LHD


The proposed LHX would be based on a developed LHD, but with a dry deck for the LCACs instead of a flooded well...makes it easier to load the hovercraft.


...and then there is "Sea Base":
Sea Base


Cheers, Jon

[anthonyp]

Didn't JoeP make a hyrbid CVDN for the JMSDF last year?  It took a Nimitz class ship and put the well dock of an LHD or LHA on the butt end.

(muzak plays...)

AHHA!  Here it is:

JMSDF CVDN from the Allied Naval build.

Here's the lastest cgi pic of the LHA( R ), now just known as the LHA-6 class.  I think they totally did away with even the dry deck for LCAC's, and they're just going to do it up as an Aviation Assault Ship



 

[B777LR]

How about a "proper" nuclear carrier? Nimitz class! Or perhaps thats a bit too big, so they go for Kuznetsov ships!

[Captain Canada]

Anything is possible in the wonderful world of whif, Leigh, my good man !

The RN could have carriers !

Even Alien Insects could have carriers ! Which seems more likely than the RN, at times.........

 

[Joe C-P]

I'd be surprised if they dropped the well deck. I propose that in the image they show the back door closed. I can see them adding a RO/RO capability, though, as I did on the JMSDF CVDN.

The LHDs' airgroups could be enhanced by adding AEW V-22s and perhaps some ASW helos, though they would likely rely on the escorting CGs and DDGs for the latter. I would like to build an LHD as "mother ship" for a brown water force, using the well deck for boat maintenance; in Vietnam old LSTs were used for this.

[Gary]

As I understand it, Canada is supposed to be getting something like that. Perhaps not with the amphib deck, but with a good sized flight deck for choppers for sending troops and supplies.  

[Shasper]

I had an idea similar to this for a USMC CV to tote around a bigger AW, thinking along the lines of an old Essex class size wise.


Shas B)

[viper29_ca]

As I understand it, Canada is supposed to be getting something like that. Perhaps not with the amphib deck, but with a good sized flight deck for choppers for sending troops and supplies.

I think what you will see as far as what Canada buys will be quite similar to what we already have in the HMCS Preserver and Protecteur, other than they will have double the room for helos (From 2 up to 4 helos) so no rolling flight deck, just an enlarged rear deck and hangar space for up to 4 helos, and it will have the RO/RO feature (Roll on/Roll off). No wet deck as we don't have any marines, and a wet deck would require us to purchase landing craft like the LCACs, as the LAVIIIs don't swim in much more than a couple of meters of water.

Good link right on the Canadian Forces Website about the capabilities, and there is a link that takes you to a panphelet on what the JSS looks like.

Canada's JSS Ship

[anthonyp]

I heard something earlier this year about the possibility of Canada either leasing or purchasing one of the new LPD 17 class ships the USN is building, instead of progressing with the JSS...  no, wait, read that on Canada's equivalent of Globalsecurity.org    

[Big Chris]

USS Gregory Boyington perhaps? B)

I like your thinking.  

[Leigh]

The Marines already have their own taxi-drivers...the US Navy, so why would they bother with having to crew and maintain ships when the squids already do it for them?

Well the navy can crew 'em but I was thinking of something big enough that the Marines would provide their own recon, ASW, AWACS, CAP, maybe not Nimitz class but summat big enough to launch Hornets, Intruders, Hawkeyes and Vikings AND Hovercraft and landing craft.
Cross between the Tarawa class and that LHA-6 would be perfect.
Different mission whereas a Navy carrier group is oft deployed as a show of strength and a joint participant in hostilities, when the U.S.M.C.S. Boyington sails your way you KNOW you're getting invaded. Thanks for the help guys know should I try building it in 1/72, I mean I am moving into a bigger place next month  

[Brian da Basher]

<snip>

big enough to launch Hornets, Intruders, Hawkeyes and Vikings AND Hovercraft and landing craft.

<snip>

What, no Gannets?!!  

Brian da Basher

[dragon]

when the U.S.M.C.S. Boyington sails your way you KNOW you're getting invaded.

Hmmm, I suppose that the USMCS Boyington would be part of a class of ships (Marines never do things half-assed if they can help it).  What would the class perhaps be called?

USMCS Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller- Flagship of the class
USMCS Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
USMCS Carlos "Whitefeather" Hathcock
USMCS Ira Hayes
USMCS James Roosevelt
USMCS John H. Glenn

Of course they would be accompanied by a class of ELINT ships of the USMCS Oliver North-Class