Merchant Ships Converted To Military Use

[Sauragnmon]

You could also use a container ship to hide a significant military force with proper preparation - you could easily hide a platoon of infantry or two inside a shipping container, include air reprocessing units on the inside, soundproof the container, hide them behind a wall of shipping goods.  The containers are then offloaded in port, shipped all over the place, shabam - instant ambush.  I always thought that would be a neat/sneaky way to set up an assault force.

I like the view of that aircraft-carrier hidden on a container ship concept - unless the pirates happen to somehow get a view from above, you'd have the drop on them.  But then you might have to consider your pirates are really just privateers, black-ops boys for some other country operating under any number of orders.

[Just call me Ray]

You could also use a container ship to hide a significant military force with proper preparation - you could easily hide a platoon of infantry or two inside a shipping container, include air reprocessing units on the inside, soundproof the container, hide them behind a wall of shipping goods.  The containers are then offloaded in port, shipped all over the place, shabam - instant ambush.  I always thought that would be a neat/sneaky way to set up an assault force.

Actually, that's the premise behind World in Conflict; the Soviets send in a flotilla of cargo containers containing a large enough invasion force to take Seattle.

[kengeorge]

Morning,
           Thought this might be of use, concerning the Q ships
            I Think I found this on shipbucket but I'm not sure.
Ken

[kengeorge]

Morning,
           Silly me re posting an image already posted by tinlail earlier on,Oops!!!
           However I hope this makes up for it
Ken

[dy031101]

           Thought this might be of use, concerning the Q ships
            I Think I found this on shipbucket but I'm not sure.

I've kept on wondering how a merchant aircraft carrier might look like after its concept was upgraded with modern technologies, but I don't suppose any future "bad guys" in real life would be able to field enough submarines and AShM launcher aircraft to make existing military spec. aircraft carriers too busy to begin with.

Back to the SCADS concept...... there was a time when I was constantly thinking one flying Taiwanese flags and embarking Taiwanese Harriers (all what-ifs) back when the longest-legged PLAN/PLAAF aircraft were H-6s and J-8s, and potential adversaries over South China Sea were no more potent than Su-22 and F-5A......

           However I hope this makes up for it

Totally. 

[Joe C-P]

Let's see, responding in no particular order:

1. Titanic was too slow to be an effective carrier, about 23 knots maximum, and she was also not that long. Check her dimensions compared to a Essex class carrier - 882 feet to 872 feet. Also, conversions are never efficient at carrying aircraft as a purpose-built ship, so cut that airgroup by two-thirds.
There were proposed a set of 6 passenger liners for US service that would have been designed to be converted to carriers with just a few months work. They would have been nearly the size and speed of the Lexingtons. The builder asked for aid from the USN in exchange for building them, but was turned down.

2. Adapting container ships isn't that easy; the containers are not well fixed in place, only enough to keep them falling over at sea (which happens anyway). Supporting a stable flight deck and hangar, or large missile launchers, would require a great deal of reconstruction. Sea Sparrows might have been OK. Creating a gun platform for anything bigger than, say, a 25mm single would be virtually impossible due to the need for recoil absorption. It would be easier and more effective to mount the directly on the decks.

3. The X-shaped carrier is a poor design. It would be inefficient at launching or landing, and it would not have been fast enough to launch CTOL aircraft. Only VTOL would have worked, and therefore would not have needed the extra flight deck. The other designs would work, but would require replacing the ships' ability to function as container ships.

4. Why would the Soviets invade Seattle?

[roughneck06]

uring the 1980s the RN was looking for an Aviation Support Ship ( donkey ) conversion of the MV Contender Bezant was looked at as a candidate. Was to carry a RM Commando and equipment plus either 12 Sea Kings or 12 SHARS.

I have a thought to build one initially in 1:2400 scale- Use the Superior Altantic causeway hull and cut down main deck and shorten it. Then- cut down an HMS Invincible Island. Plastic sheet for Flight deck, GHQ for SK and SHARS???

Thoughts/advice? Also- at 1:2400- flight deck lines- any ideas/suggestions on how to accomplish? I was thinking of white platic sheeting, white gluing threads for lines, then paint. Once done- soak plastic in warm water to remove threads.

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions welcomed.

[sandiego89]

Interesting.  I just did a scratch bulid 1/700 scale ATLANTIC CONVEYOR, both in her real world role as ferrying harriers and helos to the Falklands, and as a what if with modifications, so I share your interest in the concept.

That scale will be very tough.  Might want to bump it up to 1/700 to get some details. 

For deck markings I have used a few methods. in 1/700 scale I have used very thin hobby or pinstripe tape, or painted deck lines using masking tape. You can get them if differnt widths and colors.  look in the radio control section for car pinstripes. I have found that paint usually looks better, and in small scale the tape can be too thick.   It will be difficult to get narrow deck lines in that scale.  Attached is a 1/700 Ark Royal and an LST with thin white tape for the main markings around the landing area.  The white lines are the tape, and you can see where I attempted to freehand white lines around the red center marings.  the LST deck markings are all tape in various colors.   

Your idea may work, but might I suggest fishing line instead of string. Sting often leaves blobs of paint where you do not want them. Spray paint the whole deck the color of the stripes you want. let dry.  lay the deck on some cardboard, then lay the fishing line over the deck where you want the deck markings and tape the lines over the deck and to a cardboard backing, making sure the line is tight. Then spray the deck color over the whole thing.  Let dry. Remove the fishing line, this should leave the deck line.     

[DarrenP]

RFA Reliant was the product of this she was of the ARAPAHO concept were container ships were given the facilities to operate Helecopters. She assisted the Army deployment to Lebanon in 83.

[PR19_Kit]

uring the 1980s the RN was looking for an Aviation Support Ship ( donkey ) conversion of the MV Contender Bezant was looked at as a candidate.

They actually did it too.....

The Contender Bezant is currently a member of the RFA as the Argus, the primary aviation training ship for the FAA, and it has a secondary role as a casualty recieving ship.

[roughneck06]

Thank you for the imput and correction. I believe it was contender Argent that was being looked at for the A.S.S.

Any thoughts as to what the RN would have named the ship if actually built/converted?

As to 1/700- eventually I will try to do so- in the meantime- I have a 1:2400 Atlantic Conveyor, SHARS, SKs, and can get an Invicible Island to cut down- see how it looks before I try a more amibitious build in 1/700.

[Thorvic]

Possibly Engadine for the ship Argus replaced and was also one of the early seaplane carriers.

There is a thread on Secret Project of the propossed convertion of Contender Argent to a full deck Aviation Support Ship.

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8153.0.html



G

[tigercat]

Would it be feasible to convert an oil  tanker or bulk carrier intoa modern day MAC ship. In the Falklands the Atlantic Conveyor was a sort of MAC Helicarrier  it might not be feasible to convert it to a fully fledged Carrier  you wouldn't be able to fit a hangar. 

Some Statistics

VLCC Tanker - Exxon class

Displacement: 211,469 tons (214,862 metric tons)
Length: 300 m (980 ft)
Beam: 51 m (167 ft)
Draught: 20 m (66 ft)
Deck clearance: 7.183 to 7.442 m (23.57 to 24.42 ft)
Installed power: 31,650 bhp (23,601 kW) at 79 rpm
Propulsion: Eight-cylinder, reversible, slow-speed Sulzer marine diesel engine.
Speed: 16.25 knots (30.10 km/h; 18.70 mph)
Capacity: 1.48 million barrels (235,000 m³) of crude oil
Crew: 21


Class and type: Invincible class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 22,000 tons loaded
Length: 689 ft (210 m)
Beam: 118.1 ft (36.0 m)
Draught: 28.9 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion: 4 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines providing 97,000 hp (75 MW)
8 Paxman Valenta diesel generators.
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h), 18 knots (33 km/h) cruising
Range: 7,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (13,000 km at 33 km/h)
Complement: 1,051 (total);
726 Ship's company
384 Air Group personnel
Armament: 3 × Goalkeeper CIWS
2 × GAM-B01 20 mm 

[pyro-manic]

Speed is the biggest issue - carriers need a decent top speed to get sufficient wind-over-deck to launch aircraft. You could certainly get a useful anti-submarine helicopter carrier for convoy work by adding a flight deck and small hangar and/or workshops to a cargo ship (Atlantic Conveyor), but I think fixed-wing would be out unless it was Harriers or maybe a light aircraft with very good STOL performance. Also bear in mind superstructure - you'd need to reduce/remove it from the ship in order to get a full unobstructed flight deck, which might be rather tricky.

[dy031101]

I wonder if and how much the telescopic hanger technique used by some US-built frigates might be applicable to give the airgroup some maintenance space......?

Or maybe add a hanger level to the existing weather deck and put the flight deck on top of it?