How about some Naval What-ifs

[GTX]

Hi folks,

We have plenty of aircraft what-ifs and the occasional armoured what-if, what about some naval what-ifs?  I for one would like to model a mini-aircraft carrier of some description.  I was thinking of something along the lines of the following concepts:





Look forward to hearing other's thoughts on naval what-ifs.

Regards,

Greg

[The Rat]

Some nice stuff there. I'm not nautically inclined, but the thought of doing a 'what if' carrier has been rolling around in my tiny brain for a while. The premise would be that Canada decides to return to a strictly peace keeping role, and creates a rapid response force, ready to be deployed with everything in place from the start. This would require a high-speed catamaran carrier, with STOL transports and helicopters, enough room for 200 soldiers, full medical facilities, water purification plants, amphibious vehicles, landing craft for non-amphibious vehicles, and anything else I can think of.

[Son of Damian]

GTX where did you find those pics???

Some nice stuff there. I'm not nautically inclined, but the thought of doing a 'what if' carrier has been rolling around in my tiny brain for a while. The premise would be that Canada decides to return to a strictly peace keeping role, and creates a rapid response force, ready to be deployed with everything in place from the start. This would require a high-speed catamaran carrier, with STOL transports and helicopters, enough room for 200 soldiers, full medical facilities, water purification plants, amphibious vehicles, landing craft for non-amphibious vehicles, and anything else I can think of.

So what your looking for is a catamaran version of the Iwo Jima class Amphibious Assault Carrier. Those little things that the MEU (marine Expeditonary Unit) use and fly harriers off.

If Canada was interested in creating a rapid response force would they buy the type of ships they are looking for 'used' from the USN (and save some money), would they order new ships of the same designs used by the USN, or would they invest in a completely new design???  

[GTX]

Son of Damian,

I found the pictures all over the place - any in particular you're interested in?

Regards,

Greg

[Captain Canada]

The premise would be that Canada decides to return to a strictly peace keeping role

I see it the total opposite.......where Canada becomes a strictly offensive force, and takes over the world !

Lotsa carriers, Big, medium and Small........kinda like pop at Crapdonald's !

Big Nimitz style, some meds like Kuznetzovs, and my wee Cove Class Patrol Carriers as seen here........also a host of various amphib assaulters, RoRos etc.

 

[dragon]

One thing I have been wanting to do is to give the YAMATO a USS IOWA circa 1986 treatment (Helo deck, CWIS, Tomahawk missiles, etc.).  Would have no idea what would be a plausible "What-If?" story for that.  Of course it would be in JMSDF current colors with US style 45-degree font.    

[Alvis 3.1]

If Canada was interested in creating a rapid response force would they buy the type of ships they are looking for 'used' from the USN (and save some money), would they order new ships of the same designs used by the USN, or would they invest in a completely new design???

Well, we would likely buy used ones from somebody, find out later they'd spent several years at the bottom of the Adriatic, and have to do a huge refit in  one of our shipyards at a cost exceeding a brand new ship. Then, much to everyone's surprise, we would then mothball the fleet because we couldn't afford to crew them, and eventually sell them to oh say...Holland, for a dollar.
Then act all indignant we can't participate in UN/peacekeeping ops as we don't have seaborne capacity.


Sigh...Knowing the history of our forces procurements isn't always fun or entertaining...



Alvis 3.1

[Alvis 3.1]

Oh, but to NOT hijack the thread, those are some REALLY cool designs. The Stealth Carrier would be doable by rescaling the Sea Shadow...Hmmm



Alvis 3.1

[GTX]

Hi folks,

Of course, one could always go to the opposite extreme and model some large naval what-ifs such as the STAC from AVPRO (anyone know what became of them or better yet have access to their designs?):





Regards,

Greg

[elmayerle]

I've been playing with an assault support version of the Sea Shadow that uses VLS to launch, among other things, vertically-launched TSSAMs (a hybrid of a couple TSSAM variants that were tested successfully).

[Gary]

I'm in mid carve of a sea shadow to make Canada's new stealth carrier, the HMCS Pearson. Cat hull, long central deck with lowered shoulders for aircraft handeling, and between the sponsons an assault wet bay for amphib assualt.
1/700th scale.

[anthonyp]

So what your looking for is a catamaran version of the Iwo Jima class Amphibious Assault Carrier. Those little things that the MEU (marine Expeditonary Unit) use and fly harriers off.

You're probably thinking of the Wasp or Tarawa class ships.  The Iwo Jima class have all been stricken, and one of them operated AV-8A Harriers as an SCS proof of concept.  Personally, I always thought Wasp class LHD's with the well deck ripped out, and a ski-jump put on the front would make a nice "Large Light Carrier."  Of course, the new LHA( R ) almost does that, except no ski-jump and a hull plug inserted to make it longer.  Here's a pic of what the LHA( R) might look like:



I remember seeing that catamaran CV in Future Fighters.  There were a few concept ships in the book, more of background only stuff, though.  Here's a few concepts that appeared recently at Overscan's Secret Projects Page of a Rockwell and Grumman concept VTOL with a bizarre carrier:

Rockwell


Grumman


There's been a few concept carriers for China popping up on the web recently as well.  I got these from the China Defense Today forums (which, as long as you go there for pics only, aren't bad forums for Chinese hardware):

Modified Kiev class ship


Here's an old concept for a 70ton CVN


A Trimaran carrier


Another multihull design


Here's a concept that someone came up with and posted to the net.  I doubt it's official in any way, but I think it's pretty cool.  Got these from China Defense Today also, but you can go here and find full size pics:





There's more, but I think I need to start a new post for this one.

[anthonyp]

Here's some more

Here's the Spanish SAC220 design (I like the F-15 that's in the pic)


Here's some Korean Whiffer's dream


Here's some Spurance modifications for the USN


...  Does anyone else here that?

(Soviet Anthem begins blaring over scratchy sounding loudspeakers)

COMRADES!!!

Is GLORIOUS day in GREAT Soviet Union!!  I bring you mysteries and wonders of Soviet Naval Aviation and the large cruisers that would carry it out to sea to do battle with the cowardly West!

Most of these pics have been on the Interweb, leaked by CIA spies, for some time, but I tell you, comrades, seeing them always makes me feel pride at our work ethic!

Most of the following came from this site on the Interweb!  Truly, such a magnificent site does not belong to lazy Westerners!

Russian Carrier Development

This first one was Mother Russia's first design at competing against the Running Dog Western navies.  For lack of better names, we called this one Project 1160, but I have always referred to it as "Red October," not to be confused with that Western propagandist novel!



Next is Project 1153, which was known by the heroic name of Sovietski Soyuz to the fearful West!



Finally, we have the ultimate embodiement of Soviet Naval Architecture that my OKB had input in:  Project 1143.7, The Ulyanovsk!  Such a carrier would have allowed us to sail the seas, spreading the Revolution to all corners of the globe, unimpeded by the threat of Imperial America and her decadent allies.



But Ulyanovsk was not to be the final nail in the box that we would have put the collective West in to ponder where they went so idealogically wrong.  NO!  I present the following, which has no Project number, rather, only a name:  The Smirnoff!!



Truly, with such great ships, reinforced by our regiments upon regiments of maritime rocket bombers, the West would give up their useless pursuit of controlling the seas!

Comrades, let us all join in song!!

(Soviet National Anthem blares)

...

What the...?  A drive-by Anatoly?!

Anyways, one more and then I'll be gone.  Dragon, this one's for you!

Found this over at the Warships Projects Discussion Board.  It's a modified for the 80's Yamato!  The direct link to the thread it's in is here.



   

[The Rat]

I like the F-15 that's in the pic

So do I. Has anyone ever done a navalised F-15?    

[anthonyp]

There's an F-15N over at Hyperscale (I think) with canards and wingtip sidewinder rails.  I've got one in the stash I've been planning for a while.  Was going to give a standard F-15 some F-14 swing wings and do some other mods to it.