00X/004 future nuclear CATOBAR carrier thread

[bd popeye]

It's hard to imagine how you would convert a conventional propulsion system into a nuclear propulsion system. The layouts are fundamentally different.

No it's not. The original USS John F Kennedy(CVA-67) was originally designed to be a CVN.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Design & early years:
Contracted as Ship Characteristic Board SCB-127C, the ship's keel was laid on 22 October 1964 by Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship was officially christened 27 May 1967 by Jacqueline Kennedy and her 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, two days short of what would have been President Kennedy's 50th birthday. The ship entered service 7 September 1968.

John F. Kennedy is a modified version of the earlier Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers. Originally scheduled to be the fourth Kitty Hawk-class carrier, the ship received so many modifications during construction she formed her own class. The ship was originally ordered as a nuclear carrier, using the A3W reactor, but converted to conventional propulsion after construction had begun. The island is somewhat different from that of the Kitty Hawk class, with angled funnels to direct smoke and gases away from the flight deck. Kennedy is also 17 feet (5.2 m) shorter than the Kitty Hawk class.

 

[valysre]

No it's not. The original USS John F Kennedy(CVA-67) was originally designed to be a CVN.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Design & early years:
Contracted as Ship Characteristic Board SCB-127C, the ship's keel was laid on 22 October 1964 by Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship was officially christened 27 May 1967 by Jacqueline Kennedy and her 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, two days short of what would have been President Kennedy's 50th birthday. The ship entered service 7 September 1968.

John F. Kennedy is a modified version of the earlier Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers. Originally scheduled to be the fourth Kitty Hawk-class carrier, the ship received so many modifications during construction she formed her own class. The ship was originally ordered as a nuclear carrier, using the A3W reactor, but converted to conventional propulsion after construction had begun. The island is somewhat different from that of the Kitty Hawk class, with angled funnels to direct smoke and gases away from the flight deck. Kennedy is also 17 feet (5.2 m) shorter than the Kitty Hawk class.

I was under the impression that the decision to switch to conventional propulsion was made before significant work had been completed on the boiler compartments, making it much easier to complete the conversion, but I may be wrong.
In any case, converting the propulsion of a completed ship from conventional to nuclear is likely never going to happen.

 

[Alfa_Particle]

Possible first hint/indication on the rough location of the island superstructure for the 004 CVN?

The following illustrations are likely to have been obtained from an unknown academic paper/presentation/tender document. Posted by @Captain小潇 on Weibo.

View attachment 133489
View attachment 133490

Also, it has been alleged that the actual illustration (or the related document) on what the island superstructure of the 004 CVN could eventually look has been leaked online, though I couldn't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, @Captain小潇 in the same post has claimed that the island superstructure could be Ford-esque in design.

View attachment 133494

This one?

Since no one posted it, this is the structural model published alongside the procurement announcement.
View attachment 132380

From:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

This one?

No. That illustration has been up on Weibo for several weeks.

The aforementioned leak is very recent (within the past one or two days). We just don't know where the leak is/was posted, how the leak looked like, and whether the leak has been censored/removed.

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

Possible first hint/indication on the rough location of the island superstructure for the 004 CVN?

The following illustrations are likely to have been obtained from an unknown academic paper/presentation/tender document. Posted by @Captain小潇 on Weibo.

View attachment 133489
View attachment 133490

Also, it has been alleged that the actual illustration (or the related document) on what the island superstructure of the 004 CVN could eventually look has been leaked online, though I couldn't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, @Captain小潇 in the same post has claimed that the island superstructure could be Ford-esque in design.

@Captain小潇 provided a few more details on the matter:

1. The alleged leak regarding the actual illustration on what the 004 CVN's superstructure would eventually look like is related to that carrier island mockup modification/reconstruction project at Wuhan.

2. The new mockup island structure at Wuhan is likely to have its modification/reconstruction project completed by 2025.

3. The position of the island superstructure on the 004 CVN is likely to be somewhere in the middle of the distance between the island superstructures of Nimitz and Ford on their respective carriers.

4. The 004 CVN's island superstructure design will either resemble #3 (further squeeze of Fujian's island superstructure with the smoke funnel eliminated and 4x AESA panels, purple bracket) or #4 (Ford-esque with 3x AESA panels, maroon bracket). Both designs have a 50-50 probability of being the actual design for the 004 CVN's island superstructure:

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

The carrier mockup in Wuhan might be getting a new modification to its island.

The images below show an alleged procurement announcement on a renovation project to an existing structure. The renovated structure is 20 meters in length and 30 meters in height, with requisite windows, openings, doors, railings, etc.

Related.

That island superstructure mockup at Wuhan has been completely dismantled. The respective dates of which the following photos were taken (from top to bottom) are June 26, August 20 and September 7.

This directly contrasts with the previous instances where only modification works have been were conducted onto the already-existing mockup structure. Looks like changes to the island superstructure from Fujian to the 004 will be pretty massive.

Posted by @里海赛艇 on Weibo.

 

[johncliu88]

Related.

That island superstructure mockup at Wuhan has been completely dismantled. The respective dates of which the following photos were taken (from top to bottom) are June 26, August 20 and September 7.

This directly contrasts with the previous instances where only modification works have been were conducted onto the already-existing mockup structure. Looks like changes to the island superstructure from Fujian to the 004 will be pretty massive.

Posted by @里海赛艇 on Weibo.

View attachment 136087

Looks like the building will have a new model on top. Wait and see...

 

[snake65]

The 055 mockup is still there unchanged (?). Is it still used for some tests?

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

The 055 mockup is still there unchanged (?). Is it still used for some tests?

That, and/or the superstructure and mast designs for the next-generation DDG/CG have not been finalized/decided upon.

 

[davidau]

@Captain小潇 provided a few more details on the matter:

1. The alleged leak regarding the actual illustration on what the 004 CVN's superstructure would eventually look like is related to that carrier island mockup modification/reconstruction project at Wuhan.

2. The new mockup island structure at Wuhan is likely to have its modification/reconstruction project completed by 2025.

3. The position of the island superstructure on the 004 CVN is likely to be somewhere in the middle of the distance between the island superstructures of Nimitz and Ford on their respective carriers.

4. The 004 CVN's island superstructure design will either resemble #3 (further squeeze of Fujian's island superstructure with the smoke funnel eliminated and 4x AESA panels, purple bracket) or #4 (Ford-esque with 3x AESA panels, maroon bracket). Both designs have a 50-50 probability of being the actual design for the 004 CVN's island superstructure:

View attachment 133560

mind lapsed, most appreciated as where's 004 being constructed?