I thought they were used as piers for parking small boats against the carriers. Tug boat can push the body directly like all the other ships, much bigger ships
CV-18 Fujian/003 CATOBAR carrier thread
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
They are indeed just push bumpers, or at least that seems to be their primary purpose. Here are a pair of screen grabs from the first sea trial video showing this.
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If I'm not mistaken, they are rubber fender strips for mediterranean mooring, a vestige of Soviet's inadequate port infrastructure, where they had to moor a naval ship with the astern at right angle to the quay. I believe you can still discern the landing plate and long gangway itself tucked in right above those fenders. Russian carriers would have couple of those gangways tucked at the astern.
Considering that USN carriers have it, that doesn't really make sense. Also the soviets didn't do mediterranean mooring with carriers, and as a matter of fact the Kuznetsov never had them nor the Ulyanovsk was going to have them either.
The argument is that the rubber bumpers on the CV-18 and other carriers with them, were for mediterranean mooring, which they weren't. As have been said multiple times, its just to help tugs, plus as boat landing platform for tenders, barges and taking people ashore in case they couldn't dock pierside.
The Kuznetsov class doesn't have any kind of easy access from the stern to be doing any mediterranean mooring, either
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I stand corrected for what I wrote ; you explained better than what was my original thought process, which from hindsight was missing a few steps in transition to what I actually meant to say. Nevertheless, I concede to your point.
Kuznetsov did have old black and white photos showing her with med mooring, but that maybe for another time.
The dimple in the buttcheek was where the big shore round fender/s would sit and two gangways in the back were used for people exiting in and out.
See the picture herein at dry dock. They put a longer bigger gangway to access and exit from that back entrance , instead of using existing shorter skinnier ones tucked in behind. Soviet wouldn't put those in place if they didn't intend to use, which is especially handy when you do the med mooring. China does not need to go that route as whole berthing infrastructure was built for each AC to moor alongside. Hence the word vestige. But anyway, I digress.
Kuznetsov did have old black and white photos showing her with med mooring, but that maybe for another time.
The dimple in the buttcheek was where the big shore round fender/s would sit and two gangways in the back were used for people exiting in and out.
See the picture herein at dry dock. They put a longer bigger gangway to access and exit from that back entrance , instead of using existing shorter skinnier ones tucked in behind. Soviet wouldn't put those in place if they didn't intend to use, which is especially handy when you do the med mooring. China does not need to go that route as whole berthing infrastructure was built for each AC to moor alongside. Hence the word vestige. But anyway, I digress.
The PLANS-18 "Fujian's" engines are running again ... maybe preparing for a third trial?
Also interesting are the J-15 and KJ-600 mock-ups on deck.
(Images via @北冥有鱼MK6 from Weibo)
Upps ... they are all too big to be uploaded here:
Also interesting are the J-15 and KJ-600 mock-ups on deck.
(Images via @北冥有鱼MK6 from Weibo)
Upps ... they are all too big to be uploaded here: