Re: Ideal chinese carrier thread
When I saw the checkerboard structure on the stern, my first thought was "Oh no, not another well deck squeezed onto a ship it has no place on!" I have noticed most carrier fanboys around these days are obsessed with the idea that the LHD is the ultimate in carrier layout. The number of arguments I've had with those who say we should scrap the 65k CVF design in favour of a 20 knot 40K LHD... MADNESS! You can't use a well deck unless you are stopped, for several hours, hello, sitting duck? Even the USN is moving away from them with the first few units of the America class. Well decks belong on second wave transports like LPDs and LSDs, not first wave flat tops. I'm still waiting for them to insist the new Gerald Ford class MUST be redesigned with a well deck!!
As to other aspects of the designs, the first one in Popeye's post has two cats to starboard in front of the bridge. Far too close together to be practical and not even a 100ft stroke length. Useless for launching anything bigger than a UAV IMHO. Why put a couple of useless cats on the starboard side where they foul the deck park when you can put a pair of 200ft+ cats on the angle deck? Sorry to disappoint the creationists out there, but evolution is a fact of life and certainly in carrier design these problems have already been solved. Just because young Mr Fanboy doesn't like the way working carriers look doesn't mean he can re write the rule books!:nono:
I agree with the critiques of awkward catapult placements on fanboi carrier "designs", and with the propensity of the fanbois to throw a well deck onto every design.
I will caution, however, that in an actual amphibious assault, well decks will be flooded and used from the very first wave of the assault to the end. The assault force ships will be between 50 and 100 nm offshore, and they will not be stationary but moving at a few knots to maintain steerage. DDG's and CG's will come in closer to provide fire support. The first wave will include both LCAC's, helicopters and tiltrotors, with the LCAC's emerging from the well decks, to be replaced by LCU's loading out material and manpower that can take more time to reach the beach ( the LCAC's will arrive at the landing area loaded in the well decks, the LCU's will be on deck and craned over the side at the beginning of the assault ). The great bulk of the landing force will come ashore on LCU's. The standard for the MEF is to be unloaded on the beach in six hours maximum, and this standard is achieved in training.
Obi Wan, there is a lot of criticism within my service of the new LHA(R) design for the absence of a well deck. There is actually a very detailed schedule of what has to go into every load to the beach on every LCAC, LCU and helicopter to meet the six hour requirement. There is a shortage of well deck space as it is, and this new design contributes further to this. There is a school of thought that the speed of the tiltrotor will overcome this shortage of space in well decks, but there are others like me who think the tiltrotor will not survive combat in the numbers necessary to meet the landing schedule. Yes it can fly over the ground based AA threat for some of it's flight, but it still must descend through the MANPAD and gun envelope to deliver troops ashore. Those LZ's better not be hot. Yes, I'm one of the tiltrotor's critics, way too expensive and troublesome for combat assault.
