Modern Battleship Challenge

[heuhen]

Why post an entry that doesn't meet the minimum challenge criteria though?

because I can, that is how simple it is. Have you ever seen a ship that have been build, managing all the criteria it is given? People keep thinking all ships hit all critereia they are given, when they are not, warships are full of compromises, I choose to compromise on big guns so the ship can be beter in other are. you either get a ship that is good in a few area or weak in all.

[Karle94]

Nearing the end of her career toward the mid-late 50s, proposals were made to refit the Vanguard and use her as a Sverlovsk killer. Due to the nature of the Vanguard, and the changes during her construction, she turned out a really good seaboat, with really good seakeeping, being able to plow through, and even fire her guns in waves that no cruiser, nor any other battleship, such as the Iowa class could. Her old masts and radar suite was replaced with a more modern lattice masts, and more more up-to date radars, as well as active and passive ECM. Though her multiple barreled 40mm mounts had long since been removed, several Sea Cat tiple launchers had been added, to add more capable short range AA firepower. The old 5.25" twin turrets have been replaced with 4.5" MK6 twin turrets. The aftermost part of the stern was cleared of guns, radars and directors to make space for a landing pad for a single Westland Wessex. Before her refit halicopters such as the piston-engine powered Sikorsky R-4, Westland Whirlwind and WS-51 Dragonfly had to land on the bow.

[StealthJester]

Greetings!

Very nice work - HMS Vanguard has always been a favorite of mine!

Cheers!
Stealthjester

[Kiwi Imperialist]

anyway, it would look like this (I can post it just for this challenge):
https://i.imgur.com/a1zY7xo.png

Would you mind posting that version of your entry? I do understand that the challenge requirements are not entirely realistic. There is a reason no real world navy is building a large calibre gun platform in the modern era. However, not including these weapons goes against the spirit of the challenge to which everyone else has more or less agreed. As a consequence, I am inclined to disqualify your entry in its present state. That is something I do not wish to do because, aesthetically speaking, your art is high calibre.

[heuhen]

anyway, it would look like this (I can post it just for this challenge):
https://i.imgur.com/a1zY7xo.png

Would you mind posting that version of your entry? I do understand that the challenge requirements are not entirely realistic. There is a reason no real world navy is building a large calibre gun platform in the modern era. However, not including these weapons goes against the spirit of the challenge to which everyone else has more or less agreed. As a consequence, I am inclined to disqualify your entry in its present state. That is something I do not wish to do because, aesthetically speaking, your art is high calibre.

ok

Interesting, supporting unrealistic drawings in shipbucket!

[acelanceloet]

Since the announcement of this challenge, I have been thinking about a sensible modern battleship. And I couldn’t find any good reason for it to exist in another way then what has happened in real life. The world just isn’t suited for them anymore. So I went to an alternate world that is as silly as possible: The world that could be in a politicians mind. This is vastly AU territory, so any likeness to the real world is a coincidence. Even in this AU story it does not get build, but I tried my best creating something in the spirit of this challenge.

Januari 2017, Excerpt from a presidential speech, made at a navy base:

“The navy needs more power, and needs to be seen as more powerful. This year, we have started developing a new battleship, that will be the biggest usable for our navy. It will have the biggest guns, the highest speed, the most firepower of any battleship in use today! And it will be joining our navy very soon.”

The president had indeed kickstarted an development program for a new battleship that would give the navy back it’s ‘former might’. Everyone involved with this program knew it was quite a silly idea, but if it had to be developed and had to be build, they’d better make damn sure it was the best they could make it.



The biggest issue was that modern weapons laugh in the face of armour. For that reason, anything close to the battleships of old wasn’t suitable: they were just not survivable enough. Because of that the alternative to armour was chosen: redundancy. The ship would be big enough to be able to take quite a beating and still not have all it’s vitals be hit or otherwise disabled. As a limit, the new version of what limited the battleships of old was chosen: The ship was limited to Neo-Panamax, to make sure the ship could travel both oceans surrounding the United States. Weapon and radar systems were distributed over the ship that was made as big as possible within the limits. To get a ship that size up to high speeds, a pentamaran hull shape was chosen, giving the ship very high stability , damaged buoyancy and stability, low drag and still a gentle movement, suitable for a modern weapons platform. The ship was powered by 2 A1B reactors, electrically coupled to all propulsion systems. As a backup and as quick reaction power, 4 LM2500’s were fitted in the outriggers.

But to make a battleship, the ship also would need guns. The 12 inch / 50 Mk 10 guns were developed from the Mk 8 used on the Alaska class, the guns were of an relatively outdated design. The mounting and reloading systems, however were fully automated. This allowed the turrets to operate unmanned and use high tech ammunition such as guided shells.

Under the helideck a vehicle hangar was designed onto the ship. Too small for full size helicopters, it would store the ships spotter drones but could also hold onto additional ammunition or even a containerised detachment of marines. To distribute and use anything in this vehicle bay, a mobile crane and several forklifts were on board. Access to this vehicle hangar was by the covered elevator aft of the helicopter deck or by the cargo elevator between the double hangar in the main superstructure. These hangars had enough space for 2 V-22 or 4 medium sized helicopters.

The ship held redundant radar systems. SPY-1D radar arrays were positioned at main deck level for atmospheric ducting and to be able to defend the ship even if the main superstructure was damaged. SPY-3 arrays sit on the highest level of the integrated communications mast, checking the horizon and providing missile guidance. The primary radar system however are 4 SPY-6 arrays surrounding the main superstructure.

A reduced RCS ship cannot always focus on the use of it’s radars. Apart from fixed camera’s on the communications mast, 4 long range optical systems are fitted on the ship. 2 of these are forward and aft on the main superstructure, the 2 others are on telescoping masts on top of the communications mast. The forward one of these (retracted in the image) is fitted with radar reflectors, allowing to alter the RCS of the ship. This allowed the ship to blend in with other shipping, to hide as a much smaller ship or perform proper full size gunboat diplomacy without even being within visual range of the coast.

In the end, the next president was chosen and the project cancelled before the plans could even be presented to congress. It can be said that nobody but the president wanted this ship, and rightfully so. We can only applaud the hard work the designers did to create something that nobody should ever have asked for.

Specifications:

• Length OA: 365 meters
• Length WL: 352 meters
• Beam OA: 53 meters
• Beam (Main hull WL): 20 meters
• Draft: 13 meters
• Displacement: 43000 tons standard
• Top speed: 36 knots
• Cruising speed: 32 knots
• Emergency speed (no nuclear power): 12 knots
• Hangar for 2 V-22 or 4 medium helicopters.
• Vehicle deck for mixed freight and UAV’s
• 2 12m shore boats (stored amidships) and 3 7m RHIB’s (stored in stern slipways)

[Kiwi Imperialist]

ok

Interesting, supporting unrealistic drawings in shipbucket!

I am sorry, I did not realise your turret had a single gun when you revealed the side view. For some reason I also thought it was a 12 inch gun. I must have misread your original post. For that, I apologise. Would you consider replacing it with a two gun turret with a calibre above the minimum before the deadline, or would that be too great a task in the remaining time available?

[heuhen]

ok

Interesting, supporting unrealistic drawings in shipbucket!

I am sorry, I did not realise your turret had a single gun when you revealed the side view. For some reason I also thought it was a 12 inch gun. I must have misread your original post. For that, I apologise. Would you consider replacing it with a two gun turret with a calibre above the minimum before the deadline, or would that be too great a task in the remaining time available?

2 sec. I'll pull out a funny version I have in my head!

[Wolftheriot]

Stats
Length - 276m
Height - 60m
Beam - 36m
Displacement - 38,000 tons(standart)/51,000(full)
Propulsion - 4x shaft CSANAP(Combined Steam And NucleAr Propulsion),2x SMR(Shintokian Marine Reactor)-5s,2x Shenjo Marine Steam Turbines(Shenjo Maritime Steam Turbines)-10s
Speed - 36.3 kt(Combined) | 15kt (No Nuclear)
Range - Infinite,nuclear fuel to be changed every 25 years
Compliment:1,310

Armament
- 3x 230mm
- 3x 90mm
- 7x 15,24mm Autocannon CIWS
- 30x VLS Cells equipped with Coltan SAMs
- 32x Heavy VLS Cells equipped with Malahit ASHMs
- 8x SIH-93 Marine Helicopters

Electronics/Radars
- RDK:Okatsia
- RDK:Sakura
- RDS:Tsveta
- RDS:Kustida
- LRMDK:Mitsuya
-FC:JH-910
-FC:SH-401

Ships of the Class
SMS Kenjii - 1982
SMS Hideki - 1985
SMS Udo - 1986
SMS Karelis - 1989
SMS Isoki - 1992
SMS Sheto - Cancelled
SMS Obatsu- Cancelled

*side note the two flags are the flag of the Shintokian Royal Navy(SRN) and Shintokian National Flag


The year is 1971 the Serene War is raging for the last 24 years and the Shintokian Royal Navy starts becoming increasingly outdated compared to other major nation’s navies worst of the navy of the SPN,so a ship capable of large surface combat and missile detection was proposed the “Project 2195”,this ship was intended to not only give the SRN a strong Battlecruiser class but also be used as an excuse by politicians to invest into naval infrastructure and restart a bigger expenditure on the navy developpement,after a long 7 years the ship was finally drafted and approved to be built under the designation of the Kenjii-Class named after the Shintokian Emperor.First ship SMS Kenjii set sail in 1982 and became the Flagship of the SRN and part of the first Royal Fleet.Thus re-starting the naval arms race between major powers.

[heuhen]

ok

Interesting, supporting unrealistic drawings in shipbucket!

I am sorry, I did not realise your turret had a single gun when you revealed the side view. For some reason I also thought it was a 12 inch gun. I must have misread your original post. For that, I apologise. Would you consider replacing it with a two gun turret with a calibre above the minimum before the deadline, or would that be too great a task in the remaining time available?

2 sec. I'll pull out a funny version I have in my head!

There you go, It's with a twist, that turret, but it's an inspiration from a proposed Swedish baby aircraft carrier concept!