![[ img ]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/288016775533166592/808116811340972112/image0.jpg)
By the time the late 1980’s was rolling around, the Navy began to rethink its current fleet. This of course became the “Revolution at Sea” and the ludicrous plans of the COEA studies, but once again there is a vessel that seems to have slipped beneath the cracks; the “Mission Essential Unit” or “CG V/STOL”.
The concept (or what we know of it) was simple, a hybrid aircraft-carrying cruiser, similar to the Invincible and Kiev. The carrier-cruiser hybrid can trace its roots back to the 1930s of course, but since then it has always been a side thought. Over the years the concept was looked at again and again, but the one we will be looking at came up in the late 1980s. As the USN began looking towards a future that did not include the Soviet Union, it saw itself as a more flexible force using multi-role vessels. This “Revolution at Sea” was the birthstone of the MEU. The ship was to be 700 feet long at the waterline, 93 feet wide, and displace some 25,000 tons. It carried a whopping 200 VLS cells arranged in 3 blocks, Mk 32 SVTT(s), and 12 x SV-22 ASW Osprey’s. Electronics consisted of an SQS-53 sonar dome and the AEGIS Combat System. It also featured an aircraft hangar and a ski-jump. The program was ultimately dropped of course, and that’s all I know about it. It is curious to note that I can’t seem to find any Harpoon canisters on the painting. Also, I read on the ShipModel forums that there was a paper written saying that a vessel similar to the MEU would replace the Iowa-class battleships. While it doesn’t mention the MEU by name, it may tell us a little bit of Navy’s thinking behind the proposal.
Now the guessing can begin. The flight deck covers some 2/3’s of the ship’s length, with the other third being the bow. Based on what we see in the painting, there are 3 VLS blocks, one behind the aft island, and 2 upfront on the bow. 61 + 61 + 61 is 183, so that doesn’t get us anywhere. But, if we add 2 more rows of VLS, 61 + 8 = 69, and 69 + 8 = 78. And 78 + 61 + 61 is 200, giving us the VLS layout. The hanger on the ship must be incredibly small, considering there is a boat bay, boarding deck, 2 x 61-cell VLS blocks, and possibly a Mk 32 SVTT all on the same deck. Because of this, the airwing must be pretty small, and we already know it can carry 12 x SV-22’s. But what about the Harrier we see in the painting? My guess is that there is either a mixture of 12 aircraft or there is room to smush a couple of Harriers into the full aircraft complement, so 12 x SV-22s and an unknown number of Harriers. Without any view of the underwater hull, this means it is completely speculative, but there are similar ships in the archive, so my best guess is that it has 2 rudders and 2 screws, other vessels of similar size also have stabilizers, so I gave her 2 per side. We also know the ship is 700 feet long at the waterline, so what about overall? Ace says it is some 762 feet long and I’ll trust that, but with a 50-foot difference between the front of the ship and waterline, that’s a pretty steep bow angle. I also think this is the ultimate evolution of the Strike Cruiser (CSGN), just by looking at them you can see the resemblance. They are also both aircraft-cruisers and seem to be very similar. Another odd thing to note is that there is a big “1” on the forward island, telling us it would not be classified as a regular cruiser. I personally think it would either receive the Strike Cruiser or CGV/CGH prefix. Who knows, it might even be classified as a large cruiser.
That’s about all I know, very little information but a whole lot of speculative guesses. Now for the specification table.
Length: 762 feet overall (speculative), 700 feet at the waterline
Beam: 93 feet
Draft: 28 feet (speculative)
Displacement 25,000 tons (not sure if this is standard or full)
200 VLS cells in 3 blocks (78, 61, and 61) (Speculative)
Unknown number of Mk 32 SVTT’s
3-4 x Phalanx CIWS
4 x SPY-1 panels for AEGIS Combat System
3 x SPG-62 illuminators
1x SPS-67 (Speculative)
1 x SPS-73 (Speculative)
2 x SLQ-32 ECM equipment
*Note: The electronics on the aft island (Excluding the SPG-62) are really just placeholders, and are not necessarily accurate.
**Note 2: The LAMPS III dome is also a placeholder
***Note 3: I added additional SATCOM’s that are not necessarily on the original painting
2 x Rudders
2 x Shafts
****Note 4: Underwater hull is completely speculative
And now for the ship herself:
![[ img ]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/749283961846628422/808491924415184906/unknown.png)
. If you want a gun cruiser-carrier, there is an older proposal called the Through Deck Carrier (which is also on my work list). You can find it here: