Shipbucket

For support and escort missions in Somalia, these would be constructed and operated by UN countries and fly under the UN flag in support of escort and counter-piracy operations. They are designed to be cheap and relatively quick, while retaining enough armament to counter all but the best armed pirates. This would allow more ships to be escorted.

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Probably posting from and iPhone and naval terms befuddle it. If I say a ships' hill, you know what I meant.

few commends:
1. the RHIB has no way to get on the water. add an crane or put it in davids, or build in an stern ramp. another problem with these RHIB's is that they are just too small, I suggest an good 11-12 meter RHIB.

2. that is the old version of the eagleeye UCAV, please use this one:

3. what kind of propulsion? are you going for an fast ship with low endurance(gas turbines), or do you want an real patrol ship with diesels?

4. maybe an tad small for the role, I would go for 70-100 meters so you can put an manned helicopter on board for boarding operations.

5. those thingies next to the WM-22... are those directors? you don't need those, as the WM-22 can do the targeting for your 57 mm, while your other guns are manned.

6.the amount of mg's make no sense. 2-4 at the max, that with the other arnaments incorporated.

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Shipbucket Wiki admin

She needs to be a bit longer so that she can embark a full-on helo or two They don't have to be big helos, heck Lynx or Dauphin sized will do, but you need that helo. As For weapons, I might go with a 76mm just to get the extra range, but the 57mm has plenty of stopping power.

I presume she's diesel powered (as most ships this size are)?

Senors: A dedicated Nav/Surface Search set would be nice.

Weapons: Not sold on the current mount you have over the hanger. Maybe something like a Mk-38 Automated mount?



Good start non the less.

Ace (who just sniped me) hit a lot of good points.

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The "thingies" are Miradors, they're on little platforms for a better view. I've taken one off, but it should be useful for getting a good visual of speedboats and other piratey things.

Yes, she's diesel.

Will add a nav radar.

Removed an MG.

Completely re-did the rear area, there will be some kind of weapon on the hangar but not yet.

The 57mm has it's 3P rounds and high rate of fire, meaning it's a true pirate shredder if they start shooting.

Not sure if the new hangar is long enough, even with telescoping. I'll probably elongate it.

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Probably posting from and iPhone and naval terms befuddle it. If I say a ships' hill, you know what I meant.

keep in mind that there should fit an funnel somewhere, and that an telescoping hangar isn't 'cheap'

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Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

Why so complicated?
Not being overly critical, but I've never understood why navies need a chopper on every little ship? Those are big, heavy, expensive pieces of equipment that can be better used on larger vessels with the proper facilities for their operation. Ask yourself the following questions:
1.) Can such a small vessel operate a chopper successfully?
2.) Will there be sufficient room for all the necessary spare parts?
3.) How many hours worth of fuel can be carrier aboard?
4.) Is there sufficient room for as flight crew?

Leave the choppers to a dedicated 'area flagship' and let the pirate killers concentrate on killing pirates.
For something this small, the chopper is a potential drain on resources that could be better used elsewhere.

Because a helo is the only method you have of projecting over the horizon. It's also the fastest way of responding to an attack (other than the times that the pirates have accidentally attacked various navy ships [Nivose and La Somme come to mind]). A helo and conduct both anti-surface an anti-sub ops, it can ferry people and supplies, it can do recon, and it can generally make life miserable for those who don't have a way of hitting one from more than 100 feet away.

A While back Klag made a comment - The reason that Perrys are still around is because they are the US's smallest Two-helo platforms - And he was right.

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What about this as an idea for a micro-fleet for escorting these 'convoys':
You get one 'hub' ship. This is a larger ship (destroyer or so. Maybe even Ticonderoga sized), with multi-helo capabilities. It sacrifices armaments and such for three-four helicopters. It also has the electronics gear so the other ships aren't laden own with it.

A series of small patrol boats. They have a heli-pad, and refuelling facilities (and even re-arming) but no hanger. They mount a series of low calibre guns and have RHIB's and a good cruising speed. These are your main escort vessels.

Could that work? It means your actual escort vessel can operate a helo without sacrificing huge volumes of space for the hanger, while still having the asset.

So what I would want is to shrink the other facilities for the sake of the heli operations?

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Probably posting from and iPhone and naval terms befuddle it. If I say a ships' hill, you know what I meant.

Nope, you'll want to enlarge the entire ship.
A pirate hunter like you envision it needs three things. Range, endurance and helo facilities.
In order to get range and still retain a decent speed you'll need large bunker tanks and a long hull. In order to get endurance you need plenty of storage space, roomy accommodations and preferably a three shift crew. Helo facilities also require a fair amount of hull space.

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