Shipbucket

MHW-14 Choe Sŭng-min



Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Choe_S%C5%ADng-m ... ft_carrier

Summary
The Choe Sŭng-min-class (최승민급 원자력 항공모함) is a class of two nuclear-powered supercarriers built in the Socialist Republic of Menghe for the Menghean
Navy. They are the successors to the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class aircraft carriers. As of 2024, one is in service and another is in fitting-out; there are no
confirmed plans for additional ships in the class.

The first ship in the class was originally supposed to bear the name Yusin (유신/維新, "Rejuvenation" or "Restoration"). After Choe Sŭng-min’s death on 17
February 2021, she was abruptly renamed in honor of the deceased former leader. Yusin was then slated to be used as the name of the second ship in the
class, MHW-15. For this reason, and especially due to the extensive publicity pre-commissioning and the lateness of the renaming, some sources still refer to
these ships as the Yusin class. Further adding to the confusion, after the 2022 Menghean democratic reforms, there was some talk of renaming the second ship
Minju (민주/民主 "Democracy"), though as of December 2023 this has not been confirmed.

Like past Menghean aircraft carriers, the Choe Sŭng-min class is primarily designed to support large defensive operations by operating hundreds of kilometers
off friendly shores in support of land-based strike assets. Its maritime patrol aircraft and airborne early warning platforms would aid in the search for enemy
surface and submarine targets, and its fighters would probe possible enemy carrier battle groups' defenses. After confirming the location of an enemy surface
ship formation, the Menghean carrier battle group would then establish a dense bubble of fighter escort, providing a safe missile-launch area for land-based
maritime strike bombers. Compared with the two earlier classes, however, the Choe Sŭng-min's additional size also gives it greater flexibility to perform land-
attack missions.

Design
Layout
In most respects, the Choe Sŭng-min design resembles an enlarged version of the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, with a level flight deck, an angled landing path,
and CATOBAR aircraft handling equipment. Compared with the preceding class, it sports a 50% increase in catapults and elevators, and the air wing supports
four full fighter squadrons rather than two. The flight deck measures 309 meters long, and 76 meters across between its widest points, or 69.5 meters across
at most points.

One of the most visible differences, especially when seen from the side, is the redesigned island. The new island fits on a smaller footprint, increasing the
avaiable deck parking space, and follows a reduced-RCS design influenced by the contemporary Insŏng-class destroyers. The island is also more internally
spacious, owing to the use of nuclear power, which obviated the need for a funnel. On the front face of the island, the lower bridge contains the ship's
navigation equipment, while the upper bridge is divided between air traffic control (port half) and the Admiral's bridge (starboard half). The starboard bridge
wing also has a control position for alongside replenishment operations.

Aircraft handling
Two catapults run down the bow, and one runs along the waist. The #3 catapult, furthest to starboard, is normally covered by parked fighters, but opens up
after these aircraft have launched. The #1 catapult crosses the landing area, but there is adequate space to ready a fighter for launch while landing operations
are in progress. The #2 catapult is always ready to launch, even while landing operations are in progress and the deck park is full. All three catapults are driven
by steam from the ship's powerplant. An electromagnetic launch system was considered during construction, but rejected in favor of a safer technology on the
reasoning that most fighters would launch with air-to-air payloads.

Three elevators move aircraft between the hangar and the flight deck. Each is large enough to lift two fighters or two helicopters, and would normally be used
for fighter parking.

Munitions move between decks via a total of 12 elevators. Four of these lift munitions and other supplies from the ship's three magazine spaces into the
hangar. Three lift munitions from the magazine spaces into special readying rooms in the starboard sponson, where flight crew can attach fuses and check
control surfaces. Three elevators then lift munitions from these readying rooms onto the flight deck itself. The eleventh elevator lifts munitions from the aft end
of the hangar directly to the flight deck, with no intermediate readying room--munitions for the aircraft on the aft port corner would instead be readied within
the hangar. This workflow is more mechanically complex, but it also takes munitions arming and inspection work out of the hangars and into specialized rooms,
making it easier for aircraft to taxi about. The munitions readying rooms can also be stocked with light stores, including air-to-air missiles, for faster re-arming
of aircraft on the deck. Each readying room is equipped with a double door and bomb ramp for ejecting hazardous objects into the sea.

The hangar measures 173.7 by 30 meters (570 by 99 feet) at its floor, and is three decks tall. Two sets of fireproof doors can divide it into three sections, each
with at least one elevator to a magazine, at least one munitions elevator to the deck, and at least one aircraft elevator, allowing continued operations even if
one section of the hangar sustains damage. As on the preceding class, a 17-meter-diameter turntable in each hangar section easily rotates aircraft as they
move between the hangar and the doors to the main elevators. Spare 700-liter drop tanks are suspended from racks on the ceiling.

Defensive armament and countermeasures
The Choe Sŭng-min-class carriers are armed only for self-defense, with no long-range surface-to-air or surface-to-surface weaponry, and no anti-submarine
weaponry whatsoever. They are fitted with two 8-cell Mark 41 Vertical Launching System units, but these are 4.1-meter-deep self-defense-length units which
can only accept YDG-64 and YDG-66 short-range SAMs. The Mk41 launch modules are split between the forward port and starboard aft corners of the flight
deck to provide redundancy in the event that one unit is damaged or disabled.

The next line of defense comes in the form of four CIWS mounts. Unlike previous Menghean aircraft carriers, including the Haebang post-refit, which used the
Subisu CIWS, the Choe Sŭng-min class uses the GBM-35-2 Ttakttaguri, an enclosed turret for the DGP-35-2 anti-air gun. Though its twin 35mm cannons only
produce a combined rate of fire of 1100 rounds per minute, compared with 9200 rpm from the Subisu's twin 23mm rotary cannons, the GBM-35-2 can fire
smart-fused prefragmented projectiles. Live-fire tests comparing both weapons found that the GBM-35-2 can achieve a moderately higher kill probability
against anti-ship missiles and a significantly higher kill probability against small drones, making it the preferred defensive weapon for future Menghean
warships. It is also lighter and requires less below-deck space, allowing it to be mounted on smaller sponsons.

Further defense against missiles comes from four Baram-2 countermeasure projectors, which can launch chaff, flare, and jammer projectiles. Like the CIWS
mounts, they are arranged around the corners of the flight deck to provide full coverage. Four reloadable Ori decoy launchers, embedded in the sponsons just
aft of the #2 catapult, can eject floating decoys with radar reflectors and IR emitters.

For torpedo defense, the ships carry two Manhwagyŏng-H projectors on the fantail. These provide only 180-degree coverage, meaning the carrier would have
to alter course to evade an oncoming torpedo off the bow.

Five 12.7mm GCh-75 heavy machine guns arranged around the flight deck provide a last line of protection against light boats, which can also be engaged by
the 35mm CIWS turrets.

Sensors and electronic warfare
The radar suite for the MHW-14 carrier class was selected to mimic the electronic signature of the contemporary Insŏng-class destroyers, making it difficult for
enemy units to identify the carrier from the destroyer by their signatures. This includes a Thales NS50 short-range air search radar on the masthead, which has
a range of 180 kilometers, for self-defense. An AN/SPY-6(V)3 AESA system with nine RMAs per face was added during development, replacing the Chasip-N
long-range offensive ECM faces.

The electronic warfare suite is built around a reduced, passive-only Chasip system, with the S1 and S2 ESM panels retained. In 2023, the Menghean Navy
completed cross-coordination of the Chasip and AN/SPY-6 systems, meaning that the former can cue the latter's targeted jamming function. A four-face Metturi
EW suite higher on the island mast provides additional electronic warfare capability, including the ability to autonomously identify incoming missiles and jam
them in their own frequencies.

Two Hongmoja infrared sensors mounted on the mast, rotating at 10 or 30 RPM, scan the horizon for sea-skimming missiles. Each sensor head includes a
second aperture which can train upward to scan the sky for aircraft. Little is known publicly about this system's sensitivity and practicality, except that it is
meant to help a ship identify incoming threats while its radars are shut off or damaged.

Underway replenishment
There are three hose receptacles for receiving liquid stores and two kingposts for receiving solid cargo and passengers, all on the starboard side and arranged
in the appropriate order to receive supplies from an Anchungang-class fast combat support ship without crossing wires. The solid replenishment kingposts are
located in the starboard-side hangar entrances, and bring supplies directly into the hangar for distribution and storage. Because the ship uses nuclear
propulsion, it does not need to replenish boiler fuel; but it still needs to regularly replenish jet fuel, backup generator fuel, munitions, and supplies.

A new feature, also tested on the Hasŏ-class cruisers, is a liquid CONREP providing post, located just aft of the island on the starboard side. This allows the ship
to transfer fuel and fresh water to other ships in its formation, useful for topping off shorter-range escorts or consolidating supplies after a single rendezvous
with a replenishment ship. There is no dedicated solid CONREP providing equipment, but helicopters could be used to lift supplies between ships.

Other features
A total of 306 sprinklers are distributed around the surface of the flight deck. In the event of fire, contamination, or other hazard, these sprinklers emerge
through the flight deck to spray treated water onto its surface.

Air group
Compared with the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng class, the Choe Sŭng-min air wing was designed to carry slightly more ASW and AEW fixed-wing aircraft and an
additional fighter squadron. After basic design work finished, it was found that she was able to host an additional four DS-9 fighters, which would be used as
spares to replace any fighters lost, damaged, or undergoing maintenance.

The larger Choe Sŭng-min air wing also includes two organic GH-36HSN pushrotor helicopters for carrier onboard delivery. This distinguishes them from
previous Menghean aircraft carriers, which relied on COD helicopters organic to units on shore. The "N" variant of the GH-36HS sports a retractable in-flight
refueling probe, allowing it to greatly increase its one-way cruising range and thus replenish carriers operating further from home ports. It is also able to land
on Insŏng-class destroyers and Anchungang-class fast combat support ships to transfer supplies between ships.

For medium-range protection against submarines, the Choe Sŭng-min class carries six Gyundoan-Han GH-28 Ppulsoeori helicopters. Although the newer
GH-28GJR model was in production by 2020, from introduction until at least 2024 the Choe Sŭng-min air wing only employed GH-28DJD helicopters. These
were pulled from other surface combatants to be replaced with the GH-28GJR, which has more general-purpose utility as a surface combatant's sole helicopter
type.

The full carrier air wing for MH-14 Choe Sŭng-min, which made its first debut in 2023, consists of:

• 52× Daesŭngri DS-9MD (single-seat) or DS-9MR (twin-seat) multirole fighter
• 4× Demirkan-Yŏng'an DY-11GJ airborne early warning platform
• 8× Demirkan-Yŏng'an DY-11DJ anti-submarine patrol aircraft
• 2× Gyundoan-Han GH-36HSN cargo helicopter
• 6× Gyundoan-Han GH-28DJD anti-submarine helicopter
• 2× Gyundoan-Han GH-28HJN search-and-rescue helicopter

Like the Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng air wing before it, this mix lacks dedicated tankers and electronic warfare aircraft. Instead, other aircraft would be fitted with
appropriate payloads for these missions. The DY-11DJ's four external hardpoints can be fitted with drop tanks and buddy refueling pods, making it useful as a
tanker, and the twin-seat DS-9MR would typically be fitted out for offensive electronic warfare missions. If the carrier is operating within the South Menghe Sea
or near the Strait of Portcullia, land-based tankers and SIGINT aircraft can also be dispatched to support it.

Promotional materials published by the Menghean Navy in September 2022 indicate that other air wing compositions are under consideration for later in the
class's life. These include compositions that introduce fifth-generation fighters, fixed-wing carrier onboard delivery aircraft, and various types of fixed-wing and
rotary-wing drones. It is also possible to add an additional squadron of DS-9 fighter aircraft by parking them on the port side of the forward end of the flight
deck, but this obstructs all but the #1 waist catapult and would severely reduce the sortie generation rate.

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

In the decades following the Global War, Transcollinia emerged as the dominant power in a free trade block and mutual defence alliance that spanned much of the continent.
The increasing responsibility to shoulder the burden of naval defense and power projection led, in the 1610s (OTL 1960s), to proposals for a new large aircraft carrier to form
the backbone of the fleet, augmenting and eventually replacing the smaller wartime designs. This proposal however was rejected on budget grounds in favour of refitting
existing ships.

In the 1620s (OTL 1970s), with the higher than expected cost and unsatisfactory capabilities of the refits now apparent, and with a more willing government in power, the
proposal was revisited. Strengthening the case for a new large carrier leading the Transcollinian fleet was the continued waning of their ally Irvennia's naval might, along with
a resurgence of expansionist and beligerent rhetoric from Cebergaard, with whom they remained a cold-war stand-off.

The Navy argued successfully that a larger design than the original 1610s proposal would come with great benefits to air group size and flexibility at small additional cost.
"Sweet 70" became the rallying call for an ideal ship of at least 70,000 tons full load. Many features of the original design were retained as it was scaled up, including an only
slightly angled but heavily offset landing deck, and an inboard island permitting a circular flow of aircraft around it from the landing area, via rearming and refuelling stations,
to the forward catapults for fast and flexible combined air operations.

In addition, a budget compromise was reached that new aicraft types should be developed with maximum airframe commonality between the Air Force and Navy.
Two primary types came out of this joint program, a delta-wing air superiority fighter, and a swing-wing multi-role strike aircraft. The air group would eventually comprise
60-70 aircraft including ASW helicopters and navalised transports converted to AEW platforms.

One ship was initially approved for construction, intended to augment the existing carrier fleet. Eventually, a sister ship would be added to form a modern and powerful
2-carrier core of the new Transcollinian fleet going forward. "Die Fünf Eichen" was completed in 1632 (OTL 1982) but, due to teething troubles on trials and delays in the
development of the aircraft intended for her, was not fully operational until 1634 (OTL 1984).

The lead ship is named after a semi-mythical forest glade in the heart of Transcollinia, where it is said 5 great oaks were planted, each by the chief of one of the hill tribes,
as a pact of peace and cooperation between them. These tribes were the precursors of the peoples and states that eventually united into the current Transcollinian Federation.

Do you think you will be able to share it before the deadline?

very likely though a 24 hour extension would allow rather more detailing

the 2 weeks seems rather long unless other people need that much time

_________________
The Chinese people are not to be cowed by U.S. atomic blackmail. Our country has a population of 600 million and an area of 9.6 [million sq. km]. The United States cannot annihilate the Chinese nation with its small stack of atom bombs. Even if the U.S. atom bombs were so powerful that, when dropped on China, they would make a hole right through the earth, or even blow it up, that would hardly mean anything to the universe as a whole, though it might be a major event for the solar system.

Okay. So. If I had a nickel for every time I stayed up literally all night to work on a challenge submission the day before the deadline, I'd have two nickels,
which isn't a lot but it's weird very concerning that it happened twice.

Anyway, I still have a few hours left to continue detailing I suppose, but there's a genuine risk that I might fall asleep on my keyboard at this point, so I
should probably post this now just in case that happens. I haven't had time to draw internal views of her hangar, or to properly show all the detail on her
underwater hull, or to add a tone of greebles to bring her on par with the other entries, and perhaps most notably she's currently lacking an air wing. But
I'm literally to tired to continue, so I'll have to deal the hand I've got.

(one small note: the shading is done assuming that the light source is in the top-right of the page, for all the views. I made a 3d model of the carrier in
blender, and used a special texture that renders a surface based on the direction its normal vector points in, to figure out where the shading lines should
be, and they are all accurate, despite how insane the bow view looks. With that being said, it was probably more effort than it was worth, so I might
switch to a different system in the future)

_________________
"Oh, absolutely not. Trinitite may be an eldritch being that breaks the laws of physics, but even she can't replicate the insanity that is German Engineering!" - PyrrhicSteel on whether Trinities' machine shops can make a new gasket for a crane
“Yes, strategy,” she replied to Evelyn’s withering look. “Because I am merely an amateur. I cannot talk logistics.” - Seven Shades of Sunlight, in a latter chapter of Katalepsis

happe crumbledag


The USS Gerald R. Ford, as it appeared as part of the U.S. 5th Fleet and the American deployment to the Middle East on 30 DEC 2023.

The Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier represents the epitome of American carrier design since the CVAN-65 and are a stark departure from the Kitty Hawk and Forrestal's emphasis on heavy (nuclear) attack. The third-generation supercarriers and onwards are built for combat operations in low-to-medium intensity combat zones, using conventional or precision-guided weapons, for up to 96 hours in duration. The Ford-class supercarriers are descended from the Nimitz-class supercarriers of the 1970's, which are themselves descended from the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered supercarrier. Designed for α-strikes and maximum sortie generation per day during cyclic operations (1+15 specified), the Fords have incrementally improved the Nimitz's weapons delivery capacities from the Vietnam War era, albeit for questionable utility.

The Fords are the largest aircraft carriers ever built, massing over 100,000 tons fully loaded, with the most expansive flight decks of any in-service carrier today. With merely 75% of the crew of the legacy Nimitz-class ships, the automation improvements of the Fords are substantial. Albeit not to the degree of more advanced European designs such as the CVF Alfa, with its fully automatic weapons magazine and handling equipment, the Ford-class has nevertheless managed to reduce manning to cost-affordable degrees while maintaining sufficient overhead for damage control and combat operations comparable to World War 2. The most notable feature of the Ford-class over the Nimitz is the reduction in need for aircraft towing tractors ("yellow carts"), by utilizing the "pit stop" deck layout, which affords sufficient clear space for an F/A-18C, F/A-35C, or F/A-18E to maneuver around the deck under its own power from recovery lane to service area to waist catapult. Additionally, the use of fueling ports built into the deck rather than along the deck edge, allowing aircraft to position themselves within one of 18 "pit stop" zones, provides electrical and network connections to program the aircraft and a dedicated fueling port.

This baked-in emphasis on α-strike capacity has been called into question as the U.S. Navy has seen dramatic reductions in air wing size and manning since the 1980's, and regardless has not conducted significant α-strikes since DEC 4 83 over Beirut, where several A-7 attack aircraft were lost. Current Navy expectations are that any major carrier combat actions should be conducted outside the range of strategic anti-ship missiles, such as the PLA DF-21D and Soviet R-27K, which places an emphasis on strike radius. Cyclic times and associated sortie generation will necessarily be impacted if combat is conducted at 900 to 1,200 nautical miles, as in any expected Pacific or North Atlantic engagement, versus 200 to 400 nautical miles which was the case in the Syrian Civil War against the Islamic Caliphate. New strike aircraft, such as the A-12 Avenger II, MQ-28 Ghost Bat, and two-seat E/A-35D, will alleviate this only weakly. The expected deployment of a VAM, VUAL, or VAQ is anticipated to be between 0.33 and 1 per CVW each. Borrowing a trick from European navies the Ford can also deploy a MEU-equivalent Battalion Landing Team, albeit at the cost of between one and two squadrons of CVW aircraft or additional deck parking requirements.

War modeling has shown that despite incorporating the "pit stop" design, the expected 180/270 sustained/surge sortie generation advertised by BuShips is unlikely to be met in future war environments, especially if the cycle time exceeds 1+30 (during cycle times in excess 1+30, FOD walk downs are practiced, as well as respotting of aircraft on the FD, and other "housekeeping" activities), and regardless may require reduction to 1+00 or even lower, to meet. Regardless, the reduction in manning brought by the "pit stop" due to reduced billets in the Air Department more than makes up for any theoretical advantages in combat operations, as this money intended for BuPers can be reoriented to BuDocks or BuAer. A typical CVW makeup for the Ford-class, due to the growth of airframe size since 1996, is expected to be approximately one VAM (10x BAe Avenger II), one VAQ (6x E/A-35C), two or three* VFA or VMFA (10x F-35C), two* VUA (12x MQ-28 Ghost Bat), one VAW detachment (4x EV-22C), one VSM (8x SV-22C), one VSC (8x CMV-22B). This gives a total size of between 66 and 78 aircraft nominally, down from the Cold War standard of >100 aircraft as seen on CVN-71's combat deployment with CVW-8 during Operation Desert Storm.

Actual combat performance during Operation Iron Pheasant in JAN 2024, where U.S. Navy strike aircraft bombarded Beirut for the first time since 1983, nearly matched the CVAN 65-class's performance in Praying Mantis. Contingency deployments from Ford using V-22 and H-53K assault helicopters, as well as assault hovercraft from the Ford's "semi-well deck", by the "Joint Operational Evaluation" unit were conducted to assist in the capture of Beirut by the 188th Armored Brigade "Lightning" of the IDF. Similar to, but smaller than SOCOM, JOE comprises hand-picked soldiers from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air, and Space Forces, with current commanding officer GEN Randall L.J. Flagg. This marked the first American troops on the ground in the Levant since 1991 in the Persian Gulf War, and the first American infantrymen in combat in the Levant since 1984, with the 82nd Airborne Division and the UN Multi-National Force (MNF). The lackluster performance in the strike role was blamed mainly on the inexperience of the crews in maintaining the novel combat systems of the Ford-class, including the port waist EMALS which was reportedly down after as few as 42 full power launch strokes, necessitating the switching of the flight operations from port to starboard, and assault operations from starboard to port. This switch led to a drop in the overall sortie performance of the entire 27-day operation. The embarked Marine Carrier Littoral Regiment battalion (~800 marines) and the JOE Unit, including such brave American heroes as "Roadblock", "Duke", "Birdsong", "Snake Eyes", "Wiggles", "Kingpin", "Shipwreck", "Cutter", "Whaler", "Blue Collar", "Hijack", and "Matador" conducted ground operations in Beirut for nearly a fortnight, based out of the Gerald Ford's combat group and from the old American embassy grounds, where it assisted in distribution and protection of UN aid convoys into several northern Israeli and southern Lebanese refugee camps.

Social media rumors of attacks by the Confederated Belgradian Revolutionary Army (CoBRA), an alliance of multiple formerly communist insurgent groups turned fentanyl manufacturing cartel and supported by the Republic of Serbia and allegedly employing notorious Franco-Italian ("Swiss") mercenary Michel Knopf, are believed to have been started with the downing of the EMALS catapult. Coincidentally, this occurred at the same time as a shipboard fire, caused by a sewage backflow into the plasma incinerator of the Ford's garbage disposal system, and all during the U.S. SECDEF's unannounced visit and subsequent press livestream on 20 DEC 23. An unrelated assault on the SECDEF, later found to be the result of a JAG Lt.(j.g.)'s over use of stimulants and subsequent psychotic episode, added credence to this rumor. Finally, reports that the alleged CoBRA assault team was defeated by a combination of JOE Unit special forces troops and the "rather handsome" executive officer of the Ford (previously a JAG lawyer, and a decorated Tomcat pilot (three kills) from VF-32) began circulating after a snippet of the livestream recorded the XO checking his sidearm.

However, this and other rumors were stated by a Navy spokesman to be "silly" and unrelated to the septic dumpster fire and EMALS failure, which themselves were also unrelated. As it turns out, a routine training exercise, being carried out with the onboard Marine contingent and an OPFOR "red team" using laser tag weapons, was the actual explanation for large scorch marks seen in several bulkheads during the livestream.

*Dependent on deployment of unmanned attack aircraft.

i used portions of Paul2019's underwater hull from his CVN-68 drawing

sorry it's bad i didn't start drawing until tuesday night or so and it's friday morning now ):

_________________
The Chinese people are not to be cowed by U.S. atomic blackmail. Our country has a population of 600 million and an area of 9.6 [million sq. km]. The United States cannot annihilate the Chinese nation with its small stack of atom bombs. Even if the U.S. atom bombs were so powerful that, when dropped on China, they would make a hole right through the earth, or even blow it up, that would hardly mean anything to the universe as a whole, though it might be a major event for the solar system.

Posting on Armoured Man's behalf

_________________
w o r k l i s t :
Hatsuyuki-class Escort Ships . . . <3

Polls Now Open
The submission period for the Supercarrier Challenge has ended.
Please consider rating each entry here.
Options for the next challenge can be ranked here.
Both polls will remain open until 23:59 (UTC-12), 1 January. (Countdown Timer)

Options for Next Challenge
Legislative Building Challenge (Shipbucket Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional legislative building - a building in which a legislature meets to craft laws. Real life examples include the United States Capitol, the Palace of Westminster, and the National Diet Building.
2. The building may house supranational, national, and subnational legislatures. You could, for example, draw a fictional legislative building for the European Union, or an American state, instead of a national legislature.
3. No period is specified. Your fictional legislative building may be from the past, present, or future.

Granddad's Rifle Challenge (Gunbucket, Weaponbucket, Pistolbucket)
1. Your submission must include two drawings of a fictional bolt-action service rifle.
2. The first drawing should show the bolt-action service rifle in active military service at some point between 1900 and 1950.
3. The second drawing should depict the same firearm later in life as a civilian-owned, sporterised hunting rifle.

The Golden Age of Flying Boats (FD Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional flying boat - a seaplane with a hull allowing it to land on and take off from water.
2. The flying boat's first flight must occur between 1920 and 1935. Your drawing should also depict the flying boat in this time frame.
3. Military aircraft are not permitted. Your flying boat should serve a civilian airline or organisation.

Emergency Vehicle Challenge (FD Scale)
1. Your submission must depict three fictional land vehicles employed by emergency services.
2. One vehicle should be associated with a police force, another with a fire department, and the third with an emergency medical service.
3. The three vehicles should be shown in the service of a single country and contemporaneous.

Real Life Challenge: FD Edition (FD Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a real vehicle in FD scale.
2. Your drawing(s) should be suitable for inclusion in the Shipbucket archive.
3. Never built designs are permitted if you present a realistic interpretation of their appearance in service or an unmarked version identical to the real life proposal.
If chosen, Drawing Quality will be this challenge's sole category. Also, the number of views and drawings permitted in each entry will not be restricted. Furthermore, unlike the previous proposal for this challenge, you may draw a vehicle which already appears in the Shipbucket archive. However, participants are strongly encouraged to draw a vehicle previously unseen in FD scale.

The Supercarrier Challenge poll has closed. Thanks to everyone who voted. Of course, this challenge would not have been possible without the toil of our artists and encouragement offered by all. It has been a long journey over the past two months.

In first place with a total of 594 points is Soode who submitted the Choe Sŭng-min class. It was well received on Discord and I am pleased to see that has translated to a deserving score. The amount of detail is astonishing and I am pleased to see a wide selection of deck equipment and aircraft. Congratulations to our winner! Second places goes to BB1987 whose Inuwashi class attained 579 points. Their entry was the only one to include a dedicated hangar view and that dedication seems to have paid off. Great work! Following in third is Billkerman1234 with 531 points. USS Leslie Cole captures the appearance of an iconic ship and adds its own unique quirks and characteristics. Good job!




A new challenge, The Golden Age of Flying Boats, is now open. It was the most popular choice, followed by: Emergency Vehicle, Granddad's Rifle, Real Life, and Legislative Building.

Well, I have to admit I am a tad disappointed by my challenge results this round. I definitely didn't expect to win, but I also didn't think I'd be far down the bottom half on design quality.

Anyway, congratulation to everyone entering. A supercarrier is a daunting task, as proven by the low amount of them actually drawn for the archive. I liked all entries, some for different reasons but still!

I hope others will add their comments about the drawings this time too but I'll go first.

Gollevainen: It looks like a not-soviet carrier, which is of course what it went for so in that respect it is very well done. There are some discrepancies in the detailing though: For example the flight deck is plated but the sides of the hull are not, and details as the bridle tracks to the bridle catchers are not drawn in (which are far more visible then the plating ever should be). Overall a good drawing and design.

Corp: Crazy concept that is well drawn. I am not sold on some design choices (the propeller being above the waterline without ballast for example) but my main gripe is with the shading, which seems inconsistent on the torpedo shaped hulls and shows a very blunt strut near the bow. I think the actual design waterline would be somewhere halfway the struts, not just below the hangar deck, as right now the ship would get excessive slamming and the hangar would get water ingestion trough the side openings. All in all, an very good drawing of a very non-standard design with the drawbacks of that fact.

rbz88: A well drawn design derived from the real life CVA-58. I am worried about the ship being overweight with the increased flight deck size and superstructure without losing much from the original arrangement. The weapon elevators also are above the machinery spaces, requiring the weapons to be transferred lower down in the hull from the forward and aft magazines. Drawing wise, there is some non-standard shading in places which makes following the shape of the ship difficult in some instances and some areas feel busy for no good reason (for example the detailing in the pilothouse windows). All in all, an very good drawing of an reasonably realistic design.

BB1987: My personal favourite. Well shaded, well detailed, consistently drawn and shaded over the different views, looks like it could be a real design. I do wonder what it would look like with aircraft on the deck to show the deck "in operation", but I also like the uncluttered look of a ship that is already plenty detailed. Also, the perfect hangar view image, which I would love to see for real world shipbucket drawings.

My own drawing: I sadly had too little time to do the different views and detailing that I wished to do, work ended up taking so much time that I detailed her on a laptop during Christmas. That said, I am happy that I was able to get her to a stage where I could post, and I believe the ship is consistent with what it would be in real life if the story I wrote under it came to pass. Detailing wise, I wanted to put a proper airwing on her deck and add more antenna's, flag lines, gallery deck details etc but it is interesting to note that apart from those I considered the ship finished: I am not one to overclutter a drawing, but try to keep the level of detail consistent. I might finish the drawing at some point, also adding the other variations described in the background story, so if you have comments of any kind they are very welcome as I can incorporate them then.

Soode: I love this drawing and I hate it. First of all, the amount and kind of work that went into it is AWESOME. Every time I see it I can keep seeing new things and new details. However, because of that the drawing is also extremely busy, and was it harder for me to see the entire ship as an completed drawing, being distracted by details. I was also confused by the actual shading rules set in the front view, which seems to have the 45 degrees shading following a consistency between front and sieview while also makeing the right half lighter, while the bulbous bow followed another rule altogether. I am also not sure the weapon elevator locations make sense(very minor comments altogether but those were the reason this was my number 2 score and not the number one it got in the voting )

VC: interesting drawing of an alternative configuration when comparing it to most 'not-forrestal' other entries. I do however believe this layout works just as well, even if different. I only wonder if the pilothouse is not too low to offer an effective view and I think the forward Mk 29 does not have any suitable director available. The single weapons elevator very far aft is strange. Overall a good design and a good drawing.

BillKerman1234: Scored a bit lower on design quality then a comparable design would have because it is 95% just CVN-65. Of course it just works. Drawing wise, it got a lower score from me because it is a drawing that breaks with many aspects that make shipbucket what it is: the black outlines, the overhang shading rules and the shading rules in general. Shading on for example the superstructure seems to follow slightly different rules then the hull. I think the artist did the base design with the 3D model shading and then wasn't able to apply that everywhere on details like the parts, bilge keels and platforms. It's an good drawing of an (too) realistic design that could have been so much better.

Kattsun: I am going to pretend the crew and aircraft are less silly and look at it as a design and a drawing as I have done for the other drawings. The main gripe I have with it as a design is that it is way too wide. The centerline elevators not having rounded edges will result in strength issues as well. The design of the sideview isn't bad, and if the planform was less wide it might have some merit (although I wonder why only one side has arrestor gear). 2 bow catapults would also seem more realistic. The deck edge elevators appear very far from the actual hull, suggesting the hangar deck reaches into the sponsons, which might result into strength issues. Drawing wise, the shading is very inconsistent. The sponsons appear to have outlines but the extending platforms do not (or is that shading under a platform?). The light is coming from the front on the sponsons but appears to be coming from the side on the superstructure. The level of detail seems reasonable although I am missing UNREP gear or an opening for it.

armoured man: As an alternative take on the basic forrestal layout, I like it a lot! I have some doubts about the midship weapons elevators, but the aftmost and the 2 forward ones are at normal magazine locations so it is not unlikely those midship ones only go to hangar deck level. The jet blast deflectors might have issues with single-engined aircraft blasting in between them. I do not think a twin hull fits well in those turrets, or at the very least I do not think it is worth fitting a second individually sleeved gun in a turret the size of the Mk 42 as the rate of fire will likely not increase (reliability might). I am a tad worried about all 3 elevators on one side and only 3 catapults on a ship this size, but historically speaking it is not an impossible arrangement. I do wonder if this design has the same background story as the forrestal (converted to angled deck during construction) or if it is designed as an angled deck carrier. Drawing wise, not much to say, it all looks correct, and I hope it won't be overcluttered with details as it already looks quite good in it's bare state.

I hope people have use of these comments and I look forwards to seeing more from others!

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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.
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