Shipbucket

A very impressive cruiser! Well done Hood!

Did you inspire from real consept to design her?
E.g

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/thread ... ngs.33119/

How does that propulsion work? Similar with Kirov class but with turbines instead of boilers?

Well your slightly insane but very cool-looking Lambda was the key to sorting out the jigsaw of how to lay out what I wanted to fit in.
No its not based on anything real - this is waaay over the top for what the RN could historically afford (heck even finding a slipway big enough would be a challenge in the 1960s).

The propulsion would be much more like the US CGNs with D2G reactors in terms of layout and operation.
The fore reactor would be just behind the Ikara magazine (i.e. beneath the launcher itself as the magazine is forward of the launcher) and the aft reactor just under the aft section of the main superstructure block with engine rooms ahead and aft of it.

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I really like these as a pure flight of fantasy. They do have a certain megalomaniacal quality that strikes me as perhaps less British and more Soviet in inspiration. Kind of a “what if the RN wanted to build a Kirov?”

Maybe in an alternate universe where the British Empire persists through the decolonization period mostly intact and retains some kind of superpower status post-WWII, these kind of vessels might have a place?

As always, very creative ideas here and great execution. Looking forward to seeing more.

Wow! That's really a cool design, and I really admire Your creativity.

Btw. just "2 carrier groups" means how many carriers in that timeline?

Beach Class


HMS Chesil Beach, 1966

In January 1958 the Chiefs of Staff began planning to replace the wartime-era amphibious warfare fleet and the study group reported back in October outlining three options; a bow-loading beaching LST, a stern-loading non-beaching LST and an LSD. The last of these would become the Fearless-class.
The chosen LST option a beaching LST and the chosen design was Design SL/C powered by four 3,000hp Napier Deltic diesel engines for a max speed of 16kts at full displacement. Bow and stern ramps were provided, the lower vehicle deck could accommodate 8 tanks and 4 self-propelled guns along with 3 lorries or amphibious vehicles. The upper deck could accommodate 26 lorries. Davits held 6 LCAs and the aft section of the vehicle deck could also be used as a landing pad for Wessex or Sea King assault helicopters. Armament was four single 40mm L/60 Bofors.
The Beach-class was comprised of four ships. During the Falklands War, Holkham Beach was sunk by bombs and Dawlish Beach was damaged by a near-miss and strafing.

HMS Chesil Beach L3034 commissioned April 1962, scrapped 1993
HMS Porthcurno Beach L3035 commissioned May 1962, scrapped 1992
HMS Holkham Beach L3041 commissioned September 1963, sunk 7 June 1982
HMS Dawlish Beach L3042 commissioned April 1964, scrapped 1985

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I love the design Hood.

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Great work.

Advanced Technology Frigate (ATV)


HMS Erebus, July 1995


HMS Erebus, April 2011

Following on from the Type 23 Duke, the Royal Navy began searching for a follow-on class for the mid-1990s and began looking at the technologies it required. The result was the Advanced Technology Frigate, although most of its innovations lay in its hull design and powerplant. These were:
- cruiser stern for better performance in following seas plus variable flap
- chines and streamlining forward for good seakeeping
- four-compartment hull with double-bulkhead isolation against combat damage (water/fire/smoke/NBC)
- diesel powerplant with electric motors for low acoustic signature
- offset portside helicopter deck with midships hangar to ease operations in rough seas
- twin AIO for combat redundancy (one forward, one aft) with 75mm armour plating around the forward AIO and communications centre

The MoD succeeded in getting the Treasury to build a proof of concept ship, albeit with 35% private industry investment into the costs and one Type 23 was cut from the building programme. The lead ship became something of a testbed ship - the new MESAR array and GWS-27 system was incorporated along with a bespoke EW suite and prototype CIWS mounts developed from Goalkeeper. The Short Seaburst system utilising Sea Skua to create a range of 15km-range rocket projectiles for ASW and shore strike had been developed for export (specifically Saudi Arabia) and was also installed for trials.

HMS Erebus was laid down in 1991 and completed in 1994 and has served as a testbed for many systems over the years, including the Sampson radar for the Type 45 programme. But no ATV programme materialised, by the mid-1990s the Future Surface Combatant had overtaken the requirements.

Drawing Note: This is based off D. K. Brown's Advanced Technology Frigate proposal in his 1991 book, The Future British Surface Fleet.

HMS Erebus (F208), commissioned October 1994, decommissioned May 2026

Displacement: 7,850 tons (standard)
Dimensions: length 454ft (oa) 429ft 6in (wl - including variable flap); beam 70ft; draught 30ft (over sonar dome)
Machinery: four 5MW Pielstick diesel generators supplying electricity to two generators with two 1.5MW Paxman diesel generators for electric supply and back-up power
Speed: 33kts (deep and clean)
Range: 7,500 nautical miles at 18kts
Armament:
2x VSEL Sea Dragon CIWS (1x 30mm cannon & 8x Short Starstreak SAMs) - a modified Goalkeeper variant
2x1 30mm LS-30
2x4 RGM-84C Harpoon container-launchers
2x4 Ikara ASW/Woomba SSM container-launchers
1x12 Short Seaburst MRLS (rocket projectile depth-bomb and land-attack mortar plus Sea Skua SSMs)
2x24 GWS-27 Active Confessor VLS (upgraded with CAMM in 2000s)
2x2 12.75in torpedo tubes for Stingray lightweight guided torpedoes (32x torpedo magazine (shared with helicopter provision)
[1x experimental BAE Systems Dazzle-N laser weapon added in 2010s]
Helicopters:
Hangar for 2x Westland Lynx HAS.3 or 1x Westland WG.34 Merlin HAS.1, flight deck can accommodate helicopters up to Chinook size
Radars:
1x Plessey MESAR 3-D search and tracking radar (2-array) (replaced by BAe Sampson in 2000s)
2x Type 1006 navigation radars (replaced by Type 1009 in 2010s)
2x Type 912 fire-control radars for GWS-27 (removed in 2000s)
EW/Defences:
UAF-1 ESM (replaced with UAT(16) ESM in 2000s)
4x GEC Portcullis RWR/IR/laser self-defence sensors
2x Millpost Mk.2 jammers (replaced by experimental Bastion jammers in 2010s)
4x Seagnat decoy launchers
4x DLF(3) floating decoy launchers
Sonars
1x Type 2047Z active/passive search and attack sonar (developed from Type 2074 submarine sonar)
1x Type 2031Z passive search towed array sonar


Future Surface Combatant
Developed during the late 1990s as an advanced replacement for the Type 22 and Type 44 frigates. The roles were for air defence, anti-ship, land-attack and expeditionary force support.
The ATV was offered as a variant with Sylver VLS and Sampson radar as well as some mechanical improvements and a 76mm gun added. This was seen as a baseline high technology solution but ultimately fell short on offering the required amount of boat space for littoral/special forces operations.


ATV FSC Proposal

Then the Type 45, which was then in design, was considered as a lower cost solution with increased commonality for the build programme. The long-range radar, secondary CAMM-batteries and some EW kit was removed to reduce costs and the US 127mm gun replaced by a 76mm mount. The design was judged to be too large and expensive.


Type 45 FSC Proposal

Ultimately a highly radical trimaran, pumpjet powered was taken forward to become the Type 25 before the programme was cancelled in 2004 due to high costs. For full details see: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=6879&start=120#p194011


Type 25 FSC Proposal

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Once again Sir, you have made my eyes bleed. These are stunning designs and beautifully crafted. I especially enjoyed reading the specifications (something I am currently lacking in skill with).

_________________
There is no "I" in TEAM but there is a ME


______________________
Current Worklist:
Redrawing my entire AU after a long absence from Shipbucket

Chester Class


HMS Colchester, June 1985

In the late 1970s there were thoughts about a cheaper minesweeper that would work alongside the more expensive River-class.
A cheap sweeper proved impossible due to the engine power required but a cheap minehunter seemed possible. The idea was a basic GRP hull with diesel generators placed in three ISO containers on the upper deck. The operations room was also containerised and the Type 193M sonar gear was boxed too. The bare hulls could be built and tied up and then made operational as and when necessary by plugging in the containers. The cost was around a third of a River.
Encouraged by the cheapness of the concept as a means of boosting the MCM fleet, twelve hulls were ordered in 1978 from Brooke Marine at Lowestoft. Alongside that, 40 diesel generator containers were ordered from Paxman and 14 minesweeping operations room containers from Racal and six surveying operations room containers from GEC.

Production took a little while to bed down but all twelve hulls were completed in just over 2 years. Most early boats were awaiting equipment until around 1982 and thereafter sea time was limited for most of the fleet. Six were taken up as survey craft equipped with commercial sidescan towed sonar and a specialised surveying ops room container. Events in the Persian Gulf saw most of the class rotate in and out of the area during 1988-92 where they proved effective minehunters alongside the larger Hunt-class sweeper/hunters. In 1993-94 half the class were sold to Brazil and the remainder lingered on in survey and patrol work until the late 1990s when they were disposed of early in favour of more conventional craft.

HMS Silchester (M101), commissioned September 1979, sold to Brazil in 1993
HMS Winchester (M102), commissioned December 1979, scrapped in 1995
HMS Rochester (M103), commissioned May 1980, sold to Brazil in 1993
HMS Portchester (M104), commissioned July 1980, scrapped in 1998
HMS Ribchester (M105), commissioned August 1980, scrapped in 1996
HMS Grantchester (M106), commissioned October 1980, sold to Brazil in 1994
HMS Ilchester (M107), commissioned November 1980, scrapped in 1994
HMS Colchester (M108), commissioned March 1981, scrapped in 1999
HMS Dorchester (M109), commissioned March 1981, sold to Brazil in 1994
HMS Chichester (M110), commissioned May 1981, sold to Brazil in 1993
HMS Binchester (M111), commissioned July 1981, scrapped in 1996
HMS Kenchester (M112), commissioned July 1981, sold to Brazil in 1994

Displacement: 585 tons (standard)
Dimensions: length 170ft (oa) 157ft (wl); beam 27ft 6in; draught 11ft (over sonar dome)
Machinery: three 200kW Paxman diesel generators in ISO-standard containers supplying electricity to two motors
Speed: 13kts (deep and clean)
Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 18kts
Armament:
1x 20mm Oerlikon mount
2x1 7.62mm GPMG
Radars:
1x Type 1006 navigation radar
Minesweeping Equipment
Type 193M sonar
2x PAP UUVs

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft