Aircraft carriers

[joe-90]

Does the UK need 2 new ones at the expense of lots of smaller vessels?

They'd be sunk in minutes in a real war.
There's no way to protect a sitting duck like they are.

Waddya think?


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...e-to-smallest-size-ever-to-save-carriers.html

 

[oompah]

Two sides to the story Joe,by making the carriers at least it will keep the ship builders in employment rather than put them on benefits.

 

[wotan]

The chances are that if the go ahead to build was given, they would not be built in a British yard, they would be built in France.
It dose not to me anyway, seem right that our sailors and marines should, have to serve on a foreign built ship.

Wotan

 

[oompah]

Think there are being built over here the first one any way,Appledore Shipyard which is down this way as already built a part.

Build Strategy

In response to the Equipment Examination announcement and the elongation of the project schedule, the ACA announced the following decisions, in March 09, under the developing build strategy:

Lower Block 1 (the bow section) will be built by Babcock’s yards at Appledore and Rosyth;

Lower Block 2 will be built by BVT Surface Fleet in Portsmouth;

Lower Blocks 3 and 4 (the stern section) will be built by BVT on the Clyde;

The sponsons (the overhanging upper hull structure) will be manufactured by Babcock Marine;

and the two superstructure Islands will be built by BVT in Portsmouth.
Final assembly and integration of the two warships will be undertaken at Rosyth.

The previous build strategy had planned for Lower Block 3 to be constructed at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in Barrow, but existing and future workloads on submarine programmes have led to a lack of capacity to take on the additional carrier work. The team in Barrow will continue to provide engineering support to the build of Lower Block 3.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Yes. In any sea conflict the minimum number of carriers needed is 2. this allows for 50% of the carrier force to be destroyed and still be able to have effective air support to defend the other vessels.... The Falklands conflict would not have been possible with only one carrier and indeed was close to failure when the engine of one failed on the voyage down.

 

[swingles]

We've got to find work for the immigrant steelworkers to be getting on with.

 

[Mickymoody]

The Aircraft carriers are the best, and most heavily defended ship to sail the seas, as they are literally regarded as having a small country parked on your doorstep, in times of conflict. So to say they are a sitting duck, and sunk in minutes is a figment of someones imagination I think. Even having one parked up next to your country is enough to avert a war. You come out with some strange stuff Joe.

When an aircraft carier turns up, it has it's own flotilla of support to defend it.

Cancelling the contract would cost £3 billion, I believe? That much down the drain?

Surely there will be some war in 5 - 10 - 20 years from now, when those ships would be needed. Don't want a northern Viking attack, from the north, then a counter attack from the French, and another 1066.

We have had wars after WW2, Falklands, Ireland, Afghanistan, Iraq, but the public are removed from those, but there could be a biggie, where civilians are called up again. And I think, with the Governments current thinking, cut unemployment, big cuts, that they may re-introduce call-ups?

 

[swingles]

We need another big war, to eliminate, those, who ponce off the state. Cannon fodder springs, to mind.

 

[Mickymoody]

We need another big war, to eliminate, those, who ponce off the state. Cannon fodder springs, to mind.

Who are the ones that ponce off the state? Middle class people that complain about losing a trust fund? for their 'babies'? or people that are in hardship, and struggle to live day to day?

 

[joe-90]

In a war with ,say, China - how many nuclear torpedoes and missiles could it dodge? They could churn out thousands in a day. It wouldn't last five minutes.

 

[joe-90]

Who are the ones that ponce off the state? Middle class people that complain about losing a trust fund? for their 'babies'? or people that are in hardship, and struggle to live day to day?

I think he means those that don't work and post on forums all night.

 

[Rhondo]

or people that are in hardship, and struggle to live day to day?

These people are the biggest spongers in society.
Unfortuanetly they have been allowed to flourish by successive governments.
In Victorian times they would just have died leaving life easier for the rest of society.

 

[simonpolly]

Having served on the HMS Invincible (aircraft carrier)in the adriatic sea and persian gulf think you are talking rubbish.The carrier is the command centre and is protected by the surrounding destroyers and frigates and can sit hundreds of miles off coast and launch its aircraft.

P.s its very nieve of you to think we would end up in a conflict against china with out being supported by one of the other superpowers

 

[joe-90]

Remember the Excocet?

 

[Monkeh]

Remember the Excocet?

Exocet. And they have to get through about 30 of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS

Good luck with that.