NationStates Jolt Archive

Official Statement from the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Royal Navy

Since the early days of the Royal Navy, the name Knight Templar has always carried with it the pride of the Navy and the pride of Hamptonshire. The men and women that have served aboard her have always known that they are the pride of the Royal Armed Forces and that they are responsible for the final defense of the Grand Duchy, should our enemies attack the Homeland.

For the last 100 years, the ships given the name Knight Templar have been the Flagship of the Royal Navy and the Flagship of HomeFleet, known otherwise as First Fleet. The Knight Templar has always been our most powerful and advanced vessel, a representation of the economic and military might of Hamptonshire. Today the Pernicious II Class version of the HNS Knight Templar is being retired, replacing it will be an entirely new vessel designed specifically to continue the tradition of might and grandeur that one comes to expect from the name Knight Templar.

As I speak construction on the new Knight Templar is underway in the SeaTac-Royal Navy Fleetyards in The First Republic and at our naval base in the sub-artic region of the New Commonwealth. While construction has been underway for already a decade, the sheer scope of the new Knight Templar will ensure that our production facilities will be at full capacity for several decades to come.

Details of the new Knight Templar will become available as they are declassified.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/hamptonshire/rosecrans.jpg
Fleet Admiral Lord Phillip Rosecrans
Royal Navy Chief of Staff
Vice-Chairman of the Joint High Command Council
National Security Advisor

[If it's taking that long then I suspect that it's a Superdreadnaught. I think decommissioning your current flagship decades before the next one is ready is a mistake, but I suspose it's tradition.]

[If it's taking that long then I suspect that it's a Superdreadnaught. I think decommissioning your current flagship decades before the next one is ready is a mistake, but I suspose it's tradition.]


OOC:
Is it a Superdreadnaught...not so much.
I will say that it is quite, quite large.

As for decommissioning the "current" Knight Templar, it was only one of 16 Pernicious II Class ICVBNs and only 1 ship of the 305 ship HomeFleet. Right now the Flagship duties have fallen to the HNS Cold Harbor a Gettysburg Class BBGN (http://tncforums.proboards34.com/index.cgi?board=WorldTech&action=display&num=1091168215).

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OOC:
Is it a Superdreadnaught...not so much.
I will say that it is quite, quite large.

OOC: It's going to be an uber-dreadnaught, considering hes saying its going to take at leats 40 years (well implied) to build and most people tend to underestimate the length of the build no matter how knoledgable.

[Quit with the uber-dreadnaught bullshit, if you can't take down a single ship you shouldn't have a navy in the first place.

Hamtonshire, I class a Superdreadnaught as anything over 500,000 tons. Just for a reference, Doujin's 650,000 ton Leviathan class takes about 25 years to build, so if this is taking forty or more years then it I suspect it's much bigger than a Leviathan.]

[Quit with the uber-dreadnaught bullshit, if you can't take down a single ship you shouldn't have a navy in the first place.

Hamtonshire, I class a Superdreadnaught as anything over 500,000 tons. Just for a reference, Doujin's 650,000 ton Leviathan class takes about 25 years to build, so if this is taking forty or more years then it I suspect it's much bigger than a Leviathan.]

25? Uhh... wrong?

[So how long does it take? I can't imagine it taking much longer than 35 years.]

[So how long does it take? I can't imagine it taking much longer than 35 years.]

OOC: You know, maybe you should get on Yahoo and we can talk about your ignorance today :p

It actually takes 15 years to build one correctly, though if you want to, with pre-fab parts, assemble it in five-odd years. Course, thats for exports.

It actually takes 15 years to build one correctly, though if you want to, with pre-fab parts, assemble it in five-odd years. Course, thats for exports.

OOC: Well duh :D

First of all a dreadnaught implies that this is a large-gun warship. The Knight Templar is not a Doujin, it is not a battleship. The purpose of the Knight Templar is not Fleet Command and Control but National Command and Control. HomeFleet is what the name says- it's the fleet that protects the Grand Duchy of attack. The Knight Templar, at least at this point, will not be out sailing the seas and launching attacks; it will be at home as a deterrence to those that would attack.

Secondly, the statement said: "While construction has been underway for already a decade, the sheer scope of the new Knight Templar will ensure that our production facilities will be at full capacity for several decades to come." while that does give a long production time (looking at 25-30 years) that is for the first ship. To construct a ship the size of the Knight Templar special facilities have to be constructed, enormous amounts of people and material have to be moved and brought to the Fleetyard, and there will be design changes. The construction of the first of any class can take a long time as new technologies may become available during construction and things that looked like it would work on computer end up not working as well on the ship itself. While this ship could be slapped together is a decade or two, since it will be the Flagship of the Royal Navy, considerable effort and quality control are being placed into this project.

Declassified Details- Batch II

Project Name: Knight Templar II
Class/Type: CVGDN-666 Hyper Command and Control Ship

Length: 1250 meters
Width: 400 meters
Draft: 38 meters
Displacement: approx. 6 million tonnes full loaded
Maximum Speed: 22.5 knots
Cruising Speed:14.5 knots
Aircraft:250+
Sensory Systems: Classified, but includes 4 completely independent long range, high intensity radar systems.
Main Armament: Classified, but includes 20 large caliber ETCs, 40 medium caliber ETCs, 26 CAMDS emplacements, 12 automated medium caliber rapid fire guns

First of all a dreadnaught implies that this is a large-gun warship. The Knight Templar is not a Doujin, it is not a battleship. The purpose of the Knight Templar is not Fleet Command and Control but National Command and Control. HomeFleet is what the name says- it's the fleet that protects the Grand Duchy of attack. The Knight Templar, at least at this point, will not be out sailing the seas and launching attacks; it will be at home as a deterrence to those that would attack.

Secondly, the statement said: "While construction has been underway for already a decade, the sheer scope of the new Knight Templar will ensure that our production facilities will be at full capacity for several decades to come." while that does give a long production time (looking at 25-30 years) that is for the first ship. To construct a ship the size of the Knight Templar special facilities have to be constructed, enormous amounts of people and material have to be moved and brought to the Fleetyard, and there will be design changes. The construction of the first of any class can take a long time as new technologies may become available during construction and things that looked like it would work on computer end up not working as well on the ship itself. While this ship could be slapped together is a decade or two, since it will be the Flagship of the Royal Navy, considerable effort and quality control are being placed into this project.

OOC: It took over 50 "years" to construct the first Doujin

OOC: Right now it's look that it may take that long to get the Knight Templar into service.

The construction materials alone would bog down a nation. While the construction and design are progressing, it will take quite some time as new technologies and ideas are incorporated.

Right now I'm in the process of looking at armor schemes and structural reinforcement.

I will say one thing about the armament. When I say "larger caliber" I don't mean 30 inches. Larger caliber is between 22-24 inches at most.

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It takes about a week for the LRR state arsenals to churn out a Spike missile corvette, three weeks to a month to churn out a Son House multipurpose corvette.

A giant superdreadnaught...well...you all obviously have very deep pockets.

[Yes, damn us and our moneybags. You should have fairly deep pockets too, LRR, you're about my size.]

[Yes, damn us and our moneybags. You should have fairly deep pockets too, LRR, you're about my size.]

Yes, but where does that money go?

Into coastal defense corvettes, submarines, and ASMs!

The LRRN uses a lot of coast artillery, which is essentially battleship ETC guns mounted on land or on a big barge.

The LRRN satisfies its offensive capabilities with two Kirovs, 25 Sovremennys and 30 Krivaks (along with five medium carriers and a multitude of nuclear submarines), but is mostly a defensive navy, operating some 500 top-of-the-line Son House corvettes, a good 80 Gotland class and 20 U-214 attack subs, and coast-based launchers.

Really big dreadnaught ships aren't needed by the LRRN. You take any one Son House corvette- its got the same armement as many frigates (even some older destroyers), speed better than anything on the water, excellent seakeeping, and multirole capability to boot. They cost a lot less to build and maintain, too.

In a group, they pose a real threat to enemy battlegroups. And the reason why the LRRN has so many capable coastal defense vessels is because I spend very little money on offensive groups. The LRRN really only needs to, at the time, be able to control the waters around the Korean penninsula. If I were to go head to head with, say, your oceangoing fleet with my oceangoing fleet, I'd be screwed, but if an enemy oceangoing fleet arrives near my shores, it'd be quite dangerous. Getting in 350km from my shores during wartime would subject a surface battlegroup to attacks from truck-mounted Yakhont missiles, aircraft, some of the best Diesel/electric subs out there, and missile corvettes.

But like I say, this top-notch defensive capability is gained at the dear expense of offensive capability. The LRRN can only really send a somewhat out-of-date oceangoing fleet if called upon to do so, and there are no plans in the near future to upgrade to a more offensive force.

I suppose I should put a little money in it...ever since I got this better economy I think I have more room to spare. How's my fleet look to you, Scandanavian? (Assume my fleet gets a third of my defense budget).

[Given your disposition towards a defensive fleet, I would say you could afford to have triple or even quadruple that many defensive ships.]

Declassified Details- Batch III

Project Name: Knight Templar II
Class/Type: CVGDCN-666 Hyper Command and Control Ship

Armor-

After extensive testing, the Royal Navy decides that a combination "Composite" Armor structure should be used aboard the Knight Templar. This armor is called "Composite" not because of the materials used, but because of the very arrangement of the armor.

The armor scheme will be a roughly 50-50 solid-spaced armor scheme. The total armor thickness is expected to be between 80-100 inches along the belt with 30+ inch deck armor. The superstructure will be protected by armor up to 60 inches in thickness.

Armor Material-
"CDTB Armor"- Uses carbon nanotube and diamond whisker technology to produce armor of almost unparalled strength. The first outer solid face plate of the belt armor, which will be approximately 8 inches in thickness, will have an protective rating of 4572mm of RHA, without taking into account the slope of the armor.

Further details are being withheld for security reasons.

OOC:
That's all I'm ready to 'publish' for now...

You know your original displacement? Double it.

You know your original displacement? Double it.

Displacement will be increased, but the material used in the primary construction of the CDTB Armor has one sixth the density of homogenous metal armor, therefore providing the greatly increased protection with a drastically reduced weight.

Displacement will be increased, but the material used in the primary construction of the CDTB Armor has one sixth the density of homogenous metal armor, therefore providing the greatly increased protection with a drastically reduced weight.

I've gone through so much with the Doujin itself, even without using carbon nanotubing etc - I studied for two weeks on materials engineering and had to get professors to help me come up with an armor (which I havn't disclosed because people would take it, I know tht for a fact - only two people know it).

Increase your draft, also - because it will be more than what you claim already.

I've gone through so much with the Doujin itself, even without using carbon nanotubing etc - I studied for two weeks on materials engineering and had to get professors to help me come up with an armor (which I havn't disclosed because people would take it, I know that for a fact - only two people know it).

Increase your draft, also - because it will be more than what you claim already.

The draft has increased on my actual stats. What I am releasing are only preliminary numbers. The acutal numbers, even for length and width, are different from what I've posted here. Have to keep the readers guessing...

I've been working on the CDTB Armor on and off for nearly a month with help, interestingly, from one of my professors as well, and from several people I know that work at the Naval Warfare Assessment Station out here in California.

While people may steal the CDTB Armor, it is highly doubtful that they a) understand it, b) realize how damn expensive it is, or c) know the process for making it.

I have to at least explain the armor to the general public so they realize that it's real, effective, and not a GODMOD.

The draft has increased on my actual stats. What I am releasing are only preliminary numbers. The acutal numbers, even for length and width, are different from what I've posted here. Have to keep the readers guessing...

I've been working on the CDTB Armor on and off for nearly a month with help, interestingly, from one of my professors as well, and from several people I know that work at the Naval Warfare Assessment Station out here in California.

While people may steal the CDTB Armor, it is highly doubtful that they a) understand it, b) realize how damn expensive it is, or c) know the process for making it.

I have to at least explain the armor to the general public so they realize that it's real, effective, and not a GODMOD.

Russel, who is a professor of Materials Engineering and Science at Iowa University / Scientist at the DOE Ames Laboratory - and he says he does not see carbon-nanotubing coming into play for another decade or two. That is why I wasn't comfortable with using it, that is why I don't.

Russel, who is a professor of Materials Engineering and Science at Iowa University / Scientist at the DOE Ames Laboratory - and he says he does not see carbon-nanotubing coming into play for another decade or two. That is why I wasn't comfortable with using it, that is why I don't.


Carbon nanotubing is in play today, while it is in the early stages of its life it is no more than a decade away from wide scale use if research and development are properly funded.

Some RL quotes on carbon nanotubes:
In 1996 the Rice group, led by Richard Smalley, synthesized bundles of aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes for the first time. The bundles contained many nanotubes with a narrow distribution of diameters, making it possible to perform experiments relevant to one-dimensional quantum physics. Several groups have now measured some of these remarkable properties, which seem to confirm many of the theoretical predictions.

When the Rice University group found a relatively efficient way to produce bundles of ordered single-wall nanotubes in 1996, it opened new opportunities for quantitative experimental studies on carbon nanotubes. These ordered nanotubes are prepared by the laser vaporization of a carbon target in a furnace at 1200 °C. A cobalt-nickel catalyst helps the growth of the nanotubes, presumably because it prevents the ends from being "capped" during synthesis, and about 70-90% of the carbon target can be converted to single-wall nanotubes. By using two laser pulses 50 ns apart, growth conditions can be maintained over a larger volume and for a longer time. This scheme provides more uniform vaporization and better control of the growth conditions. Flowing argon gas sweeps the nanotubes from the furnace to a water-cooled copper collector just outside of the furnace.

Catherine Journet, Patrick Bernier and colleagues at the University of Montpellier in France later developed a carbon-arc method to grow similar arrays of single-wall nanotubes. In this case, ordered nanotubes were also produced from an ionized carbon plasma, and joule heating from the discharge generated the plasma. Several other groups are now making bundles of single-wall carbon nanotubes using variants of these two methods. However, the Rice group has had the largest impact on the field, largely because it was the first to develop an efficient synthesis method and has formed many international collaborations to measure the properties of single-wall nanotubes.

This technology is within the limits of technology used by modern-tech NS nations.

[Problem is that the nanotubes are single-wall. To get a really effective nanotube armour the thickness has to be thousands, or even millions, of walls. That is where the problem lies.]

[Problem is that the nanotubes are single-wall. To get a really effective nanotube armour the thickness has to be thousands, or even millions, of walls. That is where the problem lies.]

Yes, that is a very difficult and complicated problem. The are processes by which it can be done, but they are also in the early stages of development and are nearly prohibitively expensive.