NationStates Jolt Archive

Dixie-Class Escort Carrier
Length: 126.6 m; Beam: 27.5 m; Draught: 5.6 m
Displacement: 12.000 tons.
Complement: 305(including 42 officers) and 105 aircrew
Flight deck:120.5m x 27.5m
Aircraft:10 x JR K-65 fighter
2 x Nimble VTOL AWAC

Armament: 2 x Testudo CIWS 30 mm guns.
2 x 40mm Fast Fire Naval Guns in single turret.
28 x Balista VLS cells
1 x ASW/ASM torpedo launcher
Armour: 50mm plate armour, kevlar netting around vital area's.
Countermeasures:
2 x Towed Nixie torpedo decoy
2 x Thales ECM units
Sensors: TACCOM battlefield awareness system; Sonar, tracking radar, surface sweep radar.
Propulsion: Conventional steam turbine, two shafts + proppelors.
Speed: 30 knots cruise speed, 35 max speed.
Price: ???

The Dixie class escort carrier was developed to provide aircover where a Nimitz or a Behemoth would be complete overkill. The small carrier sports a launching catapult that leads up a ski jump and three "pads" where aircraft or helicopters can land or take off in VTOL mode seeing as the Dixie can only launch or land one fixed wing aircraft, not both at the same time. Therefor it is highly recomended that you provide this carrier with VTOL capable aircraft.

The hangar provides room for eight fighter sized aircraft or similar sized helicopters and is fully capable to service them all at once. The ship is also equipped with a TACCOM host array which allows it to act as an flagship for a fleet up to ten other vessles.

OoC: I'm looking to fill up the ??? parts seeing as I'm designing my first real combat vessle and I'm not sure about them.

Comments and such are highly apreciated and if you want to make me a picture for this, even better!

Notes:

Speed should be above 30 nots and propose a propulsion method.(done)
Armour can be relatively light, but I don't want 30mm rounds piercing it like butter.(done)
Price, well I have absolutely NO idea whatsoever on this one.(incomplete)

[OOC: Are you basing this on any particular RL ship? If it's the first time you're trying to design something, that's usually the easiest way to go. The Italian Garibaldi-class might be a good ship to use as an example.

I like the idea of a littoral warfare carrier, but I'm not sure if a ship that small could fit the aircraft you're thinking of putting in it. The Garibaldi can hold 18 helicopters or 16 Harrier IIs. The Cavour (which is actually longer) will hold fewer aircraft still. This website (http://www.naval-technology.com) is a great resource for designing ships.]

Actualy I'm basing this off the Chakri Naruebet class carrier, in service with the Thay navy, I've used the naval-tech site since I first made my country to determine what kind of vessles I would use.

I've only cut about 60 meters from it, but I'll probably scrap the heli's seeing as a Dixie class escorts always have them.
The JR-K65 can fold its wing back so it can reduce its wingspan to around 7 meters instead of 15 and is fully VTOL capable so I can perfectly fit them on there if you include the hangar space below decks.

The Nimble AWAC is actualy a small jet with a pilot and two radar operators that help guide the airpatrols from the Dixie, same fold back wings and VTOL capability.

For propulsion, I'd suggest a simple oil fired steam turbine. Cheap and effective. As for bunkerage... you can go one of two ways. You can limit it and expect it to refuel off the ships it escorts, or you can give it a lot of bunkerage and have it's escorts refuel off of IT.

I'd estimate your displacement would be about... 11000-12000 tons. Engine to go that fast will cost you probably 3000 tons, which leaves you 8000 tons for supplies, hull integrety, aircraft, bunkerage, and all that good stuff.

Okay, I was already thinking of convetional fuel and I'll add the rest soon as I get some more help with this thing. :)

Little BUMP for some more help.

OOC: LOST MY POST! Hate my broadband, goes offline now and then, i dont realise and lol, gone!

This is what i bassically wrote:

1. Ski Jump, means you can have your VSTOLs take off with a higher payload(max?). Also means a wider range of aircraft can take off. Also gives room for weaponry at the front, very nice!

2. Add another EWACs plane, with just one when it has to refuel, get checked over etc you have no early warning systems.

3. What do you mean by 2 x 28 Balista VSL cells? I get what i a VSL cell is, but not how you can have two cells with 28missiles...you can see i dont get that, :D.

4. Propulsion, you wont want anything big, id go for a plain oil fired Steam turbine system, like Verdant Archipelago suggested, i dont know of anyother system which would be cheap and small enough, it would have to be pretty powerful to get you up to 30Knots though.

OOC: LOST MY POST! Hate my broadband, goes offline now and then, i dont realise and lol, gone!

This is what i bassically wrote:

1. Ski Jump, means you can have your VSTOLs take off with a higher payload(max?). Also means a wider range of aircraft can take off. Also gives room for weaponry at the front, very nice!

2. Add another EWACs plane, with just one when it has to refuel, get checked over etc you have no early warning systems.

3. What do you mean by 2 x 28 Balista VSL cells? I get what i a VSL cell is, but not how you can have two cells with 28missiles...you can see i dont get that, :D.

4. Propulsion, you wont want anything big, id go for a plain oil fired Steam turbine system, like Verdant Archipelago suggested, i dont know of anyother system which would be cheap and small enough, it would have to be pretty powerful to get you up to 30Knots though.

1. Ski jumps sounds good, I'll add that tonight.

2. Good idea, I'll put that in tonights update.

3. Oh, shitty typo...I mean 28 Balista VLS cells that can be loaded with a range of different missiles.

4. I'll take the oil fired version, that'll also go with tonight updates.

Bump