NationStates Jolt Archive


The Type 72 Battlecruiser

Azazia
14-02-2005, 04:01
Breningrad Shipyards Complex
Breningrad, Commonwealth Republic of West Oceania

The long-awaited ceremony had finally come to pass, the first of the new Type 72 battlecruisers had finally reached the date of its launch. The assembled crowd of reporters, maritime enthusiasts, and naval personnel – most of Commonwealth origin, though some of foreign states as well – had gathered to see the launch of the ship destined to replace the old cruisers of the Breningrad class, perhaps the most distinguished class of vessel in Commonwealth service. In due course, after the tea and sandwiches were served a slightly built man walked up to a large, rather gaudy podium decked out in the colours of the Commonwealth, the whites, blues, turquoises, and reds of the flag, which also found itself displayed prominently. The man was none other than Daniel Blair, the Minister of Defence, who had agreed to give a slight speech at the launch of the new vessel.

“Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of the Commonwealth and of the world, I come to you today to honour the men and women of the Royal Navy, who serve this Commonwealth in the first line of defence for this nation, who serve as the first emissaries of this nation, who serve as our most decorated, most respected, and most revered ambassadors of Commonwealth traditions, culture, and heritage.

“Several decades ago, this city witnessed the launch of powerful warship with graceful lines that gave us all the impression of a sculpted piece of steel – a piece of art to beautiful to fight for Emperor and Commonwealth. Yet these ships did fight, for years they fought for the rights of all mankind in distant seas. They fought for allies long since forgotten. They fought for the Commonwealth when she stood upon the brink of collapse. And so recently these ships fought with distinction to help free our friends to the south from an oppressive tyrant.

“Yet all things in this world age. Be them man and woman, or mere machine. Limbs wither away. Machinery rusts and corrodes. Despite all this, some of us manage to age with a distinction that all recognize and honour for long after their passing. And so it will be with the Breningrad class ships. We honour today those that gave their lives in the service of the Commonwealth. Especially those onboard the famous HMS Breningrad in the Battle of Booni Island.” Blair paused, and looked up at the crowds, removed his glasses and lowered his head. In the distant old colonial square a loud bell resounded. It was followed by a 68 second silence, in honour of the 680 men of a complement of 750 that had perished when the HMS Breningrad had sunk.

“Today, however, the phoenix is reborn. From the fallen lives we have learned many new lessons that I hope will protect our men and women from future harm. This goes not only for the new technologies developed by Breningrad Shipyards, but new policies enacted by my own ministry and all the others. For while the Commonwealth will not falter in battle, we hope to never have to use these mighty vessels. And it is within this new framework of mind and thought that I am proud to give to you the successor to the Breningrad class, the Type 72, and the lead ship. But for this, I give to you Captain Calvin Locke, the last commanding officer of the HMS Breningrad.”

Up to the podium stepped another man, slightly taller than Blair, though still rather slender. His hair was hidden by the Royal Navy cap befitting a captain, and he actually hobbled up to the podium, for he was using crutches for a somewhat poorly concealed cast underneath his dress trousers.

“I’d like to make a joke about flying in here, but given that I’ve broken my leg, I’d probably more than likely break an arm too.” There were a few polite laughs from the joke that wasn’t all that funny. Locke didn’t much care for public speeches, especially when he still bore scars and injuries from the Battle of Booni Island. In theory, he should have been out of the cast already, but the doctors had screwed things up like usual and it had to be rebroken and reset. But, that gave him a long time for shore leave, and for a promotion, and so he had been invited to christen the new ship. Of course, he had wanted it named after his last ship, but the Royal Navy and the MPs had thought it better if they wait a while before reusing the name.

“I’d like to thank Minister Blair for inviting me here today on this beautiful day to christen the Royal Navy’s newest warship. May she proudly serve in the same ilk as those that came before her. May she also serve the highest motto of the Royal Navy, that of the Commonwealth. Excelsior. Ever higher.

“And so,” Locke proclaimed as he picked up a bottle of champagne, “I hereby christen His Majesty’s Ship Renown.” And with a firm swing the bottle smashed on the bow of the vessel; and with the signal given the large three-hulled vessel slid backwards into the waters of the dockyards.

Those of Azazian origin cheered wildly at the celebration, for they all knew the sacrifices of the Royal Navy. And especially the sacrifices of those who had lost their lives defending the Commonwealth they stood upon.

Blair finally returned to the stand as the crowd calmed itself and readied to disperse. “Two last announcements for you all. One, there will be no questions; and two, find one of the shipyard representatives and they will have a paper detailing the basic ship specifications. Have a glorious day, everyone.”

Basic Ship Specifications
Prepared by Breningrad Shipyards, Principal Architect: John Joseph Whitehall

Overview
The Type 72, or R-class as it’s become known throughout the Ministry of Defence, has been designed to replace the Breningrad class cruisers of the previous two generations. However, after heated debate the conclusion was to design a ship based around the long-range heavy caliber ETC gun/ VLS cell combo package than the traditional Commonwealth design of pure missile cell design. Accordingly, the premier artillery company in the Commonwealth, Tokarev-Arsenal, has been contracted to design the new 381mm ETC main guns and to provide the new Mk.16/60 secondary guns. In addition, the Type 72 will be equipped with a forward and amidships bank of Mk.65 dual load VLS cells.

In terms of structural design, the ship will follow a new hull design that allows the ship to be propelled at constant speeds of 38 knots, giving the Type 72 the ability to be a truly independent rapid reaction force in and of itself. This, of course has necessitated the need for the Type 72 to provide its own sophisticated sensor envelope and ranged defences. The conclusion of the Breningrad Shipyards has been the trimaran hull form, each hull fitted with the cutout fastship design. Each section is powered by a waterjet, the main hull by two. For better maneuverability waterjet thrusters have been fitted to the bow and stern of each section. The increased beam has also allowed for another unique design to the Type 72. With the ship being powered by a Pebblebed reactor, there is no need for the traditional funnels which then abrogates the need for above deck facilities. The newly freed above deck superstructure space is thus filled with a large hangar which houses six UCAVs and two ASW helicopters. The area along the widest part of the ship finds itself with a runway for these VSTOL UCAVs and helicopters. These vehicles provide a long range picket for the cruiser itself, or if need be can act as small raiding forces on small enemy vessels or aircraft. This gives the Type 72 a unique niche in the world of modern naval vessels, a true naval raider.

Specs
Length: appox. 290m
Beam: appox. 70m
Displacement: appox. 46,000t
Crew: appox. 390
Speed: Cruise 38 knots, Maximum 47 knots
Powerplant: Two Hampton Engineering Pebble Bed nuclear reactors and two Breington-Smith Gas turbines
Range: Limited by Crew Endurance and Stores
Sensors: Vesper-Phalens Joint Partership provides long and short range radar systems; Phalen Electronics provides the sonar suite
Electronic Warfare: chaff/flare systems, Gervalt Systems provides towed torpedo countermeasures as well as remotely piloted decoy systems
Armaments
6 x 381mm (15in.) ETC guns
8 x Tokarev-Arsenal Mk.16/60 CLGG guns (203mm)
6 x 40mm Tokarev-Arsenal LiWRap (LIght Weight RAPid-fire) guns
2 x 128-cell dual load Mk.65 VLS cells
12 x 533mm (21in.) torpedo tubes (straight shot torpedoes or rocket assisted launches)
4 x 16-cell ASW mortar launcher
Close-In-Defence-Systems
2 x 16-cell single load Mk.66 VLS cells
4 x 30mm Ares rapid fire radar controlled gun system
Aviation
6 x unmanned light fighter/attack/reconnaissance drones
2 x medium sized ASW helicopters

ooc: these are basic specs on the ship, picture will follow... it's done on paper, trying to transfer it to a computer-done image... and that's being a bitch... any comments are welcome
Azazia
14-02-2005, 07:27
bump
Azazia
14-02-2005, 11:21
bump
Azazia
14-02-2005, 23:30
bump
Shenyang
14-02-2005, 23:50
Very well thought out, you do good work in this field. :)
Azazia
15-02-2005, 03:17
thanks... it took me a while to research all the systems and new weapon systems, but i think it's my favourite design to date, hence the fleshed out story behind the post. Anybody else have any comments or criticism?
Azazia
15-02-2005, 11:46
bump
Azazia
15-02-2005, 23:45
bump
Verdant Archipelago
16-02-2005, 00:07
A very nice design. One of the few true cruisers you see on NS, where everyone is obsessed with massive fleets... it's nice to see a ship that can go it alone and take convoys individually. The drones are a nice touch too... not to many that you need to sacrifice displacement for the facilities, but enough that they'll actually be useful.

Couple of comments:

Any information on what the armor is? Be a good idea to list main belt, at least. Also, why do you have so many torpedo tubes... VLS launchers can carry asrocs.

Other than that, a terrific raider =)
Azazia
16-02-2005, 07:15
Main belt: 400mm
Deck: 60mm
Turrets: face - 360mm; Top - 220mm; Sides - 220mm; Rear - 300mm
Conning tower: 220mm

all consisting of armour plating made of a mixture between reinforced titanium alloys and ceramics.

as for the large number of torpedo tubes, primarily designed to launch mines, sensor drones, and decoys... frees up VLS tubes for more potent offensive combat weapons. for a warship designed to operate independently, as well as with a group, the maximization of space for offensive and defensive weapons and their systems is quite important.

but thanks, it's nice to see my hard work pays off every once in a while
Taiwanese Islands
16-02-2005, 07:23
I'd say this is a nice ship..... But 47 knots really is fast
Azazia
16-02-2005, 07:35
yep, it's a unique design for the aft section of the ship that reduces drag and thus makes the ship go really fast. There are its drawbacks, most machinery has to be moved forward in the hull, thus moving machinery that would be in the center either forward or up, thus a higher superstructure, a somewhat larger RCS, that and limited armaments aft. I initially considered two designs, a more traditional hull with a speed of maybe 35 knots top, and for that i was able to cram another 381 turret in the aft, for a total of eight, but when i decided i wanted a battlecruiser/long-range convoy raider/fast-reaction vessel i decided that faster speeds were necessary... and for that i had to sacrifice some armaments and some armour... but then again, that's why it's not quite a cruiser, and not quite a battleship...
The Burnsian Desert
16-02-2005, 07:40
Very interesting. Azazia, mind checking your telegrams?
Azazia
16-02-2005, 07:41
not at all...
Azazia
16-02-2005, 10:38
bump, anymore comments? anybody?
Azazia
19-02-2005, 09:21
After some consideration and further testing, as well as cost constraints, the Type 72 has replaced the newer six quad-barreled 40mm LiWRap guns with twenty-two single-barrel older-design 20mm LiWRap guns. The 20mm guns occupy significantly less space, as well provide a cheaper alternative to Tokarev-Arsenal designing and building a new line of gun that would have been only built for this line of ships.

In addition, Breningrad Shipyards has released the line drawing for this modified version. However, given that the ship is yet to enter active service, refitting the first hull will be of negligible cost.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/fbcatholicsfan/Type72Battlecruiser.bmp

Specs
Length: appox. 290m
Beam: appox. 70m
Displacement: appox. 46,000t
Crew: appox. 390
Speed: Cruise 38 knots, Maximum 47 knots
Powerplant: Two Hampton Engineering Pebble Bed nuclear reactors and two Breington-Smith Gas turbines
Range: Limited by Crew Endurance and Stores
Sensors: Vesper-Phalens Joint Partership provides long and short range radar systems; Phalen Electronics provides the sonar suite
Electronic Warfare: chaff/flare systems, Gervalt Systems provides towed torpedo countermeasures as well as remotely piloted decoy systems
Armaments
6 x 381mm (15in.) ETC guns
8 x Tokarev-Arsenal Mk.16/60 CLGG guns (203mm)
22 x 20mm Tokarev-Arsenal LiWRap (LIght Weight RAPid-fire) guns
2 x 128-cell dual load Mk.65 VLS cells
12 x 533mm (21in.) torpedo tubes (straight shot torpedoes or rocket assisted launches)
4 x 16-cell ASW mortar launcher
Close-In-Defence-Systems
2 x 16-cell single load Mk.66 VLS cells
4 x 30mm Ares rapid fire radar controlled gun system
Aviation
6 x unmanned light fighter/attack/reconnaissance drones
2 x medium sized ASW helicopters

ooc: any comments or criticisms?
Nascent
19-02-2005, 09:27
You cant tell right now but im drooling over this ship. Any chance that there will be an export version?
Azazia
19-02-2005, 09:29
there very well could be in the future, however, it won't utilize some of the more... "advanced weaponry" i have onboard... but, don't worry, i'm already starting to work on it...
Nascent
19-02-2005, 09:33
Understandable, I am looking forward to the day that this ship comes out on the market.
Azazia
19-02-2005, 09:36
Actually, Nascent, if you'd like, just tell me some of the modifications you'd like made to the ship - your own weaponry, electronics, et cetera. And then once it's shipped over, I will fit your equipment to the vessel and you can have your custom-made Type 72s.
Nascent
25-02-2005, 23:14
Ok, well I would like to purchase some modified ones. Ill post what I want after I go and research some things about it. Ill probably only order 4 or 6 or so just to add to my two main carrier groups, but subsequent purchases may be made at a later date.
Azazia
25-02-2005, 23:14
sounds good to me
Nascent
25-02-2005, 23:21
Is there anyway you could tell me exactly what technology won't be available to me just so I know what I need to switch along with my own mods?
Kyanges
25-02-2005, 23:23
(OOC: Very nice. I'd definately buy a few if I wasn't FT. Then again, there's always my isolated, and ignored MT side...)
Azazia
25-02-2005, 23:36
why thank you kyanges, and i guess that a space ship could just blast these out of the water... i'll try to ignore that though...

nascent, since you seem to be using american tech from your other post, the radar/sonar suite are still classified, and so i'd be able to replace them with contemporary american products, aegis radar for example, and accordingly the central computer system will also be offlimits, but then that won't be a problem just swapping american systems in again.

As for weaponry, the VLS cells aren't that big of a deal, they should handle Tomahawk cruise missiles if you want them, I do have an export version of a much shorter range anti-ship missile if you're interested. However, being that you're more likely to have stores consisting of American missiles, it may be more cost-efficient to use Harpoons as your standard anti-ship missile.

Gunnery will all be available to Nascent, if your arms factories aren't geared towards these caliber shells, I'm sure supply deals could be worked out.

In an act of good faith, the sensor/tactical drones could also be sold to your state, even perhaps licensed produced by your industries should you desire.

That help at all?
Nascent
26-02-2005, 04:34
Ok, so basically just switch out the sensors and computer. Our ship yards are suited for using US arms (The island of Nascent is like 333 miles off Georgia so Im taking some liberties in the naval arms). The highest caliber shells we have produced are 5 inch shells, but we have the means to produce the 16 inch shells used by the Iowa class. But Im sure we can figure something out for the gun size.

Yeah, the Harpoons are the main anti-shipping missle we tend to carry so if there is any way to use those that would be great.

Also, would there be any way for the ships to be built in the Nascentian Shipyards? we would pay for any lost wages in return for this.

Finally, sorry about the crappiness of this post. MY head feels like it went through a brick wall, and Im havin trouble thinking.
Azazia
26-02-2005, 06:00
don't worry about it, i have a headache myself, but it wasn't a bad post, actually quite to the point.

Firstly, the first ship would be built in the Commonwealth with your own manufacturers present to observe, after that production could be shifted to your own shipyards with our own leaders present to oversee production.

As for the shells, we can simply start producing more and begin shipping them to your state ammo dumps. And we will begin planning for alterations required to launch American munitions.
Nascent
26-02-2005, 06:06
That sounds good.

(Also, I was planning on trying my hand at designing some ships of my own, and I was wondering if you would maybe like help me out if I ran into a problem or something with the design.)
Azazia
26-02-2005, 06:36
not a problem, i'll tg you my AIM screen name if you'd like and you could get in touch with me like that
Nycton
26-02-2005, 06:46
OOC: My God, are you making these in paint?
Azazia
26-02-2005, 06:47
sure am
Nycton
26-02-2005, 06:58
sure am

HOW? ;o
Azazia
26-02-2005, 07:08
with lots of time and patience, and when i say lots, i means lots and lots of hours - but i'm an artist anyways so i'm used to spending hours on a drawing