The Macabees
25-06-2005, 04:17
[OOC: As for criticism, it's very welcomed. However, please do not critisize about the ability of the ship to do its job. That piece of information will dawn upon all of us when we first see the Argentine in combat. Any arguments would revolve around conceptions and naval doctrine, so please don't flare them.]
For other Kriegzimmer products check our catalogue (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=409787).
[Argentine class Galleon]
[OOC: Image coming soon! Yes, I'm going to try my hand at line art!]
[Currently in Service in the Following Navies]
The Golden Throne [5]
SafeHaven2 [10]
Halberdgardia [3][Designation: Allegiance-class Hunter-Killer Dreadnoughts]
Samtonia [8][Designation: Allegiance-class Hunter-Killer Dreadnoughts]
Fluffywuffy [10]
Kazaki [10]
Generic Empire [5]
Omz222 [5] [Designation: Swordshield class BGAN]
Freudotopia [10]
The Silver Sky [4] [Designation: Thunder class Super Dreadnought Hunter/Killer]
Uldarious [1]
Lesser Ribena [5]
Khiraebanaa [4]
[Project Background]
Since the advent of the Super Dreadnought, navies around the world have attempted to design the response to the said ship, consequently creating kinetic penetrating missiles, deck attack missiles and the such. However, the fact remains that missile warfare has been lashed as a rather banal style of naval warfare, and that, especially with surface to air defenses, missiles will not give the results sought by so many.
Consequently, SafeHaven2 and The Macabees thought of the idea of a Super Dreadnought killing ship. Fortunately, the same idea was shared by Samtonia. However, the three nation project began to lag, and finally, the Golden Throne decided to complete the venture itself.
Nonetheless, although the tertiary layer was designed mostly by the Golden Throne, after that designed for the Zealous class Super Dreadnought, the rest of the design was done largely by Samtonia - indeed, the credit must go to him. The original armor design was child's play compared to the layering committed to by Samtonia's engineers.
The Galleon, which was a designation given to it by the Kriegsmarine due to the general lack of term for the type of ship, was based on the idea that if the Super Dreadnought lost its hangars, it's missile stocks and other extranous weaponry, it could base its ordnance solely on numerous, and large, naval guns. Consequently, it would engage enemy shipping with its naval guns, with a range that could exceed some anti-shipping missiles, effectively, and with a greater percentage of success. However, the same ship would be required to be escorted by one or more escort ships, or the Paramount class Air Defense Vessel [ADV], who's statistics could be found elsewhere, because of the general lack of defenses on the Argentine.
The Kriegsmarine has already ordered five Argentine class Galleons for its own use, however, this order is not expected to increase any time soon.
[Hull Construction and Armor]
The primary layer is designed to act as a layer for the ERA to sit on, and is a much lighter layer of armor. It's basically a revamped, and slightly different, CHOBHAM composite, formulated from steel, titaniun, ceramics and depleted uranium. However, it's much lighter than the tertiary layer of armor on the Galleon, although somewhat heavier than that found on a standard main battle tank. It's designed to take on light shells and light missiles, as well as light cannon fire, in the face of a possible design failure in the Kontack-5 ERA.
The secondary layer in the armor scheme is known as the SHMS armored scheme. The overriding compound used in the Argentine’s tertiary armor layer is steel, however, in order to reduce the effects of sulfur in steel, the steel is also laced with Manganese fibers. Manganese is a rather common element used extensively in steel manufacture. It is only mildly chemically active, but it has a great affinity for Sulfur, which it combines readily with, and it thus can be used to eliminate Sulfur from steel or to reduce the effects of any remaining Sulfur by chemically combining with it, which is important since Sulfur softens steel and is not desired in any construction or armor steel that I am familiar with, though it is used in many steels needing to be soft for ease of machining, as on a lathe (Phosphorus has a similar effect on increasing machineability and it can harden steel, but it raises the temperature where brittle failure sets in, so it is also reduced to a minimum in naval construction and armor steels, allowing Manganese to lower this temperature, as mentioned previously). It also acts to increase the hardenability of low-Carbon steel much better than Silicon (see above) does, but does not help keep the hardened metal hard during tempering as Silicon does, which is one of the major reasons that it and Silicon are used together as a team. Usually used in amounts of about 0.4% by weight in armor steels containing other hardeners such as Chromium, it is used in amounts of 0.6-1.1% (depending on plate thickness) in Mild/Medium Steels used for construction and up to 1.3% in high-strength construction steels, such as HTS and "D"-Steel.
Teamed up with Manganese are silicone fibers. Silicon is the next most widely used element with Iron after Carbon, found in almost all Iron materials used as armor or construction material. It is very plentiful, making up most of quartz beach sand, it is used by some microscopic plants and animals to build their protective shells, and it is used by people to make such things as glass and, more recently, micro-electronic circuits. It is relatively chemically inert, though it will chemically combine with Oxygen to form a very inert thin protective film that prevents any further reactions, and usually it is a good heat and electric insulator.
Third, Vanadium composites are woven around the steel compound in order to further strengthen the armor composite. Vanadium is a hardening alloy element in steel that is much stronger in its effects than either Chromium or Molybdenum (see above). Resists "metal fatigue" from repeated loading below the nominal yield strength, which can cause the metal to gradually stretch out of shape ("creep"), so it is widely used in springs in small amounts.
Fourth, titanium and depleted uranium threads are interwoven with the rest of the composite, adding final layers of strength. The titanium also works along with a polymer composite material in order to reduce the magnetic signature of the ship – although, this is not a primary goal of the armor. With the inclusion of titanium, depleted uranium, vanadium, manganese and silicone the actual rolled homogenous armor readings are much higher than what they are, especially since the entire armor scheme is laced around a polymer matrix, multiplying RHA strength even more!
The third layer is composed of a heat absorbing panelling. Composed of both aerogel compounds and a carbon-phenolic heat shield compound, this layer is capable of resisting temperatures above 4000 degrees Celsius. This layer is designed to both prevent any heat damage from warping the main armor layers and to stop any thermite based weapons from cutting through successive layers of armor.
Aerogels are advanced materials yet also are literally next to nothing. They consist of more than 96 percent air. The remaining four percent is a wispy matrix of silica (silicon dioxide), a principal raw material for glass. Aerogels, consequently, are one of the lightest weight solids ever conceived.
Made of inexpensive silica, aerogels can be fabricated in slabs, pellets, or most any shape desirable and have a range of potential uses. By mass or by volume, silica aerogels are the best solid insulator ever discovered. Aerogels transmit heat only one hundredth as well as normal density glass. Sandwiched between two layers of glass, transparent compositions of aerogels make possible double-pane windows with high thermal resistance. Aerogels alone, however, could not be used as windows because the foam-like material easily crumbles into powder. Even if they were not pulverized by the impact of a bird, after the first rain they would turn to sludge and ooze down the side of the house.
Aerogels are a more efficient, lighter-weight, and less bulky form of insulation than the polyurethane foam currently used to insulate refrigerators, refrigerated vehicles, and containers. And, they have another critical advantage over foam. Foams are blown into refrigerator walls by chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants, the chemical that is the chief cause of the depletion of the earth's stratospheric ozone layer. The ozone layer shields life on Earth from ultraviolet light, a cause of human skin cancer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 4.5 to 5 percent of the ozone shield over the United States was depleted over the last decade. Based on the current levels of ultraviolet exposure, the agency projects that more than 12 million Americans will develop skin cancer and more than 200,000 will die of the disease over the next 50 years.
Replacing chlorofluorocarbon-propelled refrigerant foams with aerogels could help reduce this toll. Exchanging refrigerant foams with aerogels reportedly would reduce CFC emissions in the U.S. by 16 million pounds per year.
Aside from their insulating properties, aerogels have other promising characteristics. Sound is impeded in its passage through an aerogel, slowed to a speed of 100 to 300 meters per second. This could be exploited in a number of ways, as for example, improving the accuracy and reducing the energy demand of the ultrasonic devices used to gauge distances in autofocus cameras and robotic systems. A layer of aerogel on a camera's ceramic piezoelectric transducer could considerably improve the efficiency with which it generates ultrasonic waves.
Aerogels also have a number of novel applications. Currently, they are components of Cerenkov radiation detectors used in high- energy physics research at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. Another scientific application currently under consideration involves utilizing aerogels in space like a soft, spongy net to capture fast-moving micrometeroids without damaging them.
The fourth layer is an armored composite layer. A combination composite armor/kinetic absorbing rods layer, this entire layer is comprised of the main armor composite material with staggered lateral armored rods driven through it. The dissipation of energy provided by the rods and their warping of any kinetic projectiles to a degree any penetrative powers are lost provides the most protection against kinetic weapons of any armor level in the ship. If a KE weapon were to hit, it would follow the path of least resistance around the armored rods. The path given would cause it to slip around multiple rods, soon twisting the penetrator into a shape not capable of penetrating any further- generally a Z shape. This concept was taken and expanded upon from the Doujin class Super Dreadnought, which is currently employed by Samtonia.
The fifth layer is another heat absorbant panel. A second and last ditch heat shielding layer. Composed of both aerogel compounds and a carbon-phenolic heat shield compound, this layer is capable of resisting temperatures above 4000 degrees Celsius. This layer is designed to both prevent any heat damage from warping the honey-comb rods below it and to stop any thermite based weapons from cutting through the armor any more.
The sixth layer of the armor is a blast space. Designed to channel explosive force and gases away from essential areas and out of the ship. It is designed to lessen the impact of delayed fused weapons, with any explosion harmlessly damaging non-essential locker storage areas and storage tanks. While the ninth layer has been rated as a highly effective shrapnel absorbing layer. Lining the outsides of all bulkheads, this armor layer is designed to stop any shrapnel from breaking through and damaging essential equipment or personnel. It also acts as a light armor in the event a projectile makes it that far through the ship.
The bulkheads are made of same composite as the Kinetic Absorbing Layer in order to combine flexibility, weight and performance together. These bulkheads are designed to allow explosions to vent their way outside the ship while protecting the interiors of the ship.
The final honeycomb framework literally holds the ship up and together. A network of armored and reeinforced rods, supporting beams, and a unique (well, not for NS) "honeycomb" design that provides a sound support, both structurally and integrally, for the rest of the ship. This portion of the ship is the most time intensive to build, with this framework actually built around the keel before any of the rest of the ship is laid across its skeleton. Though this step contributes to much of the slow building time, it allows the ship to both absorb damage far above the amounts its RHA values would suggest and give it the support necessary to handle the wegiht of the armor scheme and araments.
Finally, the framework connectors connect the framework, armor, and bulkheads together. It has been rated as very strong, they prevent the ship's interior from warping or cracking when strained.
The main armor is designed around an original catamaran design, however, the overall ship is forged through a trimaran hull design. The outer hull, consequently, is armored with a main belt of one thousand millimeters [1,000mm - 39.370079 in.]. According to British sources, trimarans are more resistant to damage; far more resistant. One missile or torpedo will usually disable a modern cruiser, destroyer, or frigate. However, a well-designed trimaran warship can withstand a dozen hits and keep fighting.
The belt armor has a literal reading of one thousand two hundred and seventy millimeters [1,370mm – 53 in.], while the turret faceplates yield one thousand three hundred millimeters [1,437mm - 58 in.]. The main turrets boast an armored reading of one thousand millimeters [1,050mm - 41 in.] while the secondary turrets yield nine hundred millimeters [980mm - 39 in.] and the deck armor is layered with eight hundred and fifty millimeters [870mm - 34 in.]. The superstructure yields another eight hundred and fifty millimeters [850mm - 33.464567 in.], while the bulkheads have nine hundred and fifty millimeters worth of the composite armor [950mm - 37.401575 in.]. Actual RHA readings are much, much higher than this – although, they are either extremely classified, or truthfully unknown.
[Armament]
The Argentine class Galleon is armed with eight triple mounts of twenty-five [25] inch ETC guns. There are four mounts on each half of the ship, giving the ship a total of twenty-four twenty-five inch guns. Secondary guns include two quadruple mounts of eighteen [18] inch ETC guns, both mounted at the front of the ship, stacked. Near the center of the ship there are four double mounts of twelve [12] inch rail guns.
The ship is mainly to be stocked with the newer rail gun depleted uranium SABOT rounds.
http://www.rit.edu/~dih0658/images/railsabot.gif
For more direct combat, there are four double mounts of twelve inch ETC guns. Electrothermal-Chemical (ETC) technology is an advanced gun propulsion candidate that can substantially increase gun performance with less system burden than any other advanced gun propulsion technology. It has been under development since the mid-1980s.
ETC uses electrical energy to augment and control the release of chemical energy from existing or new propellants, and can significantly improve the performance of existing conventional cannons, both direct fire and indirect fire. The electrical energy is used to create a high-temperature plasma, which in turn both ignites the propellants and controls the release of the chemical energy stored in the propellants during the ballistic cycle.
All, ETC guns are fitted with electro-magnetic (EM) rifleling, giving it a much faster propulsion, although not as expensive and "iffy" as rail guns.
The Argentine class Galleon also has twelve of the brand new Conhort Close-in Weapons Systems. The Conhort uses a variant of the GAU-8 Avenger cannon. The GAU-8 itself weighs 281 kg (620 lb), but the complete weapon, with feed system and drum, weighs 4,029 lb (1,830 kg) with a maximum ammunition load. The entire system is 19 ft 10.5 in (5.05 m) long. The magazine can hold 1,350 rounds, although 1,174 is the more normal load-out. Muzzle velocity with armor-piercing incendiary (API) ammunition is 3,250 ft/s (988 m/s), almost the same as the substantially lighter M61 Vulcan.
The Conhort's system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which tracks incoming fire, determines its trajectory, then aims the gun and fires in a matter of seconds. The system is fully automatic, needing no human input once activated. The kinetic energy of the 30mm rounds is sufficient to destroy any missile or shell. The system can also be deployed to protect airfields. However, like the Dutch Goalkeeper and the American Phalanx the Conhort is a last-chance weapon, although considerably accurate. It uses a seperate, smaller, LIDAR Gaussian Transmitter and RADAR tranmitter in order to lock on potential targets and blow them out of the air. Several advantages the Cohort has over the Phalanx system are that it is more accurate, it has a greater kenitic energy impact, more tracking, it's reloaded under the deck, and it can operate under three modes: Auto, Semi-Auto and Manual allowing full operator operability.
Finally, the Argentine class Galleon is defended under the waterline by a series of twelve ASHUM guns. The ASHUM guns consists of extremely rapid, and extremely accurate, fire, guided by SONAR and blue-green LIDAR, using depleted uranium bullets and an elastomer propellant. In past operations, the ASHUM guns, coupled with the MAT-1 anti-torpedoes fired from ASROC cannons, have proved to be valuable to defend the lifeline of the ship.
[Sensor Electronics]
The Argentine has an onboard SONAR array, capable of searching through the mixed layer. However, for under the layer searches it also has the TB-2016, used in the Macabee Leviathan class SSN, which is rolled from a seperate compartment, and is long enough to sit right on the deep sound channel axis, giving the SONAR a full read, leaving no shadow zone. The power of the Macabee SONAR systems has been applauded before, and the Elusive is a testament to it.
The Argentine is also given the same SONAR system which the Rommel was equipped with. The Poseidon SONAR system, which is capable of detecting louder shipping at up to one hundred kilometers away at the right circumstances, and advanced submarines at a maximum range of ten kilometers, burning through anechoic tiling quite easily. The Poseidon is considered one of the better SONAR systems used presently. The Poseidon is also programmed to detect the “black hole” effect which submarines using MHD have; making it easier to detect MHD propelled submarines.
The Argentine also has a new thin line towed array called the TB-163, which is three times as long as the Argentine itself, using thousands of hydrophones to detect submarine presence at up to forty kilometers away (ca. 28 miles). The TB-163 uses a strong steel line to ensure that it doesn’t snap, although this could be potentially dangerous to the crew if its used stupidly. The Zealous also has another towed array called the TB-87 which focuses on shorter distances, using powerful hydrophones to detect close enemies.
Macabee ships use the MRT-1 RADAR system to detect enemy aerial assets anywhere from 120 kilometers minimum to 700 kilometers maximum; depending on the circumstances, stealth levels, and altitude. The MRT-1 use a very powerful super computer and several screens to detect, filter, and portray enemy aerial assets. Based of the TENEX SPY-6 this well built system is, again, one of the better ones in use around the world, and provide the Macabees with a reliable early warning system.
Additionally, Macabee ships integrate the MRT-4 Surface Search RADAR system which was built to focus on sea-skimmers. RADAR radio waves are able to catch both missiles and other objects, such as waves, and filter what is a wave, and what is a missile; and quite easily, and through regular technology. Simply, by using a supercomputer and C based program, the computers can detect range, vector, and velocity – hence, it can distinguish what is a missile or aircraft, and what isn’t. A wave doesn’t last at the same altitude, velocity and vector for ever – the wave falls short quite quickly – while a missile lasts in the air for quite a while (of course). Hence, it wasn’t too difficult to design a system capable of picking sea-skimmers up. The range of the MRT-4, however, is considerably shorter, about a hundred nautical miles.
Finally, the Macabee ships include an MLT-1 LIDAR system which as a range of about 250 kilometers (165 miles). The MLT-1 uses regular LIDAR to detect range, Doppler LIDAR to detect velocity, and DIAL LIDAR to detect chemical composition. The newer Gaussian LIDAR system used by Macabee ships has two charged plates placed parallel to each other, one charged negative, the other positive. This in turn begins an electrical current. The Gaussian system doesn't work on reflected waves. Instead, it relies on electrical impulses, rendering current anti-LIDAR techniques inefficient and obsolete.
The Argentine is also equipped with a SODAR array. Sodar (sonic detection and ranging) systems are used to remotely measure the vertical turbulence structure and the wind profile of the lower layer of the atmosphere. Sodar systems are like radar (radio detection and ranging) systems except that sound waves rather than radio waves are used for detection. Other names used for sodar systems include sounder, echosounder and acoustic radar. A more familiar related term may be sonar, which stands for sound navigation ranging. Sonar systems detect the presence and location of objects submerged in water (e.g., submarines) by means of sonic waves reflected back to the source. Sodar systems are similar except the medium is air instead of water and reflection is due to the scattering of sound by atmospheric turbulence.
Most sodar systems operate by issuing an acoustic pulse and then listen for the return signal for a short period of time. Generally, both the intensity and the Doppler (frequency) shift of the return signal are analyzed to determine the wind speed, wind direction and turbulent character of the atmosphere.
[EMP Hardening]
There are two things to consider when considering hardening targets against EMP. The first question to answer is whether the hardened system will become useless if shielded. The second question to be answered is whether the target is economically worthwhile to harden. The answers to these two questions are used to determine what devices should be shielded
To explain the first consideration, Makoff and Tsipis give the following simple example. If there was a communication plane with many antennas used to collect and transfer data, it would not be useful if its antennas were removed. However, to harden the plane, the antennas would need to be removed because they provide a direct path to the interior of the plane. It is important to understand how the hardening will affect the performance of the hardened item.
The second consideration is very easy to understand. Some systems, although important, may not seem worthwhile enough to harden due to the high costs of shielding. "It may cost from 30% to 50% of the cost of a ground based communication center…just to refit it to withstand EMP," and, "as high as 10% of the cost for each plane."
There are two basic ways to harden items against EMP effects.20 The first method is metallic shielding. The alternative is tailored hardening. Both methods will be briefly described.
Metallic shielding is used to, "Exclude energy propagated through fields in space." Shields are made of a continuous piece of some metal such as steel or copper. A metal enclosure generally does not fully shield the interior because of the small holes that are likely to exist. Therefore, this type of shielding often contains additional elements to create the barrier. Commonly, only a fraction of a millimeter of a metal is needed to supply adequate protection. This shield must completely surround the item to be shielded. A tight box must be formed to create the shield. The cost of such shielding (in1986 dollars) is $1000 per square meter for a welded-steel shield after installation.
The alternative method, tailored hardening, is a more cost-effective way of hardening. In this method, only the most vulnerable elements and circuits are redesigned to be more rugged. The more rugged elements will be able to withstand much higher currents. However, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences is skeptical of this method due to unpredictable failures in testing. Also, the use of this method is not recommended by the National Research Council. They doubted whether the approximations made to evaluate susceptibilities of the components were accurate. They did concede that tailored hardening may be useful to make existing systems less vulnerable.
[Propulsion]
The Argentine class Super Dreadnought is driven by ten Baldur pebble bed nuclear reactors. The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) is a new type of high temperature helium gas-cooled nuclear reactor, which builds and advances on world-wide nuclear operators' experience of older reactor designs. The most remarkable feature of these reactors is that they use attributes inherent in and natural to the processes of nuclear energy generation to enhance safety features. More importantly, it is also a practical and cost-effective solution to most of the logistics of generating electricity.
http://www.eskom.co.za/nuclear_energy/pebble_bed/image1_2.gif
To protect the reactor there are several infra-red detection devices around the uranium core, and at a note from a pressure sensor, either made by water or a man made collision, the Baldur nuclear reactor is automatically shut off, save for the coolant flow.
http://www.eskom.co.za/nuclear_energy/pebble_bed/coated_part.gif
The nature of the chain reaction that takes place in the PBMR is exactly the same as the one that takes place at Koeberg. (Refer to Koeberg experience - Fuel )
The fuel used in a PBMR consists of "spheres" which are designed in such a way that they contain their radioactivity. The PBMR fuel is based on proven high quality fuel used in Germany.
Each sphere is about the size of a tennis ball and consists of an outer graphite matrix (covering) and an inner fuel zone The fuel zone of a single sphere can contain up to 15 000 "particles". Each particle is coated with a special barrier coating, which ensures that radioactivity is kept locked inside the particle. One of the barriers,the silicon carbide barrier, is so dense that no gaseous or metallic radioactive products can escape. (it retains its density up to temperatures of over 1 700 degrees Celsius). The reactor is loaded with over 440 000 spheres - three quarters of which are fuel spheres and one quarter graphite spheres - at any one time. Fuel spheres are continually being added to the core from the top and removed from the bottom. The removed spheres are measured to see if all the uranium has been used. If it has, the sphere is sent to the spent fuel storage system, and if not, it is reloaded in the core. An average fuel sphere will pass through the core about 10 times before being discharged. the graphite spheres are always re-used. The graphite spheres are used as a moderator. They absorb and reduce the energy of the neutrons so that these can reach the right energy level needed to sustain the chain reaction.
The Baldur nuclear reactors are hooked up to a conducting system, which in turn power a series of Louis-Alice Power Supplies, which then go through a series of thousands of capacitors, and then again through another motor-generator, and finally to their respective water jets and maneuvering pods. There are eight water jets on the outer hulls, and four in the inner hulls. The Argentine class galleon also boasts six maneuvering jets, three on each side.
There are also two, smaller, back-up nuclear reactors in case of failure of the ten Baldur pebbledbed nuclear reactors. The two back-ups, albeit smaller, follow the same technological procedure as the main reactors.
[Crew]
The Argentine’s naval crew complement consists of seven thousand two hundred and thirty-six non-officers, NCOs, junior officers and general officers.
Just as important, however, is the fact that each Argentine class Galleon can carry up to ten thousand infantry, and also holds six hovercraft landing craft for amphibious operations – although all of this is only included in case of a planned amphibious operation.
[Other Statistics]
[Maximum Velocity:] 30 Knots
[Length:] 680 Meters
[Width:] 136 Meters
[Draught:] 13.6 Meters
[Displacement:] 1,500,000 Tonnes fully loaded
[Cost:]
130 Billion USD
-------------
Here's the link to the Paramount class ADV (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9142148&postcount=299), which is the much needed air defense support vessel that goes hand in hand with the Argentine. Please order the ADV at the Kriegzimmer Storefront, thank you.
For other Kriegzimmer products check our catalogue (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=409787).
[Argentine class Galleon]
[OOC: Image coming soon! Yes, I'm going to try my hand at line art!]
[Currently in Service in the Following Navies]
The Golden Throne [5]
SafeHaven2 [10]
Halberdgardia [3][Designation: Allegiance-class Hunter-Killer Dreadnoughts]
Samtonia [8][Designation: Allegiance-class Hunter-Killer Dreadnoughts]
Fluffywuffy [10]
Kazaki [10]
Generic Empire [5]
Omz222 [5] [Designation: Swordshield class BGAN]
Freudotopia [10]
The Silver Sky [4] [Designation: Thunder class Super Dreadnought Hunter/Killer]
Uldarious [1]
Lesser Ribena [5]
Khiraebanaa [4]
[Project Background]
Since the advent of the Super Dreadnought, navies around the world have attempted to design the response to the said ship, consequently creating kinetic penetrating missiles, deck attack missiles and the such. However, the fact remains that missile warfare has been lashed as a rather banal style of naval warfare, and that, especially with surface to air defenses, missiles will not give the results sought by so many.
Consequently, SafeHaven2 and The Macabees thought of the idea of a Super Dreadnought killing ship. Fortunately, the same idea was shared by Samtonia. However, the three nation project began to lag, and finally, the Golden Throne decided to complete the venture itself.
Nonetheless, although the tertiary layer was designed mostly by the Golden Throne, after that designed for the Zealous class Super Dreadnought, the rest of the design was done largely by Samtonia - indeed, the credit must go to him. The original armor design was child's play compared to the layering committed to by Samtonia's engineers.
The Galleon, which was a designation given to it by the Kriegsmarine due to the general lack of term for the type of ship, was based on the idea that if the Super Dreadnought lost its hangars, it's missile stocks and other extranous weaponry, it could base its ordnance solely on numerous, and large, naval guns. Consequently, it would engage enemy shipping with its naval guns, with a range that could exceed some anti-shipping missiles, effectively, and with a greater percentage of success. However, the same ship would be required to be escorted by one or more escort ships, or the Paramount class Air Defense Vessel [ADV], who's statistics could be found elsewhere, because of the general lack of defenses on the Argentine.
The Kriegsmarine has already ordered five Argentine class Galleons for its own use, however, this order is not expected to increase any time soon.
[Hull Construction and Armor]
The primary layer is designed to act as a layer for the ERA to sit on, and is a much lighter layer of armor. It's basically a revamped, and slightly different, CHOBHAM composite, formulated from steel, titaniun, ceramics and depleted uranium. However, it's much lighter than the tertiary layer of armor on the Galleon, although somewhat heavier than that found on a standard main battle tank. It's designed to take on light shells and light missiles, as well as light cannon fire, in the face of a possible design failure in the Kontack-5 ERA.
The secondary layer in the armor scheme is known as the SHMS armored scheme. The overriding compound used in the Argentine’s tertiary armor layer is steel, however, in order to reduce the effects of sulfur in steel, the steel is also laced with Manganese fibers. Manganese is a rather common element used extensively in steel manufacture. It is only mildly chemically active, but it has a great affinity for Sulfur, which it combines readily with, and it thus can be used to eliminate Sulfur from steel or to reduce the effects of any remaining Sulfur by chemically combining with it, which is important since Sulfur softens steel and is not desired in any construction or armor steel that I am familiar with, though it is used in many steels needing to be soft for ease of machining, as on a lathe (Phosphorus has a similar effect on increasing machineability and it can harden steel, but it raises the temperature where brittle failure sets in, so it is also reduced to a minimum in naval construction and armor steels, allowing Manganese to lower this temperature, as mentioned previously). It also acts to increase the hardenability of low-Carbon steel much better than Silicon (see above) does, but does not help keep the hardened metal hard during tempering as Silicon does, which is one of the major reasons that it and Silicon are used together as a team. Usually used in amounts of about 0.4% by weight in armor steels containing other hardeners such as Chromium, it is used in amounts of 0.6-1.1% (depending on plate thickness) in Mild/Medium Steels used for construction and up to 1.3% in high-strength construction steels, such as HTS and "D"-Steel.
Teamed up with Manganese are silicone fibers. Silicon is the next most widely used element with Iron after Carbon, found in almost all Iron materials used as armor or construction material. It is very plentiful, making up most of quartz beach sand, it is used by some microscopic plants and animals to build their protective shells, and it is used by people to make such things as glass and, more recently, micro-electronic circuits. It is relatively chemically inert, though it will chemically combine with Oxygen to form a very inert thin protective film that prevents any further reactions, and usually it is a good heat and electric insulator.
Third, Vanadium composites are woven around the steel compound in order to further strengthen the armor composite. Vanadium is a hardening alloy element in steel that is much stronger in its effects than either Chromium or Molybdenum (see above). Resists "metal fatigue" from repeated loading below the nominal yield strength, which can cause the metal to gradually stretch out of shape ("creep"), so it is widely used in springs in small amounts.
Fourth, titanium and depleted uranium threads are interwoven with the rest of the composite, adding final layers of strength. The titanium also works along with a polymer composite material in order to reduce the magnetic signature of the ship – although, this is not a primary goal of the armor. With the inclusion of titanium, depleted uranium, vanadium, manganese and silicone the actual rolled homogenous armor readings are much higher than what they are, especially since the entire armor scheme is laced around a polymer matrix, multiplying RHA strength even more!
The third layer is composed of a heat absorbing panelling. Composed of both aerogel compounds and a carbon-phenolic heat shield compound, this layer is capable of resisting temperatures above 4000 degrees Celsius. This layer is designed to both prevent any heat damage from warping the main armor layers and to stop any thermite based weapons from cutting through successive layers of armor.
Aerogels are advanced materials yet also are literally next to nothing. They consist of more than 96 percent air. The remaining four percent is a wispy matrix of silica (silicon dioxide), a principal raw material for glass. Aerogels, consequently, are one of the lightest weight solids ever conceived.
Made of inexpensive silica, aerogels can be fabricated in slabs, pellets, or most any shape desirable and have a range of potential uses. By mass or by volume, silica aerogels are the best solid insulator ever discovered. Aerogels transmit heat only one hundredth as well as normal density glass. Sandwiched between two layers of glass, transparent compositions of aerogels make possible double-pane windows with high thermal resistance. Aerogels alone, however, could not be used as windows because the foam-like material easily crumbles into powder. Even if they were not pulverized by the impact of a bird, after the first rain they would turn to sludge and ooze down the side of the house.
Aerogels are a more efficient, lighter-weight, and less bulky form of insulation than the polyurethane foam currently used to insulate refrigerators, refrigerated vehicles, and containers. And, they have another critical advantage over foam. Foams are blown into refrigerator walls by chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants, the chemical that is the chief cause of the depletion of the earth's stratospheric ozone layer. The ozone layer shields life on Earth from ultraviolet light, a cause of human skin cancer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 4.5 to 5 percent of the ozone shield over the United States was depleted over the last decade. Based on the current levels of ultraviolet exposure, the agency projects that more than 12 million Americans will develop skin cancer and more than 200,000 will die of the disease over the next 50 years.
Replacing chlorofluorocarbon-propelled refrigerant foams with aerogels could help reduce this toll. Exchanging refrigerant foams with aerogels reportedly would reduce CFC emissions in the U.S. by 16 million pounds per year.
Aside from their insulating properties, aerogels have other promising characteristics. Sound is impeded in its passage through an aerogel, slowed to a speed of 100 to 300 meters per second. This could be exploited in a number of ways, as for example, improving the accuracy and reducing the energy demand of the ultrasonic devices used to gauge distances in autofocus cameras and robotic systems. A layer of aerogel on a camera's ceramic piezoelectric transducer could considerably improve the efficiency with which it generates ultrasonic waves.
Aerogels also have a number of novel applications. Currently, they are components of Cerenkov radiation detectors used in high- energy physics research at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. Another scientific application currently under consideration involves utilizing aerogels in space like a soft, spongy net to capture fast-moving micrometeroids without damaging them.
The fourth layer is an armored composite layer. A combination composite armor/kinetic absorbing rods layer, this entire layer is comprised of the main armor composite material with staggered lateral armored rods driven through it. The dissipation of energy provided by the rods and their warping of any kinetic projectiles to a degree any penetrative powers are lost provides the most protection against kinetic weapons of any armor level in the ship. If a KE weapon were to hit, it would follow the path of least resistance around the armored rods. The path given would cause it to slip around multiple rods, soon twisting the penetrator into a shape not capable of penetrating any further- generally a Z shape. This concept was taken and expanded upon from the Doujin class Super Dreadnought, which is currently employed by Samtonia.
The fifth layer is another heat absorbant panel. A second and last ditch heat shielding layer. Composed of both aerogel compounds and a carbon-phenolic heat shield compound, this layer is capable of resisting temperatures above 4000 degrees Celsius. This layer is designed to both prevent any heat damage from warping the honey-comb rods below it and to stop any thermite based weapons from cutting through the armor any more.
The sixth layer of the armor is a blast space. Designed to channel explosive force and gases away from essential areas and out of the ship. It is designed to lessen the impact of delayed fused weapons, with any explosion harmlessly damaging non-essential locker storage areas and storage tanks. While the ninth layer has been rated as a highly effective shrapnel absorbing layer. Lining the outsides of all bulkheads, this armor layer is designed to stop any shrapnel from breaking through and damaging essential equipment or personnel. It also acts as a light armor in the event a projectile makes it that far through the ship.
The bulkheads are made of same composite as the Kinetic Absorbing Layer in order to combine flexibility, weight and performance together. These bulkheads are designed to allow explosions to vent their way outside the ship while protecting the interiors of the ship.
The final honeycomb framework literally holds the ship up and together. A network of armored and reeinforced rods, supporting beams, and a unique (well, not for NS) "honeycomb" design that provides a sound support, both structurally and integrally, for the rest of the ship. This portion of the ship is the most time intensive to build, with this framework actually built around the keel before any of the rest of the ship is laid across its skeleton. Though this step contributes to much of the slow building time, it allows the ship to both absorb damage far above the amounts its RHA values would suggest and give it the support necessary to handle the wegiht of the armor scheme and araments.
Finally, the framework connectors connect the framework, armor, and bulkheads together. It has been rated as very strong, they prevent the ship's interior from warping or cracking when strained.
The main armor is designed around an original catamaran design, however, the overall ship is forged through a trimaran hull design. The outer hull, consequently, is armored with a main belt of one thousand millimeters [1,000mm - 39.370079 in.]. According to British sources, trimarans are more resistant to damage; far more resistant. One missile or torpedo will usually disable a modern cruiser, destroyer, or frigate. However, a well-designed trimaran warship can withstand a dozen hits and keep fighting.
The belt armor has a literal reading of one thousand two hundred and seventy millimeters [1,370mm – 53 in.], while the turret faceplates yield one thousand three hundred millimeters [1,437mm - 58 in.]. The main turrets boast an armored reading of one thousand millimeters [1,050mm - 41 in.] while the secondary turrets yield nine hundred millimeters [980mm - 39 in.] and the deck armor is layered with eight hundred and fifty millimeters [870mm - 34 in.]. The superstructure yields another eight hundred and fifty millimeters [850mm - 33.464567 in.], while the bulkheads have nine hundred and fifty millimeters worth of the composite armor [950mm - 37.401575 in.]. Actual RHA readings are much, much higher than this – although, they are either extremely classified, or truthfully unknown.
[Armament]
The Argentine class Galleon is armed with eight triple mounts of twenty-five [25] inch ETC guns. There are four mounts on each half of the ship, giving the ship a total of twenty-four twenty-five inch guns. Secondary guns include two quadruple mounts of eighteen [18] inch ETC guns, both mounted at the front of the ship, stacked. Near the center of the ship there are four double mounts of twelve [12] inch rail guns.
The ship is mainly to be stocked with the newer rail gun depleted uranium SABOT rounds.
http://www.rit.edu/~dih0658/images/railsabot.gif
For more direct combat, there are four double mounts of twelve inch ETC guns. Electrothermal-Chemical (ETC) technology is an advanced gun propulsion candidate that can substantially increase gun performance with less system burden than any other advanced gun propulsion technology. It has been under development since the mid-1980s.
ETC uses electrical energy to augment and control the release of chemical energy from existing or new propellants, and can significantly improve the performance of existing conventional cannons, both direct fire and indirect fire. The electrical energy is used to create a high-temperature plasma, which in turn both ignites the propellants and controls the release of the chemical energy stored in the propellants during the ballistic cycle.
All, ETC guns are fitted with electro-magnetic (EM) rifleling, giving it a much faster propulsion, although not as expensive and "iffy" as rail guns.
The Argentine class Galleon also has twelve of the brand new Conhort Close-in Weapons Systems. The Conhort uses a variant of the GAU-8 Avenger cannon. The GAU-8 itself weighs 281 kg (620 lb), but the complete weapon, with feed system and drum, weighs 4,029 lb (1,830 kg) with a maximum ammunition load. The entire system is 19 ft 10.5 in (5.05 m) long. The magazine can hold 1,350 rounds, although 1,174 is the more normal load-out. Muzzle velocity with armor-piercing incendiary (API) ammunition is 3,250 ft/s (988 m/s), almost the same as the substantially lighter M61 Vulcan.
The Conhort's system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which tracks incoming fire, determines its trajectory, then aims the gun and fires in a matter of seconds. The system is fully automatic, needing no human input once activated. The kinetic energy of the 30mm rounds is sufficient to destroy any missile or shell. The system can also be deployed to protect airfields. However, like the Dutch Goalkeeper and the American Phalanx the Conhort is a last-chance weapon, although considerably accurate. It uses a seperate, smaller, LIDAR Gaussian Transmitter and RADAR tranmitter in order to lock on potential targets and blow them out of the air. Several advantages the Cohort has over the Phalanx system are that it is more accurate, it has a greater kenitic energy impact, more tracking, it's reloaded under the deck, and it can operate under three modes: Auto, Semi-Auto and Manual allowing full operator operability.
Finally, the Argentine class Galleon is defended under the waterline by a series of twelve ASHUM guns. The ASHUM guns consists of extremely rapid, and extremely accurate, fire, guided by SONAR and blue-green LIDAR, using depleted uranium bullets and an elastomer propellant. In past operations, the ASHUM guns, coupled with the MAT-1 anti-torpedoes fired from ASROC cannons, have proved to be valuable to defend the lifeline of the ship.
[Sensor Electronics]
The Argentine has an onboard SONAR array, capable of searching through the mixed layer. However, for under the layer searches it also has the TB-2016, used in the Macabee Leviathan class SSN, which is rolled from a seperate compartment, and is long enough to sit right on the deep sound channel axis, giving the SONAR a full read, leaving no shadow zone. The power of the Macabee SONAR systems has been applauded before, and the Elusive is a testament to it.
The Argentine is also given the same SONAR system which the Rommel was equipped with. The Poseidon SONAR system, which is capable of detecting louder shipping at up to one hundred kilometers away at the right circumstances, and advanced submarines at a maximum range of ten kilometers, burning through anechoic tiling quite easily. The Poseidon is considered one of the better SONAR systems used presently. The Poseidon is also programmed to detect the “black hole” effect which submarines using MHD have; making it easier to detect MHD propelled submarines.
The Argentine also has a new thin line towed array called the TB-163, which is three times as long as the Argentine itself, using thousands of hydrophones to detect submarine presence at up to forty kilometers away (ca. 28 miles). The TB-163 uses a strong steel line to ensure that it doesn’t snap, although this could be potentially dangerous to the crew if its used stupidly. The Zealous also has another towed array called the TB-87 which focuses on shorter distances, using powerful hydrophones to detect close enemies.
Macabee ships use the MRT-1 RADAR system to detect enemy aerial assets anywhere from 120 kilometers minimum to 700 kilometers maximum; depending on the circumstances, stealth levels, and altitude. The MRT-1 use a very powerful super computer and several screens to detect, filter, and portray enemy aerial assets. Based of the TENEX SPY-6 this well built system is, again, one of the better ones in use around the world, and provide the Macabees with a reliable early warning system.
Additionally, Macabee ships integrate the MRT-4 Surface Search RADAR system which was built to focus on sea-skimmers. RADAR radio waves are able to catch both missiles and other objects, such as waves, and filter what is a wave, and what is a missile; and quite easily, and through regular technology. Simply, by using a supercomputer and C based program, the computers can detect range, vector, and velocity – hence, it can distinguish what is a missile or aircraft, and what isn’t. A wave doesn’t last at the same altitude, velocity and vector for ever – the wave falls short quite quickly – while a missile lasts in the air for quite a while (of course). Hence, it wasn’t too difficult to design a system capable of picking sea-skimmers up. The range of the MRT-4, however, is considerably shorter, about a hundred nautical miles.
Finally, the Macabee ships include an MLT-1 LIDAR system which as a range of about 250 kilometers (165 miles). The MLT-1 uses regular LIDAR to detect range, Doppler LIDAR to detect velocity, and DIAL LIDAR to detect chemical composition. The newer Gaussian LIDAR system used by Macabee ships has two charged plates placed parallel to each other, one charged negative, the other positive. This in turn begins an electrical current. The Gaussian system doesn't work on reflected waves. Instead, it relies on electrical impulses, rendering current anti-LIDAR techniques inefficient and obsolete.
The Argentine is also equipped with a SODAR array. Sodar (sonic detection and ranging) systems are used to remotely measure the vertical turbulence structure and the wind profile of the lower layer of the atmosphere. Sodar systems are like radar (radio detection and ranging) systems except that sound waves rather than radio waves are used for detection. Other names used for sodar systems include sounder, echosounder and acoustic radar. A more familiar related term may be sonar, which stands for sound navigation ranging. Sonar systems detect the presence and location of objects submerged in water (e.g., submarines) by means of sonic waves reflected back to the source. Sodar systems are similar except the medium is air instead of water and reflection is due to the scattering of sound by atmospheric turbulence.
Most sodar systems operate by issuing an acoustic pulse and then listen for the return signal for a short period of time. Generally, both the intensity and the Doppler (frequency) shift of the return signal are analyzed to determine the wind speed, wind direction and turbulent character of the atmosphere.
[EMP Hardening]
There are two things to consider when considering hardening targets against EMP. The first question to answer is whether the hardened system will become useless if shielded. The second question to be answered is whether the target is economically worthwhile to harden. The answers to these two questions are used to determine what devices should be shielded
To explain the first consideration, Makoff and Tsipis give the following simple example. If there was a communication plane with many antennas used to collect and transfer data, it would not be useful if its antennas were removed. However, to harden the plane, the antennas would need to be removed because they provide a direct path to the interior of the plane. It is important to understand how the hardening will affect the performance of the hardened item.
The second consideration is very easy to understand. Some systems, although important, may not seem worthwhile enough to harden due to the high costs of shielding. "It may cost from 30% to 50% of the cost of a ground based communication center…just to refit it to withstand EMP," and, "as high as 10% of the cost for each plane."
There are two basic ways to harden items against EMP effects.20 The first method is metallic shielding. The alternative is tailored hardening. Both methods will be briefly described.
Metallic shielding is used to, "Exclude energy propagated through fields in space." Shields are made of a continuous piece of some metal such as steel or copper. A metal enclosure generally does not fully shield the interior because of the small holes that are likely to exist. Therefore, this type of shielding often contains additional elements to create the barrier. Commonly, only a fraction of a millimeter of a metal is needed to supply adequate protection. This shield must completely surround the item to be shielded. A tight box must be formed to create the shield. The cost of such shielding (in1986 dollars) is $1000 per square meter for a welded-steel shield after installation.
The alternative method, tailored hardening, is a more cost-effective way of hardening. In this method, only the most vulnerable elements and circuits are redesigned to be more rugged. The more rugged elements will be able to withstand much higher currents. However, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences is skeptical of this method due to unpredictable failures in testing. Also, the use of this method is not recommended by the National Research Council. They doubted whether the approximations made to evaluate susceptibilities of the components were accurate. They did concede that tailored hardening may be useful to make existing systems less vulnerable.
[Propulsion]
The Argentine class Super Dreadnought is driven by ten Baldur pebble bed nuclear reactors. The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) is a new type of high temperature helium gas-cooled nuclear reactor, which builds and advances on world-wide nuclear operators' experience of older reactor designs. The most remarkable feature of these reactors is that they use attributes inherent in and natural to the processes of nuclear energy generation to enhance safety features. More importantly, it is also a practical and cost-effective solution to most of the logistics of generating electricity.
http://www.eskom.co.za/nuclear_energy/pebble_bed/image1_2.gif
To protect the reactor there are several infra-red detection devices around the uranium core, and at a note from a pressure sensor, either made by water or a man made collision, the Baldur nuclear reactor is automatically shut off, save for the coolant flow.
http://www.eskom.co.za/nuclear_energy/pebble_bed/coated_part.gif
The nature of the chain reaction that takes place in the PBMR is exactly the same as the one that takes place at Koeberg. (Refer to Koeberg experience - Fuel )
The fuel used in a PBMR consists of "spheres" which are designed in such a way that they contain their radioactivity. The PBMR fuel is based on proven high quality fuel used in Germany.
Each sphere is about the size of a tennis ball and consists of an outer graphite matrix (covering) and an inner fuel zone The fuel zone of a single sphere can contain up to 15 000 "particles". Each particle is coated with a special barrier coating, which ensures that radioactivity is kept locked inside the particle. One of the barriers,the silicon carbide barrier, is so dense that no gaseous or metallic radioactive products can escape. (it retains its density up to temperatures of over 1 700 degrees Celsius). The reactor is loaded with over 440 000 spheres - three quarters of which are fuel spheres and one quarter graphite spheres - at any one time. Fuel spheres are continually being added to the core from the top and removed from the bottom. The removed spheres are measured to see if all the uranium has been used. If it has, the sphere is sent to the spent fuel storage system, and if not, it is reloaded in the core. An average fuel sphere will pass through the core about 10 times before being discharged. the graphite spheres are always re-used. The graphite spheres are used as a moderator. They absorb and reduce the energy of the neutrons so that these can reach the right energy level needed to sustain the chain reaction.
The Baldur nuclear reactors are hooked up to a conducting system, which in turn power a series of Louis-Alice Power Supplies, which then go through a series of thousands of capacitors, and then again through another motor-generator, and finally to their respective water jets and maneuvering pods. There are eight water jets on the outer hulls, and four in the inner hulls. The Argentine class galleon also boasts six maneuvering jets, three on each side.
There are also two, smaller, back-up nuclear reactors in case of failure of the ten Baldur pebbledbed nuclear reactors. The two back-ups, albeit smaller, follow the same technological procedure as the main reactors.
[Crew]
The Argentine’s naval crew complement consists of seven thousand two hundred and thirty-six non-officers, NCOs, junior officers and general officers.
Just as important, however, is the fact that each Argentine class Galleon can carry up to ten thousand infantry, and also holds six hovercraft landing craft for amphibious operations – although all of this is only included in case of a planned amphibious operation.
[Other Statistics]
[Maximum Velocity:] 30 Knots
[Length:] 680 Meters
[Width:] 136 Meters
[Draught:] 13.6 Meters
[Displacement:] 1,500,000 Tonnes fully loaded
[Cost:]
130 Billion USD
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