Naval Pictures X: Underway on Nuclear Power

[God and Davion]

With 100% more Rickover. Welcome back!

Link to the former thread:

https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,76275.1470.html

[Fat Guy]

Which means we gotta start with Nautilus!

[Fat Guy]

With a side of NR-1.

[chanman]

Soviet Alfa-class in the 80s


So far it's less "Underway on Nuclear Power" and more "Run silent, run deep" 

[chanman]

Reposting something from 8 years ago. o.O

Let's go nuclear! All the nuclear-powered surface combatant warships ever (there aren't that many). I'm not sure why, but the Polish and Portuguese wiki pages had much better photos of the Bainbridge and Truxtun than the English pages, even though the photos are from the US Navy

CGN-9 USS Long Beach. Quite a lot of change in armament over its lifetime. Also big (15,500 tonne displacement) and a huge crew (well over a thousand). No aviation complement either
Commissioned from 1961-1995. Unique design, as far as I can tell. It's similar to the Baltimore class (and the Albany and Boston-class guided missile conversions of same) in terms of displacement and crew. Definitely has a unique sci-fi vibe. I feel like it should have orange racing stripes or bright yellow and black camouflage and crew in tights with sealed helmets or something








CGN-25 USS Bainbridge. Size and complement are much more in line with other modern warships (9000 tonne displacement, 475 crew)
Commissioned from 1962-1996. Heavily modified nuclear version of the Leahy class. No helicopter complement


CGN-35 USS Truxtun. It has a touch less displacement (8660 tonnes) and touch more crew (492) than the Bainbridge
Commissioned from 1967-1995. Heavily modified nuclear version of the Belknap class. Provision for 1 Seasprite helo



California-class. No hangar, but has a landing deck. Displaced 10,600 tonnes with a crew of 580ish
CGN-36 USS California commissioned from 1974-1999


CGN-37 South Carolina commissioned from 1975-1999


Virginia class. A bit shorter than the Californias and heavier (11,000 tonnes) with a much smaller crew (500) and adds a hangar for a single Seasprite
CGN-38 USS Virginia commissioned from 1976-1994


CGN-39 USS Texas commissioned from 1977-1993


CGN-40 USS Mississippi commissioned from 1978-1997


CGN-41 USS Arkansas commissioned from 1980-1998


All the Californias and Virginias sailing together:



Kirov class
Admiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov) laid up, awaiting disposal. Commissioned 1980-1990


Admiral Lazarev (ex-Frunze) laid up, awaiting disposal. Commissioned 1984-1999. Stars in THE iconic photo of the class


Admiral Nakhimov (ex-Kalinlin) Commissioned 1988, undergoing refit. Maybe because it had too many greebles for modern tastes and RCS


Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great, ex-Yuri Andropov) Commissioned 1998, currently the only nuclear warship in service (not counting subs and carriers)

[I am Belch II]

How about moving cargo with Nuclear Power. The NS Savannah, the nuclear powered freighter, that didn't really work for reasons.

[nerd]

With the Virginia class, the helicopter hangar was in the hull, the only DLGN design to do so. The capability was deleted when the Armored Box Launchers were added.

My favorite never-were warship was the CSGN. Nuclear power, AEGIS, and 8" guns!

[chanman]

With the Virginia class, the helicopter hangar was in the hull, the only DLGN design to do so. The capability was deleted when the Armored Box Launchers were added.

My favorite never-were warship was the CSGN. Nuclear power, AEGIS, and 8" guns!

As I recall, the in-hull hangars always had issues with weather sealing. On the other hand, they can't be anywhere as steampunk as the system used on Udaloy-class destroyers that had some kind of weird convertible roof encapsulation for their Kamovs.

[Daryk]

Those aren't hangars... those are storage cubicles... ;D

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

How about moving cargo with Nuclear Power. The NS Savannah, the nuclear powered freighter, that didn't really work for reasons.

What kind of reasons?  We talking technology problems or political problems?

[Daryk]

Money involves both of those things... ;)

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Ah.

[Colt Ward]

Money involves both of those things... ;)

Eh, I would put the blame in the same place as to why the US has not had a new civilian reactor in over 30 years, until this year.

[Sabelkatten]

From what I read it was to a significant degree politics (most nations didn't trust a floating reactor in regular ports), but economics was the killer - it was just a lot more expensive than diesels.

Building new ones today? Plausible, but the cost is still a major problem.

[Wrangler]

USS Gerald Ford CVN-78 on trials back in October, 2019



Love how she taking the turns, its must been interesting to be onboard her doing it.

[chanman]

USS Gerald Ford CVN-78 on trials back in October, 2019



Love how she taking the turns, its must been interesting to be onboard her doing it.

Is the helm station on the island? I can imagine a helmsman describing it as like driving the world's largest cigarette boat. Or maybe the Batmobile from the Burton films or The Animated Series

[Daryk]

I've been aboard a carrier doing those kinds of trials... and yes, the helm is on the bridge in the island... ;)

[Charlie 6]

Those aren't hangars... those are storage cubicles... ;D

Where is the "like" button?

[DOC_Agren]

tagging in

[mikecj]

TAG'd

[rebs]

This would be the world's biggest target of hypersonic missiles if it were real...

[chanman]

Early Star Destroyer. Colourized 😂

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

This would be the world's biggest target of hypersonic missiles if it were real...

I'm sure that all the point-defense lasers would do an excellent job keeping it alive.

[worktroll]

To the right, the front half of November-class submarine K3, the first Soviet nuclear powered submarine. To the left, K-123, an Alfa class.

The Novembers were ... interesting. They had special quiet blades, quiet equipment mountings, and were the first subs with anechoic tiles, all of which didn't matter because their two water-filled reactors made more noise than an equivalent value of garbage trucks. They were meant to fire nuclear torpedos into NATO ports, and were originally intended to have 1x1m torpedo tube, and 2x more conventional 553mm tubes. K3 is shown above in 2006, prior to being put back in the water, and then moved to St Petersburg to a naval museum in 2021.

[marauder648]

Yeah the HEN (Hotel, Echo and November classes) series of Russian nuclear boats were hella noisy, and the Alpha class at full chat was basically a boom box but under water and was amazingly loud at full speed.

Also looking at that hanger on the Udaloy, that's hella cramped and how the hell would you service it? I'd assume that any ordinance would be fitted on the helipad?

[Sabelkatten]

It does look like there is more space below on theUdaloy. I have no idea how much, but I 'd say at least basic maintenance is probably doable.

[Wrangler]

Curious how well they were able clean up the reactor space so people could safely enter the ship when it's made into a museum.

[I am Belch II]

The a Alfa class is such a neat looking sub. The form fitting sail to the hull is so neat.
I also think I like the Alfa class becuase of the Hunt for Red October.

[Fat Guy]

Yeah the HEN (Hotel, Echo and November classes) series of Russian nuclear boats were hella noisy,

The HEN series were also quite fast for their time, mainly because they skimped on reactor shielding.

[marauder648]

The HEN series were also quite fast for their time, mainly because they skimped on reactor shielding.

Aye which comes with the issue of "Yes we can go fast, but how many cancers do you want to give to the crew if we open the taps?"

And whilst they could do high speeds, it was at a significant risk, so they rarely did them at full chat.