Posted on 12/16/2016 7:23:57 AM PST by rktman
The Navy released a new fleet plan that calls for 355 ships, outlining a massive increase in the size of its high-end large surface combatant and attack submarine fleets but a modest increase in its planned amphibious ship fleet, according to a Dec. 14 summary of the assessment.
The findings of the latest Force Structure Assessment adds 47 ships to the Navy’s battle force over the 308-ship figure from a 2014 FSA.
According to the summary, the service determined the 355 total was the “minimum force structure to comply with [Pentagon] strategic guidance” and was not “the “desired” force size the Navy would pursue if resources were not a constraint, read the summary.
“Rather, this is the level that balances an acceptable level of warfighting risk to our equipment and personnel against available resources and achieves a force size that can reasonably achieve success,” according to the summary, which notes it would take a 653-ship force to meet all global requirements with minimal risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.usni.org ...
A lot of jobs. Building the carrier. Repair and overhaul. The battle group that goes a long with it. The aircraft and so on.
DoD acquisition has lots of jobs not building a carrier or doing anything else useful. To get anything done you have to eliminate lots of jobs. It takes hard work and dedication to keep dedicated and skilled Americans from doing anything useful at all.
Just the 40 or so the navy wants - leaving only 7 others - see post 22
Build DE subs instead of the extremely expensive complex Nuke types.
The new DE subs are quiet, fast, can stay submerged for extended periods.
At its peak, the U.S. Navy was operating 6,768 ships on V-J Day in August 1945, including 28 aircraft carriers, 23 battleships, 71 escort carriers, 72 cruisers, over 232 submarines, 377 destroyers, and thousands of amphibious, supply and auxiliary ships.
That is probably next to impossible now. No steel mill in the United States can manufacture 18 inch thick Krupp process armor steel needed for the turrets, barbettes, armor deck and armor belt. You may be able to cannibalize two Iowa class BBs for their barbettes, turrets and mark 7 guns. but why, without missiles, the enemy is safe if they stay 25 miles away from one.
We didn’t build the Alaska class cruisers just for the hell of it. They were authorized in 1940 because Naval intelligence believed that the Japanese were building a class of very large cruisers. Faster than our battleships at the time, with larger guns than our heavy cruisers.
This Army Officer, Retired, says Go For It!!
like the USS Lickalotapuss?
“That is probably next to impossible now. No steel mill in the United States can manufacture 18 inch thick Krupp process armor steel needed for the turrets, barbettes, armor deck and armor belt. “
Are you saying we can’t build steel mills?
The fast BBs may be, as many say, useless. The infrastructure to build them is not.
Did you know that there was once a steel mill on the streets of NYC to support the Brooklyn Navy Yard?
Gasp - the Navy knows it need more equipment to do its job. Gonna be some heavy spending happening to try to rebuild our Military after Obama gutted it while still increasing the debt astronomically despite the “peace savings”.....
I suggest we start with a Desmoines class cruiser as the basic design. Two 8” automatic turrets instead of three. The third replaced by rocketry, the secondary armament mixed 5” auto and gatling guns. Nuclear power instead of oil fired. You can cram a lot of firepower into 18,000 tons of war ship
We probably have rolling mills that can roll 18 in plate
No one in the United States has armor hardened that thickness of plate in 70 years. No one has welded 18 in armor plate in 70 years. There was also the largest steel mill in the world in Baltimore during WWII. Could it be done, yes all you have to do is pony up the tax money to pay for it. Then you have a ship that is a threat for a 25 mile radius.
“At its peak, the U.S. Navy was operating 6,768 ships on V-J Day in August 1945, including 28 aircraft carriers, 23 battleships, 71 escort carriers, 72 cruisers, over 232 submarines, 377 destroyers, and thousands of amphibious, supply and auxiliary ships.”
However, modern platforms are FAR more capable and likely 700 ships could do the same job today.
“REAL SAILORS”
They are all real sailors. All.
“Kill the LCS program and transfer existing hulls to the USCG.”
Coast Guard already has a better hull for a Frigate.
It’s FAR superior to the LCS, and the Navy made a major mistake for not adopting it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Cutter
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