What if battleships, fictional

[Dreadnought]

Didnt need the nukes they already had them in artilliary. They already modified Turret 2 after WWII in the 1950's and carried them (1956-1962) 10 atomic shells. Mk 23 Katies and 9 dummys. The attached W23 warhead carried 15-20 kilotons. Plenty of hitting power from an artilliary shell derived from the W19 artilliary shell which intern was derived from the W9 gun type nuclear shell.

Only one was ever fired, a dummy by the Wisconsin in 1957.

USS Missouri was never modified to carry them and if she was it was never documented. Only the Iowa, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

[USSWisconsin]

A very large modern BB - using a retired Nimitz as a starting point - completely rebuilt as a NGFS ship - armor protection is designed for missile, bomb and torpedo protection - she is not meant to gunfight other battleships - since there is nothing to fight like that - though she does have extensive protection from 6" guns.

And here is a link to where I put my recent painting of a "1947" WWII design
Picture(s) of the day

[USSWisconsin]

done in Feb 2010

[USSWisconsin]

Cruiser
2/28/2010, a poem

All around the sea was black, the clouds hung low - blotting out the moon and stars. The sparkle of the bow wave marking their urgency. Engines churning as the ship quivered with with speed. Black smoke belching into a blacker sky, unseen. The night lay heavy on the ship and her company. Tension of impending battle clung to steel and flesh. On the bridge, the Captain scanned the darkness, they were out there, somewhere, waiting - and so it was all through the night. Then in to the pink dawn, still alone, but expecting company - and battle. Men would die and the sea would take them. The questions to be answered; which men, whose men?

[USSWisconsin]

902 x 143 x 33' 85,000 tons std disp, six screws 420,000 SHP - 38 knots max
12 HS turbines, two per double reduction gear, 12 x 110 MW boilers 1200 psi @ 1100 deg F
3 rudders 700 yrd tactical radius @ 25 knots, 1600 yrds @ 35 knots
Range 5000 nm @ 35 knots, 12,000 nm @ 27 knots, 18,000 nm @ 21 knots
15 x 16"/45 (5x3) 24 x 5.4"/50 (12x2) 80 x 40mm (20 x 4)
15" Belt @ 20 deg, 9" Deck, 3" bomb deck, 12" CT, 23" turret faces, quadruple bottom, 30' TDS 2400 men

[USSWisconsin]

A fleet needs more than battleships - these are some escorts




Cruiser - 5" armor belt, 3.5" deck, 8" turrets and barbettes, 6" CT, 8" guns (4x3), 90mm dual secondaries (6x 2), 20 x 40mm (8x2, 6x1), 13000 tons, 32 knots, 90,000 HP, 600 x 76x23' 2 screws, 6 boilers, two geared turbines, 2 rudders

[USSWisconsin]

a couple more drawings - some specs are prelimary (wrong)

[USSWisconsin]

An armored cruiser

[Ytlas]

So.................... 12 boilers use a lot of fuel oil. What is the capacity of this vessel, maybe one million gallons? Storage areas?

And while I'm asking about storage areas, what about feed water storage for the boilers? Evaporators/distilling plants only make so much water daily and won't have the capacity to make enough water to keep all 12 boilers online when the ship is steaming at a fairly good rate.

Don't forget the lube oil storage tanks.

[USSWisconsin]

She'd have her triple bottom and wing tanks, probably carry about 5000 tons of fuel, and have feed water evaporators to replenish boilers with substantial water tankage besides, 30,400t is her std displacement, she'd probably be 34,000 tons at heavy load.

How much feed water would she need to carry?

[Ytlas]

She'd have her triple bottom and wing tanks, probably carry about 5000 tons of fuel, and have feed water evaporators to replenish boilers with substantial water tankage besides, 30,400t is her std displacement, she'd probably be 34,000 tons at heavy load.

How much feed water would she need to carry?

I sure don't know. The modern flash type evaporators can make like 50,000 gallons per day, but 12 boilers running at speed would probably easily exceed that, plus you need some potable water for the crew. The ship would be draining water from the feed water storage tanks. Of course the ship wouldn't be running all 12 boilers all the time.

Here's a view of "Water Hours" on a smaller ship

The Master Chief's Lair: Water hours!

[blidgepump]

I sure don't know. The modern flash type evaporators can make like 50,000 gallons per day, but 12 boilers running at speed would probably easily exceed that, plus you need some potable water for the crew. The ship would be draining water from the feed water storage tanks. Of course the ship wouldn't be running all 12 boilers all the time.

Here's a view of "Water Hours" on a smaller ship

The Master Chief's Lair: Water hours!

Very interesting account....

"makes one think of being on the HMS Bounty under harse command"