Victor Class Submarine

A Victor class submarine (Project 671) is one of a series of nuclear attack submarines developed and built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With the first one being commissioned in 1967, a total of 48 subs were produced in three variants; Victor I, II, and III. Today 3 of them still remain in active service with the Russian Navy. When it was introduced, it was the first Soviet attack boat featuring a single-propeller shaft.

Technical Characteristics

Made of AK-29 steel, the Project 671 submarine has a double-hull configuration. The pressure hull comprises seven compartments: torpedo/berthing/battery; command center; reactor; turbine; auxiliary equipment; berthing and diesel generators; and electric motors. The ballast tanks are located along her sides, between outer and inner hull, as well as in forward and aft. The Soviet AK-29 steel is the equivalent to the American HY-100 steel, which has a high yield and high impact strength used in marine defense. This extremely hard steel enables the Victor class submarine to submerge to a maximum depth of 450 m (about 1,400 feet).

In order to reduce self-generated noise, the Project 671 is fitted with limber hole covers, which close automatically the deeper it sails. Thus, they reduce flow noise over the hull. The versions Victor II and III (Project 671RT and 671RTM respectively) have anechoic (anti-sonar) coating on the outer hull, and dampening coating on the inner hull. The purpose of the dampening coating is to reduce the transmission of machinery noises.

The Project 671 is powered by a twin VM-4P pressurized-water nuclear reactor, and twin OK-300 turbine. The submarine was designed with a streamlined sail, which has contributed to her excellent underwater performance. The first version, the Victor I, had a two-reactor plant, with a single steam turbine rated at 31,000 shaft horsepower. The single propeller is situated 4.5 m (15 feet) aft of the stern control surfaces.

Below, a Victor III (Project 671RTM) submarine in 1983. You can see the large sonar array pod on top of her vertical fin. Her electronic surveillance mast is raised.

Armament

The Victor class submarine features six bow torpedo tubes; four 533-mm tubes, and two 650-mm tubes to launch the VA-111 Shkval and the Type-65 torpedo as well as the SS-N-16 Stallion anti-submarine missiles. The VA-111 Shkval is a fast and lethal supercavitating torpedo, which can travel underwater at 225 knots, which means more than 380 km/h (305 mph).

Specifications

Type: nuclear-powered attack submarine

Displacement: 7,250 tons (submerged); 6,990 tons (surfaced).

Length: 102 m (334 feet)

Beam: 10 m (32 feet, 10 inches)

Draft: 7 m (23 feet)

Propulsion System: a twin VM-4P nuclear reactor; two OK-300 turbines.

Maximum Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h - 37 mph)

Range: limitless but must moor after 90 days for food supply.

Radar:  one MRK-50 Albatros; Skat sonar system

Crew: 37 men

Below, a Victor II (Project 671RT) at sea in 1980.

Read More

IJN Hosho

The IJN Hosho had been laid down as a mixed sea plane carrier/aircraft carrier in 1920. However, she would be modified during construction and was completed as a full-deck aircraft carrier. She was launched in November 1921 and commissioned in December 1922. Thus, she was the Imperial Japanese Navy's first aircraft carrier.

Technical Description

As built, Hosho had a small starboard-side island, but this was removed in 1923 and it was never replaced. The three funnels were originally hinged, being normally vertical but it was swung to the horizontal position during flying operations. However, it was found to be unnecessarily complicated and they were permanently fixed in the upright position in 1934.

The flight deck of the IJN Hosho was originally 158.2-m (519-ft) long, but it would be extended aft in 1944 to give it a length of 176.6-m (579.4-ft). Thus, it stretched completely from bow to stern. The original aircraft compliment was 26, but as aircraft became larger and heavier, this number was progressively reduced to 21 in 1934, and to 11 in 1942.

Operational History

Between 1937 and 1940, the IJN Hosho was active in operations off the China coast, providing close fire support, through their aircraft, to the Japanese ground troops. By the time the war against the United States of America broke out, she had already been relegated to the training role and other secondary duties. She would continue to function as a trainer carrier until the end of the armed conflict in 1945. Finally, she was scrapped in 1947.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 7,470 tons; 10,000 tons full load.

Length: 176.6 m (579.4 ft)

Beam: 18 m (59 ft)

Draft: 6.2 m (20.3 ft)

Propulsion: two geared steam engines, with two shafts, fed by twelve boilers, developing 30,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 25 knots

Range: 8,680 nautical miles

Armament: four 5.5-in guns outboard of hangar; two 3-in AA guns.

Crew: 550 sailors and officers

Below, the IJN Hosho in 1922 after it had been commissioned

Below, the Japanese carrier in August 1945

Read More

IJN Ryujo

The IJN Ryujo was a light aircraft carrier used by Japan during the Sino-Japanese War and WW2. Built by Mitsubishi in Yokohama shipyard, she was laid down in 1929 and launched in 1931. After two years of sea trials, she was commissioned in service of the Imperial Japanese Navy on May 9, 1933. However, the ship would be rebuilt one year later, between 1934 and 1936.

Like other Japanese carriers, the IJN Ryujo had no island on her flight deck. The bridge was located below the forward part of flight deck on the bow section of ship. Although it had originally been designed to carry 24 aircraft in a single hangar, the Imperial Japanese Navy determined that such small group of aircraft would not be effective as a fighting force. As a result, a second hangar was added, giving her the capacity to carry 48 aircraft. This modification increased her tonnage from 8,000 to 10,600 tons.

In August 1934, Ryujo was sent back to the yards to address stability problems. Thus, the work was mainly intended to reduce instability and improve sea-keeping. To achieve this, the hull was strengthened, the underwater bulges were enlarged, and the armament reduced as more ballast was added. It was fitted with two geared steam turbines, with two shafts, as a propulsion system, which was fed by twelve boilers.

Below, the IJN Ryujo sailing in the Pacific after modifications

Operational History

During the Japanese invasion of China, the IJN Ryujo was used to provide fire support to the Japanese Army with her dive bombers. When World War II broke out, she was employed extensively during the initial period of the Pacific war. Ryujo's aircraft also provided close support to the Japanese landings in the Philippines in December 1941 as well as to the invasion of Java in February 1942.

Ryujo also took part in the Japanese Navy Aleutians diversionary attack, thus avoiding the Battle of Midway. Being part of the Japanese fleet assigned to counter the American invasion of Guadalcanal in August 1942, she participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, during which she was sunk by four bombs and one torpedoes dropped from the USS Saratoga's aircraft.

Specifications

Type: light aircraft carrier

Displacement: 10,600 tons

Length: 179.9 m (590.3 feet)

Beam: 20.8 m (68.2 feet)

Draft: 7.1 m (23.3 feet)

Propulsion: two geared turbines, with two shafts, twelve water-tube boilers, generating 65,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 29 knots

Range: 10,000 nautical miles

Aircraft: 48 fighters, dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers

Armament: eight 127-mm and four 25-mm AA guns

Compliment: 924 sailors and officers

Below, Ryujo in 1937.

Aerial view of Ryujo

Read More

IJN Soryu

The IJN Soryu was an aircraft carrier used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was the first Japanese fleet carrier which was entirely designed as such, from the keel up, as older ones had been converted from battlecruisers into carriers, such as Hosho and Kaga. Powerful modern machinery and a cruiser-type hull gave her a very high speed.

Soryu was the basis for all subsequent Japanese fleet carriers. It was intended for the attack role, as it was fast and lightly built, with a large air group composed of 63 aircraft. It was laid down in 1934 and was completed three years later in 1937. To carry such large number of aircraft, two hangars were provided. It was also fitted with three elevators. Exhaust gases were vented through two downward-venting stacks on the starboard side.

Below, a photo of the IJN Soryu in 1937.

Operational History

Together with IJN Hiryu, Soryu formed the First Air Fleet's Carrier Division 2. She would see extensive service before her loss early in the war. Both carriers took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Later, her dive bombers would provide fire support to the Japanese invasion of Dutch East Indies, also participating in the devastating attack on Port Darwin, Australia.

In April 1942 IJN Soryu took part in the Japanese raid into the Indian Ocean, attacking Colombo and Trincomalee in Ceylon. Along with Hiryu, she would be sunk during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. She was attacked by US Navy dive bombers and hit by three bombs from USS Yorktown aircraft. As soon as she was hit, the carrier became ablaze as the fire spread quickly from fueled and armed aircraft.

Specifications

Type: fleet carrier

Displacement: 15,900 tons

Length: 227.5 m (746.5 feet)

Beam: 21.3 m (69.9 feet)

Draft: 7.62 m (25 feet)

Propulsion: 4 geared steam turbines, with 4 shafts, fed by 8 boilers, generating 152,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 34.5 knots

Range: 7,680 nautical miles

Armament: twelve 127mm (5-in) guns; twenty eight 25mm AA guns mounted in double turrets.

Compliment: 1,100 sailors and officers

Below, Soryu aircraft carrier during the last stage of construction

Read More

USS Saratoga CV-3

The USS Saratoga CV-3 was an American aircraft carrier used by the US Navy in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Belonging to the Lexington Class, she was laid down on September 25, 1920, in Camden, New Jersey, being built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation. After five years of construction work, she would be launched on April 7, 1925, to be finally commissioned on November 16, 1927. Having survived the war, she was used as a target by an atomic bomb test in July 1946.

The hull of the USS Saratoga (CV-3) had originally been designed as a battlecruiser, which gave her a small hangar deck, despite her large overall size. She had an armor belt between 5 and 7 inches (127/178-mm) thick. The flight deck was thin steel plate covered by wood planking. It was assumed that this construction technique would make it easier to repair after damage than an armored flight deck. Just like in her sister ship Lexington CV-2, her flight deck tapered sharply at the bow.

Below, the aircraft carrier Saratoga in 1928

Brief Service History

The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of only two US Navy's pre-war carriers which saw combat action in the Pacific and survived. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, she was off the coast of California. On January 11, 1942, she received the first war damage when she was struck by a single torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-6, near Pearl Harbor. Although the damage did not threaten to sink the carrier, she did require a return to the US west coast for repairs, which prevented her from taking part in the Battle of Midway in early June 1942.

In July 1942, Saratoga headed into the South Pacific to provide air umbrella and support to the American invasion of the Guadalcanal Island, in the Solomons, which began on August 7, 1942. During this campaign, her 36 dive bombers struck and sank the Japanese light carrier Ryujo. On August 31, she was struck again by a Japanese torpedo from submarine I-26, forcing her to sail for Pearl Harbor for repairs.

Having returned to service, the CV-3's SBD Dauntless and SB2U Vindicator dive bombers attacked the Japanese base of Rabaul, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea. This air raid damaged several enemy heavy cruisers moored at the port, sinking one destroyer. Then Saratoga would return to Pearl Harbor again in early 1944 for refit. Next, she sailed to join the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. During this time, she unleashed her bombers and attacked the port of Sabang, Sumatra, on April 16, and Soerabaja, Java, the following month.

Having served with the Royal Navy, Saratoga returned to the US West Coast for a second refit, which prepared her for duty as a night carrier. In January 1945, she returned to combat operations, joining USS Enterprise, forming a night fighter carrier division, which provided support to the invasion of Iwo Jima (February-March 1945). On February 21, she would be struck by six bombs in two separate attacks. Although her flight deck was damaged, she was able to recover aircraft in three hours. Having been repaired, she returned to service in May. At the end of the war, she was used as a troop transport to return American servicemen to the United States, carrying more than 29,000 personnel.

Specifications

Displacement: 37,000 tons

Length: 270.7 m (888 feet)

Beam: 32.3 m (106 feet)

Draft: 9.3 m (30 feet, 5 inches)

Power Plant: two electric motors powered by four GE turbine-generators set, producing 47,000 horsepower. The turbines received steam from sixteen water-tube Yarrow boilers.

Maximum Speed: 33.25 knots

Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km/ or12,000 miles)

Crew: 2,750 sailors and officers

Aircraft: 78 (dive bombers and fighters)

Below, two black and white pictures of USS Saratoga CV-3 a few years before the war.

 

Read More

Orion Class Battleship

An Orion class battleship was one of a series of four British super-dreadnoughts in service with the Royal Navy from 1912 to 1922. They featured ten 343-mm (13.5-inch) guns as they were the first British battleships to mount all their main armament on the centerline, allowing for a ten-gun broadside. They were set up in five twin turrets. This class consisted of HMS Orion, Conqueror, Monarch, and Thunderer, which had been preceded by the Colossus class.

The HMS Orion had been laid down in 1909, while her sister ships were laid down in 1910. Each one of them was built by different ship builders; HMNB Dockyard (Portsmouth), Armstrong Whitworth (Elswick), William Beardmore (Dalmuire), and Thames Ironworks (Lodon). However, they all were commissioned in 1912. These dreadnoughts displayed the best British battleship design to date as they represented a significant increase in capabilities over previous designs.

Below, the 13.5-inch guns on the fore deck of HMS Monarch. All five twin turrets were set up on ship centerline.

They took part in World War I, especially in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. All four had been assigned to the Grand Fleet where they sustained no damage or casualties. Indeed, their only wartime damage came from other friendly ships, when HMS Conqueror and HMS Monarch collided with each other in December 1914, or when HMS Orion was hit by HMS Revenge after the latter had broken free from her moorings. After the war, all four fell victims to the Washington Naval Treaty, by which the Royal Navy had to reduce the number of warship. Thus, all Orion Class Battleships were scrapped in 1922.

Specifications

Type: super-dreadnought

Displacement: 22,200 tons;  25,870 tons (full loaded)

Length: 177.1 m (581 ft)

Beam: 27 m (88.5 ft)

Draft: 7.6 m (24.9 ft)

Propulsion: four Parsons direct-drive steam engines, mounted in two sets, with four shafts. They were fed by 18 boilers, generating 27,000 HP. Two funnels.

Maximum Speed: 21 knots

Range: 6,730 nautical miles, sailing at 10 knots.

Armor: 300/200mm thick steel plates on belt; 100mm on deck.

Armament: ten 13.5-inch (343mm) naval guns; sixteen 4-inch (102mm) and four 47mm guns.

Crew: 823 sailors and officers.

Below, HMS Conqueror in 1913. It was the second Orion class battleship to be commissioned.

HMS Thunderer during the war.

Below, HMS Orion in1918.

Read More

Iron Duke Class Battleship

An Iron Duke class battleship was one of a series of four British dreadnoughts which were commissioned in 1914. All four saw combat action during World War I. They were heavily armed with ten 13.5-inch (343mm) guns mounted in five twin turrets and well protected by 300mm-thick belt armor. They were HMS Iron Duke, Marlborough, Benbow, and Emperor of India.

The design of the Iron Duke class battleship was based on that of the King George V class. However, her hull was 7.6 m (25 ft) longer than that of the King George V dreadnought, with a slightly wider beam and a deeper draft. They also had identical main armament consisting of ten 343-mm guns set up in five double centerline turrets, but the secondary armament was recast, with a battery of twelve 152-mm (6-inch) guns replacing the less powerful 102mm (4-inch). Ten of the 152-mm guns were placed in single casemates forward and close to the waterline, making them subject to interference from heavy seas and spray.

All four Iron Duke class battleships took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. During this naval engagement, HMS Marlborough was torpedoed amidships. The explosion tore out a gaping hole about 21 m long and 6 m deep in her side abreast the boiler room. Then speed had to be reduced to 17 knots, yet she remained in action until a starboard list prevented her guns from bearing on the enemy ships. Next she sailed at 10 knots under her own steam until she reached Humber, where she would be repaired.

After the war, all four dreadnought battleships were in the Gran Fleet in 1919, when they were assigned to the Mediterranean Sea, and, in 1926, they were attached to the Atlantic Fleet. Three of them were sold for scrap in 1932 and 1933. HMS Iron Duke served as a depot ship during World War II, until she was finally scrapped in 1946.

Specifications

Type: dreadnought battleship

Displacement: 25,000 tons (standard); 29,560 tons (full loaded)

Length: 189.8 m (623 ft)

Beam: 27.4 m (90 ft)

Draft: 9 m (29.5 ft)

Propulsion: four Parsons steam turbines, with four shafts, fed by 18 boilers, generating 29,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 21 knots

Range: 7,780 nautical miles at 10 knots

Crew: 1,102 sailors and officers.

Below, the Iron Duke class battleships, with HMS Benbow spearheading the pack in 1916.

A colorized photo of HMS Emperor of India in 1918.

Below, HMS Iron Duke in 1914.

Read More