Chukotka Icebreaker

The Chukotka icebreaker was designed, laid down, and built under Project 22220. It is the largest and most advanced icebreaker in the world, and it is nuclear-powered. It was launched on November 7, 2024, during a ceremony that took place at the Baltic Shipyard, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This 174-m long ship will be on sea trials for several months, and the naval engineers estimate she will be commissioned to be part of the Russian Navy in the Spring of 2025. In the last few years, the Kremlin gave the Arctic Sea navigation great importance for the transport of goods and supplies to the different bases and towns in northern Russia.

The Project 22220, Chukotka, features two powerful nuclear reactors, which generate 60 megawatts (MW). They provide pressurized steam to the turbines and power to the electrical motors. The icebreaker is propelled by two shafts. The hull at the bow section of the ship is so strong that she can break through up to 3-m thick of ice without getting stuck. The lead ship the Project 22220 class is Arktika, which was the first one launched in 2013. She will sail between the port of Provideniya in the Far East, near Alaska, to Murmansk, near the Norwegian border, stopping at different ports.

Specifications

Type: nuclear-powered icebreaker

Country: Russia

Displacement: 33,500 tons

Length: 174 m

Beam: 34 m

Draft: 10.5 m

Propulsion System: two RITM-200 nuclear reactors, generating 60 MW, with two shafts.

Maximum Speed: 35 knots in open sea without ice.

Compliment: 54 sailors and officers.

Below, the official ceremony of the launching of the Chukotka

The mage shows the technical characteristics of this powerful icebreaker.

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HMS Hermes (95) Royal Navy Carrier

HMS Hermes (95) was a Royal Navy's aircraft carrier, which was in service between 1924 and 1942. She was the first aircraft carrier with a flush deck originally designed as such. However, the number of combat airplanes she could carry was limited to twenty. The first type of aircraft she carried on her first assignment was the Fairey Flycatcher, which was a carrier-based fighter biplane. In those days, the carrier was not considered to be an important war vessel. It was the battleship, which given priority in military naval construction. However, WW2 would prove otherwise.

The design and construction of the HMS Hermes (95) had been ordered in 1917. She was laid down in early 1918 and built by Armstrong Whitworth on the shipyards on the bank of the River Tyne. She was launched on September 11, 1919. After the sea trials, she was commissioned on February 18, 1924. Her first assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet based at Malta. In 1925, she would be sent to Hong Kong. Later, she would return to the Mediterranean Sea.

During the 1930s, HMS Hermes spent most of her time in the Far East. With Hong Kong being her base of operations, she would often sail to visit other ports, such as Shanghai, Manila, and Singapore. When World War II broke out, she had already returned to Home port for refit. In August, 1939, she had been equipped with twelve Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bomber. In September, after Great Britain had declared war on Germany, she carried out anti-submarine patrol missions. Hermes was operating in the Indian Ocean when, on April 9, 1942, she was attacked by approximately 50 Japanese dive-bombers. Hit hard, she would sink after several hours. At the time of the attack, she did not have any combat aircraft aboard to defend herself with.

Technical Description

HMS Hermes (95) had a 182-m long flight deck and a large island on the forward portion and starboard side of ship. The island included both the bridge and funnel. It had a sturdy tripod mast, with a large fighting top. Although the island was unusually long, it was very narrow. She was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, with two shafts and supplied by six boilers; this propulsion system generated 40,000 shaft horsepower (SHP).

To maximize the size of her flight deck, the hull was built with considerable flare. Thus, she proved to be an excellent sea boat. Despite her size, HMS Hermes was able to carry only 20 aircraft. Like other carriers of the time, she was fitted with longitudinal wires first; however these were replaced by transverse arrester wires in the early 1930s.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier 

Displacement: 13,000 tons (full loaded); 10, 850 tons (standard)

Length: 182.3 m (598 feet)

Beam:  21.4 m (70.3 feet)

Draft: 5.7 m (18.5 feet)

Propulsion: two Parsons geared steam turbines, with two shafts, and six boilers.

Maximum Speed: 25 knots

Range: 5,600 nautical miles (10,400 km)

Aircraft: 20

Armament: ten 152-mm and four 102-mm AA guns.

Crew: 664 sailors and officers.

Below, historical pictures of HMS Hermes (95) in the 1930s and during WW2 when she was hit and sunk.

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HMS Courageous (50)

HMS Courageous (50) was an aircraft carrier in service with the Royal Navy between 1928 to 1939. She had begun her career as a light battlecruiser in 1916, taking part in naval engagements of the First World War. However, in 1924,  the British government decided to convert it into an aircraft carrier, along with two other battlecruisers that had also fought in this armed conflict; HMS Glorious and Furious. The main reason for the conversion of these surface warships was the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, which had turned them into WW1 leftover, floating junk, as this treaty limited the fleet tonnage of the signatory countries.

During the First World War, three light battlecruisers had been built; HMS Courageous, HMS Furious, and HMS Glorious, each with four 380-mm (15-in) guns, serving with the British Grand Fleet. After the war, all three warships were put in reserve until they were converted into aircraft carriers, whose transformation would begin in 1924. In early May, 1928, Courageous was commissioned after several months of sea trials. Not only were they fitted with a flight deck and storage hangars for their aircraft, but their propulsion system was also upgraded, being fitted with four Parsons geared steam turbines, with four shafts.

As soon as she was commissioned, HMS Courageous (50) was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, which was based at Malta, where she would spend two years. From 1930 to 1938, she served with the Atlantic and Home Fleet. In 1934, she was equipped with hydraulic catapults on the upper flight deck, which was 240-m (787 ft) long. What made her look different from other carriers was her small island, which was located on the starboard side and on the forward portion of ship. Also, the flight deck did not cover the whole length of the former battlecruiser hull, whose aft section stuck out below it.

Although she rendered a good service in the inter-war years, HMS Courageous was sunk early in the war. On September 17, 1939, she was struck by two torpedoes launched by the German submarine U-29, while she was conducting anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic, off the coast of Ireland, along with two British destroyers. Several hours later, she sank into the bottom of the Atlantic. Due to the Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bombers she carried onboard, it was common for her to carry out anti-submarine missions. She was the first British warship to be sunk in World War II.

Specifications

Type: fleet aircraft carrier

Displacement: 27,560 tons (full load)

Length: 240 m (787 ft)

Beam: 27.6 m (90 ft)

Draft: 8.5 m (28 ft)

Power Plant: 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, with four shafts, supplied by 18 Yarrow tube boilers, producing 90,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots

Range: 6,500 nautical miles.

Aircraft: 48

Crew: 1,216 men

Below, aerial view of the HMS Courageous (50) before the war, in 1937.

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HMS Ark Royal (91)

HMS Ark Royal (91) was a British aircraft carrier which was used by the Royal Navy during the first two years of World War II. Being the only ship of her class, she had been launched in 1937 and commissioned on December 16, 1938. She was the Royal Navy's first carrier in fifteen years, transporting on her flight deck and storage areas 26 Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bombers and 15 Blackburn Skua bombers as her anti-submarine and anti-ship flying artillery. Despite her impressive might, she would be sunk by a German submarine in late 1941.

During her short life, HMS Ark Royal gave excellent service to the Royal Navy, taking part in the Allied campaign against the German forces that had invaded Norway in April 1940. During this year, she provided carrier protection to British surface warships operating off the Norwegian coasts. In this theater of operations, she and HMS Glorious evacuated British and French troops from Narvik, Norway, to the United Kingdom after they had failed to liberate this Scandinavian country.

After the German invasion of France in May/June 1940, the Ark Royal (91) was assigned to the Mediterranean Theater of Operation as part of the British fleet. On November 11, 1941, she and HMS Argus launched a total of 34 Hurricane aircraft to reinforce the British garrison of Malta, which was being besieged by the Germans and Italians. On her way back to home port , and before reaching the Gibraltar Strait, she was hit by a single torpedo fired from the German U-Boat U-81 in the afternoon of November 13. The explosion tore a huge hole low down in her hull on the starboard side. In the early hours of November 14, a great amount of water had poured into the her bowels as she listed heavily to one side. She would finally sink at 06:40 hours.

Technical Characteristics

HMS Ark Royal (91) had a 240-m (800-ft) long flight deck, which was 17 m (56 ft) above the water line. She had a squared off bow and a very long stern overhang. She was fitted with two hydraulic, steam-powered catapults and three rectangular lifts, which had two platforms, with one platform operating between the lower and upper hangar and the other between the upper hangar and the flight deck. She also had a cross-deck arrester gear on the rear portion of flight deck.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 27,700 tons (full load)

Length: 240 m (800 ft)

Beam: 28.9 m (95 ft)

Draft: 8.5 m (28 ft)

Power Plant: 3 Parsons geared steam turbines, with three shafts, fed by 6 boilers, generating 102,000-SHP.

Maximum Speed: 31 knots

Range: 7,600 nautical miles (14,100 km), sailing at 20 knots.

Aircraft: 60

Compliment: 1,580 officers and sailors

Below, the flight deck of HMS Ark Royal crowded with Fairley Swordfish aircraft in 1939.

The characteristic square bow of this British carrier.

The Ark Royal sailing on the North Sea in 1938, just before being commissioned.

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USS Tullibee (SSN-597)

The USS Tullibee (SSN-597) was a nuclear attack submarine, which was in service with the US Navy from 1960 to 1988. Characterized by stealth and her small size, she was called the 'Hunter Killer', whose main mission in the Cold War was to stalk Soviet submarines cruising the world oceans. The US Navy built only one boat of this design. Although it could be lethal to enemy submarines, operationally it had a major shortcoming; it was slow (only 16 knots) for Ocean transits.

The project of the Tullibee had begun in 1957, when the need for a small, low-cost submarine with unlimited range arose. The boat was laid down in 1958 and launched on April 27, 1960. After a short period of sea trials, she was commissioned on November 9, 1960. Her crew numbered six officers and fifty enlisted men. Her first skipper was Commander Richard E. Jortberg. The building of additional boat of this type would not be undertaken as the US Navy would come to the conclusion that it was more sensible to produce more Thresher class submarines, because these were more versatile and faster.

Technical Characteristics

The USS Tullibee (SSN-597) was a small and compact submarine. She was only 83 m (273 ft) in length and her displacement was 2,255 tons. Her hull was built with HTS (High Tensile Steel) and not with the higher quality steel HY-80 used in other subs; this technical detail limited her test depth to 215 m (700 feet). She was powered by one S2C pressurized water reactor, which supplied a turbo-electric drive with a single propeller shaft. This reactor was way smaller than the S5W employed in the Thresher class subs.

The Tullibee was equipped with one AN/BQQ-1 sonar system as well as four angled torpedo tubes. The BQQ-1 was the US Navy's first integrated sonar system, which was consisted of the AN/BQR-7 low-frequency, passive array sonar and the AN/BQS-6 spherical active sonar. The BQR-7 was composed in turn of a triple row of hydrophones. This equipment was mounted in the hull of submarine.

Specifications

Type: nuclear attack submarine.

Displacement: 2,255 tons (surfaced); 2,600 tons (submerged).

Length: 83.16 m (273 ft)

Beam: 7.19 m (23 ft, 7 in)

Draft: 6.4 m (21 ft)

Power Plant: one S2C nuclear reactor; one electric motor, driving one propeller shaft.

Maximum Speed: 16 knots (submerged); 13 knots (surfaced).

Range: unlimited (needed to be resupplied with food every other 70 days).

Crew: 56 sailors and officers.

Armament: four 533-mm torpedo tubes.

Below, the SSN-597 Tullibee cruising in the Pacific Ocean in early October 1960 during sea trials. Notice the two dorsal fins, one forward and the other aft, which were part of her PUFFS fire control system.

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USS Thresher (SSN-593)

The USS Thresher (SSN-593) was an American fast attack submarine, which was powered by one S5W nuclear reactor. She sank by implosion during deep-diving tests on April 10, 1963, off the coast of Massachusetts, killing 129 officers and sailors. Extremely quiet, she had been designed to hunt Soviet submarines during the Cold War.

The USS Thresher had been launched on July 9, 1960, and commissioned on August 3, 1961. Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, she was the lead submarine of her class of 14 boats. The other subs were Permit (SSN-594), Plunger (SSN-595), Barb (SSN-596), Pollack (SSN-603), Haddo (SSN-604), Guardfish (SSN-612), Flasher (SSN-613), Greenling (SSN-614), Gato (SSN-615), Haddock (SSN-621).

Below, the Thresher on sea trials in July 1961. It had a better hardened hull against explosive shock and introduced new sensors.

Technical Description

The design of USS Thresher (SSN-593) featured major advantages in five vital areas: depth, quieting, sonar, shock hardening, and weapons. She had a greater operating depth than her predecessors of the Skipjack class. Her pressure hull was made of HY-80 steel. Although it was the same type of steel used to produce the Skipjack submarines, to build the Thresher, the American engineers used improved welding techniques and piping, giving her a test depth of 400 m (700 feet).

To reduce the coolant piping and turbine noises, the sub machinery was isolated from the hull using a technique called "rafting", which the Royal Navy had developed for the Ton-class minesweeper. This arrangement decreased the sound transmission through the hull into the sea water. Thus, the twin steam turbines and related gearing were set up on a sound-isolating raft, not directly attached to the hull.

The most advanced electronic feature of the USS Thresher was her AN/BQQ-2 sonar system, which replaced the old BQR-2 and BQR-4 passive sonars. The BQQ-2 revolved around a 15-foot diameter sphere which was fitted with 1,241 hydrophones. Thus, it was capable of greater passive detection than older types of sonars as it could distinguish target noise from own ship and background sea noises. It also had an active acoustic pinging component.

Specifications

Type: attack nuclear submarine

Displacement: 4,369 tons (submerged), 3,810 tons (surfaced)

Length: 84.86 m (278 feet, 5 inches)

Beam: 9.63 m (31 feet, 7 inches)

Draft: 7.67 m (25 feet, 2 inches)

Propulsion: one pressurized water reactor S5W, which produced 11 MGW, with two steam turbines and one shaft, which generated 15,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 28 knots (submerged), 15 knots (surfaced).

Range: unlimited propulsion; food supplies for up to 90 days.

Compliment: 113 sailors and officers.

Armament: four 533-mm torpedo tubes, eighteen Mk-37 torpedoes.

Below, the AN/BQQ-2 sonar, the most advanced sonar of the time.

Front view of the SSN-593 on September 20, 1961.

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Charlie Class Submarine

A Charlie class submarine (Project 670 Skat) was one of a series of seventeen Soviet, cruise missile submarines, which were powered by one nuclear reactor. The first boat of the class, the K-43, was launched in 1966 and commissioned in 1967. She was the world's first submarine with an underwater-launch cruise missile capability. The last one, the K-209, entered service in 1980. All boats were built at the State-run Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard No. 112 (Gorkiy) on the Volga River.

The last six boats of the series were improved subs and they were designated Project 670M by the Soviet Navy. NATO called them "Charlie II class". They were built from 1973 and 1980. The upgrade included a longer hull for the incorporation of electronic equipment and a new launch system to be able to use the P-120 Malakhit anti-ship missile, thus posing a major threat to NATO warships. All seventeen boats of the class were phased out from 1990 to 1994.

A Charlie class submarine cruising in the South China Sea in 1974.

Technical Description

The Project 670 submarine was developed and built exclusively as a cruise missile boat. She had a streamlined, double-hull design, which consisted of seven compartments. The inner and the outer hull were made of steel. The sail was of aluminum construction to save weight. The eight missile tubes were built in the bow section between the inner and outer hull, with four on each side; they lay slantingly, with a 32 degrees angle of inclination. The six torpedo tubes, on the other hand, were horizontally arranged; four 533-mm, and two 400-mm in diameter.

Compared to other cruise missile submarine designs, the Charlie class was a relatively smaller and compact boat. However, the Project 670M was 8 m (26 feet, 3 inches) longer. She was powered by one pressurized, water-cooled VM-4 nuclear reactor. Her OK-350 steam turbine generated 18,800 horsepower to drive a single shaft propeller. She had a test depth of 350 m (1,150 feet) and could sail at the maximum speed of 26 knots (submerged).

Specification

Type: nuclear-powered, cruise missile submarine.

Displacement: 4,900 tons (submerged); 4,300 tons (surfaced).

Length:  95 m (312 feet); Charlie II: 103 m (338 feet)

Beam: 10 m (32 feet, 10 inches)

Draft: 8 m (26 feet, 3 inches)

Propulsion: one VM-4 nuclear reactor; one OK-350 steam turbine, with one shaft.

Maximum Speed: 26 knots (submerged); 20 knots (surfaced.

Range: unlimited, but she had to moor after 80 days for food supply.

Crew: 100 sailors and officers.

Armament: 8 P-70 Amethyst anti-ship, cruise missiles; Charlie II: 8 P-120 Malhkit anti-ship missiles. Six torpedo tubes.

Below, a Charlie II class submarine (Project 670M) sailing in the Atlantic Ocean in 1984.

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November Class Submarine

The November class submarine (Project 627) was the first nuclear-propelled submarine design of the Soviet Union. The first boat of the series was the K-3, which was commissioned in 1959, three and half years after the USS Nautilus. However, the design of these attack submarines had begun in 1952, under Vladimir N. Peregudov, at the Research Institute of Chemical Machine-Building, which would build the nuclear reactor for the Project 627 led by physicist N. A. Dollazhal.

The November class submarine was the first nuclear-powered boat to have a torpedo-shaped hull in naval history, since the USS Nautilus had a modified Type-XXI configuration. Vladimir Peregudov asserted that the submarine should resemble a torpedo in shape to fully exploit the power of her reactors. However, this new design in Soviet Navy was based on the USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which was a diesel-electric research submarine. According to Russian engineers, the Soviets had obtained details of the American submarine from a magazine photos.

Below, aerial view of the K-8, a Project 627A sub. Here, it was already in trouble off the coast of Spain in 1970. She would sink soon after this photo was taken. You can see her forward diving planes on the bow section are extended.

The first submarine of the series, the K-3, had been launched on August 9, 1957. She had gone to sea for the first time on July 4, 1958. Due to safety concerns, her nuclear twin reactor power plant first operated at only 60% until the completion of the test runs, reaching a speed of 23.3 knots. Later, her maximum speed would be 30 knots. Until then, the Project 627 was highly secret, with the last sub being retired in 1990.

Technical Description

The Project 627 submarine had a torpedo-shaped, double-hull configuration, with a reserve buoyancy of 30%, roughly twice that of the Nautilus, and internal pressure bulkheads. Internally, the November class submarine contained nine compartments (three more than the Nautilus): torpedo (bow); battery/crew; officers; reactor; turbine; two machinery compartments, and the stern compartment. The reactor compartment was located amidships and was fitted with two VM-A reactors, each supplying 70 megawatts thermal power.

The Project 627 boat was also equipped with electric motors for quiet low-speed operation, and in an emergency, they could drive her at 8 knots. Her inner pressure hull was built with the new AK-25 high-tensile steel, which provided the boat increased test depth. Thus, she would have a test depth of 300 m (985 feet), deeper than US Navy's contemporary submarines. The AK-25 steel had first been used in the Project 641/Foxtrot class submarine.

A coating of classified special material was applied to the inner hull to absorb own ship machinery noise to reduce the acoustic signature of the boat. Nevertheless, her noise levels increased at higher speeds. Although the first generation of Soviet nuclear attack submarines had a good speed quality and atomic installation two times more powerful than the US Navy's submarines, they significantly lacked in stealth at maximum speed.

Specifications (Project 627A)

Type: nuclear attack submarine

Displacement: 3,118 tons (surfaced); 4,750 tons (submerged)

Length: 107.4 m (351 feet)

Beam: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Draft: 6.4 m (20 feet)

Propulsion: two VM-A water-cooled reactors, producing 70 megawatts.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots (submerged); 15 knots (surfaced)

Range: 20 years, but limited to 70 days for food supplies.

Armament: eight 533-mm torpedo tubes, with 20 SET-65 torpedoes.

Below, the K-3 November class submarine. The photo was taken in 1964.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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