Kashima Class Battleships

The Kashima class battleships were a series of two pre-dreadnought, armored capital ships in service with Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1906, when they were completed, they were the most powerful battleships in the world, surpassing even their direct contemporaries; the Royal Navy's King Edward VII class. The IJN Kashima was built by Vickers at Barrow shipyards, while the IJN Katori was produced by Armstrong at Elswick. Thus, they were the last Japanese battleships to be built in the United Kingdom by a British firm, succeeding IJN Mikasa, which had taken part in the Russo-Japanese War.

Technical Description

Although they had been designed nine years before World War I broke out, the Kashima class battleships were advanced and powerful war vessels, equipped with 305-mm (12-inch) guns intended specifically for long-range naval engagements. Their main armament could be either electrically or hydraulically operated. Aside from their 305-mm naval ordnance, their weapons also included four 254-mm (10-inch) guns. The armor covered the whole length of the hull, from below the waterline all the way up to the upper deck. Both ships were powered by two vertical, triple-expansion steam engines, supplied by 20 boilers. The boilers used coal, whose combustion gases were exhausted out through two funnels located at the center of ship.

When World War I broke out, IJN Kashima was the flagship of the 2nd Battleship Squadron, while her sister Katori was assigned to the 5th Battleship Squadron. After this armed conflict, they were stricken in 1922 and broken up in 1925.

Specifications

Type: pre-dreadnought battleship

Displacement: 16,400 metric tons; 17,500 tons when full-loaded.

Length: 128 m (474 feet)

Beam: 23.8 m (78 feet)

Draft: 8.1 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: two, 4-cylinder, vertical triple-expansion steam engines, with two shafts, 20 boilers, generating 16,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 18 knots

Range: 10,000 nautical miles

Armor: 230-mm (9-inch) thick on belt.

Armament: four 305-mm naval guns mounted in two twin turrets, one on bow deck, the other other set up on stern deck; four 254-mm (10-inch) guns in individual turrets; twelve 152-mm (6-inch) guns.

Compliment: 865 men

Above, the IJN Kashima cruising along in the Pacific. Her 305-mm guns on the bow deck are being trained sideways, to starboard, and can hardly be noticed because of the dark background.

Renown Class Battlecruiser

The Renown class battlecruiser was one of two British, heavily-armed capital ships used by the Royal Navy during the First and Second World War. Laid down in 1915, they both joined the Fleet in 1916, after the Battle of Jutland had raised serious doubts about the role of the battlecruiser. Nevertheless, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse were retained in service after the Great War mainly because of their speed and the fact that they had proved to be a reliable and steady gun platform. Thus, in the interwar period, their armor protection was increased. Aside from their six 381-mm (15-in) main guns, they were equipped with seventeen 102-mm (4-in) guns as secondary armament.

The British Admiralty decision to build two more battlecruisers had been made after the Royal Navy's battlecruisers HMS Invincible and Inflexible had defeated a German flotilla during the Battle of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic on December 8, 1914, sinking three German armored cruisers. As a result, the War Cabinet ordered the construction of two more battlecruisers; these were HMS Renown (72) and Repulse (34). Despite their complexity, the two capital ships were built with remarkable speed by the firm John Brown & Company on the north bank of the River Clyde as they had both been laid down on January 25, 1915, and commissioned in August and September 1916.

Having survived the First World War, the Renown class battlecruisers were given additional armor in the early 1920s. Between 1936 and 1939, they were rebuilt for their new role as fast aircraft carrier's escorts as they were fitted with new turbines and boilers. At the beginning of the Second World War, HMS Repulse was assigned to the Far East, where she would be sunk, along with HMS Prince of Wales battleship, by Japanese dive-bombers on December 10, 1941. Meanwhile, HMS Renown served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Theater. She was decommissioned after the war and struck in 1948.

Specifications

Type: Battlecruiser

Displacement: 27,650 metric tons (standard); 30,835 tons (full load)

Length: 242 m (794 feet)

Beam: 27.4 m (90 feet)

Draft: 7.8 m (25 feet)

Propulsion System: Brown-Curtis steam turbines, with 4 shafts, and 42 boilers, delivering a total of 112,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots

Range: 9,000 nautical miles (16,677 km)

Armament: six 381-mm (15 inches) and seventeen 102-mm (4 inches) guns.

Compliment: 1,260 sailors and officers

Above, HMS Renown (72) sailing off the English coast at the end of the war.

HMS Repulse (34) in 1927.

USS Hornet (CV-8)

The USS Hornet (CV-8) belonged to the Yorktown class, which was composed of three aircraft carriers. She and her two sisters, the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Yorktown (CV-5), took part in the Battle of Midway in early June 1942. Although she survived this naval engagement, the Hornet would be sunk by the Japanese on October 27, 1942, during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. However, she had already become famous as she carried the sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers that carried out the first air raid on Tokyo in April 1942; this operation was known as the Doolittle Raid.

The USS Hornet had been laid down on September 25, 1939, and launched on December 14, 1940. After almost one year of sea trials, she would be commissioned on October 20, 1941, seven weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In January 1942, this aircraft carrier embarked the first North American B-25 Mitchell bombers for the Doolittle Raid, which would take place on April 18, 1942. On June 6, 1942, she was damaged during the Battle of Midway and later repaired. In August, that year, she, along with US Wasp and Saratoga, provided air cover to the US Marines that landed on Guadalcanal. On October 26, 1942, the Hornet was attacked and hit by Japanese dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers (Aichi D3A 'Val' and Nakajima B5N respectively). Being severely damaged, and with a list to starboard, she was abandoned. Finally, on October 27, she was given the coup de grace by a Japanese destroyer that struck her with several torpedoes.

Technical Description

The USS Hornet (CV-8) was designed to carry an air group of up to 100 aircraft. Her flight deck was part of the superstructure and not integral with the hull. The hangar deck ran the full length of the ship. She was fitted with three centerline elevators and three catapults, two on the flight deck and one on the hangar deck. Her propulsion system was located amidships, with the engine rooms lying behind the boiler rooms. Her three main uptakes were routed to the starboard side, ending in a single large funnel, which was integrated into the island structure. She had a high degree of water-tight integrity, which was obtained by extensive compartmentation of the hull (she had more bulkheads than other warships).

Specifications

Type: Yorktown class carrier

Displacement: 19,875 tons (standard)

Length: 251.4 m (825 feet)

Beam: 34.8 m (109.5 feet)

Draft: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: Parsons geared steam turbines, with four shaft, and 9 boilers, generating 120,000 sHP.

Maximum Speed: 32.5 knots

Aircraft: 96

Compliment: 2,175 men

Above, the USS Hornet in late October 1941, after being commissioned and prior to fitting of armament and radar.

Her flight deck on April 18, 1942. A B-25 is about to take off for the Doolittle Raid.

The USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway in early June, 1942. She is under attack by Japanese dive-bombers.

Yorktown Class Carriers

The Yorktown class carriers were the three American aircraft carriers that took part in the Battle of Midway in early June 1942, during World War II. They were the USS Yorktown (CV-5), the lead ship of the class, the USS Enterprise (CV-6), and the USS Hornet (CV-8). The first one was struck and sunk by a Japanese submarine on June 7, 1942, the last day of the Battle of Midway, while Hornet was sunk on October 27, 1942, during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. Meanwhile, Enterprise was the only one that survived World War II, being decommissioned in 1947 and scrapped in 1958. This class was succeeded by the Essex class.

Preceded by the USS Ranger (CV-4), which was the only one of its class, the Yorktown class aircraft carriers were the best of the US Navy's pre-war carrier designs. Thus, they were larger and better protected. One curious feature of these new carriers was that the ship was designed to operate almost as fast astern as ahead, and there were sets of arrester wires at both end of the flight deck. The USS Yorktown was commissioned in 1937, followed by Enterprise in 1938, and Hornet in 1941. All three had three catapults, two on the flight deck, and one on the hangar deck. Their flight deck was part of the superstructure rather than integral with the hull, with three centerline elevators. Their armor belt and deck were twice as thick as the Ranger's, with a number of water-tight compartments greatly increased.

Following the construction of Yorktown and Enterprise, the next carrier, the USS Wasp (CV-7),  was constrained by the Washington Naval Treaty tonnage limits. Thus, it was smaller. Then, in 1938, when another carrier was required quickly, it was decided to save time by returning to the five year old Yorktown design to produce a third one, the USS Hornet, which would have a wider flight deck. Their wooden flight deck was a distinct liability against attack by dive-bombers. Nevertheless, all three ships had an exceptionally tight turning circle maneuver, which often enabled them to avoid being hit.

Above, the bow of the USS Enterprise, at Puget Sound Navy Yard.

In April 1942, USS Hornet, which was escorted by USS Enterprise, carried the B-25 bombers for the famed Doolittle Raid that bombed Tokyo. In May 1942, the USS Yorktown was damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea, but she was repaired and able to take part in the Battle of Midway, during which it was sunk by the Japanese submarine I-168 on June 7, 1942. Meanwhile, the Hornet was so heavily damaged on October 26, 1942, during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands that she had to be abandoned and she was sunk the following day by the Japanese on October 27. The USS Enterprise took part in most of the major naval actions in the Pacific Theater and survived the war; she would be scrapped in 1958.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding

Displacement: 19,875 tons (standard); 25,484 tons (full load)

Length: 251.4 m (825 feet)

Beam: 33.4 m (109 feet)

Draft: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: 4 shafts, Parsons geared turbines, 9 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, generating 120,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 32.5 knots

Range: 12,500 nautical miles (23,200 km)

Armament: eight 127-mm and sixteen 28-mm AA guns.

Compliment: 2,175 sailors and officers.

Above, the USS Yorktown at Naval Air Station (NAS), San Diego, California, on March 29, 1940.

This photo was taken from the rear seat of a SBD Dauntless dive-bomber as it took off the flight deck of the Enterprise.

The flight deck of the Enterprise in August 1944. You can see Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters.

The USS Yorktown (CV-5) in late July 1937, prior to being commissioned, moored at Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock.

The Yorktown just after bombs hit the flight deck, during the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. She would be repaired, but she would be sunk the following month during the Battle of Midway on June 7.

Air view of the Enterprise in 1945, at the end of the war.

USS Enterprise (CV-6)

The USS Enterprise (CV-6) was an iconic aircraft carrier used by the US Navy in the Pacific Theater of World War II. She belonged to the Yorktown class of three carriers, and she was the only one that survived the war, as USS Yorktown (CV-5) and Hornet (CV-8) were hit and sunk by a Japanese submarine and dive-bombers respectively. The Enterprise was the most decorated warship in naval history, with a Navy Unit Commendation, twenty battle stars for her World War II service, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

The USS Enterprise (CV-6) was laid down on July 16, 1934, launched on October 3, 1936, and commissioned on May 12, 1938. As soon as she entered service with the US Navy, she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. When the Japanese launched the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, she was returning to port after delivering fighter aircraft to the Wake Island. She saw combat action for the first time on February 1, 1942, when she scrambled her aircraft, launching a full deck strike of 67 aircraft against Japanese facilities on Kwajalein Island in the Marshals.

Above, the USS Enterprise CV-6 in the foreground, with Lexington CV-16, an Essex-class carrier, in the background.

The Enterprise took part in the Battle of Midway in early June 1942, when her air group played a key role in the most decisive naval engagement of the war in the Pacific Theater. Several of her dive-bombers (SBD Dauntless) sank the Japanese carriers Akagi and Kaga, and contributed to the destruction of Hiryu. The Enterprise also participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942, during the invasion of Guadalcanal. In this military engagement as well as in the Battle of Santa Cruz, she sustained damage inflicted by Japanese dive-bombers. On June 19, 1944, she took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, during which the Japanese Fleet was severely mauled and defeated. She would be decommissioned from service after the war in 1947 and scrapped in 1958.

Technical Characteristics

The USS Enterprise was a modern carrier for the time, with 20,000 tons displacement and she had enough size to allow a real degree of protection against torpedo attacks, with a 4-inch (102-mm) thick armor belt over the machinery spaces, magazines, and gasoline storage tanks. However, her flight deck had no armor protection. Like her sisters of her class, she was fitted with three catapults and sets of arrester wires at both ends of flight deck, which was much longer than the Wasp (CV-7) 222-m length, with 252 m (827 feet). She was powered by four Parsons steam turbines fed by 9 boilers.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 19,875 tons; 25,484 tons with full load.

Length: 252 m (827 feet)

Beam: 33.4 m (109 feet)

Draft: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: 4 Parsons geared turbines, with four shafts, and 9 boilers, delivering 120,000 sHP.

Maximum Speed: 32.5 knots

Range: 12,500 nautical miles (23,200 km = 14,400 miles)

Aircraft: 96

Armament: eight 127-mm (5-inch) and sixteen 28-mm (1.1-inch) AA guns.

Compliments: 2,175 sailors and officers.

The Enterprise sailing in the Pacific in early 1941.

The Enterprise at Noumea, near Guadalcanal in November 1942.

The USS aircraft carrier in March 1944, during raids against the Palau islands.

Below, the USS Enterprise during flight operations in WW2 (footage)

Essex Class Carriers

The Essex class carriers were a series of twenty four capital ships in service with the US Navy between 1942 and 1991. They were used during World War II and the Cold War. Being more advanced than the Yorktown class that preceded them, they provided the United States of America with the powerful striking force it needed to win the war in the Pacific. After the war, they were modernized, with a new propulsion system, radars, and a larger flight deck. The last one to be decommissioned from service was the USS Lexington (CV-16) in 1991.

The Essex class aircraft carriers formed the core of the US Navy's Fast Carrier Task Force, which played a major part in the defeat of the Japanese fleet in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The design was essentially an enlarged Yorktown, unrestrained by the Washington Naval Treaty restrictions. The Essex class was built in three groups: Group 1 comprised 5 ships; Group 2, 18 ships; and Group 3, only 1 ship, totaling 24 aircraft carriers. The original plan was to build 32 ships, but 8 were cancelled in March 1945 as the United States was already winning the war.

Although they were involved in major combat actions, none of the Essex class aircraft carriers was lost during the war. Some of them had been damaged by kamikaze attacks, but they were repaired and put back into action. The USS Franklin was hit by two 500-lb (225-kg) bombs on March 19, 1945. These bombs penetrated the flight deck, landing on the hangar deck, causing fuel to explode, but the carrier did not sink. It would later be repaired.

Above, the USS Intrepid (CV-11) sailing off the coast of the Philippines at the end of 1944.

The aircraft carriers of the Essex class

The USS Essex (CV-9), the lead ship of the class, was commissioned in December 1942. The USS Yorktown (CV-10); Intrepid (CV-11); Hornet (CV-12); Franklin (CV-13); Ticonderoga (CV-14); Randolph (CV-15); Lexington (CV-16); Bunker Hill (CV-17); Wasp (CV-18); Hancock (CV-19); Benington (CV-20); Boxer (CV-21); Bon Homme Richard (CV-31); Leyte (CV-32); Kearsarge (CV-33).

Technical Description

The Essex class carrier was of convention design, with a long, unobstructed flight deck, an open bow, and a large island to starboard. This included the funnel, which was smaller than the ones in previous carriers. The Essex class carriers also had much better protection than the ones that preceded them. They had an additional armored deck at the hangar level, but it still did not have an armored flight deck as in the British Royal Navy carriers. The flight deck was fitted with two catapults. The carriers were equipped with three large elevators, with one of them being a deck-edge elevator, which proved extremely useful and popular. They had a heavy defensive armament, such as twelve 127-mm AA guns. During World War II, each one of them carried 36 fighters, 36 dive-bombers, and 18 torpedo-bombers, totaling 90 aircraft aboard.

In the postwar period, the Essex class carriers underwent a complicated series of modifications and rebuilds, almost all of them aimed at trying to keep pace with the introduction with ever larger and heavier jet aircraft. These modifications included an angled flight deck, new steam catapult, and new and more powerful propulsion systems, with new high-pressure boilers and geared steam turbines. The upgrade allowed some of these carriers to take part in the Vietnam War.

Specifications (original design)

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 27,208 tons (standard); 34,881 tons (full load)

Length: 265 m (872 feet)

Beam: 45 m (147.5 feet)

Draft: 8.4 m (27.7 feet)

Propulsion System: 4 Westinghouse geared steam turbines, with 4 shafts, and 8 boilers, generating 150,000 sHP.

Maximum Speed: 32.7 knots

Range: 14,100 nautical miles (26,110 km)

Armament: twelve 127-mm (5-inch) and thirty two 40-mm AA guns.

Aircraft: 90

Compliment: 2,682 sailors, officers, and pilots

The USS Essex (CV-9), the first of the series and lead ship of her class.

The USS Lexington (CV-16), fully modernized and upgraded, with an angled flight deck.

Yermak (First Icebreaker)

The Yermak was the world's first icebreaker. This ship was also the first vessel to sail through the Arctic. Launched in 1899, it was designed by Admiral Stepan Makarov, who was an engineer and inventor. He was convinced Russia needed a strong and powerful vessel capable of forcing its way through the Arctic and even reaching the North Pole.

The Yermak entered service with the Russian Navy, under the Russian Empire, in 1900. It would endure the storms of revolutions, wars, and political upheavals, and it was still in service when the Soviet Union launched its first nuclear vessels. Before sailing through the Arctic, its first mission was to rescue the battleship Apraksin, which ran aground on the rocks of Gogland Island in the Gulf of Finland, taking on hundreds of tons of water. Trapped in the ice, the vessel faced destruction. Only the first icebreaker could reach it and save the crew.

During World War I, the Yermak led warships convoys from Reval to Helsingfors (Helsinki), carving channels for the Russian Navy's vessels to sail through and escape from the powerful German fleet. Later, when the Germans closed in, the Russian ships had to be evacuated from Helsinki itself. At the head of the icebound column stood the black hull of the icebreaker, dragging Russia’s warships through frozen seas to safety. Within weeks, the city fell, but, by then, the Russian fleet had gone.

By the 1930s, the Soviet Union was slowly recovering from civil war and chaos. The government needed to revive Arctic shipping, and the old icebreaker was called back into service. In 1934, for the first time since Makarov’s era, the Yermak pushed north into the Kara Sea. The ship had aged, but it was far from obsolete. Engineers fitted it with an amphibious aircraft – a striking innovation for its time. With aerial reconnaissance, the icebreaker could scout floes and channels far ahead, dramatically improving its effectiveness.

Specifications

Type: icebreaker

Displacement: 8,730 tons

Length: 97.5 m

Beam: 21.6 m

Draft: 7.3 m

Propulsion: 8 steam engines, with four shafts, fed by 6 boilers, generating 9,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 12 knots

Compliment: 101.

Above, design drawing of the Yermak.

The first ice breaker. Photo taken in 1916.

USS Wasp (CV-7)

The USS Wasp (CV-7) was an American aircraft carrier which was used by the US Navy in World War II. She was the last of the pre-war carriers to be limited on tonnage by the 1922's Washington Naval Treaty. When she was ordered, the only requirement was to have the same capabilities as the Yorktown-class carrier on a 14,700-ton hull. With 219.5 m (720 feet) in length, Wasp's hull was shorter than the USS Ranger's by some 12 m (40 feet). However, she had a slightly greater beam. After only two years of service, she would be sunk by the Japanese submarine I-19 on September 15, 1942, off the coast of Guadalcanal Island.

Technical Description

The USS Wasp had an asymmetrical hull to offset the weight of the starboard-side island without the use of ballast and the fitting of the first deck-edge elevator. An unusual machinery arrangement was used with the forward and aft engine rooms being separated by two set of three-abreast boiler rooms. The boiler uptakes were vented out of a stack which was part of the starboard-side island.

Aside from her two flight deck catapults, the Wasp had catapults installed in both ends of her hangar deck, not just forward as in Yorktown. In addition to her two deck elevators, a deck-edge elevator was fitted on the port side of the forward hangar bay. She was powered by two Parsons steam turbines, with two shafts, and six water-tube boilers. As designed, she had an air group of 72 aircraft. This US Navy's carrier was fitted with one CXAM-1 radar.

Operational History

USS Wasp (CV-7) was laid down in 1936 and launched on April 4, 1939. After one year of sea trials, she was commissioned on April 25, 1940. She was first assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. In August 1941, she ferried P-40 aircraft to Iceland. After the United States entry into the war, she was used to escort high-value convoys from her base in Main to England.

By late May 1942, Wasp was transferred from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific to take part in the first phase of the island-hopping campaign of the Pacific Theater of Operations. Arriving too late for Midway, she was part of the covering force for the landings on Guadalcanal in August 1942. Thus, she remained in the Solomons area throughout August. On September 15, 1942, USS Wasp was hit by the Japanese submarine I-19, with three torpedoes which struck the ship near the forward gas tanks and magazines, while she was refueling aircraft.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Builder: Fore River Shipyard (General Dynamics)

Displacement: 14,700 tons standard; 18,450 tons full-load.

Length: 219.5 m (720 feet)

Beam: 30.5 m (100 feet)

Draft: 7.1 m (23.3 feet)

Propulsion: two Parsons steam turbines; two shafts; six water-tub boilers, generating 70,000 shp.

Maximum Speed: 29.5 knots

Range: 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km/ or 14,000 miles)

Compliment: 2,167 sailor and officers

Armament: eight 127-mm (5-inch) AA guns; sixteen 28-mm (1.1-inch) AA guns.

USS Wasp (CV-7) - flight operations during WW2 (footage)

Above, aerial view of USS Wasp in May 1942. Her flight deck full of aircraft.

USS Wasp after being struck by torpedoes on September 15, 1942. The fuel tanks and ammo have just blown up.

USS Wasp in late 1939, during sea trials.

Chinese Navy

The Chinese Navy has one of the largest and most powerful array of warships in the world. This fleet is only equaled or barely surpassed by its American or Russian counterpart. It was created in 1949 by the Chinese Communist Party when Mao Tse-Tung took power after a long civil war against the Chang Kai Shek's nationalist forces. During the first two decades, China was almost fully dependent on the Soviet Navy for assistance and supply of warships and weapons, but it never had a nuclear-powered vessel until the 1980s, when the Type 091 nuclear attack submarines were introduced.

The People's Liberation Army Navy began to modernize and expand its fleet in earnest in the 1990s, developing its own advanced shipbuilding industry. In this decade the surface vessel fleet was considerably expanded, with the introduction of the destroyer class Type 052 and 956E, along with the frigate class Type 53 and new nuclear attack submarines. Thus, China developed a powerful navy. This was a consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union and the need to have its own ship designs, and the production of higher quality steel.

Surface and submersible warships of the Chinese Navy

Submarines- The Chinese Navy has in its arsenal a total of 65 active submersible boats: 8 nuclear-powered (Type 094 and 94A) and 1 conventional (Type 032) ballistic missile submarines, totaling 9 nuclear deterring boats; 10 nuclear attack submarines (Type 091, 093, and 093A); and 45 high-tech conventional attack boats armed with anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles (Type 039, 039A, 039B, 039C, 39G, 035, as well as Russian designed Project 636M/Improved Kilo class).

Aircraft Carriers- China has a force of 4 active carriers: one Type 001 (a Soviet-made Kuznetsov class capable of carrying up to 50 aircraft); one Type 002, which was domestically designed and built; and two Type 003 (Fujian) super carriers, fitted with electromagnetic catapults and capable of transporting up to 70 combat aircraft.

Destroyers- There are 52 modern destroyers: Type 052, 052B, 052C, 052D, 051B, 051C, as well as Type 956E and 956EM, which are Soviet designs. They are all equipped with advanced sonars and other modern detection means to hunt enemy submarines.

Frigates- 47 modern and fully updated ones, armed with anti-ship, land-attack, and surface-to-air missiles.

Corvettes- 52 advanced fast ships also equipped with anti-ship missiles. These have been commissioned between 2017 and 2025.

Missile Boats- China has a powerful armada of 110 coastal missile boats armed with two torpedoes and 4 anti-ship missiles.

Source: People's Liberation Army military magazine, which is published yearly.

Type 003/Fujian aircraft carrier during trials in the China Sea.

Trafalgar Class Submarine

A Trafalgar class submarine was one of a series of seven nuclear-powered boats in service with the British Royal Navy between 1981 and 2009. They were all developed and built by Vickers Ship Building firm at the shipyards in Barrow-in-Furness. The first submarine of the class to be laid down was HMS Trafalgar (S107), which was launched on July 1, 1981. She would be commissioned in 1983. The other boats were the HMS Turbulent (1984), Tireless (1985), Torbay (1987), Trenchant (1988), Talent (1989), and HMS Triumph (1991). All seven boats were armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and with wire-guided, homing Tigerfish torpedoes.

Technical Description

The Trafalgar class submarine was a medium-size fleet boat (attack submarine), with a crew of 130 sailors and officers. It was built with a single hull made of steel, with a low magnetic signature, and it was powered by one Rolls-Royce pressurized-water nuclear reactor, with two steam turbines and two generators. This class was fitted with anechoic tiles on the outer surface of hull to deaden the sound waves of enemy active sonars, sharply reducing the return signal and also to insulate the submarine inner vibrations produced by machinery. You must remember that noise is the main source of submarine detection. Thus, this class was much quieter than their predecessors, the submarines of the Swiftsure class.

Specifications

Type: nuclear attack submarine

Displacement: 5,208 tons (submerged); 4,700 (surfaced)

Length: 85.4 m (280 feet)

Beam: 9.8 m (32 feet)

Draft: 9.5 m (31 feet)

Propulsion: one Rolls-Royce PWR1 nuclear reactor; two GEC geared steam turbines; two Westing House Allen turbo generators; two diesel generators, with a total 18,000 SHP generation.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h) submerged.

Range: unlimited; food supplies holds out 85 days.

Compliment: 130 men

Weapons: five 533-mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes, with 30 torpedoes; Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles.

Above: the launch of HMS Trafalgar (S107). The angular metal cover on her bows is a security measure to conceal the torpedoes exits.

The Trafalgar Class Submarine HMS Trenchant (S91) sailing in the North Atlantic in the late 1980s.

HMS Torbay.

USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the first nuclear submarine in service with the US Navy. It was also the first nuclear-powered ship in the world. She was launched on January 21, 1954 and it was commissioned the same year, on September 30, 1954. Although she was not a stealthy boat and she lacked today's powerful sonar, the nuclear reactor gave the Nautilus an unlimited range as she only had to stop and moor at port for food supply. Built by Electric Boat (General Dynamics) at Groton, Connecticut, the ship is now on permanent display at the Nautilus Memorial and Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, CT.

The USS Nautilus was a big submarine. It had three decks and plenty of internal space compared with the conventional fleet submarines. Aside from its ability to stay completely submerged nearly indefinitely, it was also fast. It was able to sail at 23 knots, while remaining completely submerged for months. Her unlimited range enabled the Nautilus to be the first submarine to sail underwater under the icecap of the Arctic, traversing it completely.

Propulsion

The USS Nautilus' propulsion system consisted of a Westinghouse S2W pressurized water reactor. The water heated by this reactor was used to produce steam, which drove the main and secondary turbine. The main turbine drove the reduction gear, which in turn drove the propeller shaft. The secondary turbine drove the AC generator, which produced electricity for the entire boat.

Specifications

Type: nuclear-powered attack submarine

Displacement: 4,092 tons (submerged); 3,533 tons (surface)

Length: 98 m (320 feet)

Beam: 8.5 m (28 feet)

Draft: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Propulsion: Westinghouse S2W nuclear reactor, with one shaft.

Maximum Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h)

Compliment: 92 sailors, 13 officers.

Armament: 6 torpedo tubes.

The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) - footage

The USS Nautilus sailing in the Pacific in 1958

USS Ranger (CV-4)

The USS Ranger (CV-4) was the first US Navy aircraft carrier to be entirely conceived as such from the outset, from the keel up. However, it was designed to comply with the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Being the only one of her class, she was laid down on September 26, 1931. She was built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock, at the shipyards in Virginia. She was launched on February 25, 1933, being commissioned on June 4, 1934.

Technical Characteristics

When she was commissioned in 1934, the USS Ranger introduced several features that would become common in future US Navy prewar carrier designs. Although her original design did not have an island, it would soon be added to the plan right after construction had begun. She was also fitted with an open hangar, a gallery deck around the flight deck, and provision for cross-deck catapults mounted on the hangar deck. She had six hinged funnels, three on each side of the ship aft portion. However her narrow hull was provided with no underwater protection.

The Ranger's design was optimized to support the maximum number of aircraft. Her hangar deck was actually larger than that of the Lexington class. Two elevators were fitted close together amidships in an unusual arrangement, with the purpose of clearing space for the hangar deck catapults, although they were never really mounted. Thus, her aircraft capacity was 76 combat planes, including 36 fighters and 36 dive-bombers. At the time of her design, dive-bombers were seen as the most destructive anti-ship weapons. Despite being an advanced aircraft carrier when she was launched, the USS Ranger had several shortcomings. Her sea-keeping was relatively poor as heavy seas restricted flying to a significant degree. However, she would be fitted with the RCA CXAM-1 radar in November 1942.

Service

Since she was not fast enough for major fleet operations in the Pacific Theater of World War II, the USS Ranger (CV-4) was assigned for support operations in the Mediterranean Theater. In late 1942, she took part in Operation Torch, which was the Allied landings on the coasts of North Africa. In 1943, after taking part in an air raid against German bases in Norway, she would be sent home and refitted and, from then on, she would become a training carrier off the coast of Rhode Island for the new US Navy's pilots. After the war, in 1947, she was sold for scrap.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 14,575 tons (standard); 17,577 tons (full-loaded)

Length: 234,4 m (769 feet)

Beam: 33.4 m (109 feet)

Draft: 6.8 m (22 feet, 5 inches)

Propulsion: 2 steam turbines, with 2 shafts, and 6 boilers, generating 53,500 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 29.3 knots (33.7 mph/or 54 km per hour)

Range: 10,000 nautical miles (12,000 miles/or 19,000 km)

Aircraft: 76 (Grumman F4F Wildcats, Douglas SBD Dauntless).

Compliment: 1,788 sailors and officers.

Below, the USS Ranger (CV-4) in 1936. Notice her six small stacks used to vent the ship smoke. They are in the cruising position. During flight operations, they were folded down and lowered at the same level with the hangar deck.

This photo shows the open bow of the Ranger, which was characteristic of US carriers in the 1930s.

HMS Victorious (R38)

HMS Victorious (R38) was one of the three Illustrious-class aircraft carriers used by the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1941, she saw combat action in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Pacific Theater of Operations, taking part in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in 1944. After the war, in 1950, she was selected for a major rebuild, which took no less than seven years to complete. In March 1968, after more than 26 years of service, she was decommissioned and scrapped.

HMS Victorious was laid down on May 4, 1937, and built by Vickers-Armstrong at the Newcastle shipyard, in Northeast England. She was launched on September 14, 1939, and commissioned on May 14, 1941. She first saw combat action ten days later, on May 24, when her Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bombers were scrambled to attack the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic. This raid was carried out alongside HMS Ark Royal, whose aircraft would severely damage the Bismarck on May 26, forcing the Germans to scuttle it. In 1942, she took part in Operation Torch, which was the Allied landing in North Africa. In 1943, she carried out combat duties alongside the US Navy in the Pacific, with her aircraft participating in numerous air raids against the Japanese positions on Pacific islands.

Modernization

Between 1950 and 1958, HMS Victorious was rebuilt and upgraded to make her fit for the Cold War. During this process, her hull was lengthened, widened, and deepened. Her major addition to the hull was a huge sponson on the port side for a fully angled deck, with an 8.75 degrees. Her propulsion system was completely replaced, with new machinery and boilers. Two steam catapults were also installed, together with four new type arrester wires. When she went to sea again, she carried 18 fixed-wing aircraft and 5 helicopters. During the Cold War period, she carried Sea Vixen and Scimitar fighters as well as Blackburn Buccaneer strike aircraft.

Below, HMS Victorious (R38) sailing on the Atlantic in 1965.

Specifications (after rebuild)

Type: aircraft carrier

Displacement: 30,530 tons; 35,500 tons (full-loaded)

Length: 38 m (781 feet)

Beam: 47.8 m (157 feet)

Draft: 9.5 m (31 feet)

Propulsion: 3 Parsons steam geared turbines, with 3 shafts, supplied by 6 boilers, generating 110,000 SHP.

Speed: 31 knots

Range: 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km)

Compliment: 2,400 sailors and officers.

Aircraft: Fairey Swordfish, Fulmar, Avenger, F4F Wildcat, and F4U Corsair aircraft during WWII.

Below, HMS Victorious in 1941, a couple of weeks before it was commissioned.

The bow of the British aircraft carrier in 1944. The noses of two Fairey Fulmars and one Albacore can be seen on the deck.

Below, HMS Victorious in 1943, operating with the US Navy.

The fully modernized British carrier turning to starboard in 1960.

HMS Illustrious (87)

HMS Illustrious (87) was a British aircraft carrier used by the Royal Navy during World War II. She carried out combat missions in the Mediterranean, the Indian, and the Pacific Theater of Operations. Sailing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, HMS Illustrious played a key role in the Battle of Taranto, in 1940, when the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers took off from her deck and attacked the Italian fleet moored at their naval base of Taranto. As a result, several Italian ships were sunk and seriously damaged. During this armed conflict, she would win five awards and honors. She was the lead ship of her class, which also included HMS Victorious (38) and HMS Formidable (67).

HMS Illustrious (87) was designed at the end of 1936, when the British Admiralty invited bids for the construction of two aircraft carriers. Vickers Armstrongs' bid were accepted, with a £ 2,395,000 budget/cost. She was laid down on April 27, 1937, at Barrow shipyard, England. She would be launched two years later, on April 5, 1939, and commissioned on May 25, 1940. Because of the war, Illustrious' flying trials were the shortest on record. She was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet, sailing for the island of Malta with 21 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers, 7 Fairey Fulmar reconnaissance/fighters, and 5 Blackburn Skua dive-bombers.

Technical Characteristics

HMS Illustrious (87) was the first aircraft carrier in any navy to be built with an armored hangar, which granted it greatly increased protection against air attacks. However, the weight of the armor allowed the ship to have only one hangar. The flight deck was originally 620 ft (189 m) long, but later it would be increased to 740 ft (226 m), while the width was 95 ft (29 m). The flight deck was served by two elevators. The fact that it was strongly armored allowed her to survive eight bombs when she was attacked off Crete on January 10, 1941. One catapult was fitted on the port side of flight deck, which had a double-reeved arresting wire across it.

At the island, the bridge was reinforced with bullet-proof plates to protect the officers against enemy aircraft strafe. The main armored deck, protecting ammunition, machinery, and fuel stowage, was 3-inch (75-mm) thick. The main belt protecting the carrier consisted of 4 1/2-inch (115-mm)-thick welded steel plates. The main mast of the island was fitted with a Type 281 aerial radar, while the ship's power plant consisted of three Parsons geared steam turbines, with three shafts, supplied by six boilers. The air group was originally composed of 33 aircraft, but, by 1944, the number of combat aircraft had been increased to 52.

Specifications

Displacement: 23,000 tons (29,240 tons full-loaded)

Length: 740 feet (226 m)

Beam: 95 feet (29 m)

Draft: 28 feet, 10 inches (8.7 m )

Propulsion: 3 Parsons geared steam turbines, 3 shafts, and 6 boilers, generating 110,000 SHP.

Maximum Speed: 30.5 knots

Armament: sixteen 114-mm AA and forty eight 2-pdr AA guns.

Aircraft: 52 (33 originally). In the Pacific, she carried 20 F4U Corsairs and 16 Avengers.

Compliment: originally 1,229 sailors an officers; 1,997 by 1944.

Below, the HMS Illustrious sailing on the Atlantic in June 1940, right before being assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet.

The Illustrious in 1946, after the war. By then, her hull had been remade at her extremities as the flight deck had been lengthened, with the forward run-down completely re-shaped.

Below, the mighty British aircraft in July 1939, during trials.

The coat of arms of the Illustrious.