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Subject:
Submersible ASW escort - half frigate, half submarine
Iano
8/20/2005 6:43:31 AM
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| Does anyone think there is merit in a class of ship that blurs the distinction between surface ship and submarine?
Such a ship I could operate largely on the surface, allowing it to use its point air defence missiles and anti shipping missiles, perhaps it would even mount a gun, although I see this being much less suited, except perhaps for Goalkeeper/Sea RAM CIWSs.
Then when it was required to prosecute an attack on a submarine (detected from afar with a variable-depth towed-array sonar, bow & flank sonar and datalinks to other sensors) it would be able to slip below the waves, it would not be as fast or as deep as the submarines in use now, but it would offer less noise (from the sounds of the surface water hitting the hull) and could mount heavyweight torpedoes in bow tubes. It wouldnt have the underwater endurance of an SSN but would be much cheaper, easier to build, and more versatile as it would also be used in the general-escort role as an FFG replacement.
SSNs would still of course be required but why not effectively an underwater-capable ship, this is largely how the U boat wolfpacks operated, and the combination of running on the surface for routine and high speed transits and then submerging for the actual attack or to evade enemy forces, won them much success.
Perhaps it could be outfitted with a flightdeck for operating helos such as Lynx from, this would give it another edge in ASW & ASUW, however they would need to be evacuated to another ship prior to diving (perhaps the next generation of AAW warships could be trimaran to give them expanded deckspace and stability?), or the alternative might be a rather expensive system of sealed lifts from hangar to flightdeck.
Ian
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