Flying Beastie Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 I know there are military buffs here, and IIRC Zoomie mentioned something about being a mariner, so I'll throw this out here. One of my stories-in-plotting involves characters trying (and failing) to steal an aircraft carrier from a shipyard. Obviously the ship has to be in water, and fairly lightly-moored (they have a plan for getting to it, but they'll need to leave quickly). Thing is, I know nothing about military-grade shipyards or the building process. I know that back in the day of wooden sailing ships, the ships were built on land and ramped into the water, but I'm not sure how convenient that'd be for modern (huge & heavy) craft. Or do they have a lock system (where the drydock is below water level and is flooded when the ship's ready to float)? Is the ship even put into the water before being complete (i.e., they build the hull, make it seaworthy, then moor it and load up things like computer gear, instruments, fuel, inner non-pressure bulkheads and whatnot), or is it built and prepped completely in drydock? Having to steal it during the actual launch would present new complications. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 There's an old military shipyard right down the street from where I used to live. They made a lot of Navy ships during WWII. I don't know much about the specifics you ask, but this webpage I found about it might answer a few questions. Keep in mind this place hasn't been fully operational in over 20 years though... http://www.hazegray.org/shipbuilding/quincy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue Nine Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 I know that nuclear submarines are built on land, and then launched out to sea for shakedowns and testing. They're basically fully equipped when launched into the water. I'm not really sure on aircraft carriers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Beastie Posted August 7, 2004 Author Share Posted August 7, 2004 Thanks Edlib. Looks like CVs (aircraft carriers) are (or were) assembled in drydock. Seen here. That big blue crane would be used to attach the superstructure. Which makes sense it it's prefab; you'd want the hull to hold perfectly still when you're working. Looks like the hull was assembled in the smaller yards to the left, then floated and moved to the central dock with the Goliath crane, where the heavier modular components would be laid in, before being commissioned. Hm. . . Maybe the ship doesn't have to be new. It can be finished, but waiting for a new crew in wetdock. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted August 7, 2004 Share Posted August 7, 2004 Cool. Glad to see the website helped you out. One thing to think about: The aircraft carriers assembled here were WWII era, and much, much smaller than the ones built and in use today. I don't know if that makes any real difference, I can't imagine that ship construction techniques are that radically different than they were a few decades ago,.. just on a larger scale. I can still see that "Goliath" crane out my bedroom window from where I live now, several miles away from where I used to live (which was about 10 blocks from the shipyard.) That sucker is big. Massive, even! The pictures don't really do it justice. I've always wanted to go up in it. I've never seen it in action though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted August 8, 2004 Share Posted August 8, 2004 The History Channel (maybe Discovery) did a show about the construction of the carrier USS Truman that answered almost every question imaginable about building them. It even had footage of its high speed turn stress test, which is ****ing awesome. Both those channels sell DVD/VHS copies of their shows, so you could look for that. Ships are assembled in drydock from major subassemblies (I think a carrier is five pieces). From construction starting to the keel being laid down is about four years. This was the Truman's time, but that might have been delayed or something. I suspect that it took three years to build the assemblies. Its probably three to four years. Then from the keel being laid to the carrier actually looking like a carrier is another three years. That's probably the mating of the assemblies. Then, after six years of construction, its christened and later that week its launched. Some carriers are launched without their islands installed, but I've seen both. I know the Truman and the Reagan were without their superstructures at launch, presumable for stress reasons. Then after two more years, they finish actually putting the thing together. After nine years, an aircraft carrier is finally commissioned after completing all its sea trials, including the awesome high speed turn (USS Nimitz after its 1994 refit): After two more years of trials, tests, drills, and more tests, the carrier is finally ready and manned for its maiden voyage. The Truman was born on April 25 1989 and made its maiden deployment in November 2000. Every ten years or so, the carriers cycle in for a major overhaul. Every 25 years or thereabouts, it gets a huge hole bored in it so it can have its reactor refitted. OH yeah, the only berths big enough for the carriers are in Newport News, Virginia. There aren't any berths larger in the entire universe as far as we can tell. Well, that's sorta not right. The only construction berths are at Newport News. Norfolk/Hampton Roads, VA, North Island/San Diego, California, Okinawa, Japan, and Mayport, Florida have berths were carriers can tie up, but not for the major work that can only be completed at Newport News. The fifth carrier base, Alameda Point, closed in 1997 so we don't have to worry about Russians from teh future trying to plunder our precious atomic fuel any time soon. Four carriers in port are rare (my personal archives have a ****ty picture i took of FIVE in port at Norfolk). These guys were in San Diego in late 2002, presumably getting ready for Desert Storm II: Electric Boogaloo a few months later. But it shows how exactly they are too big to actually go in a slip like other ships because you'd have to build one hell of a slip. They have slips at Newport News and Norfolk. I've seen both locations myself. haha "nuclear wessels" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander 598 Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 After nine years, an aircraft carrier is finally commissioned after completing all its sea trials Overtesting... I hate my country sometimes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philocleon Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375757945/qid=1091983586/sr=5-2/ref=cm_lm_asin/103-6374939-3795816?v=glance I've read this book before. While it's not about modern ships, it does tell about the era of tallships. This book tells of the author's experiences trading hide up and down the California coast from 1830-1832, during the time when California was a province of Mexico and the only signs of life were small mission settlements scattered along the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander 598 Posted August 13, 2004 Share Posted August 13, 2004 Congratulations, your two hundred words on wooden ships in a thread directly related to aircraft carriers killed the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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