Misniúil-class aircraft carrier
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Misniúil-class |
| Operators: |
 Royal Ossorian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Iomráiteach-class |
| Succeeded by: | Doshásta-class |
| In commission: | 1935 - 1955 |
| Planned: | 8 |
| Completed: | 8 |
| Retired: | 5 |
| Preserved: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 23,400 t standard |
| Length: | 226 meters |
| Beam: | 30 meters |
| Draught: | 9 meters |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 30 kts |
| Range: | 10,000 nm at 15 kts |
| Complement: | 1,392 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Type 7-C early-warning radar |
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: |
|
| Aircraft carried: | 48 |
LB Misniúil was a class of eight aircraft carriers built for Royal Ossorian Navy starting in 1928. The class comprised of the ships Misniúil, Teasaí, Dúshlánach, Buacach, Cáiliúil, Éadulangach, Neamheaglach, and Dána. The class was the most successful class of aircraft carriers fielded by the Royal Navy during the Great Eracuran War, with members of the class being present for almost all of the major actions of the war while suffering no hull losses. Buacach, Cáiliúil, and Neamheaglach would be preserved as museum ships after the war.
Design
General characteristics
The Misniúil-class ships had an overall length of 226 m, a beam of 30 m, and a draught of 9 m. She displaced 23,400 t at standard load. Each of the ship's four sets of geared steam turbines drove one 3-bladed propeller and were powered by 8 three-tube boilers and were rated at 111,000 shaft horsepower. This gave the Misniúil-class a speed of approximately 30 knots. She had a range of approximately 10,000 nautical miles at 15 knots.
Flight deck and hangar
The Misniúil-class ships had a flight deck which was 226 m long. The class was fitted with a two-story enclosed hangar and was outfitted with arrestor gear and a compressed steam catapult. The flight deck and hangar were both armored, the class being the first Ossorian carriers to be outfitted with this feature. While the upper hangar ran the majority of the length of the ship, the lower hangar was half the length in order to make room for workshops and other servicing facilities. Two elevators allowed aircraft to be transferred between the two hangar decks and the flight deck, and were placed at either end of the hangars, outside of the armored box with access through sliding armored doors in the fore and aft bulkheads. The ships' aircraft capacity was 48 aircraft divided into four squadrons. The ships' crew totaled 1,392 officers and ratings.
Armament
As Ossorian carrier doctrine evolved in the years before the Great Eracuran War, fleet exercises had demonstrated that it was extremely unlikely for a carriers combat air patrol to intercept an incoming airstrike before the enemy was already overhead. As such, the Misniúil-class was outfitted with an extremely heavy anti-aircraft battery to compliment its passive defenses in the form of its armored flight deck and hangar, as the ship was expected to have to fight its way through any enemy air attack independently of its fighter cover. To this end, the Misniúil-class ships were fitted with 16 120 mm dual-purpose guns arrayed in twin mounts around the perimeter of the flight deck, with each gun being provided with 150 rounds. The ships were further armed with an anti-aircraft battery of 48 40 mm anti-aircraft guns in quadruple mounts and 12 20 mm anti-aircraft guns in single mounts also positioned around the perimeter of the flight deck.
Ships
| Ship | Translation | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misniúil | "Daring" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1933 | 1934 | 1936 | |
| Teasaí | "Irascible" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1933 | 1934 | 1936 | |
| Dúshlánach | "Defiant" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1933 | 1934 | 1936 | |
| Buacach | "Victorious" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1934 | 1935 | 1937 | Preserved |
| Cáiliúil | "Illustrious" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1934 | 1935 | 1937 | Preserved |
| Éadulangach | "Intolerant" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1934 | 1935 | 1937 | |
| Neamheaglach | "Dauntless" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1935 | 1936 | 1938 | Preserved |
| Dána | "Audacious" | HRM Dockyard, Cléire | 1935 | 1936 | 1938 |