Leweitan Type Grand Carrier
| File:Leweitan-class Carrier.png | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Leweitan-type Grand Carrier |
| Builders: | Xinzuo dockyards |
| Operators: |
 Order of the Seas |
| Preceded by: | HPS Discontented Storm |
| Cost: | Approx. $9.75 billion |
| In service: | 2015 - Present |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Aircraft Carrier (CVN) |
| Displacement: | 100,000 - 105,000 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 350.10 m |
| Beam: | 82.30 m |
| Draft: | 13 m |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | +30 kn |
| Range: | Unlimited distance; 25 years between reactor swaps |
| Complement: |
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| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 85-90 Aircraft |
The Leweitan-Type Grand Carrier is a class of one nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in service with the Order of the Seas. The request for the new class was registered in 2006 with construction of the sole vessel of the class beginning in 2008. The ship, HPS Destitute imperfection, replaced the previous flagship of the navy HPS Discontented Storm, whilst still in construction in 2009.
The class has an overall length of 350.10 meters, a beam length of 82.30 meters with a draft of 13 meters. When fully loaded with supplies, personnel and aircraft the typical weight is between 100,000 to 105,000 tons.
Design
The Leweitan-class carrier has an overall length of 350.10 meters (1,148.62 ft) and a full-load displacement of roughly 100,000 tons. The beam of the vessel is 42 meters (137.79 ft) at the waterline and 82.30 meters (270.01 ft) at the flight deck. The typical crew complement of the class is 3,250 of the ships crew with an additional 2,440 personnel dedicated to the vessels air wing.
The vessel was ordered in 2006 to replace the aging flagship of the navy, HPS Discontented Storm that had a string of accidents and maintenance malfunctions since 2004. The primary purpose of the class was to continue reinforcing the Order of the Seas' capabilities abroad. The vessel has significantly newer, more compact reactors that take up less space than a one of the reactors kept aboard the previous flagship and is significantly more streamlined than it's predecessor.
The smaller size of the ship's propulsion systems resulted in increased aviation fuel stores and a larger, armoured magazine deep within the ship for carrying the airplanes weapons. The fuel stores and magazine share the modernised fire-suppression system installed in the vessels hangar deck that suppress the spread of a ships fire, with final SCRAM systems designed to coat the aviation fuel store and magazine to seal the explosive material within a non-flamable, hardening foam. The system is lethal to the ship's operational capabilities as it will need to return to port to have the magazine cleared out by hand.
With the primary purpose of reinforcing the navy's at-sea capabilities and strength when dealing with the possibilities of engaging enemy combatants at range and speed. The ship was subsequently designed with the aforementioned reactors and a maximum speed of 30 knots, although maintaining such a speed of prolonged periods of time can prove dangerous. The reactors allow the ship to have an increased endurance over conventional-powered ships when deployed in blue water and with modular electrical and defensive equipment to allow upgrades to occur with technological advancements. It's abilities allow the vessel to assist it's fleet in conducting air and sea blockades, mine laying, anti-submarine warfare, and air/land/sea missile strikes.
Propulsion
The class is powered by twin K.23N nuclear reactors that are housed in separate reactor compartments. The nuclear fission from the reactors heats water, with the powered steam then passing through the vesssel's turbines to power it's four propeller shafts to gain a maximum speed of over 30 knots (34.5 mph). The shafts are directly connected to a five-bladed 30 ton screw each designed to be able to withstand accidentally grounding strikes.
With the carrier being nuclear powered, the vessel only needs refuelling for twenty years, although that requires the reactors to be cut out of the vessel and replaced - A lengthy, costly process. The ship's range and endurance is only limited by supplies carried aboard, with the singular ship of the class, HPS Destitute imperfection, having an endurance of three to twelve months depending on crew load and supplies aboard.
Armaments and protection
The primary weapons aboard an aircraft carrier will always be it's aircraft, which are capable of defending the vessel or engaging other vessels in anti-ship warfare scenarios. The vessel, however, is equipped with four Kashtan CIWS stations and four TY-90 RAM surface-to-air missile stations.
The Kashtan CIWS is equipped with twin 30mm gatling cannons capable of firing between 4,000-6,000 rounds a minute each. They fire a fragmentation round which detonates ahead of an incoming missile to create a five-meter cloud of supersonic shrapnel to shred the incoming ordnance. The TY-90 RAM Missile station holds 11 missiles per unit and is capable of tracking and engaging targets out to 9 km. The missile itself holds a 11.3 kg fragmentation warhead and travels at mach 2.
Carrier Air Wing
While the carrier can carry roughly 90 aircraft of different types, the HPS Destitute imperfection typically carries roughly 65-70 with spare space being used to allow for on-deck supply storage and expansive repairs/maintenance purposes. The 2,250-strong aircrew of the carrier are a mixture of support personnel that would be conducting maintenance, aircraft and ordnance handling and emergency situational control along with the pilots themselves.
The carrier changes its air wing composition depending on the situation it is being deployed for, but typically carries 12-14 strike fighters, 20-24 air superiority fighters, 5 electronic warfare planes and between 5-6 early warning aircraft. A squadron of 8 anti-submarine helicopters are also carried aboard to reinforce the groups ability to hunt submarines within the operational area.
The ship has the supplies and manpower to sustain 120 combat sorties a day for roughly 30 days without resupply, and is able to double the combat sorties to 240 for short periods of time before exhaustion, morale and maintenance issues become a problem.
Flight deck and aviation facilities
The flight deck of the class mimics other modern aircraft carriers in having a nine-degree offset to the main direction of the ship, allowing for a longer landing area and isolating the front area of the flight deck from incoming landing aircraft. Four modern EMALS Catapults allows for a more powerful and more compact launching system to deploy fixed-wing aircraft. The overall layout of the flight deck was made to expedite launching and recovery, allowing both to happen simultanously from the front-two launchers. Four large elevators (two port, three starboard) transport aircraft from the flightdeck above and the hangardeck below. A secondary elevator near the island exists to transport small equipment and ordnance from the hangardeck and onto the flightdeck.
The hangardeck of the carrier is comprised as other any, with divisions along the walls and thick steel emergency doors designed to shut in the event of a fire to restrict the spread. Magazine elevators exist near the middle of the deck to allow for the movement of weapons from the armoured magazine quicker than older carriers.
Operational History
One of the first major expeditions of HPS Destitute Imperfection was in the Tempesta were it was the flagship for the Akai naval theatre during the Dewedish Crisis of 2016. [add when done]
It also took part in the annual naval exercises as well.
Ships in class
| Name | Number | Builder | Comissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPS Destitute imperfection | Hull Number 2 | Xinzuo dockyards | 2015 | Active |
