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Roy - Waited about 10 minutes...
...for what I figured would be an advertisement to buy 1 of your repro bubble tops, but it never downloaded, so I checked out. Sorry. Dennis -
You must like...
... Warthogs, Roy.
DukeComment
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Re: You must like...
Roy.....Absolutley great pics. I have worked on a few of the aircraft in the pics. I agree, God bless our troops and I am so proud to be part of it and proud to be associated with folks like you. Btw, I met you in Colfax last summer. I had the 65 Marina blue Coupe.
Bill BonnichsenComment
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Re: Dennnis- Waited about 10 minutes...
You must have an Antique Computer but no way would I put up a pic. of the Bubble tops I reproduce looking for buyers
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Re: Fire Power
As we used to say, Get Some!Comment
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Re: You must like...
Roy, a very nice display of military firepower. See you tommorrow in BizerkleyDick WhittingtonComment
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Re: You must like...
Very cool! The shot of an 1100-foot-long nuclear carrier doing a J-turn at 40 knots during sea trials is a classicComment
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Ronnie...
You done good.Comment
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Now That's A "Power Slide"!!! *NM*
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Top speed is still classified.
The SR71 Blackbird set a new airspeed record for a coast to coast flight on it's last flight before being mothballed. The top speed is still classified and that airframe dates to the 50's. The topspeed on our latest nuclear carriers is also classified. Anyone know which flattop is pictured?Comment
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Re: Top speed is still classified.
CVN 68 is the USS Nimitz, the namesake of the Nimitz class carriers that are still being built today.
Top speed of the SS United States was classified for many years, but a few months ago I ran across here trials data (circa 1955) on the Web, and she made about 39 knots at about 240,000 shaft horsepower and outran her escorts including a Navy destroyer.
A nuclear power plant can probably be pushed beyond the safe limits of pressure - more easily than fossil fuel fired boilers - so there is probably a normally observed safe operating limit, but there may also be an "EWO" (emergency war order) limit. Military aircraft EWO takeoff weight limits are higher than normal training or operational mission limits.
My guess is that Nimitz class carriers might be able to make close to 40 knots under EWO conditions with a clean hull and the power plant in good working order, but since the power requirement increases with the cube of speed, it takes a HUGE amount of additional power to get that last knot.
That is a very interesting picture. I was not aware that a Nimitz class carrier (which have a full load displacement close to 100,000 tons) could turn that tight. The load on the rudders (and hull) must be IMMENSE!
I've never seen a power rating for a CVN, and the Navy's official data lists top speed as 30+ knots. About 20 years ago I got of tour of the battleship Missouri after her last refit, and the word was she could outrun any surface ship in the fleet. The Navy claimed a top speed 33 knots, and I recall that the powerplants of the Iowa class BBs was rated at 160,000 shaft HP.
The Navy has never disclosed the top speed of our SSNs, either, but a book I read not to long ago about Soviet submarine operations, It was based on interviews with former Soviet Navy submariners, including commanding officers, and they said the Russion Alphas could do 45 knots.
Another intersting comparison is the "treaty cruisers" of the 30s (built under the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty) that had a maximum standard displacement of 10,000 tons and a fuel oil fired steam plant of about 100,000 shaft HP. They could make up to about 35 knots.
Our modern Arleigh Burke destroyers are about 9000 tons and have four GE LM2500 gas turbines (based on the CF6 aircraft engine), totaling 100,000 shaft HP driving twin screws though reduction gears. That makes them very comparable to the old treaty cruisers in terms or displacement and power. The Navy claims 30+ knots for the Arleigh Burkes. There has probably been some improvment in modern hull form design, but it was pretty well developed by the thirties. Normal operations are probably conducted with just two of the four gas turbines on line.
DukeComment
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Re: Top speed is still classified.
The British "Corvette" class destroyers were only good for about 16 knots but were great in heavy seas. Funny how Chevy chose the name for it's new fiberglass sportscar. The name might have been more apropos for a light duty truck, like the El Camino. Anyway, I liked how Chevrolet cars in the 60's used mostly names that began with a "C" and sounded good together with "Chevy", as in Chevy Corvette, Chevelle, Camaro, Caprice, Chevy II "Nova", Cheyenne, "El" Camino, etc. Yeah, there were the Biscaynes, Belairs and Impalas but the "C"s ruled the day! I wonder if Chevy had anything to do with choosing the name Chapparal for Jim Hall's Chevy powered racing platform?Comment
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Re: Top speed is still classified.
Let's see...40 knots X 1.15 = 46 miles/hr(?)
Duke, my son worked on deck as an aircraft director on CVN 73, the George Washington. He related a conversation he had with a mate in a position to know...unless the guy was blowing smoke, Nimitz class carriers are considerably faster than your estimate. Alas, I can't pass on what he said...the government could send CIA hit men for all three of us.Comment
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Re: Top speed is still classified.
There's a lot of scuttlebutt floating around about CVN top speed, but remember, it won't do any good and could cause considerable harm if they outran their escorts - the cruisers and destroyers - so their escorts may place a practical limit on their top speed, especially in heavy weather, when the smaller escort ships can get beat up pretty bad trying to maintain well over 30 knots.
DukeComment
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