Wanna Buy an Itty Bitty Britty Carrier?

[roo_ster]

HMS Invincible is for sale online:
http://blog.american.com/?p=23120

"Push, Pull, or Tow"

[bedlamite]

Gotta wonder if they saw the Evilbay auction and thought it was a good idea.

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=26629

[Hawkmoon]

Might take a bit of work to repower it, since the engines have been removed.

I wonder if any of the "Jeep" carriers in the U.S. mothball fleet in Washington (state) are available ...

[AJ Dual]

Definitely comes under the "Crap I'd be doing if I were Bill Gates instead of mucking about with charity and one-world types..."-file I've got going in the back of my brain... 

Along with:

- The secret mission to drop cigarette butts and beer cans ahead of time at the next manned lunar mission landing site.
- Convincing the DoD to part with a B1B for conversion into a private jet.

[CNYCacher]

The APS Pirate Hunt is go!

We just need a few engines.

[vaskidmark]

The APS Pirate Hunt is go!

We just need a few engines.

Engines, heck!

What's Ehtiopian for "row, row, row your boat"?

I have this vision of several of the wimmins of APS stalking the decks with whip in hand.

No, not that vision - this other one!  Get your minds outta the gutter, ye scurvy knaves!

stay safe.

[Jamisjockey]

VA's been watching waterworld!

[roo_ster]

Hmm, just came back from a wiki & google dive.

Up to 2005, the Brit Navy had the 3 mini-carriers of the Invincible class, when Invincible was mothballed.  These carriers could handle ~22 aircraft, 9 of which were fixed-wing Harrier/GR9 critters apiece.  Get that: the entirety of Brit FW naval force projection was 27 sub-sonic VTOL aircraft to handle both strike and <giggle> air superiority missions.

But, it gets even better...since 2005 the Invincible has been withdrawn, so the Brits have 18 jump jets for force projection.

Wait, there's more...the Ark Royal is to be withdrawn in 2010 and the Illustrious in 2014.

Hold on, now, you haven't heard the kicker...the Brits have retired all the Harriers that could operate from the I-class carrier, so they now have one I-class carrier (until 2014) and zero FW aircraft to operate on it.

The new Brit carrier, the Queen Elizabeth is expected to come on line in the 2019-2023 time frame, will operate the F-35 Lightning II, and will be able to operate up to 40 aircraft (FW+RW).

10-14 years without any force-projection capability at all in the form of air strikes or even <giggle> air superiority.

For comparison sake, a Nimitz-class carrier can operate roughly 90 FW & RW (but usually is at ~64).

The French Charles de Gaulle operates 25-35 aircraft.

For the love of Pete, that is a sad state of affairs.

[HankB]

Hmmm . . . it sounds as if the Royal Navy won't have much to say about it should Argentina have another go at the Falklands Malvinas in the next few years.

[AZRedhawk44]

Yeah, but no one else in the world even has aircraft carriers.

We have 14? 15?  Something like that.

The Russians have 1.

The French have 1.

The Italians have 2.

The Chinese don't appear to have any.  They bought an old Rusky one during the USSR break-up, but it had no engines/rudder/electronics, and still haven't fielded it.  And it's a small one.

Several other countries have 1-2.  But they're all the VTOL light configuration like the Invincible, or ski-ramp systems with no catapult and low take-off speed, making the FW craft that take off light.  Light FW aircraft tend to have light armament and short range.  No one has anything approaching the Nimitz class carriers for force projection or troop carrying capacity.

Frankly, the UK can get by without aircraft carriers.

[AmbulanceDriver]

... Light FW aircraft tend to have light armament and short range be AMRAAM fodder... 

FTFY

 

[grampster]

Would make a cool cruise boat.  You could have a 9 hole par 3 golf course on the deck.  Play golf between sinking pirate runabouts.

[rcnixon]

Yeah, but no one else in the world even has aircraft carriers.

We have 14? 15?  Something like that.

The Russians have 1.

The French have 1.

The Italians have 2.

The Chinese don't appear to have any.  They bought an old Rusky one during the USSR break-up, but it had no engines/rudder/electronics, and still haven't fielded it.  And it's a small one.

Several other countries have 1-2.  But they're all the VTOL light configuration like the Invincible, or ski-ramp systems with no catapult and low take-off speed, making the FW craft that take off light.  Light FW aircraft tend to have light armament and short range.  No one has anything approaching the Nimitz class carriers for force projection or troop carrying capacity.

Frankly, the UK can get by without aircraft carriers.

Eleven with Enterprise due to be decommissioned in the very near future.  Of the remaining tem, about half are really active and deployable right now.

Russ

[Jamisjockey]

Eleven with Enterprise due to be decommissioned in the very near future.  Of the remaining ten, about half are really active and deployable right now.

Russ

Does that count our Amphibs? 

[KD5NRH]

Might take a bit of work to repower it, since the engines have been removed.

Put it under sail.  I've long wanted to see something like that done.

[Pharmacology]

Put it under sail.  I've long wanted to see something like that done.

Imagine an aircraft carrier with massive sails, a giant figurehead, and wooden carvings along the flight deck!

[CNYCacher]

Imagine an aircraft carrier with massive sails, a giant figurehead, and wooden carvings along the flight deck!

     "YOU!"

"Have a good idea!"

[MillCreek]

Eleven with Enterprise due to be decommissioned in the very near future.  Of the remaining tem, about half are really active and deployable right now.

Russ

Only half?  This must be in consideration of layups in the yard for overhauls and what not, then.

[roo_ster]

I recall a near 600 ship Navy under Reagan that included (how many) carrier groups and how many other task forces that included by-God battleships with 16" guns and more Tomahawk missiles than you can shake a stick at.

[Jamisjockey]

Imagine an aircraft carrier with massive sails, a giant figurehead, and wooden carvings along the flight deck!

No. No. No.
no
no
no
Install boilers.  Power by burning dead hippies. Invade europe and seattle for fuel.

[Pharmacology]

No. No. No.
no
no
no
Install boilers.  Power by burning dead hippies. Invade europe and seattle for fuel.

It could probably run for a year on Austin. :D

[Angel Eyes]

It could probably run for a year on Austin. :D

How well fed are the Austin hippies?  The ones in San Francisco and Berkeley tend to be on the skinny side.

[Cromlech]

I get first dibs on it, as one of the few Brits on the board. 

Can anyone lend me a few quid? 

[Iain]

I get first dibs on it, as one of the few Brits on the board. 

Can anyone lend me a few quid? 

There are how many cabins on board? Get a consortium together and use it as the world's strangest holiday camp, Hi-de-hi meets Dad's Army.

[Boomhauer]

No. No. No.
no
no
no
Install boilers.  Power by burning dead hippies. Invade europe and seattle for fuel.

Aye, shovel more corpses in the fireboxes, laddies!


And wouldn't live hippies burn for longer? Kind of like green wood in a fireplace vs. dry?