I said WW3, not Armageddon. A limited (and in theory, more survivable) WW3 is the sort of Scenario that you have described. There is no need for it as a second strike weapon, as your “likely targets would in all likelihood have been destroyed already. More likely use is for a Military Target either ...
Stern Section! Unless the “shed” is so small, that the hull has to be built in 3 x sections to be joined together outside. The earlier photographs of the hull taking shape inside the “shed” do not suggest that this is so. The upward slope referred to with regard to the section outside may simply be ...
Which makes it all the more criminal that 8 x Merlin HM1 are languishing in inactivity, when they could (and should) have been brought up to HM2 standard to provide additional Airframes for the additional (to Merlin) Crowsnest role.
Flies in the Ointment:- 1) Although there are no doubt cost savings to be had due to efficiencies of scale in the build process, there is also the operational cost of the 2 or 3 extra Frigates for the RN to find. 2) The T23 are already being pushed to a point that is beyond what is reasonable, so no...
No it is not required. The Submersible Barge would need to be used in any case to lower the vessel into the water if it had been completely assembled within the “Shed”. Only difference if being ‘joined” in No.1 Dock would be Floating the two sections into it. (Not required if joining the two section...
Put it into the basin via a submersible barge and float it iinto the dock (a similar process was used for QEC, but in this case without the need for a coastal transit).
Portsmouth Shed would seem to be just the right size for building T4x, whether Destroyer or Cruiser. It would also be co-located with the T45 “Centre of Excellence” and Base Port. It would need the necessary workforce though. : :