Sloop talk is crazy talk. A larger, more habitable ship with better sea-keeping qualities does not per se mean extra crew.wargame_insomniac wrote: ↑14 Feb 2023, 20:45So you would build bigger ships, more expensive to build and probably requiring higher crew numbers.Which has lead to RN reducing the numbers ordered of both T45 and T26, and large ships with littl armanents as they were "Fitted For But Not With".....RichardIC wrote: ↑14 Feb 2023, 10:55I find it hard to believe anyone is trying to build a case for building smaller ships to fit their initial operating capability armament.Tempest414 wrote: ↑13 Feb 2023, 18:05 Moved over from the Falklands thread
@ wargame_insomnica
I have noted previously that I believe several ships in the RN have been built bigger than they need to be for their actual armanent. That is why I would like to see ship in between RB2 and T31, a 105m-110m sloop fits that perfectly, as minimum practical size for helicopter operations. Yes the S100 Camcopter is being trialld and it MIGHT augment / replace Wildcats in RN, but I still beleive there is currently a benefot to have a mix of manned helicopters and unmanned UAV to fullfill a variety of missions,
I have no problem with a 105m ship I just don't see the need for a 90 meter and 105 meter ship in the same fleet in my ideal world we would have 8 times 105 x 15 meter ships fitted with a good radar so so CMS 2 x 40mm guns and would have a SH-60 capable hangar Merlin capable flight deck under the flight deck would be a 25 meter covered working deck leading on to a 30 open working deck with a 30 ton crane. These along with 8 x full fat T-31's would conduct global patrol duties in support of the UK and allies
So no taking into account capability insertion through-life? Not to mention the intrinsic benefits of improved sea-keeping, habitability, endurance, ease of maintenance, provision for off-board systems that a larger platform gives you.
Or as House of Commons Defence Committee Report “When ships do get to sea they act like porcupines – well-defended herbivores with limited offensive capabilities”.....
That is without considering that the Sloops I was proposing would be advance depoyed, and as well as being cheaper and requiring less crew than T31s, would also be smaller and shallower draught, and thus able to access a far wider variety of harbours in the developing countries in the Indo Pacific (and also Africa, south and central America).....
The “herbivores” comment is in no way related to size it’s related to operational capability.
And which are the harbours you are desperate to get into in the Indo-Pacific? Where can a Type 31 not go that is so critical to access? They’re warships not tourist boats.