![[ USS California BB-44 ]](project.gif)
Kehr Island Naval Shipyard
This is a loose log of construction milestones and brick walls for this project.
[ 03-30-05 ] [ 04-11-02 ] [ 01-02-01 ] [ 05-10-00 ]
NEWS FLASH….
Sort of…... There is a CNC mill making its way to the Shipyard. Depending on the operator's learning curve, many promising things are expected to "materialize". From the California Armory will be versions of the proposed MK-V Advanced Canister Cannon. (MK-V ACC Mod 1.) Considering the g-code development requirements, output from the mill shop will be spotty, and not as quick as imagined. What goes into Hull #6 will be the best possible incarnation of the MK-V concept.
UPDATE. Much has happened since the last entry, mainly in the Main Armament department with regards to cannon design. As for the hull, the plans went out to a laser-cutting shop. The ribs PC received in return were precisely cut, but had some heavy carbon deposits on all cut surfaces, and also on the faces of the ribs. All ribs required sanding of the edges to remove the loose and somewhat loose debris. It is not expected that this will pose much of a problem when it comes time to bond the skin to the hull. The ribs, baseboard, cap rail and main decks have all been cut, fitted and assembled. The next step is to build and install the main cannons, the design of which has commanded much of the time that has actually been devoted to the project in these recent months. See the Main Armament section for more information.
PC has been in contact with builders of other "slow battleships". The major common factor in the choice to build the old wagons has been the builders' assessments that the 12 rifles mounted, and the fast rates of fire, provide these ships with excellent offensive and defensive firepower. (The test of these 'theories' is yet to come.)
To date, the yards have received material for the baseboard, ribs and capdeck; all hand-picked, high quality birch plywood. The ribs sections have been completed (all 39 of them), printed and staged for cutting. Material for shaft housings, shafts, various CO2 fixtures, and artillery parts have been on-hand for some time. Portions of these items are left over from the H-39 Hindenburg Project.
All research has been directed towards determining the effectiveness of various armament configurations, computer control, and tactical maneuvers designed to limit the weaknesses presented by the ship’s low speed.
Studies have shown that there exist several acceptable overlapping arcs-of-fire, made possible through differing combinations of main and secondary rotation. The main armament lends itself to narrow bracketing patterns at range. This is because each of the 4 turrets is mounted at a slightly different elevation with reference to the water. The ability of the ship to cover most arcs adequately, utilizing several turret combinations, allows for directed fire towards any threat, from a great many angles.
The California Project feels that standard cannon designs and control systems are not capable of making the best possible use of this class’s excellent firepower potential, and recognizes that, for optimum advantage, some form of intelligent electronic assistance is required for rotation and depression control. Leading the list of ideas is the incorporation of PICs into a stepper-motor turret rotation system. This method has the potential to allow for adjustments to each turret’s arc to within fractions of degrees. Considering the possibility of training all turrets to the same point on the compass, and knowing, via the control panel, that the desired angle is a guaranteed outcome, it is easy to see the value of such a system. This degree of control, coupled with the ability to converge all turrets to a single point via individual rotation drives, makes possible the directed and concentrated fire necessary for a blowout type of barrage, wherein the target’s hull suffers serious concentrated damage.
The cancelled MK III cannon project has yielded some valuable information. This design, with modifications that allow for center feed gas lines, and total unit rotation, shows promise as the best answer to the problem of installing a major load of machinery into the smallish hull of BB-44. Many of the original specifications of this cannon were dropped during production for various reasons. In April of 2000, ways were found to reincorporate the best of the original ideas, allowing the overall design to return to its best intended configuration and function. Production of test cannons will either prove or disprove the preliminary work to date.
Of major concern is California’s low speed. BB-44 will be operating under pursuit and escape restrictions for the majority of its combat sorties. The advantage of chosing the battlefield will be with the enemy. When operating as an escort, BB-44 will be required to mix whatever maneuverability exists with its expected and supposed firepower to drive away or sink attacking warships. In each situation, making use of the maximum level of maneuverability is extremely important.
In watching BB-39 in action, (a ship with very similar underwater shape and drive) it is apparent that these types of ships possess very aggressive steerage characteristics. Comprehensive testing of the completed BB-44 hull, with varying arrangements of propeller numbers, rudder travel, and other factors, is forecasted in order to find the optimum setup for rapid turns coupled with a minimum of speed loss. Maneuverability at all speeds is the single most important aspect of this ship's hull performance, and testing will continue until the possibilities are exhausted. Maintaining close adhesion to the prototype’s station shapes is expected to assist in this. The yard’s previous construction program, the H-39, yielded a ship that could turn 180 degrees, from dead stop, in just over twice it’s length of 72". The goal is to give BB-44 a tactical diameter of 1.5 times its length, or better.