Author Notes:
Yup, it's another OBOM chapter, mostly because I think it's the right time to make an announcement of sorts, right after this chapter.
The announcement is more or less an advertisement for myself and the goals in which I want to set up and strive toward, for both the readers' and my family's sakes. I beseech all of you, my lovely readers, to give the announcement and myself a chance.
Thank you, everyone, for all the supports. Do enjoy the chapter!
Bonaparte-class LHD: https://postimg.cc/jWdKQwKN
Boxer LCAC: https://postimg.cc/kVX9F69K
Tomcat L-CAT:
https://postimg.cc/FfsmgdmL
https://postimg.cc/KKvFrkFT
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Continuing on the topic of big ships with plentiful devastation on call, we head honchos devote our attention to visualizing the plans for the Syncra Ascendancy's true capital ships. Namely, we will design a Landing Helicopter Assault ship and an Aircraft Carrier. The former, however, will overlap with the Thomas-class Landing Platform Dock in conducting amphibious invasions, but it's more geared toward deploying aerial assault and providing aerial support through a full-length flight deck. This, in turn, means an LHA has a smaller well-deck for amphibious vehicles and landing craft than the LPD, as they need facilities to handle the servicing, takeoff, and landing of fixed-wing airframes.
As for the Aircraft Carrier... Well, a CV is a CV; enough said.
Since the Thomas-class LPD is a 55,000-ton vessel, it's reasonable to assume the LHA will have an equivalent or slightly larger displacement. And eventually, we really end up with an actual 55,000-ton amphibious assault ship. For the name, we all agree on calling it the Bonaparte-class LHD, referencing the historical Napoleon Bonaparte. As for why the name is considered important in the eyes of the Eternal Reich, it's because the Bonaparte family has been critical in aiding the unification of their planet back then. In my opinion, the name fits the ship class because, at the end of the day, an amphibious assault ship is a conquering ship.
Once again, the Bonaparte-class LHD takes design cues from the Admiral Talulah, the Erika Hartmann, and the Alaska classes of ships, especially in the superstructure and sensors side of things. The Bonaparte has a full-length flight deck, an internal hangar, two large aircraft elevators on both sides, and one small elevator at the front deck section. It features a twin-island design superstructure, a stern well dock, a CATOBAR system of electromagnetic catapults, and arresting gear for operating fixed-wing aircraft alongside its rotary-wing contingent. The 55,000-ton displacement means the Bonaparte is already bigger than the America-class amphibious assault ship.
However, the increase in displacement doesn't necessarily mean a vastly larger well deck. Much like its good old American counterpart, the Bonaparte-class can only carry four medium-sized LCACs. That said, standard US Navy hovercrafts are a tad smaller than what we have in mind, so the overall invasion capability of our amphibious assault ships will be much higher, owing to having larger ship-to-shore connectors. For even more carrying capacity, instead of four LCACs, two heavy-duty landing craft can fit in the Bonaparte-class' well dock. For the designs of these ship-to-shore connectors, we will revisit them later.
As for the carrying capacity of the Bonaparte-class... Thanks to the increase in tonnage, a different doctrine, and a more modern approach to shipbuilding, the Bonaparte-class allows for the construction of accommodation areas where no pipes or machinery are visible. Located in the forward section of the ship, crew cabins aboard Bonaparte-class ships will be comparable in comfort levels to passenger cabins aboard cruise ships. Each officer has an individual cabin. Senior non-commissioned officers share two-man cabins, while junior crew and embarked troops use four- or six-person cabins.
By prioritizing crew comfort for long voyages, the tradeoff is the carrying capacity for Marines. Without sacrificing anything, the Bonaparte-class is only capable of carrying five Companies, 1500 Dolls, still less than what the smaller America-class can host. While it's still 500 more Dolls than the Marine contingent on the Thomas-class LPD, this is only achievable due to limiting the size of the well dock and the amphibious vehicle hangar. In total, the Bonaparte-class LHD should be able to carry 20 large combat vehicles alongside 40 smaller utility or logistical vehicles. Although this won't mean the Bonaparte-class is inept in amphibious invasion, it does reflect a shift toward heliborne assault and combined air-sea-land operations. In a perfect world, an Expeditionary Strike Group will contain at least one Bonaparte-class LHD and two Thomas-class LPDs. This will equate to a Marine Brigade with full armor and air support, a powerful force for a watery Medieval world.
Moving away from the Marine complement and their amphibious assets, the part about the Bonaparte-class LHD having arresting wires and an electromagnetic catapult system should be what has people scratching their heads. This is one of the reasons why the Bonaparte has a twin-island superstructure, to facilitate aircraft operations on the flight deck. The idea came about when Reizen put forth a serious suggestion, wondering if the Bonaparte-class can accommodate fixed-wing aircraft due to the overall compact size of the airframes we have already designed. Unsurprisingly, Iris and I hit it off and went on a wide tangent to kit-bash the Bonaparte-class LHD into a modern-day light aircraft carrier as well.
The single EMALS and arresting gear allow the Bonaparte to launch and recover aircraft like the FA-1 Valkyr, CAV-1 Viking, and CEV-1 Gokstad, alongside standard rotary-wing operations with the MH-1 Knighthawks and MH-2 Queen Stallion. A realistic air wing that allows the Bonaparte-class to perform both amphibious and aerial invasion will be:
A 7-aircraft Valkyr Squadron.
A 7-aircraft Viking Squadron.
A 2-aircraft Airborne Warning and Control System Gokstad Section.
A 2-aircraft utility Gokstad Section.
A 6-helicopter utility Queen Stallion Flight.
A 6-helicopter utility Knighthawk Flight.
A 4-helicopter multi-mission Knighthawk Flight for Combat Search and Rescue, Direct Action Penetrator, and Anti-Submarine Warfare.
All in all, 34 airframes in total. A very respectable number for something that is only 55000 tons and carrying some big helicopters inside it. With no angled flight deck and only one catapult, however, the launch and recovery of fixed-wing aircraft is a methodical endeavor that requires patience. Fortunately, only the Valkyr and Gokstad need that one EMALS, with the Viking being able to take off under its own power.
Doctrinally speaking, before initiating an invasion, the Bonaparte-class will launch the Vikings and ASW Knighthawks to provide a protective zone around the ship first. Then, the AWACS Gokstad will be launched, followed by the helicopters carrying Marines. Once the deck is clear, the Valkyr Squadron will be spotted on the deck and launched sequentially via the EMALS. As the helicopters go and hit the beach alongside the amphibious transports below, the Vikings will transition from fleet protection to providing Close Air Support for the Marines. Valkyrs will take the place as Combat Air Patrol and secondary precision attacks if needed. Should the need for fuel arise, a Gokstad with a buddy refueling store will take off from the Bonaparte to supply the thirsty aircraft.
Now, ain't that sound good on paper?
We still have a long time coming before the Marines can test their mettle and the Bonaparte-class can be put to the test by fire, but I have full faith in the capability of our Dolls. Practically speaking, human errors are something the Dolls are less likely to encounter, so flight deck operations can be as smooth, safe, and efficient as they can be. Additionally, and in a pinch, the Bonaparte can be a viable dedicated aircraft carrier, carrying twice the fixed-wing complement for a reduction in other airframes. Still, with only one EMALS, it will never be up to par with a true CV.
Firepower-wise, much like the Thomas-class LPD, where there isn't really enough space for much, the Bonaparte-class features four MPLSs and three Millennium turrets for self-defense. Two MPLSs are mounted on each island, facing the front and rear of the ship. Two more MPLSs are mounted on the rear port and starboard sides below the flight deck. For the Millenniums, two are installed on the front port and starboard sides, with one installed aft; all of which are also below the flight deck. Additional .50 cal machine guns can be placed around the LHD, if needed.
For propulsion and whatnot, the ship is expected to be able to go past 30 knots with a maximum operational range of 15,000 nautical miles and ample provision for a war with a small nation. Paired with the Bonaparte-class and the Thomas-class, you can technically steamroll pretty much any island nation out there, until they pull out those Tactical and Strategic Artefacts.
Now, once we agree upon the exact specifications for the Bonaparte-class, we double back to design the smaller, but no less important, ship-to-shore connector. These ships will be vital not just in amphibious warfare but also in the logistics side of things. Since this is something Vi has to know about, we have her join us on a video call to work out the blueprints. Subsequently, the designs for a medium-sized air-cushioned landing craft and a roll-on/roll-off catamaran landing craft are born.
Our Landing Craft Air Cushion, LCAC, is not to be confused with the American one. In fact, it shares its heritage with the Tsaplya-class LCAC that used to be in service with the South Koreans. Our LCAC, tentatively nicknamed Boxer due to its enclosed and lightly armored cargo area, is a bigger hovercraft with a standard 55 tons cargo capacity, 70 tons if ferrying at overload. This means a single Boxer can carry a full-kit MBT-1 alongside additional support units. At full load, the Boxer LCAC caps out at 50 knots and has a range of 300 nautical miles if you keep the throttle easy. Better yet, the Boxer is both armored and armed, with cargo being loaded and unloaded through a bow and rear loading ramp. To protect its cargo, there is a single MPLS on top of the elevated bridge. Near the bridge, and above the armored cargo area, are two RC-27 turrets for close-in defense and coastal fire support. Lastly, there are also smoke launchers to protect troop dismounts upon hitting the sand.
The Boxer LCAC is a perfect fit for a quick and dirty amphibious invasion, while only displacing slightly over 150 tons.
Still, if you need something bigger, then look no further than Landing Catamaran, L-CAT, or Tomcat, according to Kokona's taste in nicknames- something that comes out when she sees it features the color gray predominantly everywhere. In theory, the Tomcat craft delivers the performance of two Boxer LCACs but at the cost of a single conventional landing craft. Inspired by the EDA-R class of landing craft from the French, this catamaran handles up to 30 knots of speed while ferrying 90 tons of cargo, 120 tons at overload, over a distance of 400 nautical miles. Still, to keep the weight and cost within a viable margin, the Tomcat L-CAT ditches the enclosed, armored cargo bay for an open-air cargo bay with front and rear loading ramps. Gone are the CIWS turrets as well, with the landing craft having only four M2 heavy machine guns for self-defense. These guns are manually operated and cover the four sides of the Tomcat.
This means that, for all intents and purposes, the Tomcat L-CAT is suitable for when the conflict zone is brought under control, and there's no risk of heavy interception fire, to deploy its contingent of Marines on the beach.
With the Bonaparte-class LHD and the landing craft out of the way, it's high time we come together to work on the Aircraft carrier next.