Portsmouth Dockyard October 2021

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

As it was a nice sunny day, I visited Portsmouth Dockyard using my annual ticket and took the harbour cruise. As is often the case there was a variety of shipping on view including HMS Prince of Wales testing her emergency evacuation chutes. The photos in my album are a selection of the vessels I saw. Definitely 'a good day out'.

**LINK**

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop on 06/10/2021 20:01:19

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Nice bit of blue sky certainly makes a much better backdrop than washed out grey!

Chris

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Last time I did that trip HMS Ark Royal, HMS Illustrious and HMS Invincible were all in together! We got married on board HMS Warrior so had a few good looks around at the time.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

It’s a shame they have had to put the stabilisers out on the POW. Perhaps it needs some torpedo bulges to help??

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ashley, they are offering 20 minute trips round the harbour in the little LCI for a tenner. I might have taken it up if was a fiver but the main Harbour cruise is free with the annual dockyard ticket to all attractions on both sides of the harbour which costs £38 for oldies and includes the Mary Rose again.

Colin

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Colin,

Thank you for sharing your day out with us.

Paul

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Shame they couldn't afford a decent bow for the new carrier !! looks like its been effected by defence cuts

Also makes the older Ark Royal and Victorious look even better !!

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I have wondered about the bow, but presumably they will have tested the ship in a wind tunnel, to get the right airflow across the deck so I suppose this is what they came up with??

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Ashley, bending 25mm steel plate to a specific compound curve is a very expensive process, which is why it is only used where absolutely necessary. In a hull this is only in areas that affect flow through the water, i.e. bow shape including the flare to part the waves, and flow through the propellers and around the rudders, i.e. stern frame.

Everything above the water is a lot less shape critical and so flat plate is used as much as possible in modern ship design. There is no value whatsoever in having the top of the bow shaped so I am sure that is simply why it is flat.

This is precisely why cruiser sterns disappeared many years ago to be replaced by transom sterns. Try to find a modern container ship with anything other than a completely flat stern. This is also why even cruise ships are a lot more 'box' shaped than they ever were to maximise the use of flat plate as well as maximise the internal volume available for cabins.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Richard whereAS I can see where you are coming from, airflow over deck for an aircraft carrier is of vital importance (i would have thought) but it may be that there wasnt much difference viz a sexy rounded bow, so they made it flat to save a few bob??

They have not fitted the 4x 30mm guns either, probably another cost saving measure, so all it has is Vulcan CIWS, an item that has a very poor record for ship defence (in action as opposed to shooting at targets).

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Would it not be correct to assume that, for most flight operations, the carrier would be turned into the wind?

I'm also not so sure that modern fighter jets are anywhere as near dependent on wind direction as they used to be. I'm sure someone here will know.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Some information on the design history here:

**LINK**

Airflow over the deck would have been factored in. Fixed wing launches are via the ski jump and recovery is usually by sideslip hover if unloaded or by a rolling recovery if weapons are stil aboard the aircraft.

The ship might be a bit Lego like but it is a case that form follows function. They are pretty impressive vessels.

Colin

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