Article

2010-12-18 China-Japan-Koreas

'China constructing first aircraft carrier'

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Posted by Fred 2010-12-18 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 I gather the first time the Russians tried to make an aircraft carrier, it was about 2/3rds the size of the US Nimitz class, yet didn't even make it out of the harbor before floundering.

Their first successful carrier was about 1/2 Nimitz class, and it was still a nightmare. It took them years to finally figure out that having stabilizers wasn't enough. They not only had to have quality stabilizers, but a very skilled crew to operate the ship.

The US has about 90 years of experience with carriers, and just because China has money does not mean that they can buy experience.

Odds are that they will cut corners, to their detriment. The WWII Japanese tried to do that with, of all things, damage control. Bad idea.

Posted by Anonymoose 2010-12-18 09:18|| 2010-12-18 09:18|| Front Page Top

#2 ...It took us almost half a century to figure out how to use them without killing ourselves - and that was, in the end, because we told our people to get the job done then stood back while they figured out how. The Chinese will commission this ship and then tell their crews to sweep us from the seas, without training or doctrine.

They will have a short, spectacular career if they ever go to war in them. I would also point out that they have only built two missile submarines (a far better weapon to threaten us with than a CV) and in the THIRTY ONE YEARS since they laid them down, they've lost one and just kind of sail the other one around looking fierce.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2010-12-18 12:08|| 2010-12-18 12:08|| Front Page Top

#3 I would like to dog pile on the comments about the fact just because you can buy (or build) a weapon it doesn't make it top of the line or make you the best. I can afford to buy the top of the line Snow Skies AND I am a short drive from some of the best slopes. Even if I took some lessons and practiced a lot there is no way I would be good at it the first year or even the fifth. Maybe ten years down the line I might have enough experience assuming I don't break my neck/leg or both.

Posted by Cyber Sarge 2010-12-18 13:00|| 2010-12-18 13:00|| Front Page Top

#4 Baby dawgs I am here to tell you that if the Japaneese ever decide to build a carrier it will be hot shit and fast. Make no mistake, they have big deck experience second (maybe 3rd UK) only to the the USN. They know this shit, don't let the dancing sailors fool you.

I'm damn glad they're on our side.

Posted by Goldies Every Damn Where 2010-12-18 16:31|| 2010-12-18 16:31|| Front Page Top

#5 It takes three things to be a nation with a successful carrier strike force: a well-built ship, a decently trained crew, and topflight, well-trained carrier air and maintenance crews. China can obviously build a carrier. Whether it's well-built or not won't be discovered until sea trials (remember the De Gaulle?). Training a crew won't be easy. A carrier crew must know more than just how to operate machinery - they must know how to be a functioning, 700-800ft floating airfield. Ship handling is different for a carrier than ANY other vessel. Regardless of what position in the crew a person has, they also have to be fully aware of how a carrier operates, and learn to perform their duties around a carrier's first priority - launching and recovering aircraft. Finally, you have to have exceptionally-well-trained pilots who can put a very large, heavy aircraft down on a very short, moving runway. The crews that service those aircraft have to have special knowledge and training, or those aircraft will never get off the deck, much less back on it.

The Chinese can build a somewhat-serviceable aircraft carrier in three to five years. Training the crew to the degree of proficiency needed to maintain SUSTAINED carrier operations in a wartime environment will take a decade or more.

I still think we need to "sell" the Kitty Hawk to Japan for 40 yen or so. They'll beat the Chinese to the punch having full-blown carrier crews by five to seven years. Then let them build their own - five or six at least.

Posted by Old Patriot 2010-12-18 18:21|| 2010-12-18 18:21|| Front Page Top

#6 Finally, you have to have exceptionally-well-trained pilots who can put a very large, heavy aircraft down on a very short, moving runway. The crews that service those aircraft have to have special knowledge and training, or those aircraft will never get off the deck, much less back on it.

They've been working on that for a decade-plus, albeit not the 'moving' part.

Posted by Pappy 2010-12-18 21:47|| 2010-12-18 21:47|| Front Page Top

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