Long Class Battleship

History

The Long class battleship was first envisioned in 1985 but the resources needed to build it were not available until 1991 with the naval restoration act. This act modernized the entire fleet and allowed to the development for this class of ships. The First ship was the FINS Long (Firehelper Imperial Navy Ship Dragon). Its keel was laid on April 19, 1992 and it was completed in 1996. Currently there are ninety-eight of these battleships in active service, a small number compared to the 550 nuclear carriers that form the core of the firehelper fleet.

Design

Defenses

The Long class battleship is heavily armored both in terms of passive and active defense. For passive defense it has a double hull. The inner hull is armored and has a maximum thickness of 26 inches but this tapers off to 11 at the ends. The main structure has armor 15 inches thick. Each deck has 10 inches of armor. Barrettes have 30.5 inches of armor. Turrets have 26.4 inches of armor and bulkheads are 30 inches thick. The battleships outer hull contains ballast tanks and air spaces. The liquid spaces will deform when a torpedo impacts the outer hull and the air spaces will contain leaves and slow any fragments. The main hull is also divided into 32 watertight compartments. This means that the ship will still function normally if 8 or less compartments are flooded. However the ship will remain afloat until 11 or 12 compartments are flooded. All bulkhead doors close automatically when the water reaches a certain level. However, magazine doors must be closed at all times to prevent the accidental detonation of armament and to protect it against shell fragments in a battle. The active defense of the Long class consists of several systems. The most numerous are the 10 20mm CWIS. There are also 4 proximity missile CWIS. For anti submarine duties there are six ahead throwing depth charge launchers (eight per launcher). These are mostly computer controlled. The ship may also launch ASW helicopters to aid in the destruction of enemy submarines that were detected. The ship also has several active system against torpedoes. The ship's CWIS system can be tied in to underwater detection and range finding. The 20mm CWIS system can select to fire supercativating bullets that retain their flight path in water in an attempt to destroy the incoming torpedo in a spray of fire. The proximity missile launcher is routinely 1/3 equipped with anti-submarine/torpedo missiles. The CWIS systems can also be aimed manually via a headset/ camera that attacks what the fires at what user is looking at.

Armament

All guns on the ship are electrothermal-chemical technology

Main Guns

The main guns consist of twelve barrels mounted in four turrets with three barrels each. The guns have a 22”/52 caliber and can fire 5 times a minute. The shells each weigh 3700-4900 pounds. These shells emerge from the barrel with a velocity of 3165 ft/s and have a normal maximum range (49000 shell) of 48,972 yards. The Guns can also fire a ERGM 237,325 yards. Turrets A and D (closest to the fore and aft of the ship) extend four decks while turrets B and C extend five decks where a carriage is located to reload the barrel. Each barrel is independently operated and each can have a maximum and minimum angle of +45° to −5°. The firing arc is 300° and it takes one minute for it to turn from one end of the arc tot he other at 5° a second though it has a max turning speed of 15° a second. Secondary Guns The Long class carries 12 5”/58 caliber guns in 6 turrets. There are three on each side of the superstructure. It is capable of 18 rounds a minute with automatic fire. It has a maximum range of 16.5 miles with normal rounds or 80 miles with a ERGM. It has a Maximum and minimum angle of fire of +85° to −10°. It also has a 320°firing arc. The gun also has a normal turning speed of 50° and a maximum of 75°.

Offensive Missiles

There are 32 loaded anti-ship cells located on four eight-cell boxes, two on each side of the super structure, 48 SAM missiles in 6 rotating eight-cell turrets, and 50 land attack missiles in vertical launch tubes. The ship also carries eight quad 327mm torpedo tubes. The ship carries both conventional propulsion and supercativating torpedoes.

Performance

The Long class has a top speed of 36 knts and a max cruise of 28 knts. It is driven by four shafts with 4 propellers. The ship also contains 6 retractable azipods used in docking and in the event of rudder and/or propeller destruction. It is powered by 8 steam boilers and 4 steam turbine engines amounting to 320,000 SPH (225 MW).

Electronics

The ship is equipped with a phased array radar system and a variety of electronic warfare equipment. The Long class can act as a radar jammer on up to thirty-two frequencies. The ship can also dispense chaff and thermal decoys if a missile is detected. The ship can also tow a torpedo decoy that can fool both active and passive sonar.

Stealth

The Long class battleship is the first firehelper battleship with a somewhat stealthy design. It features angular faces that reflect and absorb radar waves. All antennae and other electronic equipment are enclosed to provide less of a target. The exhaust of the ship is also run though a thermal suppressor that will provide less of a thermal signature to missiles.

Aircraft

The Long class can carry numerous aircraft. For recon it uses cheep, $4,000 UAVs that can loiter the battlefield for up to 4 hours. They are catapult launched and do not need to be recovered due to their cost. The ship can also carry 6 helicopters and has a bay for 10 UCAVs that are either rotary or VTOL. This makes the battleship not only a gun platform but also a viable tactical air superiority platform should effective UCAVs be developed.