Russian Dry Dock sinks, with Aircraft Carrier inside.

[dogbutler]

[quote=“Dr.Strangelove, post:27, topic:824064”]

The best thing about this is the

(Russia’s only aircraft carrier damaged as its floating dry dock sinks | Ars Technica) from the Russian press officer:
“Off-design mode” is a wonderful euphemism, like rapid unscheduled disassembly, lithobraking, or uncontrolled flight into terrain.

“Energetic disassembly” when something goes “boom”

[Velocity]

Russia might as well write off the idea of a carrier fleet and go all frigates, destroyers and subs only.

[davidm]

Who needs dry docks? Hackers are cheaper, as are cash poor real estate Commanders in Chief.

[Didactylos]

@dogbutler

“Energetic disassembly” when something goes “boom”

Breakaway oxidation phenomena.

[zoid]

Three Mile Island was described in press conferences as undergoing rapid oxidation.

[AK84]

Update
The damage is enough that the Russkie are reportedly seriously thinking of scrapping her.

[Two_Many_Cats]

@Velocity

Russia might as well write off the idea of a carrier fleet and go all frigates, destroyers and subs only.

Or clipper ships?

[Voyager]

@AK84

Update
The damage is enough that the Russkie are reportedly seriously thinking of scrapping her.

Or maybe turn it into that hotel Trump wanted to build?

[HurricaneDitka]

@AK84

Update
The damage is enough that the Russkie are reportedly seriously thinking of scrapping her.

Might be the first carrier kill for a dry dock in history

[DinoR]

@HurricaneDitka

Might be the first carrier kill for a dry dock in history

If it weren’t for the murder-suicide aspect of the story they could paint a little silhouette on the dry dock.

[Hari_Seldon]

@carnivorousplant

Why do the Russians have difficulty building large ships? Not that I am complaining.

Because they have traded competence for political pull. Remind you of any other country?

[AK84]

UPDATE
And now its caught fire.

[running_coach]

@AK84

UPDATE
And now its caught fire.

From the link.

The engulfed area has grown six-fold to 120 square meters. Diesel fuel is currently burning and the firefighting effort is carried out with the use of foam.

Just sink it again. Fire out.

[Gyrate]

If only they’d raked the dry dock.

[bump]

@AK84

The Kutzetsov class and her Chinese clones are big, IIRC about the size of a Forrestral or Kitty Hawk class, but carrying a smaller air group due to carrying big arse Flankers. IIRC, they could have had a much smaller ship with the same size wing, if they had simply put smaller A/C on board or had a bigger wing on ship.

I mean why did you make such a big vessel and outfit her with a ski jump? Then again the Russkies ae iconoclasts in ship design, this is the same group who made the Kirovs with both a nuclear and a conventional powerplant, and I don’t mean they had different power plants in different ships, the had multiple power plants in the same chip. Their super carrier design had both a ski jump and a catapult (waist).

The Kuznetsov class are more on par with the Midway class carriers (~45,000 tons) than the Forrestal class (60,000 tons). They’re not rinky-dink little Principe de Asturias carriers, but they’re not US-style fleet carriers either. They do have smaller air wings than their tonnage would indicate- even the Midways had air wings numbering 70 aircraft at the end of their careers (flying F-14s, which were hardly small), while the Kuznetsovs have something like 30.

As to why they did what they did? I’m starting to think that large scale, fixed-wing, non-VTOL carrier operations are a whole lot harder than we casual observers probably think, and the only reason the US can do what we do w.r.t. catapults and fixed-wing planes, is because we’ve done it for 75 plus years straight. Everyone else just uses V/STOL planes and ski jumps because it’s much easier and cheaper.

[dogbutler]

@running_coach

Just sink it again. Fire out.

“Today Russian Navy launched new submersible aircraft carrier.” - Pravda

[VOW]

I hate when that happens!
~VOW

[Jackmannii]

@AK84

UPDATE
And now its caught fire.

This is becoming a Far Side cartoon.

@dogbutler

“Today Russian Navy launched new submersible aircraft carrier.” - Pravda

It’s been done.

[AK84]

@bump

The Kuznetsov class are more on par with the Midway class carriers (~45,000 tons) than the Forrestal class (60,000 tons). They’re not rinky-dink little Principe de Asturias carriers, but they’re not US-style fleet carriers either. They do have smaller air wings than their tonnage would indicate- even the Midways had air wings numbering 70 aircraft at the end of their careers (flying F-14s, which were hardly small), while the Kuznetsovs have something like 30.

Midways flew Hornets, never TomCats. They famously had to recover a pair once, necessitating a lengthy talk with the crew of the Enterprise about technical details.

Book tells the story of when two F-14 Tomcats were diverted to the USS Midway...

[bump]

@AK84

Midways flew Hornets, never TomCats. They famously had to recover a pair once, necessitating a lengthy talk with the crew of the Enterprise about technical details.
Book tells the story of when two F-14 Tomcats were diverted to the USS Midway - The Aviation Geek Club

They went straight from F-4s to F-18s? I didn’t realize that there was so much overlap in the interceptor role between F-14s and F-4s in the fleet.

At any rate, it’s not like the F-4s were small planes either- all 3 (Su-33, F-4 and F-14) are all of a size, so there’s got to be something unusual about the Kuznetsov class design that precludes a larger air wing that the US carriers don’t have.